Editorial: Keep lawmaker away from off-reservation casino suit

Monday, October 25, 2010  

"There are a lot of people with a real stake in the Interior Department's decision to approve new tribal trust land in the middle of Glendale, which opens the door to a huge, new casino-resort there.

The Gila River Indian Community, whose existing casino operations are threatened by this manufactured competition, has much to lose by that decision. Which is why the tribe has filed suit.

Glendale, which surrounds the property owned by the southern Arizona Tohono O'odham Nation, has an immediate interest in the impact of such a huge enterprise plopped unexpectedly into its backyard. Which is why the city has filed its own suit.

State Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is not such an interested party.

Pearce, who clearly is reveling in his newfound national reputation as an anti-illegal-immigration boilermaker, wants to diversify. He wants to join the lawsuit against the Interior Department over its decision to approve new trust land at 91st and Northern avenues. He should be politely but firmly refused.

The idea of the lawsuits, after all, is to win, not to hog a larger fraction of the media spotlight by attaching to yet another controversial issue."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Russell Pearce needs to butt out of federal suit (The Arizona Republic 10/25)

Relevant Documents:
Federal Register Notice: Land Acquisitions; Tohono O'odham Nation, Arizona (August 26, 2010)
Larry Echo Hawk Letter to Tohono O'odham Nation (July 23, 2010)

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