Vincent Armenta: Opponents cry wolf over Chumash land bid

Thursday, September 1, 2011  

"Everything leading up to last week’s anti-Chumash town hall meeting had a desperate feel to it. The flyer announcing the meeting was designed to ensure that you got the message that this was urgent.

The cover of the free local “newspaper” pictured a massive Foxwoods casino in Connecticut, suggesting that you need to panic because the same footprint would happen here.

We’ve seen it all before, and there was nothing urgent about the meeting nor was there reason to panic.

Tribal opponents have staged these types of anti-tribal meetings so often that they have taken on the appearance of the modern-day version of Aesop’s fable, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” You remember that tale about a shepherd boy who tricks nearby villagers into thinking a wolf is attacking the flock?

In this case, apparently, the tribe is the wolf. And just for the record, in our story the wolf never attacks the flock, although that doesn’t stop local tribal opponents from continuing to cry wolf at each and every turn."

Get the Story:
Vincent Armenta: The opponents who cried wolf (The Solvang Valley News 9/1)

Another Opinion:
Greg Simon: Annexation would be land grab for gaming (The Solvang Valley News 9/1)

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