"If you didn't get confused -- even once -- watching the TV series "Lost," then the latest goings-on involving the Chukchansi tribe should be up your alley.

It's tempting to say that everything boils down to a well-worn twist on the Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules.

But it's looking more like a case of he who makes the rules gets the gold that flows from the tribe's Highway 41 casino.

It's not that the tribe lacks rules. There are rules galore about elections, councils, committees, enrollment, suspensions and benefits. There's also a tribal constitution.

The rub is that little or nothing backs up the rules of this sovereign nation. There's no court system to decide civil disputes, and the federal government rarely pokes its nose into tribal affairs."

Get the Story:
Bill McEwen: Feds should step in to help solve Chukchansi fight (The Fresno Bee 2/2)

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