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Why all Oregonians
should heed Florence casino battle December 10, 2003,
by S. Dewberry, PACT President
Did you know that Oregon's constitution prohibits casinos? The people of Oregon voted in 1984 to amend the constitution to ban them. How, then, have nine different Oregon casinos been given the green light by our state government? Simply put, Govs. Barbara Roberts, John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongoski have placed themselves above the law, ignoring the constitutional will of Oregonians. The trio have granted development of nine casinos despite the fact that the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act permits casinos only in states where they are legal. The latest approved Oregon casino is planned for the small coastal town of Florence. A grassroots group of area residents opposes its development. This group, People Against a Casino Town, has filed a lawsuit this week in Lane County Circuit Court, challenging Kulongoski's constitutional authority to approve this casino. Our suit alleges that the governor has ignored the constitutional provision prohibiting casinos. We also assert that the governor has exceeded the power granted to him under the Oregon Constitution. Similar challenges have been brought in other states, and those courts have largely upheld state constitutional restrictions on casinos, mostly recently in New York. Astonishingly, the most substantive response Kulongoski has provided to our lawsuit was that casinos have been working in Oregon and that we shouldn't upset the apple cart. This "if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" approach is neither a valid retort to our group's legal claims nor an accurate assessment of the impacts casinos have on the lives of Oregonians. Why should the people of Oregon be seriously concerned about the governor's unabashed disregard of our laws? Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter put it best when he said, "If one man can be allowed to determine for himself what is law, every man can. That means first chaos, then tyranny." For the people of Florence, the chaos started when the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians requested a piece of land be placed in trust by the federal government. The tribes said they intended to use the land for "cultural and historical" purposes and they had no plans for a casino. However, once the land was put into trust and it was assumed local residents would no longer have any say in the matter, the tribes announced that they intended to build a casino on the land. The tribes' Web site today proclaims that they always intended to pursue gaming on this piece of land. Dishonesty does not sit well with many in Florence, especially when the misrepresentations were made to bring a casino into a community that clearly does not want one. In town forums, more than 75 percent of Florence residents have expressed their vehement objection to this casino. People Against a Casino Town was formed to give these residents a voice and has researched the effects casinos have on people. See our Web site at www. teloflex.com. (Correct website is now http://www.pactoregon.org) In Kulongoski's zeal to promote casinos, he has lost sight of his responsibility to the constitution and the people of Oregon. We cannot afford to let him ignore it. Susie Dewberry grew up in Florence, taught school there and is raising a family in the community. She is president of People Against a Casino Town. http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/editorial/107106145028320.xml?oregonian?edc |
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