People Against a Casino Town
News from PACT
Casino opening no deterrent to opposition
 NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2004

PACT RECEIVES $35,000 GRANT

People Against a Casino Town (PACT) announced today that the Alliance Defense Fund in Scottsdale, Arizona, has awarded an initial grant of $35,000 in support of pending PACT litigation.  The Alliance Defense Fund is America's largest legal alliance defending religious liberty through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.

PACT's lawsuit challenges the actions of Governor Kulongoski and his predecessor in entering into and pursuing the Florence casino state-tribal compact. The challenge, based on the Oregon Constitution's prohibition of casinos and claiming gubernatorial usurpation of legislative authority, has been stalled by the governor's procedural roadblocks, thus far preventing
the courts from determining the issues on their merits.

PACT president, Susie Dewberry, heralded the grant as significant for two reasons. "Obviously, the grant money is a set back to the governor's litigation strategy of bleeding us dry before the constitutional questions can be answered. We can guess why he wants to evade a judicial determination. But equally important, the grant is confirmation by an objective and knowledgeable third party of the legal strength of our arguments."

Said Dewberry, "I believe PACT attracted ADF's attention because of a shared concern over the harmful effect on families that, with statistical certainty, follow a casino into a town. Casinos make 30-50% of their money from addicted gamblers, according to economist Earl Grinols. And with this addiction comes bankruptcy, crime, child abuse and neglect, divorce, and even suicide. In addition, the resulting drain on community resources detrimentally affects everyone whether or not members of their family ever go into a casino.

"This grant is a great encouragement," said Dewberry.  We have renewed confidence that the Oregon constitution says what it means, means what it says and applies even to a governor whose patrons are inconvenienced by it. But, Governor Kulongoski has demonstrated his readiness to spend all the taxpayer dollars it takes to keep the courts from deciding the issues we raise. To prevail, we need the perseverance of the strong local support that has brought us this far. Ordinary citizens continue to have a critical role to play. They know now that they do not stand alone."

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