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November 08, 2007
Casino Opponents are Racist!
PLEASANT POINT - Several members of the Passamaquoddy tribe said Wednesday they believe racism played a role in voters’ rejection of their efforts to build a racino in Washington County.The race card. It's like a warm blanket, or a faithful friend. And the story is so easy to write, two newspapers ran with it.It was a day of bitter disappointment for many tribal members just hours after the votes were counted from Tuesday’s statewide referendum. Most of the political signs that read, "Vote Yes on 1" were gone. Faces were grim. Conversations were muted at the elderly meal site.
The casino referendum failed because many people didn't feel as though Washington county needed to add gambling addiction to the many problems faced by that part of the state. I'm an agnostic on gambling, but really don't want to see Maine turn into the next Nevada.
If Clayton Cleaves wants to accuse 130,346 Mainers of racism, that is his right. Somehow, though, I do not believe his comments will make us more amenable to his ideas on economic development. I can understand why tribal members are upset by the vote, but believe they should reconsider their 'insult the voters' strategy.
Posted by slublog at November 8, 2007 11:10 PM
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