Tuesday, February 16, 2010

WHERE AND WILL THE MASHPEE WAMPANOAGS GET A CASINO?

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe not set on gaming site Friday, February 12, 2010

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is apparently not set on building a casino in the town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, even though it already filed a land-into-trust application for the site.
Chairman Cedric Cromwell issued a statement to the town council saying the tribe was conducting "due diligence" on the site in Middleboro. Vice Chairman Aaron Tobey also told the town manager that the tribe was exploring its options.

The tribe filed the application for the 539-acre site in August 2007. The tribe believes the Bureau of Indian Affairs will release the final environmental impact statement soon.
The tribe wasn't federally recognized until May 2007 and there are questions whether it can follow the land-into-trust process as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: We should applaud the Mashpee Wampanoags for standing up for their rights. Will the tribe end up in Middleboro, Fall River or some other place? Brokenwing Editorials wishes the tribe well, in their quest to have a casino. Will the United States Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) fix this situation? How will this effect the Mohegan Sun Casino and Foxwoods Resort Casino? What do you think?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Should we applaud how the tribe is selling their spiritual rights for a casino, too?