Showing posts with label corruption. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corruption. Show all posts

Friday, January 18, 2008

To Talia: Casino Corruption #4

Talia, as you know, I generally steer clear of casino commentary because of the many issues confronting Middleboro caused by historical poor leadership, but there are clearly times when comment can be provoked.
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To those who were otherwise occupied and unable to attend CFO's first General Meeting, there is commentary offered elsewhere for review.

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On a Casino Fiend site, there is much deliberate MIS-INFORMATION to which one must urge caution. In particular, there is a wrenching commentary of the 19th Century injustices committed in the westward expansion and Trail of Tears and land grab.

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THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY.

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MIDDLEBORO LAND WAS PURCHASED. You may have heard the names of the purchases, i.e. Little Lot Men's, 8 Men's Purchase, Wood's Purchase, and so on. A review of Middleboro history will reveal as much. This should not be used as an emotional justification for acceptance of this mega monster that will benefit wealthy investors.
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The proposed Middleboro Casino IS NOT about Indians, heritage or reparations.

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The proposed Middleboro Casino IS ABOUT wealthy international casino investors.

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The proposed Middleboro Casino IS ABOUT a secret deal signed by a convicted rapist and liar the terms of which remain secret that promises to cheat the Native American Tribe, much as Kerzner and Wolman have accomplished in Connecticut.

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Curiously, the author of the Casino Fiend site attended the CFO meeting and has misrepresented what transpired at that meeting. Perhaps he should have taken notes since his memory seems questionable.

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And Talia, you might find the following article from the Enterprise interesting. Below are several comments (emphasis mine):

Reversal of fortune
By By Alice Elwell
Sat Jan 19, 2008, 09:39 PM EST

Perkins said what’s changed is that the Aquinnah didn’t offer a clear proposal, they were just looking for land. According to minutes from 2003 Perkins said he did not feel a casino was “what’s best for the direction of the town“, nor was there a benefit to the residents.

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“At the time that’s how I felt, given the set of circumstances,” Perkins said. “The difference between then and now — the Mashpee came with an offer,” Perkins said. There was no deal from the Aquinnah, he said.

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“Had they approached the town with something concrete that made sense, sure we would have looked at it and listened,” he said.

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Perkins said the Mashpee tribe offered an economic engine for the region, giving Middleboro 2 percent of the net gaming revenue, annually.

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“I don’t think I ever changed my stance,” Brunelle said. “At the time (2003), I didn’t think it was right for Middleboro.” But today, five years later, Brunelle says the financial picture is different. “Financially we need the jobs for Middleboro and the region.” Brunelle said after investors for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe bought town land at an auction, selectman had to negotiate, and what they came up with was “the best proposal in the nation.”

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In 2003, Plymouth created an informational presentation that was offered to surrounding towns. Middleboro, and SOLELY MIDDLEBORO refused to hear that presentation at that time.

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So, it would seem consistent with Mr. Perkins' and Mrs. Brunelle's policy of making decisions without information.

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Plymouth Selectmen arranged to transport elected officials from the communities surrounding Foxwoods (Ledyard, N. Stonington and Preston) to answer questions in a public forum.

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Not so Middleboro Selectmen. They apparently believe in their ability to make decisions in a vacuum and arrogant enough to believe it was their right.

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There has been much speculation about a DEAL being on the table prior to the land auction. Is Mr. Perkins confirming that in his statement?

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When voters attempted to initiate public discussion PRIOR to the land auction, Mr. Perkins said the town isn't in the real estate business. Did Mr. Perkins have a DEAL at that time?

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Mrs. Brunelle was equally as vehement in her refusal to allow VOTERS --- MIDDLEBORO RESIDENTS to discuss their concerns with her in a public forum. She said 'we won't discuss the land auction' even when it was publicly known that casino investors were interested in the Precinct St. property.

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How does Mrs. Brunelle KNOW this is the BEST DEAL? Has Mrs. Brunelle reviewed all of the others?

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The AGREEMENT STINKS. Re-read it.

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Only Rep. Calter has had the courage that the Middleboro BOS lack to call attention to the flaws in the AGREEMENT.

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And does anyone remember Mrs. Brunelle's tearful commentary on a conversation she purportedly overheard in a restaurant suggesting her corruption? She has failed to recognize that corruption is more plausible than sheer stupidity.

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Mr. Perkins has previously commented on grandiose promises made by the Rapist Raven, but failed to note the legal wording in the Agreement that DESTROYS, PREVENTS, NEGATES ANY AND ALL THIRD PARTY PROMISES. One must wonder if Mr. Perkins has read the hastily prepared Agreement.

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And Talia, more importantly,

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THE AGREEMENT DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY SHARE OF GAMING REVENUE EVER


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And finally, Talia, I would call your attention to the Casino Fiend author who wrote:
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I'm not an enthusiastic fan of casinos for reasons you can read on Casino-Fiend.com.
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Judging from the blue and white signs he waved, feathers he wore and TV interviews he gave, his comment betrays the reality. Was his public conduct just an attempt to gain personal attention? Or is it now buyer's remorse?
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Get the FACTS. Casino gambling DOES NOT MAKE SENSE to anyone other than the investors. The numbers just don't work for Middleboro or the Commonwealth.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

To Talia: Another Abramoff Buddy Bites the Dust!

Perhaps Rep. John Doolittle's constituents find comfort that he quoted the Bible in announcing 'his departure' after such conspicuous corruption, but yet another Abramoff connection may occupy a cell next to 'Duke' Cunningham in continuing investigations.
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Indian Casino Gambling offers too much profit and too much advantage to casino investors to expect corruption will end with Abramoff and cronies imprisoned.
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This ceased being about 'helping' Indians long ago and became HELPING ONESELF.
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This unwinding sage bears watching.
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Doolittle: 'The time has come for my departure.'
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Doolittle's legal problems were spawned during the heady days for Republican conservatives when former Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, first as whip and then as House Republican leader, was the caucus's ideological enforcer.
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Doolittle was a faithful lieutenant on DeLay's whip team and started up the leadership ladder as conference secretary. As DeLay's power rose on Capitol Hill, it also spread throughout Washington. Doolittle thrived in DeLay's reflected beam.
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In 1995, DeLay conceived the K Street Project, a scheme to rid the major lobbying houses of Democrats. His message was clear: If you wanted to do business with House Republicans, you had to go through purist Republican lobbyists.
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Jack Abramoff converted his association with DeLay into an empire. He was not alone. Several DeLay staffers, including chief of staff Ed Buckham, formed their own lobbying firm, the Alexander Strategy Group.
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Doolittle knew them all and grabbed the perks as they came along. He used Abramoff's skybox at a downtown sports arena for fundraising, dined at Abramoff's Signatures restaurant, gloried in political contributions from them and their clients and helped with letters and federal money whenever he could.
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But there was plenty of money flowing to Doolittle and his political action committees from Abramoff's other clients, especially Indian tribes. Abramoff would later admit to grossly overcharging in lobbying activities that generally involved tribal gambling. In all, Doolittle received more than $140,000 from Abramoff, his associates and clients before his empire collapsed in 2005.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Courage, Heroism, Arrogance, Cowardice and Truth

As the year draws to a close and our historical custom of reflection surrounds us, the most striking presence has been COURAGE and HEROISM.
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Ordinary, anonymous citizens came together to oppose something they knew was just plain wrong. They sacrificed their anonymity and endured venomous attacks, criticisms, catcalls.
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More than a thousand signed recall petitions to replace a tyrannical board.
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One truly heroic Middleboro Mom stood before a crowd of orange-t-shirted, out-of-town goons and was booed for her public tears.
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One cowardly Middleboro elected official gavelled truth and opposition to silence while allowing cheers, disruptions, signs, supportive out-of-towners like Bob Saquet to ramble endlessly and the ever-present photographer climbing over furniture.
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Five arrogant elected officials decided they knew best the future path of Middleboro and followed like mindless Bobble Heads a scheme that appears hatched by the former Town Manager and Wayne Perkins to avert the fiscal train wreck they created.
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One frail tribal elder heroically questioned tribal finances, a question the state and feds noticed. She was shunned, isolated and expelled for her heroism.
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Amelia Bingham's courage should stand as a lesson to us all about our personal values about 'doing what is right.'
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Ordinary anonymous citizens have crossed Middleboro's borders to offer support, speak out in protest and join the fight to circulate the facts of this flawed endeavor.
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The Regional Task Force has courageously shunned Middleboro's participation.
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Rep. Tom Calter courageously spoke to the facts of a casino presence on surrounding communities and the flawed Middleboro Agreement.
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Middleboro's other reps and state senator instead chose the cowardly path of campaign support.
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An arrogant Middleboro official foolishly challenged Middleboro's Reps. to pledge support, even as his career and image are imploding. (Some may remember that he defended a convicted rapist by saying 'everyone has skeletons in their closet' and criticized the League of Women Voters for their impartial analysis of casino gambling.)
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Middleboro Superintendent and School Committee lacked the courage to gather the facts and make an informed decision, as did the Police Union and others. The Casino Study Committee defined itself, as did its chairman.
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Ordinary anonymous citizens around the state are speaking out, participating and recognizing flawed public policy.
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Organizations have stepped forward to analyze and publicize the flawed figures.
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The greatest cowardice were those too intellectually lazy to examine the facts, review the flaws in the Agreement, reflect on the future or step away from the cheering crowd.
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The greatest heroism arose from those willing to speak Truth to Power and endure the daggers of criticisms because they're winning.
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Let's make the New Year filled with COURAGE AND HEROISM of those willing to speak against well-funded international investors and campaign contributors. Let's fill the year with TRUTH.
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Best wishes for an enlightening holiday season.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Government for sale?

Prior to the public exposure of the Abramoff political corruption, gambling, money laundering empire which involves the Mashpee Wampanoags and Glenn Marshall, the K Street Project was widely discussed and the consequences of government for sale clearly apparent.
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The willingness of Americans to allow their DEMOCRACY to be sold to the highest bidders was astounding.
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As the year draws to a close and reflection permits, who would have guessed that the corruption caused by lucrative gambling proceeds would invade our Town, invited by our elected officials?
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The solicitation for advertising contributions for Common Cause served as a reminder of where Middleboro has been placed by those unable to manage the Town's finances, but also the importance of being involved in governance, attending meetings and making your voices heard over the well-funded casino investors. Common Cause
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CREW has been actively involved in fighting corruption in Washington and their email advisories are available.
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As a New Year approaches, will voters choose a more active role? Will voters work to inform themselves of the issue to avoid the continued pattern of government for sale at all levels?

Friday, December 7, 2007

To Talia: Glenn Marshall and the Abramoff Corruption Connection

Dear Talia:

There is much that needs correcting within the Town of Middleboro. Many people fail to understand how Town Meeting Government should work and voters are still asking the most basic questions about their rights to information and to ask questions at public meetings.

It requires time for voters to understand that they are being denied the transparency and answers to which they are entitled. And it takes time to understand how poorly managed the Town has been.

And it requires time for voters to understand their importance at Town Meeting.

As such, I have attempted to allow others to comment on the Casino Fiasco that an arrogant Board of Selectmen imposed on Middleboro with no discussion, no facts, no input.

When a small group of Middleboro voters attended a packed Selectmen's Meeting Room to protest the auction of the Precinct Street property (along with several others that were problematic) that was widely reported in newspapers, as well as the Town Planner's memo, as being of interest for a casino site, we were gavelled to silence.

Not allowed to speak ? Prohibited from asking questions. Prohibited from being added to the Agenda for the following Selectmen's Meeting.

Wayne Perkins said the Town is not in the Real Estate business. (He also told you in March that towns that have casinos don't pay taxes. Has anyone asked him why he only agreed to $7 million to sell the town?)

Marsha Brunelle said 'we won't discuss the land auction.'

NOT ONE SINGLE SELECTMEN VOTED TO QUESTION THE LAND AUCTION AND THAT INCLUDES MR. BOND.

Mr. Bond failed to speak up UNTIL voters protested.

Some of those in attendance just understood that a casino was a mistake.

I was familiar with the efforts in Plymouth several years earlier when a casino was proposed in the Cordage Park area. The Plymouth Selectmen transported the elected officials from Ledyard, N. Stonington and Preston, CT to Plymouth to answer questions in a public forum.
Not so, Middleboro!

The opposition group in Plymouth provided EACH State Rep. and State Senator with a free copy of ' Without Reservation.'

Plymouth prepared a presentation regarding the factual issues surrounding the experience of Connecticut that was offered to surrounding communities. Middleboro declined.

It would seem that Middleboro Selectmen have a long history of making decisions without the facts and without consideration of surrounding towns.

When the Federal Government allowed casino gambling as a source of revenue on reservations, in my opinion, a grievous injustice was committed. Instead of providing a source of revenue for Native Americans, it has placed them at as much risk of exploitation by wealthy investors as the rest of us. One need only follow the contorted trail of Jack Abramoff filled with money laundering, fraud, political corruption that was first reported in the Washington Post (link below).

Casino gambling is extremely lucrative -- to the CASINO INVESTORS. They have wisely made political contributions to buy support. The BIA is notoriously corrupt and fails to fulfill its obligations to Native Americans.

You can do your own google search for: Abramoff, Wampanoags and Abramoff, and Glenn Marshall. It's not a proud heritage, but rather a sordid tale that the Tribal Council seems reluctant to shed.

You might find the following of interest:

Mashpee Election UpdateMystery write-in is none other than the infamous Glenn Marshall
By Peter Kenney
There are two seats open on the Mashpee Wampanoag tribal council and the election to fill these seats will be held at the council headquarters on Sunday. Aaron Tobey, Darryl Frye and Gail Hill are running for the seats. Now it appears there is a member of the tribe running as a write-in candidate. He is a former Portuguese activist, rapist and freelance imaginary hero from Falmouth named Glenn Marshall. He is also a nationally known and disgraced figure who was forced to resign as chairman of the tribal council when the full extent of his sordid past and his dishonest present became known. Marshall resigned at the end of August in 2007. CCT

The meeting that wasn’t The secret meeting at a posh resort for "Special Wamps" only
By Peter Kenney
Last Sunday was to have seen a meeting of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribal council -- not at its usual venue, though, in council headquarters on Great Neck Road in Mashpee -- but at the Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort & Conference Center in Falmouth. Sources within the tribe say that the meeting and its location were planned in secret to prevent participation by the tribe’s rank and file members. But, someone found out. CCT

Freedom of Speech is not a Glen Marshall obligation
Get ready for "King Marshall's War" against Joe Wamp
By Peter Kenney Amelia Bingham is 84 years old, but her voice is as strong as her convictions. She is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, an elder. She, along with three other members of the tribe have been shunned by the tribal council. Her reward for opposing the rule of tribal council chairman Glenn Marshall, for publicly demanding an accounting of tribal funds, was expulsion from the tribe's lands, benefits and activities. She was officially shunned for seven years. Both of her daughters and one of her sons have been removed from the tribal roles. Glenn Marshall does not tolerate opposition. CCT

With Suits Pending Over Missing Messages, Judge Issues Directive on Backup Tapes
JUDGE ISSUES TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER IN CREW LAWSUIT AGAINST THE WHITE HOUSE
12 Nov 2007 // U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy granted Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's (CREW) request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the White House from destroying back-up copies of millions of deleted emails while the lawsuit is pending.
WP Archive Search Results
WP Abramoff Search Results
It was also reported last week that Marshall was convicted in 1981 of raping a 22-year-old woman in West Barnstable. CCT
Congressional testimony of Glenn Marshall
Glenn Marshall, the chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag, testified at a congressional oversight hearing on March 31, 2004, speaking in support of tribe's request for federal recognition.
"I am a survivor of the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam," he said, according to the transcript, evoking the name of a famous battle that lasted from January through April 1968.
However, the Cape Cod Times reported today that records show that when the battle took place Marshall was still a senior at Lawrence High School in Falmouth. Marshall didn't graduate until June 9, 1968, according to the Times.
...I am a survivor of the siege of Khe Sanh in Vietnam. Our ties to our community at home compliment our record of service and sacrifice to the country... Boston Globe
The truth about Glenn Marshall
Media Nation
Glenn Marshall's bizarre threat
Source: Feds stopped at Falmouth PD and Tribal Council HQ today Marshall missing, along with his motorcycle and trailer Cape Cod Today
Tribal council to act on Marshall
Military Awards Expert Reports Marshall To FBI Report of five Purple Hearts, Silver Star 'raised a red flag' CCT
Mashpee Wampanoag leader stepping aside
Asked whether there had been any other arrests, Marshall replied: "Not that I remember."
Tribe members worry about Wampanoag image
Say controversy casts shadow on recent recognition
By Anna Badkhen, Globe Correspondent August 26, 2007
PLYMOUTH -- Members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe said yesterday that revelations that their leader was a convicted rapist who had lied to Congress about his military record cast a pall over the tribe's recent hard-earned federal recognition. Boston Globe
Wampanoag divisions grew deep
MASHPEE - Amelia Bingham had been told not to come.
But the 84-year-old tribal elder came anyway, clad in tribal dress, holding a small brown feather in her hand, ready to partake in the Mashpee Wampanoag annual Pow Wow in July. Bingham had been shunned by tribal leaders for doing the unthinkable: She had taken on the tribe's controversial chairman, Glenn Marshall, filing a lawsuit alleging that he failed to account for $14 million advanced to the tribe by a casino developer. Boston Globe
Liar's poker
As Michael Leighton, a Marshall classmate at Lawrence High School in 1968, told the Cape Cod Times: "When I first saw his photo as tribe chairman, I said, 'When the hell did he become Wampanoag? He always talked about being Portuguese.' " Boston Globe
Casinos and the American way
By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist August 26, 2007
SOME SCENES from the casino wars:
Governor Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky wants his reelection battle with Democratic challenger Steve Beshear to turn on the issue of casino gambling. Fletcher opposes any expansion of legal gambling in Kentucky beyond the state's famous racetracks. Beshear favors amending the state constitution to legalize casinos. Last week, the governor embarked on a "No Casinos Tour" and began airing commercials warning that casino gambling will mean more crime, bankruptcy, and broken marriages. His opponent points out that casinos will generate $500 million a year in new state revenue.
Then there is Kansas, where the attorney general wants the state supreme court to decide if a new casino gambling law is constitutional. And Michigan, where legislators are fighting over letting racetracks add casino-style gambling. And Ohio, where Governor Ted Strickland has ordered hundreds of bars, clubs, and game parlors to shut down their electronic gambling machines or face criminal prosecution. Boston Globe