Nothing Good Ever Comes

All violence, all that is dreary and repels, is not power, but the absence of power. Ralph Waldo Emerson

So the Cape Cod Times is reporting today that the restraining order on Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Leader Shawn Hendricks has been lifted. Our blogger friend Bellicose Bumpkin posted the article today on his blog. You know...when I read this I was really surprised. Here is a guy who has scared his wife and kids to death with his spur of the moment rages and bad temper. He has also admitted to steroid use. Steroids? Gosh, where is the Senate when you need them? Too busy looking into the alleged steroid use of professional baseball players....to heck with one certain Tribal Leader who wants to build a mega-casino resort on sovereign land. Honesty and integrity in baseball is obviously way more important than honesty and integrity in LIT applications.

From the Cape Cod Times:

In court yesterday, she spoke of her husband's violent temper, which she says escalated over the past three years, and even more so since he stepped into the role of tribal council chairman last August when his mentor, Glenn Marshall, was forced to resign.

Federal investigators launched a probe into the finances of Marshall, Hendricks and other tribal council leaders shortly after Marshall stepped down.

"It'll be a spur-of-the-moment rage that he'll burst into," Elizabeth said. "Most of his (anger) is directed toward me."

"My husband is a fourth-degree black belt and has firearms," she wrote in the affidavit. "He has a very bad temper toward me and enjoys intimidating me."

My goodness, my heart really goes out to this woman. No wonder she declined comment after the hearing! This guy has firearms, a third degree black belt and has a history of steroid use. The sad thing here is that victims of domestic violence almost always go back to their abuser. I say almost, because some are actually able to find the strength and courage to just leave....that is not an easy thing to do especially when you consider that physical abuse is always coupled with psychological abuse, leaving the victim to feel like they can't leave. So, I guess it is back to the "honeymoon stage" for this couple. I hope it works out for them and I really hope that Shawn Hendricks gets some help so that they and their children have a chance at some sort of happiness.

So, here is where I become dumbfounded at this restraining order being lifted. Our Governor just recently announced his plans to combat domestic violence. Apparently Governor Patrick is alarmed by the sharp increase in domestic violent related deaths in our State. The article in the Cape Cod Times reports the unveiling of his plans to bolster police training and a statewide review of the data to determine the reasons for the rise.

"We have a public health emergency on our hands," he said.

Domestic violence-related deaths have nearly tripled in Massachusetts during the past three years, from 19 in 2005 to 55 last year, according to the nonprofit Jane Doe Inc., which advocates against domestic violence and sexual assault. There have been 24 deaths this year. - Cape Cod Times

Well, I give a big huge kudos to our Governor for this! He has certainly scored some major points with this chick. Domestic violence has apparently become an epidemic in our State and something needs to be done about it. Lifting restraining orders from men who carry firearms and could kick the living heck out of someone without even trying is probably not the most responsible thing for a court to do. It shouldn't matter that he had no prior record.....his own wife is afraid of him. Too bad the Probate Court in Barnstable County missed the Public Health Advisory released earlier this month by Massachusetts Health and Human Services. Maybe Judge's across the commonwealth will read this advisory and think twice before making decisions that could put victims of domestic violence in further danger.

June 05, 2008 - For immediate release:

Public Health Advisory: Massachusetts Health Officials Issue Advisory to Public and Health Care Providers on Domestic Violence

Increase in domestic violence deaths spur call to action.

Download Word version of advisory in available foreign languages

Portuguese
Spanish

BOSTON — Driven by recent domestic violence killings, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today issued a public health advisory on domestic violence.

Public health advisories are tools reserved for communicating urgent information to the public on health issues facing the community. Such advisories define the scope of the problem and provide important information on prevention and treatment.

“We use these advisories to alert the public and health care providers throughout our state to pay attention to a pressing health issue,” said DPH Commissioner John Auerbach. “The recent spate of domestic violence-related deaths in Massachusetts is disturbing. Domestic violence in any form is unacceptable and we can all play a part in preventing abuse from happening to anyone in the Commonwealth.”

Commissioner Auerbach added that he wanted to assure the public and health care providers that resources exist for victim advocacy, counseling and shelter services, as well as programs to hold batterers accountable and prevent domestic violence incidents. In addition to issuing the advisory through the media, DPH will also send a copy to all health care facilities in Massachusetts.

The Problem

The statistics on the impact of domestic violence are sobering, and point clearly to the extent of this serious public health problem.

The number of domestic violence deaths in Massachusetts was nearly three times higher in 2007 than in 2005. According to statistics maintained by Jane Doe, Inc., there were 15 murders and four domestic violence-related suicides in 2005, 28 murders and three suicides in 2006, and 42 murders and 13 suicides in 2007.

Additionally, according to Jane Doe, Inc., a total of 31 children were directly impacted by domestic violence in 2007. Five children were killed, 13 orphaned, 11 lost their mother, and two lost their father.

So far in 2008, Jane Doe, Inc. reports that there have been 19 domestic violence homicides and five domestic violence-related suicides for a total of 24 deaths.

A 2003 CDC study estimated that each year domestic violence involving an intimate partner results in 1,200 deaths, two million injuries among women, and 600,000 injuries among men.
That same CDC study estimated the costs of intimate partner violence exceeded $5.8 billion per year, including direct medical and mental health costs for victims and lost productivity.

Help for Victims and their Children

Health officials stressed that more can be done by government, the public, health care providers, and the media to inform victims about services that can help them.

“There are important messages that we can give victims of domestic violence. First, what they are going through is not their fault, next, that violence affects their health in many ways, and finally, that help is available and healing is possible,” said Carlene Pavlos, Director of the Violence and Injury Prevention Program at DPH.

If you or someone you care about is a victim of domestic violence, you are not alone. Programs across Massachusetts can provide free, confidential services to victims.

If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

For help you can also contact SafeLink, the Massachusetts Statewide Domestic Violence hotline. The SafeLink hotline is staffed 24 hours a day with trained domestic violence counselors who can provide help in multiple languages. If you need help, call the SafeLink toll-free number: 1-877-785-2020.

www.janedoe.org/safety.htm for a listing of local victim service programs.

Information for People who Are Using Violence in Relationships

If you are using violent, controlling and/or intimidating behaviors, your entire family including your children are impacted. You can stop. There are educational programs available to help you to recognize and change your behavior. People who attend batterer intervention programs are less likely to commit new acts of violence or to violate restraining orders. For information on a Batterer Intervention Program near you, call 617-624-5497.

Information for the Public

Domestic violence is sometimes referred to as a “silent crime” because victims are often too afraid to come forward, and friends and family often do not want to become involved in something that they consider a personal matter. The abuse can take many different forms including physical, sexual, economic, emotional and psychological abuse, and is often a pattern of these behaviors. Domestic violence is a crime and stopping it requires help from family, friends and neighbors.

Tips for the Public to Help Identify and Prevent Domestic Violence in Their Community
Educate yourself on what domestic violence is and how to stop it. There are many resources available including these web sites:

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/ipv_factsheet.pdf
www.ovw.usdoj.gov/pledge.htm
www.janedoe.org/involved/involved_whiteribbonday.htm
www.endabuse.org/programs/publiceducation
www.janedoe.org/know.htm

Call the SafeLink number (1-877-785-2020). They can give you advice if you are trying to help someone you know who is being abused. They can also provide you the name of a Batterer Intervention Program if you are concerned about someone’s jealous, obsessive, controlling or abusive behavior.

If you hear or see a domestic violence crime, call 9-1-1 and report it to the police. If possible, write down specifics as to location, license plate numbers, and any other information that may be of help to law enforcement.

Speak out against domestic violence with your family, neighbors, and friends. Let people know in your house of worship, at work, school, and elsewhere that domestic violence is unacceptable in your community and share tips on how to identify and prevent it from happening.

If you belong to a civic organization, invite a speaker from your local domestic violence program to educate your group on the issue. Ask your local library to prominently display books on domestic violence and resource information on how victims can get the help they need.

Volunteer or donate to a domestic violence organization in your area. To find one close by, contact Jane Doe, Inc. at 617-248-0922, or visit www.janedoe.org.

Information for Health Care Providers

Domestic violence is a serious, underlying cause of poor health for many people in the Commonwealth. Health care providers can play an important role in identifying and responding to victims of domestic violence through routine screening and appropriate referral.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommends routine screening for domestic violence victimization in all health care settings. Providers should be appropriately trained in the dynamics of domestic violence in order to screen appropriately, and should be well-versed in appropriate and safe referrals for those victims who come forward.

Appropriate screening and referral has several important health implications:

An 11-city study of victims of intimate partner homicide and attempted homicide published in 2001 found that the majority of victims (74% of the nearly 240 murdered women and 88% of victims of attempted homicide) had been seen in hospital ERs for some ailment at some point in the year before the incident. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of these women were evaluated in ERs, hospital in-patient or ambulatory care settings for injuries related to the domestic violence. (Sharps, et al, “Health care providers missed opportunities for preventing femicide”, Prev. Med. 2001; 33:373-380). Identification, assessment and referral of these victims could have been life-saving.

The February 8, 2008 edition of Mortality and Morbidity Weekly reported dramatic prevalence of violent victimization (1,200 deaths and two million injuries to women from intimate partner violence each year, and nearly 600,000 injuries to men) and further reported that women who have experienced partner violence are at significantly greater risk for heart disease, stroke, asthma, arthritis, heavy drinking, risky sex, and for needing a cane or wheelchair than women who have not experienced partner violence. Identification and referral can have important implications for a myriad of health risks, as well as implications for reducing health care costs.
For information on training resources and screening and referral protocols for health care providers, go to:

www.endabuse.org/programs/healthcare – materials at this website include the National Consensus Guidelines on Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence Victimization in Health Care Settings

www.massmed.org (see the public health materials regarding partner violence)

www.cobth.org/dom_violence.html for a listing of health care-based domestic violence programs in the greater Boston area and their available resources

Or call the Department of Public Health’s Division of Violence and Injury Prevention at (617) 624-5463.

For a listing of local programs that can provide critical victim services to patients/clients go to: www.janedoe.org/safety.htm

Information for Safely Addressing Someone You Think Might Be Abusive and Controlling
If you recognize someone who exhibits behaviors such as jealousy, obsession or possessiveness, take steps to assist that person to get help. This can be critical to the safety and well-being of intimate partners and families. Talk with others about your options. Call your local Batterer Intervention Program, SAFELINK 1-877-785-2020 or the DPH Batterer Intervention Program Services at 617-624-5497 for help.

- be the change you want to see in the world-

Spin City

Sigh....here we go again, or so I thought at the begining of this past week. Once again the news was reporting that our dis-honorable Governor was once again spinning his web of inevitability in order to resurrect his three casino plan for the Commonwealth. In case you missed the 11:00 news on Monday night, here is the story that was originally reported by Joe Shortsleeve on WBZ local news with a story about the Governor entering into negotiations with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe which would make an Indian Casino a reality in Massachusetts. Some great quotes from that story were:

"We are prepared to negotiate within the parameters we have under existing law," said Massachusetts Governor Patrick on Monday.

and.......

"Some form of expanded gaming is coming because the tribe has some tribal rights and we want to be ahead of that," said Patrick.

followed by the shot of inevitability.....

...the clock is ticking and WBZ has learned negotiations between the state and the chairman of the tribe, Shawn Hendricks, are expected to start this month.

So there I was, thinking....Wow!....REALLY?! I wonder who told WBZ that line of bull, and was our Governor really buying into it? I was dumbfounded and I couldn't even blame the reporter here. It was quite obvious from that report he is not familiar with Indian Gaming Law and from the sound of it, neither is our Governor.

Needless to say, all of us anti casino people went into DEFCON 1 mode on Tuesday, contacting the reporter and giving him the truth about the Land in Trust process and preparing and releasing a formal press release outlining the reasons why this news story was way off base. Well, the efforts paid off because shortly after, WBZ released another news story stating that compact negotiations were premature. Then on Thursday, the Governor was reported as saying there are no negotiations going on, and no compact is near. Apparently his words were overstated on Monday. Phew! Yeah right....not so fast...

Here are some words of.......ummmm....wisdom from our Governor.

"some form of expanded gaming is coming because the tribe has some tribal rights to that, and we want to be ahead of that, and we'd like that to be within the framework we define rather than having it defined for us."

okay.....so untrue! This Governor is so transparent, it is embarrassing at this point.

It gets better because the Governor's spokesperson Kofi Jones is quoted as saying:

"As a sovereign nation, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe will have rights to open a casino on any federally recognized land, and it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth for the administration to remain in active conversations with respect to their plans,"

Huh? Where are these people getting their information? Has Kofi Jones or the Governor even attempted to read or understand IGRA laws or are they just spinning their web of inevitability to push their already dead three casino plan for the Commonwealth?

I really feel the need to point out that a federally recognized Indian Tribe does not automatically get federally recognized land, nor do they automatically get to build a gambling establishment on federally recognized land. It appears that the Governor is trying to resurrect his three casino plan for the Commonwealth with his “we can either do this ourselves or have this done to us” attitude, or he and his advisors really have no understanding of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act or the Land in Trust process.

So, here is Land in Trust Process and IGRA process 101. I hope the Governor is paying attention, he has a lot to learn.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was signed into law on October 17, 1988 and section 20 of that law prohibits gaming on lands taken into trust after this date unless the land qualifies for at least one of the exceptions contained in that section. Under the new section 20 regulations the land in Middleboro does not meet any of these exceptions. This was pointed out quite well by both Fiferstone and myself not too long ago.

It is quite simple, really. Recent changes to the exceptions rule in IGRA regulations have made the land in Middleboro ineligible for gaming. Under the new rules, the land to be taken into trust for gaming purposes must be within 25 miles of their existing Tribal Government. The land in Middleboro is 39 miles away from Mashpee where their Tribal Government presides. Also, under the new rules, the Tribe is required to prove it has historical and present ties to the land. Their Land in Trust Application does not show these ties.

Since the land in Middleboro does not meet requirements for an initial reservation, the application will most likely be denied. Sure, they can reapply but the land would then need to go through a two-part determination to gain approval for gambling if it is taken into trust by the Secretary of the Interior. The two part determination requires a consultation with State and local officials, including officials of other nearby tribes, and only then will the Secretary determine if gaming on newly acquired lands would not be detrimental to the surrounding community. If the Secretary finds that gaming will be detrimental to surrounding communities then gaming will not be allowed on the land.

There are several reasons why the casino in Middleboro is far from being a “done deal” so even thinking about compact negotiations on our Governor's part is extremely premature. My wonderfully educational and entertaining blogger friend Gladys Kravitz even offered up the Top 10 reasons why a casino isn't coming to Middleboro. Making statements saying that some form of expanded gambling is coming to the Commonwealth is quite a spin on the facts of this situation. The Commonwealth currently does not allow class III gambling and the likelihood of the casino investors putting money into a class II bingo hall is unlikely. The agreement between the investors and the Tribe has no stipulation for funding a bingo hall, and in fact, allows for the investors to back out of the agreement if a class III gambling facility cannot be built. The intergovernmental agreement between Middleboro and the Tribe outlines $220 million dollars of infrastructure improvements the Tribe will be responsible for, even with a class II bingo hall. There are three other casino’s within 2 hour driving distance that have class III gambling, including slot machines so the potential for profit at a bingo hall in Middleboro is extremely questionable. Take into consideration the financial woes of Twin Rivers and it would be fair to say, extremely unlikely. Maybe the Governor should take the time to read this article before he starts force feeding us the delusional financial security he believes casinos will bring to our State.

Also, let us please not forget that seven surrounding communities and the Governor himself in a 70 page document, have formally protested the Land in Trust application and the Town of Middleboro voted against having a casino in their community in a non-binding vote during last years Town Meeting in July. Other Tribes in the area have made claims to this land and have formally protested to the BIA and the DOI the Mashpee Wampanoag’s Land in Trust Application.

The Governor seems to not understand that he himself cannot negotiate and approve a compact with the Tribe. Any compact would need to be approved by the Legislature, which would be a difficult task considering that they have already voted against expanded gambling and any real inquiry into the Tribe’s application would quickly reveal the major milestones the Tribe faces in order to have the land placed into trust.....which it won't.

Most importantly, the State is not required to negotiate a compact with the Tribe, as determined in the Seminole Tribe of Florida vs. Florida case. The courts decided in that case, under the Eleventh Amendment, States cannot be forced to negotiate compacts with Indian Tribes. Under the Eleventh Amendment, the State has sovereign rights and a Tribe cannot force a State to negotiate a compact. The Mashpee Tribe should not be directing timelines or making the call on compact discussions, nor should our Governor allow them to. If we as a State stand up and protest this land in trust application and refuse to negotiate with the Tribe for gambling on the land in Middleboro, there will be no casino in Middleboro.

Lastly, the Supreme Court will be reviewing the case of Carcieri vs. Kempthorne this Fall or next Spring and Massachusetts is one of the States listed on the docket. This case will decide if land can be taken into trust for Indian Tribes recognized after 1934. If the court rules in favor of Carcieri, there will be no Land in Trust in Massachusetts. At the very least, our Governor should be holding his hat until that case is decided.

So the bottom line here is, the Governor is either lying or he just doesn't get it...and his spokesperson has no concept of how land is placed into trust nor how IGRA works. Shame on them for making such irresponsible and misleading statements to the citizens of this State!

Oh....and one more thing. The Tribe cannot begin negotiations with the State for class III gambling until the land is placed into trust and approved for gaming by the DOI. One news report stated:

Neither side would predict exactly when actual talks about a deal would begin. One possibility is later this summer or fall, just in time to set the agenda for next year’s legislative session.

Wow....just in time for next year's legislative session? Our Governor hard at work spinning his web and force feeding us his "we can do this ourselves or have this done to us" attitude. The truth is, any compact he starts means absolutely nothing because this land is not in trust. As a matter of fact, trying to negotiate a compact before the land is placed into trust is a big no-no in the eyes of the BIA and DOI....

Here's some food for thought.... some documentation (proof for our pro-casino friends) that land must be in trust. I offer this up because I certainly don't want me, any of my fellow bloggers or my wonderfully educated CFO friends to be called liars on a trashy public forum again.


Honorable Theodore R. Kulongoski
Governor, State of Oregon
State Capital,
Salem, Oregon 97301-4047

Dear Governor Kulongoski:

On April 8, 2005, we received the Tribal-State Compact for the regulation of Class III Gaming between the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon(Tribes) and the State of Oregon (State), executed on April 6, 2005 (Compact). Under the Indian Gaming regulatory Act (IGRA) 25 U.S.C. § 2710 (d)(8)(C), the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) may approve or disapprove the compact within forty-five days of its submission. Under IGRA, the Secretary can disapprove the Compact if she determines that the Compact violates IGRA, any other provision of Federal law that does not relate to jurisdiction over gaming on Indian lands, or the trust obligation of the United States to Indians.

Decision

We have completed our review of the Compact along with the submission of additional documentation submitted by the parties and some third parties. For the following reason, the Compact is hereby disapproved.

Discussion

Article V(C) of the Compact authorizes a gaming facility on the Cascade Locks Land, “provided that the federal government takes the Cascade Locks Land into trust for the Tribes for gaming purposes pursuant to Section 20(b)(1)(A) of IGRA, 25 U.S.C. § 2719(b)(1)(A) .” Section 2710(d)(8)(A) of IGRA authorizes the Secretary “to approve any Tribal–State compact entered into between an Indian tribe and a State governing gaming on Indian lands of such Indian tribe.” This section does not authorize the Secretary to approve a compact for the conduct of Class III gaming activities on lands that are not now, and may never be, Indian lands of such Indian tribe.

In addition, IGRA requires that gaming may only occur on lands subject to the tribe’s jurisdiction and over which the tribe exercises governmental power. Currently, the Cascade Locks Land is not currently held in trust for the benefit of the Tribes and will have to undergo a rigorous process under 25 C.F.R. Part 151 before a decision can be made regarding whether to take the land into trust. In addition, compliance with the requirements of Section 20(b)(1)(A) of IGRA will have to be addressed before the land is eligible for gaming. This provision of IGRA requires a Secretarial determination, following consultation with appropriate State and local officials, including officials of nearby tribes, that a gaming establishment on the newly-acquired trust lands is in the best interest of the Tribes and their members, and not detrimental to the surrounding community. After this determination is made, the Governor of the State must decide whether he will concur in the Secretary’s determination. Therefore, approval of the Compact before the Cascade Locks Land is taken into trust would violate Section 2710 (d)(8)(A) of IGRA, and thus, the Compact must be disapproved.

We are aware that the Department has previously approved compacts for the regulation of class III gaming activities before the specified lands qualified as Indian lands under IGRA. However, on closer examination of the statute, we have concluded that the Secretary’s authority to act on proposed compacts under 25 U.S.C. § 2710(d)(8)(A) is informed by Section 20 of IGRA. Thus, the proposed gaming lands are subject to a two- part determination and State Governor concurrence under section 20. These two conditions must be complete before Departmental action on a compact can occur.

This decision does not address the other terms and conditions embodied by the proposed compact. The Department is supportive of the efforts of the Tribes and the Governor to discuss Indian gaming. The Department is encouraged by the prospects that there is a foundation for mutual agreement on these issues at some point in the future.

Only after the Tribes have acquired the Cascade Locks Land into trust, will the Department consider the terms and conditions of a timely submitted compact pursuant to the applicable provision of IGRA. Until then, we trust that the Warm Springs Tribes will continue to engage in Class III gaming activities on its reservation.

We regret that our decision could not be more favorable at this time. A similar letter is being sent to the Honorable Ron Suppah, Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.

Sincerely,

James E. Cason
Associate Deputy Secretary

In this chick's eyes, it is quite apparent that compact negotiations cannot take place until the land is placed into trust and we all know that is not going to happen. The Governor is either clueless or is spinning the facts again to fit his own agenda. Think about it for a minute...why did he oppose the land into trust to the BIA to turn around after his casino dream was defeated and say he is ready to negotiate? Simple...he wants to ressurect his own casino pipedream.

Once again our Governor is spinning his tale of inevitability to push his casino bill and the Mashpee Tribal leaders and casino investors are trying to mask the fact that the Mashpee Wampanoag’s application is at serious risk of being denied by the DOI. The Governor is choosing to set aside and ignore the Commonwealth’s sovereign rights as a State as well as the major hurdles the Tribe needs to overcome to scare the pants off the citizens of this State to push his personal agenda for commercial casinos. The way I see it, the only way we are “going to have this done to us” is if Governor Patrick allows it to be done to us.

" I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts." Will Rogers

" Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption." -- James Garfield

- be the change you want to see in the world-

When is a Duck not a Duck?

I have been really busy with my letters to the Department of the Interior so I haven't had much time to blog, nevermind hang out and have some much needed (and well deserved) down time with my family. With little free time, it really gets my dander up when I need to address yet again, pro-casino propaganda meant specifically to harm, harrass, humiliate and intimidate me, my fellow bloggers and casinofact.org friends. Jeesh....you think they would have realized by now that we will not stop fighting this casino and they certainly cannot divide and conquer our invincible anti-casino bond.

I recently have had my attention drawn to the anti-casino blogger witch hunt that is currently being facilitated by our self proclaimed "kind and caring" pro-casino friends. The funny thing is, the person who started this current pro-casino feeding frenzy is neither pro nor anti and has always seemed like a stand up guy to me. He apparently has had some frustrations with some alleged incorrect information posted on one bloggers website and on our local community forum run by Bellicose Bumpkin. I say "alleged" here because I haven't looked into it nor am I really inclined to at this point. Why? The answer is simple....my fabulously talented and entertaining blogger friend Gladys Kravitz already addressed it. Bravo to her for her articulate and quite moving blog that addresses this witch hunt over a simple mistake. I must say, I am completely disgusted with the actions of the posters on this forum but yet again, not surprised. I mean, it's not like they don't have a history of abusive behavior toward us bloggers on internet forums.

What has me perplexed is that this once stand up guy has made it a mission to publicly destroy the credibility of anyone and everyone associated with our anti-casino blogger friend without giving anyone the common courtesy of an email or phone call asking about it. Heck, I didn't even know what was going on until a couple of hours ago....but of course I was dragged into it, as was Gladys Kravitz, Bellicose Bumpkin and Casinofacts.org. What....did they actually think that they could make us think for one second that our incredibly dedicated blogger friend would lie? Nope, if it's one thing us bloggers totally get is that we are anything but perfect. Yeah, we make mistakes, but we don't lie. Had our pro-casino friends taken half the time to look into impacts on schools in casino towns as they did perpetuating this unwarranted attack, they may have actually learned something. Then in turn, they may have actually had something intelligent to say instead of stooping to such levels.

Bottom line...there is no excuse for this behavior. Anti-casino bloggers work hard to research and post accurate information about the impacts a casino will have on our community. We are not perfect, we are human. If someone wishes to ask us about how we get our information, we will be happy to share -- to educate....unless of course, if the person asking is doing so only to threaten or insult us, or perhaps to humiliate us in a public forum for the sole purpose of getting their own jollies. But of course, we already know they want to publicly humiliate us....in fact have tried again and again to do so without avail.

This forum is a witch hunt plain and simple. It is childish, ridiculous and pathetically amusing to those of us who actually take the time to do the research. My goodness....a bunch of "adults" acting this way....and they wonder why we don't respond. Why in the world would we want to participate in that kind of on-line behavior. They try sooooo hard to make us look foolish and are so intent on having our blogs shut-down and having CFO shut down, they can't even realize what a comedy off errors they are themselves.

So the question here is....when is a duck not a duck?

When it's a witch, of course....or in our case, when it's an anti-casino blogger.

quack....quack....

- be the change you want to see in the world -

Fear Factor

I can’t resist. I have been trying to ignore it for a while now but it has reached such a level of hypocrisy it has become quite comical at this point. I thought for sure that by now they would have just given up…no….not given up but,

moved on.


Gosh, it seems like forever ago that we actually thought there was no hope at beating a bunch of greedy foreign casino investors and stopping them from building a mega casino resort in our community. They had land….they had a Tribe….they had the host Town’s BoS in their pocket and they had the fear factor.

The casino is coming, there is nothing you can do to stop it. Make a deal or suffer the consequences. Resistance is futile…..

The fear factor that worked so well in other towns in other states backfired. Not only did a group of concerned citizens band together to form a grassroots organization dedicated to educating the community about the negative effects of a casino, it created us bloggers, and we are a force to be reckoned with.

They have tried to quell our voices….they have used their own twisted form of the fear factor to shut us up. We have been raked through the coals by pro-casino forces. They have called us liars, ignorant, racists, classists, hate mongers and much more. We have been threatened with lawsuits, had our professional and personal lives threatened, and we have been publicly called bullies and cyberstalkers. It hasn’t worked. The funny thing is, we are the ones accused of cyberstalking and bullying, yet the ones who accuse us of this continue to troll our blogs looking for little nuggets of information to take back and twist into their own little warped version of reality. They are the ones who harass us in on-line forums and public comment sections in local newspapers. Heck, they are so desperate for some drama in their lives they have their own little blogger who thinks that copying one news article from almost a year ago while commenting about our current blogs is some form of revenge. It is comical to read the comment section of this blog….we are the hate mongers according to them, but apparently calling someone “that blogging bitch from Bridgewater” is okay….and calling someone else a “bag of trash” is perfectly acceptable and insinuating that a blogger is out of control and must be “headed for divorce” is normal. It is also acceptable to these “kind and caring” people to post this on a public newspaper’s webpage:

RAMBO TO CRAP PIERCE

YO DUDE,I'M GONNA AWARD YOU THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF UGLY. P.S. YOUR WIFE CAME IN SECOND. THEY HAVE YOUR SEAT AT THE ROYAL BRONZED. CONGRATS YOU LOW LIFE BUM!!!!!!!!!

Gosh….now that was completely uncalled for, yet not surprising...and we’re the bullies?! This comment was so way out of line that the website editor of the newspaper had to remove it…he also was kind enough to remove several other comments made about me and my fellow bloggers. The funny thing about it is the article was about the Town of Middleboro voting for a new Fire Truck and to purchase a tract of land that the owner didn’t want to sell to the Town until there was a Preservation Restriction put in the article. The comment section turned into a battlefield of pro casino posters attacking casinofacts.org, misquoting me, posting as me, posting as other anti casino bloggers and posting under anonymous names to write things about anti casino people and their families. These are the people who love to troll our blogs for anything to enhance the drama of their world….yet we’re the cyberstalkers?

I thought I would be kind enough to return the favor and troll their blogs and copy and paste their comments for posting, but honestly…the comments are so superficial and lacking in any creativity it isn’t worth it. I will say however that after calling one anti casino blogger a “blogging bitch” and another “a bag of trash” and going on a rant about the evils of the anti casino bloggers, the owner of this site who calls herself the internet avenger (insert rolling eyes and hysterical laughter here) had these words of wisdom to share….

On some level one has to see these people as pretty pathetic. I read somewhere that anyone who finds their sense of self esteem in diminishing others is clearly at odds with the laws of nature. Karma will come back to bite them threefold in the end. - the internet avenger

Hey, we can add pathetic to the list of names they call us!

I really feel the need to point out to our avenger friend here.... accusing other people of poor behavior while actually being the one doing the bad behavior is a form of psychological projection or narcissistic personality disorder. It is a defense mechanism where one person attributes one’s own unacceptable behavior or unwanted emotions or thoughts to other people, an aggressive man or woman who accuses other people of being hostile, for example . It allows for the expression of the unwanted subconscious impulses or desires without letting the conscious mind recognize them. Another example would be an individual who unconsciously recognizes his or her aggressive tendencies will then see other people acting in an excessively aggressive way."

According to a narcissistic personality disorder website, bullies project their inadequacies, shortcomings, behaviors etc. on to other people to avoid facing up to their inadequacy and doing something about it (learning about oneself can be painful), and to distract and divert attention away from themselves and their inadequacies. Projection is achieved through blame, criticism and allegation. Wow! I think I have hit the jackpot here….

So how does one defend themselves from the narcissistic projectionist? Well, I have found myself remembering that childhood poem "I am rubber, you are glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you". Yeah, it may sound childish, but it does help separate your feelings from someone else's projection and allows us bloggers to focus on the issue at hand…stopping the casino.

Oh yeah, one more thing….apparently in the eyes of the avenger, karma functions like fate — bad fate, at that: an inexplicable, unchangeable force coming out of our past, for which we are somehow vaguely responsible and powerless to fight and us anti casino bloggers had better watch out because karma is going to get us. Too bad she doesn’t understand that the concept of karma is non-linear and complex. It does not promote resigned powerlessness, but instead focuses on the liberating potential of what the mind is doing with every moment. Who we are and where we come from is not as important as our mind’s motives for what it is doing at a given time. When a person can abandon his or her obsession with finding vicarious pride in his or her past, and can take actual pride in the motives that underlie his or her present actions, that person can drop his or her myths about who he or she is, and can instead be honest about what he or she is doing with each moment and at the same time make the effort to do it right. Karma implies that we ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery. We create our own Heaven. We create our own Hell. We are the architects of our own fate. That is karma.

- be the change you want to see in the world -