Casino Lobbying and the pro-anti-casino-coalition

richlevy · 03-13-2005, 05:43 PM

I've placed a link to this article.

Summary - high-placed lobbyist for two Indian casinos donates money to conversative environment group and to Christian Coalition to target new Indian casinos while steering them away from his clients in an effort to derail a potential rival, the Jena indians.

Quote:

Christian Coalition
Meanwhile, Abramoff opened a second front to bring outside pressure on Interior against the Jenas.

He looked to Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader who operated several consulting companies. Reed has acknowledged receiving as much as $4 million from Abramoff and his associate, Scanlon, to organize grass-roots anti-gambling campaigns in Louisiana and Texas. The money came from casino-rich Indian tribes, including the Coushattas, but Reed said that although he knew of Abramoff's connection to the tribes, he did not know until media accounts surfaced last summer that his fees came from gambling proceeds.

Reed then turned to Dobson to marshal his vast network of evangelicals, Abramoff's e-mails show.

Abramoff wrote to Scanlon in a Feb. 20, 2002, e-mail that Dobson would make radio ads against gambling. Reed "may finally have scored for us! Dobson goes up on the radio on this next week!" He suggested giving Reed $60,000 for the ads to run in Louisiana and Texas. "We'll then play it in the WH [White House] and Interior," he told Scanlon.

And they wonder why we are cynical. I want to wash my eyes after reading the article.

The fun thing about this is that someone leaked all of these e-mails to the Washington Post.

Can anyone say "Casinogate"?

Oh, and the FBI is investigating.

It also appears the Jena indians hired their own high-powered lobbyists and got support from their own Republican senators to match forces with Abramoffs hired guns.

Wow, this is like a modern-day episode of "Deadwood". Of course, in "Deadwood", at least one crooked politician got his throat cut.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-15-2005, 06:51 AM

So in spite of the war, terrorists, neocons, theocons and queers getting married, it's business as usual. Isn't that comforting?

SteveDallas · 03-15-2005, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richlevy

Oh, and the FBI is investigating.

Why? Sounds like a straightforward case of bought & paid-for lobbying to me. Nothing to see here.. move along....

mrnoodle · 03-15-2005, 11:21 AM

They may as well. I mean, congress is policing steroids in baseball. We may as well go for broke.

I think I may move somewhere where they have a king or queen or something. Monaco's nice this time of year.....

Troubleshooter · 03-15-2005, 11:28 AM

I'm waiting for the judiciary to step in (again) on that baseball thing if they try too much.

Happy Monkey · 03-15-2005, 11:44 AM

On the Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart showed a clip of one of the committee members quoting a rule that said they could investigate anything they wanted.

Stewart (paraphrased): Anything? You can investigate anything? And you choose baseball?

Troubleshooter · 03-15-2005, 11:47 AM

It's that attitude and that quote that is going to get them hammered by the SCOTUS. They tried that nonsense with gun control in school zones using the premise of it impacting interstate commerce and the court said no.

mrnoodle · 03-15-2005, 11:59 AM

My question is, who gave the House Government Reform Committee the right to oversee drug use by employees of privately owned organizations? They have no law-enforcement power, anyway.

Is this something to do with the fact that baseball is exempt from anti-trust laws?

Troubleshooter · 03-15-2005, 12:01 PM

Um, nobody.

Where's Radar anyway?

Happy Monkey · 03-15-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

Isthis something to do with the fact that baseball is exempt from anti-trust laws?

Only in that the exemption is a useful weapon to get baseball to do as its told.

OnyxCougar · 03-16-2005, 10:09 AM

It is WIDELY rumored here in NC that the reason there is no gambling (lottery even) is because the "powers that be" are getting kickbacks from the people running numbers.

glatt · 03-16-2005, 10:48 AM

That's good. Not the bribing, but the lack of gambling. Gambling does no good to society as a whole. The losers outnumber the winners, and always will.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-16-2005, 11:02 AM

Right Glatt, lets outlaw everything people might abuse like gambling, booze, drugs, guns, rights, free time, children, peanut butter.........

glatt · 03-16-2005, 11:06 AM

What are you thoughts on pyramid schemes then, should they be legal? I think organized, state-sanctioned gambling is worse than pyramid schemes.

glatt · 03-16-2005, 11:10 AM

I'm not against a friendly bet between private individuals, or even an office pool. I'm talking about casinos, slots, and lotteries, where the house/government always wins in the long run. A local economy may be stimuated, but it's at the expense of the greater community.

03-15-2005, 06:51 AM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	So in spite of the war, terrorists, neocons, theocons and queers getting married, it's business as usual. Isn't that comforting? __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-15-2005, 11:21 AM	#4
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	They may as well. I mean, congress is policing steroids in baseball. We may as well go for broke. I think I may move somewhere where they have a king or queen or something. Monaco's nice this time of year..... __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

03-15-2005, 11:28 AM	#5
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	I'm waiting for the judiciary to step in (again) on that baseball thing if they try too much. __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

03-15-2005, 11:44 AM	#6
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	On the Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart showed a clip of one of the committee members quoting a rule that said they could investigate anything they wanted. Stewart (paraphrased): Anything? You can investigate anything? And you choose baseball? __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

03-15-2005, 11:47 AM	#7
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	It's that attitude and that quote that is going to get them hammered by the SCOTUS. They tried that nonsense with gun control in school zones using the premise of it impacting interstate commerce and the court said no. __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

03-15-2005, 11:59 AM	#8
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	My question is, who gave the House Government Reform Committee the right to oversee drug use by employees of privately owned organizations? They have no law-enforcement power, anyway. Is this something to do with the fact that baseball is exempt from anti-trust laws? __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh

03-15-2005, 12:01 PM	#9
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	Um, nobody. Where's Radar anyway? __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

03-16-2005, 10:09 AM	#11
OnyxCougar Junior Master Dwellar Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kingdom of Atlantia Posts: 2,979	It is WIDELY rumored here in NC that the reason there is no gambling (lottery even) is because the "powers that be" are getting kickbacks from the people running numbers. __________________ Impotentes defendere libertatem non possunt. "Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

03-16-2005, 10:48 AM	#12
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	That's good. Not the bribing, but the lack of gambling. Gambling does no good to society as a whole. The losers outnumber the winners, and always will.

03-16-2005, 11:02 AM	#13
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Right Glatt, lets outlaw everything people might abuse like gambling, booze, drugs, guns, rights, free time, children, peanut butter......... __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-16-2005, 11:06 AM	#14
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	What are you thoughts on pyramid schemes then, should they be legal? I think organized, state-sanctioned gambling is worse than pyramid schemes.

03-16-2005, 11:10 AM	#15
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I'm not against a friendly bet between private individuals, or even an office pool. I'm talking about casinos, slots, and lotteries, where the house/government always wins in the long run. A local economy may be stimuated, but it's at the expense of the greater community.

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