Middleboro Mashpee Wampanoag Resort Casino

7/05/07 About thirty of the Many Voices of Middleboro who support welcoming the Mashpee Wanpanoag's back home, and enthusiastically endorse a partnership with them for the betterment of our town, were at the Pratt School at 7:30 AM putting together a float on a flatbed supplied by Moquin Construction and driven by Howard Moquin. Behind the float was a 25 passenger limo from MSM Executive Limo Service.

Riding the parade route, which we guess was lined with a high percentage of Middleboro residents in that Bridgewater had their parade at the same time, was an eye-opener. Those of us who tried to count percentages of pro vs. con at the Route 44 rotary on three occasions had come up with number of 8 or 10 to one pro to anti-casino.

The numbers dramatically changed in this type of poll. Yesterday the counters were in the vehicle (so to speak) and the counted were on the ground and not even moving. While nobody could keep track of those expressing a pro-casino opinion because there were so many, when people were spaced out it was fairly easy to determine who was against, and along the entire parade route, to be generous to their side, there were no more than twenty. We obviously couldn't judge how many people were cheering when they saw that our float was pro-casino.

As I scanned the crowd back and forth and from one side to another I counted eight people aside from those I knew to be active members of CasinoFacts expressing their anti-casino opinion.

This is compared to the dozens and dozens expressing support along the parade route. "Opposition mounting?" It appears that the Boston Herald is getting their information from the newspapers, or worse, from talking to CasinoFacts, rather than actually practicing journalism.

Along the route there were about six houses with the original "Get the Facts" signs, but in all but one instance (right) was there someone on the lawn of one of those houses expressing an anti-casino sentiment. We were surprised to see lawn-fulls of people were a "Get the Facts" sign was posted were we were getting the "thumbs up" or where people were clapping and saying "yes casino".

Some of those on the float wondered whether people who put these signs on their lawns did so without realizing they were actually displaying an anti-casino group's sign rather than a sign that just suggested getting the facts, something this website, Many Voices of Middleboro, the casino study committee and the Board of Selectmen strongly endorse.

We managed to round up the last hundred or so Casino-Friend.com bumper stickers and walkers next to the float gave them all away on the first quarter of the parade. There was no CasinoFacts float, but reminding people that the parade celebrates a great deal more than fireworks and backyard barbeques, State Representative Tom Calter's van was right behind the little welcome Wampanoag procession, and the Democratic Party also had a van in the parade with Senator Marc Pacheco signs. Of course this was nothing like the political presence in an election year. (Correction: The women depicted previosly seemingly declining No Casino stickers are opposed to a casino and were in the middle of a conversation when photographed. See Reader Comments.)

Your photographer, voice almost nonexistent after cheering "Happy Fourth of July" and "don't forget to vote on the 28th" tried to get all of the Many Voices of Middleboro who participated in the parade together for one posed photo.

An open letter to CasinoFacts.org from Hal Brown

I  am pleased to say that there were only a few spectators who expressed their opposition with anything less than good manners. It is unfortunate that there are those few who, whether by making obscene gestures at the rotary or shouting comments like "go back to the city" (whatever that means) detracts from the fact that while hard fought, with emotions sometimes running high, this battle has been dignified. While it is possible if not likely that CasinoFacts.org isn't even read by those who are less than courteous dissenters, it wouldn't be too much to suggest that CasinoFacts.org tries to tone them down by publishing an admonition against such displays. A friendly smile and wave along with a thumbs down suggests we will all be able to get along after all is said and done, rather than a decidedly unfriendly expression of disgust.

Rather than publish what I have personally seen and heard, and what has been reported to me, I would be willing to share this in a private conversation.

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