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Opinion on "playing the race card": We must talk about about the unspeakable4/20/08 -- The anti-casino movement is made up of hundreds of sincere and decorous people who have devoted considerable time, talent and energy to their cause. There are a number of reasons people are strongly against casinos in their communities or gambling in general and it is important to recognize that some are unrelated. Not all are opponents for the same reason. They have concerns I accept and understand about increased addiction, traffic, crime, and their bucolic towns which are already suffering suburban sprawl becoming even less rural. People have spoken out about casino employees and their children moving into their towns and the effects this will have on the schools. Dig deeper by asking what they mean by this and the answer invariably is that there will be a problem teaching English to non-native speakers. We dare not delve into the possibility that a small number of people, and I doubt any are part of the anti-casino organizations, aren't comfortable with people of color moving into mostly white towns. Ask this and one risks being accused of "playing the race card" as if questioning whether there might be even one such card in the deck makes you the villain. If there is such a card, it doesn't belong there and opponents should make sure it is not welcome. One member of the CasinoFacts board, quoted an email from an anti-Indian activist in California who objects to sovereign Indian casinos, had this quote on her blog: "Your town will slowly but surely become a Casino Company town losing the very character that has made it YOUR town and worse you will have lost your civil rights as a community in the process." Another casino opponent included this in her letter the The Middleboro Gazette. I do not think it is productive to attack personalities in what has at times become an acrimonious debate. Level heads should be maintained and we should endeavor to analyze the pros and cons dispassionately. The arguments about everything from traffic to crime have been discussed for months. Issues related to tribal sovereignty are new to public discussion, first being raised in the Middleboro BIA hearing. Let's agree that a malignancy should not be ignored. Bring the less than noble reasons a very few people may oppose the casino into the open, perhaps starting with asking just what is meant when prominent casino opponents publish a prediction that, in capitals shouting out "YOUR town" will loose it's character, and "worse you will have lost your civil rights as a community in the process." These are just a few words. But one doesn't have to look too deeply to discern the suggestion of a troubling message beneath the surface.
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It's real. It's serious. But because Middleboro almost certain to host a resort that is also a major casino, we should learn the basics about this psychiatric disorder.
