Vancouver Keeps up the fight against the Cowlitz MegaCasino; Campbell flips out

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Look, there are a great many more reasons to oppose the imposition of this organized criminal enterprise than there are to support it. Most people acknowledge that; it's why David Barnett appears to have failed in his most recent efforts of political corruption when he, again, attempted to buy Pam Brokaw in the Clark County Commissioner election; a matter of wasting $75,000 in a last minute nuke of the process.

Now, the article is here: in short, it indicates that Vancouver has notified the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of their intent to appeal the recently-thrown-out decision to kick the suit against the Cowlitz Tribe over their efforts to stuff their casino down our throats.

Phil Harju, famous for HIS sexual harassment issues (detailed here:) comes out with his standard clueless shlock of "hammering" Vancouver for wasting money, etc, etc, yaddah, yaddah.

“This is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said Monday.

Apparently, Mr. Harju has mistaken where he lives as somewhere within the borders of the city of Vancouver instead of Olympia; thus what he thinks of Vancouver's actions in this regard are a worthless as boobs on a boar hog. Still, given his utterly monumental arrogance (and man, don't we WANT an organization ran, in part, by people getting restraining orders from women and making a practice of spending tens of thousands of dollars to corrupt our elections, people who act inappropriately in matters of sexual harassment and people who, in fact, have been fired because of sexual harassment? Why, I can't imagine why folks don't beat down the door to BEG such an outfit to locate here in the face of such rabid opposition.) and his position as mouthpiece (since they shelved Barnett due to his "women - restraining order" problems) I suppose this sort of thing is to be expected.

“The tribe is still willing to have discussions with the city of Vancouver on a government-to-government (basis),” Harju added. “There’s no need to sue the federal government.”

Of course there's a "...need to sue the federal government." When the fed is getting moronic by giving any serious consideration to this horrific project and they won't otherwise listen to reason, suing them is the only alternative left.

What's surprising about all of this is that city councilman Pat Campbell, assuming these entries underneath the article are, in fact, by city councilman Pat Campbell) has apparently lost his ability to reason.

Here are the comments under the article:

Comment (show/hide)
by Lamont Cranston : 11/17/08 6:01pm - Report Abuse

More taxpayer money ****** on something to be determined by the federal government. $100000 could be better used to help the homeless families with dependent children instead of a group of lawyers in Seattle.Besides that why didn't you use lawyers from Vancouver? Seattle has enough of our money through the taxes at the gas pump.

by baseball bat : 11/17/08 6:31pm - Report Abuse

the homeless with dependant children are all tweakers and freakers. give the kids to a reponible person like lamont to raise.

by M Johnson : 11/17/08 7:14pm - Report Abuse

baseball bat, you are ignorant.

by pat mugerl : 11/17/08 7:57pm - Report Abuse

what a waste of my money to fight a lost cause, the casino is going in anyway. lacenter has nothing to do with casino, its in ridgefield.

by Pat Campbell : 11/18/08 6:53am - Report Abuse

I think if you check the record we have not had an executive session for legal matters since the dismissal of the prior lawsuit. At that time I believe media was advised that the city stated something like, "It was pretty speculative so we are not surprized." I certainly was not consulted about appealing that decision. Having our attorneys pursue this with given our financial circumstances doesn't sit well. How do you tell good people that they have to be let go while you have time and money to legally challenge Native Americans who want their version of the Waterfront Project 10 miles north of Vancouver? It should have been brought to executive session.

by Pat Campbell : 11/18/08 7:02am - Report Abuse

So every year we hav a big celebration at the Fort with the Nez Perce while we are slamming the Cowlitz who are providing local social and health services out of new health department building at I-5 and Fourth Plain. I can see why people become bitter. God forgive us.

by Allen Hoff : 11/18/08 7:08am - Report Abuse

Is the city of Vancouver against the casino because they (da Mayor) will be unable to dip into the money? Think of the construction jobs that would be available for unemployed construction workers. That would help Clark County, wouldn't it?

by Pat Campbell : 11/18/08 7:12am - Report Abuse

Allen, that was an argument for approving $$$ for the Waterfront Project last night.

by Rip Torn : 11/18/08 7:19am - Report Abuse

Uh, Mr. Harju... you don't live here. What we do with our money down here is no more your business than what your tribe does with its money up there.

In short, if we want your advice, we'll ask for it. But how we do what we do is none of your business. Besides, aren't you busy defending your actions in that sexual harassment suit that's cost Thurston County $1.5 million (not including legal fees) that was just upheld by the Court of Appeals?

http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/661350-p2.html

by Pat Campbell : 11/18/08 7:19am - Report Abuse

This is another example of why we need to have our executive sessions recorded as I advocated last night at our workshop with AWC lobbyist Mark Brown.

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So, I believe I'm going to take this opportunity to answer many of your questions, Mr. Campbell.

Let's go!

Mr. Campbell asks:

Having our attorneys pursue this with given our financial circumstances doesn't sit well.

That all depends. It doesn't sit well with Barnett or the Cowlitz, but it "sits well" with me and tens of thousands of others. Are you on the tribal payroll?

How do you tell good people that they have to be let go while you have time and money to legally challenge Native Americans who want their version of the Waterfront Project 10 miles north of Vancouver?

Pick a method. In writing... by phone... word of mouth... anything like that will do.

The idea that any elected official could even remotely begin to equate the Waterfront Project (which I do not support) with one of the largest casinos on the face of the earth tends to show that Mr. Campbell operates under a high level of delusion.

I'm stymied here. That anyone could do the "Waterfront Project = MegaCasino" math with a straight face is frightening.

Vancouver is absolutely doing the right thing here. The megacasino project does not belong here and is not wanted here. Vancouver is attempting to make that happen.

It should have been brought to executive session.

I'm sure you'll bring that up. But make sure the initial action on the legal challenge didn't include permission to appeal to begin with.

So every year we hav[sic] a big celebration at the Fort with the Nez Perce while we are slamming the Cowlitz who are providing local social and health services out of new health department building at I-5 and Fourth Plain.

Well, I would venture to say that what we do with the Nez Perce has nothing to do with and is totally irrelevant to the Cowlitz situation. In fact, if the Nex Perce were trying to screw this community the way Barnett and the Cowlitz are making that effort, I'm not so sure the celebration would be taking place.

As for the Cowlitz's efforts to suddenly act like they belong here or have a history here, I'm surprised that you'd be drinking that kind of Kool Aid, Mr. Campbell. They don't.

So, why are you shilling so hard for them? Looking for work? Looking for another huge Barnett check like Brokaw got?

I can see why people become bitter.

So can I. That anyone could be elected to any political position with such a total lack of knowledge and such complete ignorance about the many and varied and massive damages this megacasino will cause this community is enough to embitter anyone.

The idea that an elected official would take a public position that confirms his bias to the extent that he should recuse himself from any votes on these matters goes to a particular level of ignorance about how these things work, don't you think?

God forgive us.

So, you really think God will have a problem with any legal efforts to keep this criminal enterprise from taking place?

Actually, Mr. Campbell, if anyone should seek "God's forgiveness" perhaps you should start. Abrogating your responsibility to the voters because of the possibility of a great buffet or something is indefensible. Having to jack up our taxes even more to put up with the massive impacts of this casino is even worse.

Meanwhile, efforts by the city to bail out the Columbian on their building debacle continue; efforts that will cost the taxpayers additional tens of millions, and Mr. Campbell seem strangely silent about that, instead, focusing on a legal fees that, if successful, would ultimately SAVE the city tens of millions down the road.

So, if you repent your idiocy, maybe God can, in fact, forgive you. I'm not so sure about those of us who vote.
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