The Native American Privilege Card?

More waste of millions from Washington State taxpayers. Not that leftists care.

WoW! A whole $3 million??? Be still my beating heart.

Since their is no risk of "rising sea levels" (Just ask Barrack Obama with his purchase of a seaside mansion a few years ago) and the likelihood of a tsunami roughly the same as winning powerball, THIS is yet another waste of millions. To, of course, be followed by several million more taxpayer dollars to do something designed to provide this "tribe" with brand new housing in some other location.... not because they HAVE to move... but because they WANT to move.

Where do I get MY Native American Privilege Card?

They want to move?

Swell. I want to move as well, because I might get flooded out by the Columbia River.

Where's MY $3 million? The tribe in question appears to be the Quinaults. You know, the SAME Quinaults who have this thing right on the seaside known as the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino? With casino income, why the hell do they need a dime from us? How many times and in how many ways are these people getting paid off? Are they going to scam the taxpayers of this state to pay them to move their casino as well?

Here's the FB story:

Fortunately, things are looking worse for the Cowlitz Criminal Casino

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It sure seems like that organized crime enterprise known as the Cowlitz Megacasino is circling the drain.

Exactly as it should be.

An article in our local paper lays out their well-deserved pain.... but in their idiotic attempt to get someone... anyone to buy their swindle sheet (This story was emailed to me, anyway), they kept this story off the web site. This one came out on Sunday.

Casinos generally are getting hammered across the planet. Fortunately for us, that includes the Mohegan Sun, the folks who were supposed to write the checks for this economic black hole here in SW Washington.

To call the Mohegans incompetent is to do a disservice to the word. They signed such a lousy agreement for management that the people running the casino are now pulling more money out then the Tribe itself. And there's trouble in Mohegan City... the kind of trouble I like to see.

Reports have it that the driving force who stood to make millions off his "tribe," the casino developer, may never complete recover from his latest adventure. The Carcieri decision, which keeps tribes not recognized in 1934 from having land put into trust, has delivered a mighty blow to the prospective absentee landowners from California, Connecticut and the Puget Sound area who expected to screw us and suck hundreds of millions out of our local economy... even though they lied through their teeth and told us that the decision would have no effect on the outcome.

Now, they play a different tune.

Early on, tribal shill Phil Harju tried to get anyone who would listen to actually believe that Carcieri made no difference.

Now, he's finally grappling with reality. The article says:

If that bill (The so-called "Carcieri Fix") isn't passed, the casino plan may fall apart.

"We don't have any money to spend on lobbyists or any of that stuff," tribal spokesman Phil Harju (Who took over from multiple-restraining-order-by-women David Barnett, casino developer as chief mouthpiece)

FINALLY acknowledging what I wrote at the time.

With the default of Foxwoods (Literally, just down the street from the Mohegan Sun) the writing is on the wall. According to the article:

The Mohegans, in fact, have written off $8.6 million (of $28.7 million wasted so far) a third of their investment so far, on the expectation that the whole deal could fall through."

In addition, the Mohegans are popping the Cowlitz a paltry (and whopping) 15% interest rate for a $10 million, 1 year loan given out last September.

Yes, things look extremely bleak for those shilling this blight on our community.

And it couldn't happen to a nicer group.
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I want to congratulate the town of Megacasino (Formerly LaCenter) on their new, entirely Barnett-owned government.

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Tuesday night was an election blood bath in LaCenter, which will henceforth become known as the town of "David Barnett's Bitch," or "Megacaino" for short.

With the exception of Linda Tracy, every single member of the elected government of Megacasino is buried in Barnett's pocket, including a high ranking Clark County Sheriff who moved to LaCenter to aid Barnett's effort to take over the town.

Barnett and the Mohegans need an MOU with any community he can get. Since he owns the entire government of LaCenter, minus Linda Tracy, it's reasonable to expect a couple of things: first, it's likely there will be an MOU where the city government hands over Megacasino to Barnett in any way he wants by COB January... since the mayor, Birdwell, Nolan, Luis and "Poop" Vining ALL LIED about "opposing the casino."

Second, expect a massive tax increase designed to put the card rooms out of business.

I expect that part of the MOU will include immediate implementation of payments in lieu of taxes the moment the card rooms go under.

Of course, the city, even owned by Barnett, has to comply with the Growth Management Act... so they, like Clark County, should keep that in mind. But that won't be enough to stop them from entering an agreement given the guy who's calling all the shots.

So, again, congrats to the sheeple of Megacasino. You were handled expertly. Now, I look forward to the next election for Clark County Sheriff where I will hang a certain candidate as being neither democrat or republican, but entirely tribal.
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Brancaccio asks the question: Do they (Pollard and/or Leavitt) like the casino?

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Well, do they?

I published a moronic email from right wing nuts questioning Sen. Don Benton's commitment to Republicanism because he didn't engage in their peculiar brand of communist thought control and endorse whoever these ignorant clowns wanted him to endorse.

One of the more idiotic lines out of that filth was this:

You must have forgotten what your mother said happens when you "lay down with dogs."

The moron that sent that out is apparently possessed of a double standard, because he's failed to do a "flea check" on the slimeball HE is supporting, one Tim "The Liar" Leavitt.

We all know about most of the "fleas" these right wing whack jobs are ignoring: the dreaded "endorsed Obama" flea; the horrific "lie about tolls" flea; the despised "tax everyone to build a bridge we don't want or need along with loot rail" flea, the "manipulate the politically ignorant hispanic lobby" flea, and finally, the "bought outright or otherwise owned by the casino developer" flea.

Odd, isn't it, that both the far left and the far right can be such rank hypocrites in their double standard that they blindly apply to everyone else... going so far as to THREATEN politicians that are smart enough to disagree with them.

That said, Brancaccio's column in this instance dug... it just didn't dig enough.

As The Liar has proven, he can and will SAY anything to get elected. He has, after all, been lying about tolls on the bridge since he started.

There can be no question as to Pollard's position on the matter. Initially, he was sucked in by tribal liars and seemed to support the development of that cancer on Southwest Washington.

But as time went on, he began to see the true character of the Seattle/Olympia scum trying to ram this crap pile down our throats... and came to the best conclusion possible for us all: that the organized crime effort of building this horrific economic black hole had to be stopped... so he has had his city set about to do everything it could to stop it.

Part of the reason I support Pollard is embodied in this effort. There is no question that Pollard will continue to devote a major effort to derail the scum-sucking slime who want to put their peculiar brand of cold sore on the lip of our community.

Leavitt? Not so much.

Leavitt has surrounded himself with the most highly placed casino sell outs in our community, starting with Steve "$100,000 in cold, hard, cash, Mr. Barnett" Stuart, who wouldn't BE a county commissioner if the megacasino developer hadn't laundered $100,000 into his election at the last minute.

Stuart has never forgotten that "favor," which he knew about over 2 months in advance, and he has done everything he reasonably could to repay that "favor" since... his most recent effort being to tie the county to the tribe's bogus "gambling ordinance" by language in the rescission agreement of last April... language the tribe's local lawyer called a "contract."

The other questionable member of the campaign is one Betty Sue Morris.

I don't know what got into Betty Sue. But she sold us out in a heartbeat for no discernible reason.

She gave the casino developer everything he wanted and got, essentially, nothing in return.

Each year, the Mohegan Tribe (our local megacasino financiers) has to pay Connecticut FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR. Betty Sue didn't ask for cab fare in comparison.

Both of these rabid casino supporters are in/on Leavitt's campaign.

Why? Why are they so rabid in their support?

Coincidence? They just aren't AWARE of Leavitt's so called "opposition" to the casino?

Hardly. Like everything else in Leavitt's campaign, this is the lie de jour... the "say anything" of the moment to get elected.

With Pollard, there's no question. With Tim "The Liar" Leavitt, there's nothing BUT questions... and for the morons on the right supporting this clown... nothing BUT fleas.

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The future of the Barnett Megacasino and La Center?

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Strangely similar to the La Center debacle and the city council members/mayor in Barnett's pocket:

Mill Casino refuses to pay North Bend

The tribe wants a new agreement on what it pays the city for sewer services and police and fire protection

By Winston Ross

The Register-Guard

Appeared in print: Friday, Jul 3, 2009

Winston Ross/The Register-Guard
The Coquille Tribe is withholding $88,000 in payments to the city of North Bend that the tribe agreed to pay in lieu of property taxes.

As sovereign nations, Oregon Indian tribes aren’t subject to the local and state laws that would require them to pay property taxes or collect occupancy taxes from guests at their hotels.

The flip side is that municipalities aren’t required to handle sewage, dispatch police or put out fires on tribal-owned land that’s exempt from such laws.

That’s why some tribes, including the owners of the Three Rivers Casino in Florence and The Mill Casino in North Bend, have inked deals with their corresponding city governments in which they agree to make such payments anyway — in exchange for sewer services and police and fire protection.

Critics of casinos in Oregon have long questioned whether those contracts would hold up in a court of law, given that tribes remain sovereign governments immune from being sued in a U.S. court, in the same sense that the city of Florence couldn’t sue France. Now comes a potential test of that question.

Since January, the Coquille Tribe hasn’t been paying its agreed-upon amount for occupancy taxes for the Mill, which by the end of last month represented about an $88,000 hit to North Bend’s general fund. Tribal attorney Brett Kenney says that’s because the Coquilles have tried and failed over the past year to renegotiate the agreement with the city, and that the money is being “set aside” until a new deal can be worked out. North Bend Mayor Rick Wetherell said he’s frustrated about the turn of events, which affects not just the city’s budget but also funding for regional tourism efforts, as some of the occupancy tax is funneled toward that purpose.

“We are extremely disappointed,” Wetherell said. “In the past, we’ve had a cooperative working relationship with the Coquille Indian Tribe.”

Wetherell is mum, on the advice of city attorneys, about what legal recourse North Bend may have in response to the standoff, whether the city will try to sue the tribe or withhold the services it provides to the casino because the Coquilles aren’t paying their bills. Kenney said he’s confident a new agreement can be reached.

“A lot of things have changed in the past 14 years for the tribe,” Kenney said. “This is an effort to make sure the tribe pays its fair share.”

Because Kenney said he doesn’t want to negotiate the contract in the press, he won’t say how the deal with the city could become any more fair. Kenney said the tribe is paying more than other property owners and hotel and motel owners in the city, but the agreement specifically refutes that claim:

“(The Coquille Economic Development Corporation) and the Tribe agree that the City will be paid at the same rate for occupied rooms at any motel or hotel operated at The Mill as are charged to other motels and hotels within the City under present and future ordinance provisions,” the agreement reads. The property tax rate is also equal to the city’s rate, according to the contract.

Kenney said it’s unfair that the city receives more in payments from the tribe than it would from another taxpayer. However, that’s because the money from the Coquilles doesn’t get split up among various taxing districts, as it does with property taxes. The total amount the tribe pays isn’t more than others would pay, he acknowledged, though he added that the agreement has no sunset clause.

“The agreement was entered into at a time when the tribe had few resources at its disposal,” Kenney said.

This bargaining tactic follows an apparently rough period for the tribe’s finances. After a $40 million expansion of its hotel last year, the casino laid off 7 percent of its work force — 37 employees — in October, saying the global economic downturn had taken its toll on people’s willingness to spend money on leisure-related activities.

Last year, the tribe paid $440,000 in lieu of taxes to the city, so the $88,000 it is holding back for the first half of this year is only a fraction of that. But if the city decides it’s a perfectly reasonable amount — because it’s based on what anyone else would pay — it could raise some interesting questions about tribal sovereignty.

In dozens of court cases across the United States in recent years, municipal governments and private citizens have found themselves unable to force Indian tribes to even show up in court. There is a waiver of sovereign immunity in the tribe’s contract with North Bend, but the city has never tried to sue the Coquilles in the past, so that language has never been tested in court.

Kenney said he would let the waiver “speak for itself,” adding that the tribe is committed to ensuring that the casino and its hotel continue to receive the city services it has in the past. He said he expects to meet with city leaders in the next few weeks to work out a new agreement.

“A lot of things have changed in the past 14 years for the tribe.”

— Brett Kenney, tribal attorney

Gee.... where are we hearing this now? The similarities are striking, are they not? All the Barnett/Cowlitz promises... not unlike the promises made by the Coquille Tribe to suck North Bend into THEIR sewer agreement.

Of course, if I was running the show in North Bend, I would immediately shut off the sewer line AND end police or fire presence on tribal land... but that's just me.

And any of the morons supporting the massive pimple on Clark County's butt known as the Barnett/Paskenta/Mohegan/Cowlitz Megacasino who don't, for one second, believe that the people running that casino wouldn't do the precise same thing if they felt like it have a screw loose.
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The Cowlitz-Clark County MOU dies a properly horrific death. Part Deux - Maybe we're getting scammed.

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So... does tomorrow's agreement scam us?

Upon further review, there sure is a lot of verbiage in the "rescission agreement" when all it SHOULD say, if anything, is that the MOU is null and void, and we're dropping the appeal of the Growth Management Hearing Board.

Instead, there's a whole bunch of back-handed, Stuart-sponsored scammery going on.

The question is this: why?

What does this phrase mean?

“Whereas, in a letter of February 5, 2008 to the Department of Interior, the County notified the Department that the aforementioned Tribal Ordinances are consistent with and based upon the Tribe’s obligations in the 2004 MOU, that such Ordinances establish an irrevocable limited waiver of sovereign immunity by the Tribe in favor of the County for enforcement of the Ordinances, and that the County’s future decisions and actions on matters relating to the proposed trust lands will rely on the Tribe’s promises contained in those Ordinances. . . .”

This seems to me to be quite the scam. And a law school graduate like Steve Stuart should know that.

The question for me is this: why?

WHY does the county have to "rely on the Tribe's promises contained in those Ordinances?"

Seems to me that the MOU is dead as a doornail. Why doesn't the county just hose off the fire and call in the dogs? Seems to me that this isn't what it appears

Why is all this other language necessary?

Why is Stuart pulling this scam on us? I mean, I KNOW that he's owned by casino interests and all that. But does he think we're idiots?

The Cowlitz-Clark County MOU dies a properly horrific death.

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I have hated the agreement between Clark County and the Barnett/Cowlitz/Mohegan/Paskenta Mafia since I found out about it, as much as the Barnett/Cowlitz/Mohegan/Paskenta hate us.

And their complete LACK of good faith, their failure to bear ALL of the costs of this nonsense, their failure to pay taxes, their failure to insure that the community here for decades before David Barnett ever HEARD of a Cowlitz Casino was adequately protected and compensated, speaks to their deep-seated hatred of us, and their complete and utter arrogance and stupidity in dealing with the public speaks to the fact that they've set out to screw us ever since they showed up to ram this cancerous tumor down our throats.

They started with a bully as a tribal shill for this nonsense, a guy with an extensive criminal record who has a problem getting retraining orders from women. They segued to a self-admitted fired-from-Microsoft-for-sexual-harassment-not-one-drop-of-Cowlitz-blood-only-a-tribal-member-because-of-an-ADMINISTRATIVE-act-tribal-councilman, and wound up with an outright liar, caught up in yet ANOTHER sexual harassment scandal as part of HIS job as a lawyer in the Pierce County Prosecutor's office.

Can anyone detect a common thread here?

Threats, intimidation, arrogance, "channeling Chief Umtuch," for God's sake. A COMPLETE disregard for the needs of this community. Outright efforts to buy politicians. An environmental impact statement so laughingly incomplete and bereft of actually addressing the massive impacts of this project down our throats in traffic, lights, pollution, social costs, labor... in essentially every area imaginable.

Their disdain for any concerns on our part; their insulting, condescending demeanor, the indisputable fact that essentially, few, if any of the Cowlitz Tribe live here, near hear, or have EVER lived here:

Cowlitz Tribe councilman Philip Harju makes news while attending a meeting on
the proposed rules at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino. He balks at the proposed
requirement that to take land into trust for gaming as an initial reservation or
as restored lands, a majority of a tribe’s members must live within 50 miles of
the site. The Norwich (Conn.) Bulletin paraphrases Harju saying “that would be
almost impossible for the 3,500-member tribe unless it took downtown Seattle
into trust.”

Add this to the recent US Supreme Court ruling that the US Supreme Court has narrowed application of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act to tribes recognized at the time of passage and this scam is facing serious, serious difficulty.

One has to wonder: How do the Paskenta view their deal with Barnett now?

Tribe-county casino pact is headed to ash heap
Cowlitz Indian Tribe votes to rescind 2004 agreement; county vote slated for Tuesday night
Saturday, April 4 8:03 p.m.
BY JEFFREY MIZE
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER



The Cowlitz Tribe proposes a casino complex at this site on Interstate 5 west of La Center. (Columbian files)

Clark County's 2004 casino pact with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe will die Tuesday night when county commissioners kill an agreement that was never technically in effect.

The Cowlitz Tribal Council voted Saturday to rescind the agreement.

Commissioners will vote on the one-page rescission at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

A replacement agreement seems unlikely because Commissioners Marc Boldt and Tom Mielke have been critical of the 2004 agreement. Moreover, the tribe has little reason to make concessions to secure a new deal.

Commissioner Steve Stuart didn't want to answer questions prior to Tuesday's meeting.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves," he said Friday morning.

The 2004 memorandum of understanding, signed by three commissioners who are no longer in office, would go into effect only if the federal government takes a 152-acre site west of La Center into trust.

The MOU would have required the tribe to comply with county building and health codes, to build roads and intersections to keep traffic flowing, to pay for law enforcement and prosecution of misdemeanor crimes, and to compensate the county and other local governments for lost property taxes. It also stipulated that the tribe would establish an education and arts fund with 2 percent of net gambling revenues to support charitable activities in Clark County.

Casino opponents pounced on the MOU and went to court to try to kill it because it improved the tribe's chances of winning federal approval for a proposed $510 million casino complex.

After a state hearings board declared the agreement invalid in June 2007, the Cowlitz enacted a gaming ordinance that embraced the same provisions contained in the invalidated county-tribe pact. The tribe also granted the county a limited waiver of tribal sovereignty, which allows the county to sue the tribe if it fails to live up to its commitments.

More:

Hopefully, the Silver Bullet has been fired: Supreme Court ruling raises questions about Cowlitz casino

The massive and damaging Barnett/Paskenta/Mohegan/Cowlitz megacasino would be a crushing financial and social blow to Clark County were ever to get approved.

The Cowlitz Tribe no more has a presence here then the fact that I drove through Orange County once gives me historical ties.

So the announcement that the US Supreme Court has narrowed application of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act to tribes recognized at the time of passage comes as a pleasant surprise and a vicious blow to the few special interests interested in sucking our local economy dry.

The article speaks for itself. And contrary to avowed tribal supporters perspectives, I cheerfully disagree with their statement that this is not a probable "silver bullet."

Though Daniel Kearns, who has been fronting for LaCenter Mayor Jim Irish, avowed casino supporter tells us:

he had not read the decision, but suspects it will not be a “silver bullet” for casino foes because the tribe could argue it has been restored to federal recognition.

that has no application here, since the language of the decision indicates:

"Justice Clarence Thomas said in his majority opinion that the law “unambiguously refers to those tribes that were under the federal jurisdiction” when it was enacted."

That the Cowlitz came under federal jurisdiction 68 years later means they, and many other corporate tribes, are out of luck.

And thank God for it. To those of you who've wasted millions attempting to ram this garbage down our throats... my condolences.

Back to the drawing board, guys.



Supreme Court ruling raises questions about Cowlitz casino
Court limits federal ability to hold land in trust for tribes

Tuesday, February 24 | 11:57 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE COLUMBIAN

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday limited the federal government’s authority to hold land in trust for Indian tribes, a victory for Rhode Island and other states seeking to impose local laws and control over development on Indian lands.

The court’s ruling applies to tribes recognized by the federal government after the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act.

The U.S. government argued that the law allows it to take land into trust for tribes regardless of when they were recognized, but Justice Clarence Thomas said in his majority opinion that the law “unambiguously refers to those tribes that were under the federal jurisdiction” when it was enacted.

The implications of Tuesday’s ruling for the proposed Cowlitz casino west of La Center were not immediately clear.

The federal government formally recognized the Cowlitz Indian Tribe in January 2002, some 68 years after passage of the Indian Reorganization Act.

Phil Harju, the tribe’s vice chairman and casino spokesman, said he and others were digesting the opinion and might have a statement later Tuesday.

Dan Kearns, La Center city attorney, said he had not read the decision, but suspects it will not be a “silver bullet” for casino foes because the tribe could argue it has been restored to federal recognition.

Tuesday’s ruling involves the Rhode Island-based Narragansett Indian Tribe and a 31-acre tract of land that the tribe purchased in rural Charlestown, about 40 miles south of Providence.

At issue was whether the land should be subject to state law, including a prohibition on casino gambling, or whether the parcel should be governed by tribal and federal law.

More:

update: Kudos to the Commissioners: County kills casino agreement.

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The Pravda Columbian reports this evening that the Board of Commissioners have ended their appeal of the Western Washington Growth Management Hearing Board along with the moronic agreement signed by a past Board of Commissioners in 2004.

Dumping this trash was long overdue. Even David Barnett's Commissioner, Steve Stuart, voted to rid us of this terrible agreement that sticks it to the people of Clark County in a wide variety of ways.

When it comes to another deal, I wouldn't bet on it. The chief string pullers and beneficiaries on this deal, the Mohegan Tribe, pay their state $400 million per year or so, and have offered to pay Wisconsin governments at the state and local level as much as $2 BILLION over 20 years.

What Andersen laughingly refers to as "shared revenue" isn't even a drop in a 55 gallon barrel compared to what the head thug, David Barnett; the Paskenta Tribe, The Mohegans, the union organized crime interests that all want to damage this community since NONE OF THEM LIVE HERE OR WILL HAVE TO FACE THE FALLOUT OF THIS GIGANTIC RIP OFF IN EXTRA TAXES AND SOCIAL COSTS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO BARE. And how easy it is for them to tell us how to live, since all they're concerned about is a check every month, damages to the community be damned?

Also of note was local tribal shill Steve Horenstein's take:

Steve Horenstein, the Cowlitz Tribe's lawyer, said Wednesday that a replacement deal isn't needed, because the tribe has formally bound itself to the terms of the old deal.

But he predicted that a replacement deal will be signed.

"As long as both parties proceed in good faith, we're very likely to get to an agreement," Horenstein said.

"Good faith?" Since when has the tribe EVER "proceeded in good faith?"

They've lied. They've threatened. They've coerced. They made incredibly false and deliberately hurtful allegations of racism; they've bought union thugs to keep them quiet; the guy in charge of the deal has had two different restraining orders slammed against him from women and has bought and attempted to buy a county commissioner (Stuart: cost $100,000 through leftist democrat front group Progressive Majority; Brokaw, $25,000 through Washington Conservation Voters in 04 and $76,500 in 08... is THAT "negotiating in good faith?); two other tribal council member's (Phil Harju, a Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor embroiled in a multi-million dollar sexual harassment law suit, and another tribal council member by legislative fiat (he has precisely ZERO Cowlitz blood) Rod VanMechelen who's storied past includes being fired from Microsoft for, you guessed it, sexual harassment.) Have been among the loudest proponents of this massive community fraud, and like the vast majority of the Cowlitz Tribe, THEY DON'T LIVE HERE.

They have shown a level of arrogance and tone-deafness, not to mention a total lack of concern for this community, that begins to approach the ego-maniacal arrogance of our new President.

They have YET to "negotiate in good faith," and Horenstein expects us to believe they'll suddenly start now?

Not with the crew they've had in place. And, as far as that goes, not with Mr. Horenstein.

It's easy to conclude that Mr. Horenstein's position, henceforth, will be that anything we agree on with the casino developers will be "good faith." Anything we DISAGREE with them on will be bad faith, racism, deliberate, and design solely to kill the deal, to put it mildly.

The reasons to rip this thing to shreds are both long... and distinguished. Finally getting it done?

Priceless.

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Local News

County kills casino agreement

Wednesday, February 4 4:48 p.m.

BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN/COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Clark County commissioners voted today to kill a controversial 2004 deal with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.

The county also will drop its legal defense of the deal, which would have shared revenue from a tribal casino near La Center if one is ever approved.

Commissioners said that if they'd kept fighting to keep the deal - which was invalidated after a state board said it had been signed without enough public scrutiny - the county might have been punished by losing access to important state loans.

Wednesday's unanimous vote opens the way for a possible replacement bargain between the county and the tribe. The county could begin to discuss a new deal at public hearings before winter ends, said Commissioner Marc Boldt.

"We are fulfilling our commitment to bring it back to the public for an open view," Commissioner Steve Stuart said.

Updated Article:

County drops defense of 2004 casino deal

New agreement is possible but it faces some challenges

Wednesday, February 4 10:20 p.m.

BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Remember those TV ads that looped endlessly on local cable in 2007 and 2008, telling Clark County's commissioners to "kill the bad deal" with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe?

Well, it happened.

County commissioners voted Wednesday to drop their legal defense of a 2004 bargain with the Cowlitz that would have shared revenue from a casino if one is ever built on the tribe's land outside La Center.

Political pressure such as those ads, which were funded by a rival tribal casino, had nothing to do with Wednesday's unanimous decision, said Commissioner Steve Stuart.

Rather, Stuart said, the county was facing possible punishment from the state for standing by the deal after a state board said it had been signed without enough public scrutiny.

More:

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More letters from the Moron Zone (II): Gorge casino foes make appeal to senator

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Unlike here locally, where opposition to the Barnett/Mohegan/Paskenta organized crime venture known as the Cowlitz Megacasino rages; the community of Cascade Locks, Oregon; decimated by the beneficences of the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Act; desperately want the Warm Springs Tribe to build a casino within their city limits.

The critical phrase, above, is this: "...casino WITHIN THEIR CITY LIMITS."

The aptly-named FOG, supported by the clueless editorialists at the Pravda Columbian, want to do everything they can to keep this PERFECTLY LEGAL development from taking place.

Like most everyone involved in the FOG, they don't live there, of course. Their community isn't dying. FOG and our local fishwrapper offer exactly zero alternatives, of course, because they somehow view the Gorge as their private postcard, and the people living their as mere nusances who should be invited to "leave," so when they drive through this "precious jewel" with the masssive interstate freeway running directly through it, they can "ooooo...." and "aaawwwww...." before they turn around and drive back into the center of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Portland in time for a latte'.

They have that much in common with the scum driving the development of the massive casino development declared a violation of our Growth Management laws. Those behind that effort don't live anywhere near here... and in fact, live in California and Connecticut.... and Seattle. They will not suffer the negative impacts of their efforts... impacts that they are attempting to ram down the throats of the people where these facilities will be sited.

Like the LNG plant, the Columbian and others have no problem telling other people how to live when they don't suffer the effects of the regulations and resxtrictions they demand so hypocritically for everyone else.

As for the FOG effort? I hope they choke on it.

Gorge casino foes make appeal to senator

Thursday, January 15 7:14 p.m.

BY KATHIE DURBIN
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Foes of a proposed tribal casino in Cascade Locks, Ore., on Thursday called on President-elect Obama’s nominee for Interior Secretary to reject the project.

The watchdog group Friends of the Columbia Gorge, joined by Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., and others, argued that the proposed casino would sully the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area while failing to provide significant economic benefits to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

The casino, which would be across the river from Stevenson, is one of two proposed near the metro area. In Clark County, the Cowlitz tribe is proposing a casino resort near La Center.

Gorge casino opponents said they were encouraged by comments U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colorado, made Thursday at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“Sen. Salazar vowed to make sure the nation’s treasured landscapes are protected and enhanced,” said Friends executive director Kevin Gorman. Salazar promised “to move forward to protect lands of national significance with a new vigor,” he said. “We are encouraging him not to approve a casino in a federally protected conservation area.”

As a new administration takes over, the Interior Department is close to releasing a final environmental impact statement for the casino, possibly by the end of March.

More:

Study in contrast: The Columbian's editorial take on the Mielke victory.

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As I have pointed out, in this cycle, the Columbian acted as if they were an arm of the Democrat National Committee. They endorsed democrats and democrats only for every open seat in every partisan race this election, from president on down, trashing Mielke like he was the political equivalent of a child molester.

In part, they wrote (October 10):

By contrast, Mielke is more of an obstructionist and a contrarian. His public service is lackluster at best.

Despite serving eight years as a state representative, Mielke in a recent communication with The Columbian could only list two relatively insignificant personal achievements in the Legislature. One was the Interstate 5/Northeast 219th interchange (although he voted against the nickel tax that funded it). The other was a process for a Clark County resident to inspect and bring automobiles to Washington state — not exactly milestone legislation.

He wants a third bridge, thinks we have “a perfectly good bridge” and opposes the proposed replacement bridge “with six lanes” (it’s proposed to have 10-12).

Mielke is a two-time loser to Democrats in runs for county commissioner, falling to Morris in 2004 and to Stuart in 2005. (We’ll give him credit for running close races, though, receiving at least 48 percent of votes each time).

That Mielke's legislative career closely mirrored Boldt's, whom they endorsed as an incumbent (Boldt's second endorsement from the Columbian in, I believe, 6 elections, and his first against a democrat) seemed to make no difference. They "liked" Marc and "hated" Tom, although they are very closely aligned on a broad spectrum of political issues; they gave credit to Pam for having held two file-clerk level jobs in local and federal government positions as if that qualified her for Commissioner, and they implemented that mindset and institutional obtuseness in their editorial policy that has helped lead them down the road of bankruptcy. And how's that working for them?

Brokaw was as qualified to be a county commissioner as she is to be, well, an editorial or newspaper editor... maybe more so, since she also did stints as Columbian and Reflector reporter. But she had no elective experience of any kind, no military service, no government background in any policy-making position.

That is, she wasn't qualified at all. But she was a democrat in the Columbian's pro-democrat crusade, so she got the nod and these people trashed Mielke like a rented step-child... because facts aren't at issue when, first, you have an agenda and second; you're going to do absolutely everything you can to see that agenda through, including trashing anyone who gets in the way.

All of that is the set-up for today's editorial on the Mielke victory.

More of a plea than a simple acknowledgment, they hope for Boldt to move left and to begin the process of implementing the Columbian agenda.

First, they attempt to remove the conservative and party element from the equation:

There’s a more dramatic element in this story than political parties, however, and there might be a more significant player than Mielke. The GOP majority probably doesn’t warrant heavy attention because of the axiom that, the more local the politics, the less partisan it becomes. City councilors in these parts don’t even run as party candidates, and county commissioners typically are more tied to issues of growth, jobs and quality of life than to the influences of political parties.

If only that hadn't endorsed democrats in every single open race, this might have had at least a grain of credibility. Unfortunately, they did and this observation, correspondingly, doesn't.

They do, however, acknowledge one of the more politically amazing aspects of this stunning outcome:

If anything, the party angle to this story is interesting because Mielke managed to win despite a shift to the left by Clark County voters in this year’s presidential race. Locally, Barack Obama won by 6 percentage points in a county that had twice voted for George W. Bush. And yet Mielke withstood that shift, overcame a sizeable campaign funding disadvantage and emerged the victor.

Based on the numbers, this shows that something on the order of 2/3rds of that 6% (something on the order of around 6700 voters out of the 168,000 votes) proceeded to vote for Mielke after they voted for Obama... literally, since Obama was first on the ballot.

This "Rudy-like" story is worthy of it's own mini-series, at least. Tom had no right to win this: almost EVERYTHING was against him, from Brokaw's money and Barnett's corruption to the local media to a fractured local GOP; a result of a well-populated primary. and Tom's small, all-volunteer army.

The Columbian goes on to say such NICE things about Tom. The irony about this is that these "things" were just as "nice" back when they trashed Mielke.

Although The Columbian did not endorse Mielke, it’s easy to ascertain his attributes. He is a former four-term legislator and, with Boldt (who served five terms in Olympia), he understands state government. Also, Mielke adamantly opposes the proposed Cowlitz casino because, according to his campaign Web site, “the many negative impacts and the cost to the actual taxpayers” serve to make “opposition to this project an absolutely critical and continuing goal of government at all levels in the affected area.” However, he leaves the door open by opposing the casino “until all legitimate issues raised are adequately and realistically addressed.”

It’s also to his credit that Mielke promises to focus on job creation, aiming to make Clark County “the business magnet of the Northwest.” On the issue of growth, it’s good that Mielke believes: “Protection of open space and agricultural land along with our responsibilities to wildlife and our environment are a major priority.” Whether that commitment will be sacrificed on the altar of his less-government pledge remains to be seen.

All of these facets were in place and generally well-known before this paper choose to ignore them all in favor of, relatively speaking, the threadbare resume' of Pam Brokaw.

Why? Well, again... Brokaw is a democrat. If the shoe were on the other foot, so to speak, Mielke's legislative career and accomplishments would have received a glowing review as they endorsed HIM.

So, why the gracious acknowledgment/plea?

Is it because they fear their access to county government might be restricted as a result of their agenda-driven reporting, as opposed to fact-based driven reporting?

Could it be?

The paper then goes on to remind us all of one of the top issues that enabled a Mielke victory, the moronic I-5 Bridge replacement issue.

Clearly, the Columbian's secondary reason for endorsing Brokaw is that she was a rabid supporter of the Columbian's bridge toll/bridge replacement/light rail agenda. They properly saw Mielke as a huge threat to their agenda, so they made a decision at least in part to trash Mielke because of his party and that position.

It's simple, really. Brokaw falsely claimed that she hadn't taken a position on bridge tolls or the megacasino that this newspaper rails AGAINST.

She wrote:

The opposition misleads
Unfortunately my opponent's party is running a commercial about me that's just not true. The ad infers that I support bringing a casino to Clark County as well as tolls.

Truth is I have not taken a position supporting the casino. I've advocated having an agreement in place with the Cowlitz Tribe in case the federal government approves the proposal. The agreement needs to protect our community in a variety of areas including public safety, the environment, and transportation.

As for tolls, I haven't agreed to anything save for considering them as a possible funding component down the road. Know that fair, affordable government is core to my beliefs.

Yet, one need look no further than her list of campaign contributors to see, well, something quite different.

David Barnett of the Barnett/Harju/Mohegan/Paskenta mob sure liked her "non-position." He dropped $76,500 in the last few days of the election hoping to give the job, again, to yet another "I haven't taken a position on the casino" county commissioner.

PAC 48, the political arm of Portland's Local 48 Electrician's Union, would have gotten the gig to wire the new megacasino. They seemed to believe that Brokaw's "non-position" was worth a paltry $15,000.

Odd, isn't it? Barnett and PAC 48 sure seems to believe that Brokaw had "taken a position."

And Brokaw's support for this bizarre, unneeded and unnecessary bridge replacement, which is being done entirely to bring light rail to Clark County (Odd, isn't it, that the Downtown Mafia would waste $4 billion on a bridge replacement to spend $700 million on starting their multi-billion dollar light rail project) was well known.

Equally well known is the fact that to pay for this bridge, tolls would be mandatory.

Tens of thousands of those least able to afford it would suddenly find themselves on the receiving end of a $1200 or so tax in the form of bridge tolls so they could continue their privilege of driving to the Portland metro area to go to work.

Simply stated, you can CLAIM you "haven't taken a position." But any amount of critical thinking shows that by lacking the guts to take public positions on these huge, countrywide level issues, when combined with "following the money" and Barnett's last second, amateurish corruption efforts certainly don't stop one from "taking a position" in private.

To that end, the endorsement of Brokaw was not so much a result of doing what was right, endorsing the most qualified, or reflecting the needs of the county as a whole.

No, that endorsement was a result of Brokaw's absolute water-carrying of the Columbian's light rail agenda, combined with her party affiliation.

And only time will tell if this editorial "bridge-building" will have the desired effect.

I, for one, hope it does not. Clearly, the Columbian's endorsements were shown to be irrelevant (Just ask Kos Kid David Carrier) and reducing their access to county government because of their biased-driven agenda reporting might give them pause and move them back towards fact-based reporting, instead of this Pravda-based effort that has led them to the precipice of economic disaster.


Editorials
In our view Dec. 10: Changes at County
Mielke defied local trends to win election; Boldt could become the swing vote
Wednesday, December 10 1:00 a.m.

Next month the Board of Clark County Commissioners will settle into its first Republican majority in 32 years. On Monday, Tom Mielke was proclaimed the victor over Democrat Pam Brokaw after a recount left the Republican ahead by 209 votes.

There’s a more dramatic element in this story than political parties, however, and there might be a more significant player than Mielke. The GOP majority probably doesn’t warrant heavy attention because of the axiom that, the more local the politics, the less partisan it becomes. City councilors in these parts don’t even run as party candidates, and county commissioners typically are more tied to issues of growth, jobs and quality of life than to the influences of political parties.
Outgoing County Commissioner Betty Sue Morris, whom Mielke replaces, is a Democrat, but that hardly ever has seemed to matter during her productive and influential time on the board.

If anything, the party angle to this story is interesting because Mielke managed to win despite a shift to the left by Clark County voters in this year’s presidential race. Locally, Barack Obama won by 6 percentage points in a county that had twice voted for George W. Bush. And yet Mielke withstood that shift, overcame a sizeable campaign funding disadvantage and emerged the victor.

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Congratulations to Commissioner-Elect Tom Mielke!

Few gave him any chance. Fewer actually gave him any money (Though I'm proud to say that I did) and he had to fend off the last minute corruption of the Barnett/Harju/Mohegan/Paskenta mob to get it done... but get it done he did.

Congrats, Tom... and welcome aboard.



Mielke’s long fight succeeds
He wins county post after three elections
Monday, December 8 6:55 p.m.

BY MICHAEL ANDERSEN
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Four years after he left the state legislature to make the first of three runs for county commissioner, Tom Mielke’s dream came true Monday.

By 209 votes, the Battle Ground-area Republican finally cracked through the ribbon in his photo-finish recount against Democrat Pam Brokaw. That was 2 votes ahead of his lead before the recount.

“This has been the longest, hardest campaign in my life,” Mielke said Monday.

Mielke, 65, will take office Jan. 2, replacing Democrat Betty Sue Morris of Felida.

Mielke and Marc Boldt of Hockinson will form the first Republican majority in 32 years on the county’s top board, and they’re likely to be pro-development, anti-regulation voices as the county enters a major overhaul of its rural development patterns.

Mielke said Monday that he’s been following the county’s budget process and has already found “five departments” in the county that seemed to duplicate one another's’ services and might be merged.

He said he wasn’t ready to specify which.

Mielke ran his campaign on a call for freer markets, no bridge tolls and scrapping the Interstate 5 bridge replacement project in favor of a third bridge across the Columbia River.

Mielke also criticized the Cowlitz Tribe’s plans for a casino near La Center and said he’d oppose tax or fee increases in the immediate future.


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ANOTHER Columbian LTE-Cowlitz Casino shill heard from?

I cannot say, for certain, that ALL of the few supporters of the Barnett/Paskenta/Mohegan are ignorant and pathetic. But every once in a while, someone needing their gambling fix a little closer then the Oregon coast will write something to the Columbian that is so bizarre, inane and idiotic that I am frequently required to re-evaluate my prior assertion.

This moronic effort is a case in point:

Cartoon had local application

The Nov. 26 editorial cartoon, with one Pilgrim stating, “They say they’re building a wall because too many of us enter illegally and won’t learn their language or assimilate into their culture …” is similar to the Cowlitz Tribe casino issue.

Nonsensical pap.

The Cowlitz have never lived here; the vast majority of their tribe live in the Seattle area; their tribal land is 60 miles north of here.

Their efforts to ram a casino down our throats are not opposed for any racist reason of any kind. Unfortunately, the loons supporting this organized crime effort always trot out racism as their last refuge, ignoring the many and massive negative impacts this economic black hole would foster in our community... because, after all, their gambling fix or their temporary union job is MUCH more important than our community.

Zerr blathers on: We took their land, spread diseases, broke treaties, and put them on reservations with no way to support themselves.

Really? Who is "we?" I have never taken ANYONE'S land. Nor have I "spread diseases, broke treaties" or put anyone anywhere.

Did David Barnett, multi-millionaire megacasino developer with less Cowlitz blood than my cocker spaniel, who owns land in several states (he claims) get "put" somewhere? How about Rod VanMcHelen, Cowlitz tribal councilman, who doesn't have a drop of Cowlitz blood anywhere in his body? Was *HE* "put" somewhere?

"Now, with an opportunity to provide for themselves, the Cowlitz are made to assimilate the beliefs of a few in La Center, Clark County and Vancouver."

Typically absurd racist crap.

The Cowlitz, who do not and typically have never lived here, only have to assimilate one thing: we do not want one of the largest casinos on the face of the earth to be built here causing economic and social damage far beyond the boundaries of their operation. Once they "assimilate that belief," and either build something else or build their massive casino project somewhere else, everything will fall into place.

"The arrangement of the MOU between Clark County and the Cowlitz Tribe reminds me of playing marbles in the 1930s."

That you'd make such a statement reminds me that you've probably lost most of yours.

We’d draw a circle, lag for position, then play our game—winner takes all. Afterward, someone always seemed to say, “I want my marbles” or “I didn’t understand the rules.” I guess it depends how you play the game.

That's a perfect example of David Barnett's efforts to corrupt our local elections down here. Since your side, and Barnett, lost this time, I guess it's pretty clear that he "didn't understand the rules."

Folks, I don't care if you support this massive economic and social invasion that will cost the local taxpayers 10's of millions of dollars or not. I really don't.

But when you take a position, for God's sake, can't it make just the tiniest bit of sense? Is that too much to ask?
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Note to Justine Kondrat:

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Justine seems to have expressed some outrage over the fact that my cocker spaniel appears to have more Cowlitz blood running in his veins then the ubiquitous David Barnett:

in response to another comment wrote:

Justine Kondrat : 11/23/08 5:43pm - Report Abuse

"In the first place the main people running the show for the poor Cowlitz tribe are not Indians or are 1/64th such as David Barnett who spouts tribal rhetoric but is about as Indian as someone from Germany or would that be France?"

I am very tired of hearing this particular point of view. Why is it that the only people who tell me that I'm not Native American are non-Native Americans? I co-led a trip of undergraduate students to the Swinomish Community Reservation and I was welcomed with open arms as family, as a "distant cousin." I have never been questioned by another Native American about my heritage and my right to practice my culture, even if I have dark brown hair and paler skin.

Do we tell Germans who they are? Do we tell Chinese people who they are? No. We let them define themselves. It's really upsetting that people don't understand this.

Germans and Chinese do not get to ram one of the largest casinos on the face of this planet down the throats of a community that does not want it, or where they do not and probably never will live... much, come to think of it, like you.

You claim you're "tired of it?" Not half as tired as we get of being lied to, used, abused and ignored by that precious sovereign nation you care so much about... particularly since you don't live here and won't have to contend with the massive negative effects of your tribe's criminal enterprise.

We do not want your casino here. You obviously don't give damn one about us.... why should we give a rat's ass about you?

Since you asked.
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The Columbian nails it: In our view Nov. 25: Casino MOU is Folly

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Let's be clear, here: there is precisely one reason why the current commissioners would even consider slamming together yet another iteration of the MOU with the Barnett/Mohegan/Cowlitz Mob, and that reason is Tom Mielke.

David Barnett has spent $200,000 of his hard earned(?) dollars corrupting our local government. Steve Stuart is a wholly-owned tribal subsidiary; Betty Sue Morris has had a mysterious drive that occasionally seemed to exceed even Barnett's to get this thing built; ignoring the wide array of government, civic and local groups protesting the imposition of this economic black hole on the people of this county in favor of people that do not, and never have, lived in Clark County.

With Mielke taking Betty Sue's seat, the likelihood of any agreement getting signed grows weaker by the second... so if an agreement is going to be signed, it has to be before the end of December.

So, one wonders: when Stuart sniveled yesterday that “They’re going to twist whatever we do to suit their own needs,” was he talking about everyone wise enough to oppose his desire to ram this thing through before Mielke gets in? Or just the Columbian?

No need to be bitter, Mr. Stuart. Like Pam Brokaw, we already know what you are. At this point, we don't even need to discuss the matter of price.



In our view Nov. 25: Casino MOU is Folly
County’s disdain for Cowlitz proposal is clear; no need to impart any other message

Tuesday, November 25 2:00 a.m.

Here’s an unusual answer to one of life’s most crucial questions: “No, I won’t marry you, but let’s sit down and discuss the prenuptial agreement.” That’s essentially what Clark County commissioners are telling promoters of the Cowlitz tribal casino that’s proposed for a site on Interstate 5 near La Center.

On April 7 all three commissioners signed a resolution declaring “our opposition to the development of a major commercial gaming facility in the unincorporated area of Clark County.” That sounds pretty much like a “No!” to us, certainly negative enough to send casino lobbyists courting some other prospective bride.

And yet, as The Columbian’s Jeffrey Mize reported Monday, the commissioners are back in the dating game, talking once again with tribal officials about a memorandum of understanding. “I can tell you that we are getting closer to getting things back to the public, which we had promised originally,” County Commissioner Steve Stuart said.

The resurrection of MOU negotiations is both hypocritical and ill-timed. The commissioners’ intent is clear: They want to cover all bases. If — heaven forbid — the mega-casino is ever approved by the federal government, the commissioners want a signed document that would enable them to extract mitigation efforts from the casino builders. But the commissioners already have all the document they need: that April resolution. The bride-not-to-be told her suitor how little she likes him, and how much she fears that he will lower the quality of life in her community. End of discussion.

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Stuart, bought and paid for by Barnett and the Cowlitz Tribe, works to sell us out for a casino.

By now, we should all know the story. The first shill for the Cowlitz was David Barnett.

Barnett had the advantage of being the Chief's (John Barnett) son. So, he became the "casino developer."

Now, the entire purpose of jamming a megacasino down our throats here in a community that doesn't want one is to first, enrich Barnett; second, enrich the Mohegan Tribe (Casino financiers) of Uncasville, CT and only peripherally to take care of Cowlitz Tribal Members, the vast majority of whom do not and never have lived anywhere close to Clark County.

Barnett is a bully. He has used threats and intimidation, belittlement and allegations of "racism" against most of the main opponents of this project; He has been the recipient of at least two restraining orders, one from a local woman running a casino opposition group, and one he was having an affair with in Seattle (He was married at the time). He has since been replaced by a mouthpiece lawyer, Phil Harju, who's escapades are discussed here:

Among other episodes by Mr. Barnett have been his three separate efforts to use his money to buy politicians that, first; once bought will remain bought; and second, will do everything they can to support his organized crime effort of ramming one of the largest casinos on the planet down our gullets whether this community wants one or not.

Barnett first used his money to corrupt our elections back in 2004. Late in that election, Barnett laundered something like $25,000 through a democrat-front group, heavily relied upon by our local fishwrapper and democrats, (Washington Conservation Voters) to attack a candidate for the state House at the last minute because he was a casino opponent.

Who benefited from Barnett and the tribe's corruption? Pam Brokaw. Brokaw lost... and Brokaw has again benefited from Barnett's corruption during our recent Commissioner's Race.... and again, appears to have lost.

Brokaw has a large number of political faults, not the least of which is her arrogance. Arrogance, of course, is one of the many things that goes before a fall.

She was telling anyone who would listen that she was going to kick Mielke's butt. The problem with that kind of talk is that when you keep telling people you're going to beat someone like a rented mule, they tend to think that you don't need their financial support.

So, all of a sudden, Mielke found some messages... messages that apparently resonated, since he was one of the few able to stem the Obama tide in an open seat. And Brokaw panics.

And the next thing you know, Brokaw admits meeting with Barnett. And all of a sudden, because time is running out and Brokaw can't be caught dead accepting cash directly from Barnett, Barnett stupidly uses one of his companies to drop $75,000 into the campaign (otherwise known as "nuking") in the last 5 days.

Only this time, he was caught and the Columbian ran with it, exposing the corruption of Brokaw and Barnett in time to make a difference.

Based on these figures and the thousands provided by a union PAC that would benefit from the construction of this megacasino and the almost $100,000 that Barnett has spent on Brokaw shows that we know what she is... anything else is just a matter of price.

But the other recipient of Barnett's largess was none other than Steve Stuart. Except in Stuart's race against Mielke, Barnett's corruption was more successful.

Barnett wised up a little more with Stuart's race. He again laundered money through an outside organization, but knowing that his money was political poison, he violated a dozen or so state/federal laws by bundling his cash through yet another leftist front group out of state, "Progressive Majority." (For so-called "independent expenditures" that were by no means "independent" as required by law) It was $100,000 in cold, hard, cash with one purpose in mind: to corrupt our election and buy himself a county commissioner. He was successful in both endeavors.

He went out of state because he knew that, at the time, out of state expenditures had a much looser standard for reporting. In fact, Barnett's cash wasn't revealed until late December after the election.

By then, it was too late. Barnett and Stuart had scammed the people of Clark County into electing Stuart over Mielke. Remembering this and knowing about it is an important element of perspective when reviewing Stuart's efforts to ram an MOU with this corrupt tribal administration BEFORE Mielke takes office.

Stuart denies that, of course. But Stuart has been bought and paid for. So, when you read this article in today's Columbian, keep all this in mind.

County-tribe casino deal in works
If new pact will have needed support from board is unknown
Sunday, November 23 10:23 p.m.
BY JEFFREY MIZE
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Clark County and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe are making progress toward replacing a casino agreement that was struck down two years ago.

“I can tell you that we are getting closer to getting things back to the public, which we had promised originally,” Commissioner Steve Stuart said last week. “What we bring and whether it will be satisfactory to anyone, I can’t tell.”

Stuart said the county does not yet have a draft proposal to replace the 2004 memorandum of understanding covering the tribe’s plans to build a casino complex west of La Center.

A state hearings board struck down that agreement because there wasn't enough public involvement.

The county doesn't want to fall into the same pit again. Earlier this year, commissioners had three hearings to take public testimony on what residents want to see in a new agreement.

Stuart said the county would report back to the public on county-tribe discussions before any draft agreement is completed.

But with Commissioner Betty Sue Morris, a Democrat who has been a commissioner for more than 12 years, retiring in early 2009, there might not be two votes to approve any new county-tribe deal.

Republican Tom Mielke holds a 197-vote lead over Democrat Pam Brokaw, based on the latest returns released Friday. The race is almost certainly heading to an automatic recount, but Brokaw likely will have trouble making up such a significant deficit.

Mielke generally has taken an anti-casino stance, so much so that Cowlitz casino developer David Barnett spent $59,000 on anti-Mielke mailers and $17,500 on automated phone messages in the campaign’s waning days. (I'm sure that Mize just "forgot" to mention that Barnett paid $100,000 for Stuart back in 2004, and that Stuart remains well-bought.)

Commissioner Marc Boldt, a Republican who won a second four-year term in this month’s election, always has opposed the casino project and has said he wouldn't have signed the 2004 deal if he had been in office.

Stuart said he understands that casino opponents will question if the county is trying to push an agreement through before Morris retires.

“They’re going to twist whatever we do to suit their own needs,” he said. “That’s their job. They’re the opposition. I don’t blame them for it.” (Of course you don't - edit)

Tom Hunt, a spokesman for the anti-casino group Citizens Against Reservation Shopping, said he doesn't understand why commissioners would want a new memorandum of understanding, especially since they were so critical of a final environmental impact statement on the Cowlitz casino.

“The county’s was the tribe’s harshest critic,” he said. “And yet willy-nilly, they are willing to sit down and negotiate an MOU.”

The 2004 agreement requires the tribe to comply with county building and health codes, to build roads and intersections to keep traffic flowing, to pay for law enforcement and prosecution of misdemeanor crimes, and to compensate the county and other local governments for lost property taxes. It also required the tribe to establish an education and arts fund with 2 percent of net gambling revenues to support charitable activities in Clark County.

After the agreement was declared invalid, the tribe enacted a gaming ordinance that embraced those same provisions. The tribe also granted the county a limited waiver of tribal sovereignty, which allows the county to sue the tribe if it fails to live up to its commitments.

The federal government, through the final environmental impact statement, appears to have accepted the gaming ordinance as a substitute for the invalidated 2004 agreement. And that raises questions if the tribe has any reason to make concessions in hopes of signing a new deal.

Phil Harju, the Cowlitz Tribe’s vice chairman and spokesman, said the tribe always has been open to discussion on a government-to-government basis with the county. But he declined to discuss what the tribe would like to see in a replacement agreement.

“The tribe is not negotiating with the county in the newspaper,” Harju said.

Jeffrey Mize: 360-735-4542; jeff.mize@columbian.com.

Trouble in Mohegan City? Barnett's fellow conspirators in the MegaCasino are getting hammered by bond ratings.

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Rumor's are flying that Barnett is in serious financial trouble. Now we get confirmation that the Mohegan Tribe's stock and credit ratings are getting blasted.

There's certainly an element of karma here. Using intimidation, racist rhetoric, threats and the like relied on to date by Barnett, Harju, et al as a business model doesn't work all that well.

Nor does election corruption, attempts to buy friendly governments, nuking elections with massive cash infusions to casino-friendly candidates, restraining orders or sexual harassment.

Had Barnett's efforts been transparent, honest, and community friendly, there might have been a way or ways to avoid all of this. But you're not going to get your way by hammering people. People don't respond well to these kinds of tactics. And the Mohegan Tribe would be best served by cutting their losses and getting out now.

And as a suggestion, I think the Mohegans would be best served by expanding their empire to locations that desire that expansion. I also think they ought to check out their partners first. You never know what you might find if you run a records check before you start doing business.


Associated Press 11.19.08, 03:40 PM EST
Moody's downgrades Native American casino debt

Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday cut credit ratings on $2.2 billion of collective debt issued by two Native American casino companies, citing a downturn in gambling revenue.

The credit rating agency lowered Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority's corporate family rating and probability default rating to 'B1' from 'Ba2.' The 'B1' rating is assigned to securities that "lack characteristics of a desirable investment," Moody's (nyse: MCO - news - people ) said.

Moody's also cut Mohegan's $971.4 million senior subordinated notes to 'B3' from 'Ba3' and its $250 million senior notes to 'Ba3' from 'Ba1.' The rating agency assigned a 'stable' rating outlook.

Moody's said negative gaming trends in Connecticut and "significant" dividends paid to the Mohegan Tribe will hamper the company from lowering the debt-to-earnings ratio in the near-term consistent with a 'Ba2' rating.

Mohegan operates the Mohegan Sun casino near Uncasville, Conn., and the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Plains Township, Pa.

Related Quotes
MCO $15.82 +0.19

Separately, Moody's downgraded the ratings for Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation and its special revenue obligation bonds from investment grade to junk - to 'Ba1' from 'Baa3.' It assigned a 'Ba2' corporate family rating and 'Ba2' probability of default rating as the company's ratings fell into junk status. The ratings outlook is negative.

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Phil Harju, Cowlitz mouthpiece, implemented in $1.52 million sexual harrassment award.

Maybe it's something in the water.

First, megacasino developer David Barnett racks up restraining orders from women... then Phil Harju, Cowlitz Council member and megacasino shill, helps to cost the taxpayers of Thurston County (Or their insurance company) a lot of money.

$1.52 million award against county upheld

Harju, a now former Thurston County Deputy Prosecutor, "left the prosecutors office job this year to become General Counsel for the Cowlitz Tribe." After Barnett's restraining orders, Harju had to take a more active role in attempting to scam the people of Clark County.

Another council member, who doesn't even have a drop of Cowlitz blood in his veins, was fired for sexual harrassmwent from a gig at Microsoft.

HHhhmmmm.... and some people want this kind of "leadership" in Clark County?

OLYMPIA – The state Court of Appeals has upheld a jury's $1.52 million award in a sex-discrimination lawsuit against Thurston County.

The jury's verdict found that three women formerly employed as Thurston County prosecutors were forced to endure a hostile work environment and suffered retaliation after they complained about their treatment.

During the 2006 jury trial, one of the former prosecutors testified that Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Ed Holm participated in the discriminatory treatment, including "several incidents in which Holm described various women based on their breast size and whether they were good looking," reads the appeals court's opinion. "He made sexualized comments to her, mentioning at one time that he could save expenses by sharing a room with a female Lacey Police officer, who he described as really good looking."

Holm said the former prosecutor's allegations are not true. He also pointed out that he was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and as a result, he did not have the right to cross-examine witnesses.

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