Bellicose Bumpkin

I agree, this article has a definite bizarroland feel to it. My favorite part is:

Commission on Indian Affairs Executive Director Jim Peters said he believed the land the commission is looking to put into trust is not owned by the Pocassets. He would not specify the reason for putting the land into trust, though he said a casino is a possibility.
“I’m not at liberty to talk about that,” Peters said.

So… this is a SECRET land deal being performed by state appointees? Possibly for a casino? And isn’t Peters a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag?? And isn’t gambling still illegal??

Collusion is the right word here. Are there any other state officials involved??

Does participating in secret back room deals with STATE agencies to acquire STATE land for a PRIVATE casino demonstrate the kind of ability (not to mention trust) that should be inherent in an organization that wants to run a multimillion dollar operation with a long standing reputation for crime and corruption.

“For my money they have not demonstrated the ability to run a small tribe let alone a $1B facility.”

…Took the words right out of my mouth, Bumpkin.

Thank You for your support. But the Commission of Indian Affairs illusion goes deeper. In 1939 the land in Freetown State Forest was set aside for the Pocasset Wampanoag Tribe. The BIA represented the tribe for illegal lands lost in Fall River. The Commission & Mashpee created the Assonet Tribe that was never a tribe. They represented that there were no pocasset’s left to Govenor Dukakis so he gave it to the Mashpee’s & Gay Heads. They have been writing grants on this for last 30 yrs. However we have a letter of continued tribal presence from the same office. I myself am an environmentalist, hunter,fisherman,trapper and former committee chairman for ducks unlimited, I have worked in conjuction of NRCS. Many water & waste problems in MA & RI. my last thing i would do or advise the tribe to do is ruin this land. I could care less about a casino. We get no federal money or grants we work like all of you. My idea of tribal development is a log home in the woods.

Sincerely
Daryl Black Eagle

The state committee on Indian Affairs (which is NOT the state of MA) cannot ask the for LIT on behalf of a tribe that does not exercise government control over the land requested. Governmental control of trust land used for gaming is required by IGRA. The tribe also needs to have substantial historical ties to the land, and that can only be determined by Secretarial Procedure, which requires the tribe be the applicant and evidence of those ties are submitted with the application.

Speaking of Secretarial Procedure, there is no authority for the SOI to grant this request if the tribe in question wasn’t recognized before 1934. (See: Carcieri v Salazar).

Same game, different players.

The Cobell Settlement requires legislation that would allow the Secretary of the Interior to use government money to purchase land and place it in federal trust.

The deadline on passing this bill is 02/28/10.

This legislation would slightly improve the Mashpee’s chance of getting the Middleboro land in trust. Even if they had the land, they still couldn’t build a casino on it because the real hurdle is the requirements for gaming under IGRA.

Very good, Bumpkin. You’ve managed to prove that the State Committee on Indian Affairs is….a state committee.

When I say they are not the state, I mean they are not the state of MA in that they don’t have the authority to speak for the state of MA. They can’t request the federal government take land out of the state tax rolls and put it into trust; they’d need to have the powers of the Governors Office and our state legislators in order to do that.

I didn’t completely read your link. Does it state that the powers of this committee supersede the Governors office and/or the state legislature? I am going to take a wild guess and say: no, it doesn’t.

I would consider doing a podcast. Can I get back to you on that?

@bumpkin Sure that would be good

bumpkin :The stench of death hangs heavy on the Middleboro casino – even the ever hopeful casino cheerleaders are starting to get it (3 years too late). After being summarily discarded by the tribe I think Lady Middleboro needs to roll out of bed, go to the bathroom, fix up it’s hair and makeup as best as it can …. and try to retain some dignity as it exits the Casino’s bedroom and resolve not to drink so much KoolAid in the future.

I think Lady Middleborough was expecting a big wad of cash on the dresser. Instead there was a feather, a tee-shirt and a mug. LOL

Middleboro was “knocked out” because the Pocasset’s lawyer proved that the land had no claim to the land and it was protected for a laundry list of reasons.

The other “resident” of Riverside (ironically) has everything to do with setting up the “back room deal” with Fall River, with the same original backer of the Mashantucket. He went from a member of the Mashantucket legal team, was let go with the downfall of the majority of the corruption (though there is still SO much left there) and with the ousting of Michael Thomas as Chairman. Now he’s pulling the same illegal and stupid moves he made a mint off of personally, but helped no one but himself. And he’s the attorney the city of Fall River used to set up the deal to sell the “mashpee” the City’s land this week. Another interloafer, profiting off of separating Native tribes locally for his own amusement and “bottom line” LOL when you all find out what’s really going on especially!

Oh and don’t worry, the State is very much against this “deal”, to be continued…