From: alra@governance.net Subject: March 1st at 6:00 – Critical Casino La Center Council Meeting at La Ce Land Rights Network American Land Rights Association Alliance Against Reservation Shopping PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604 Phone: 360-687-3087 - FAX: 360-687-2973 alra@governance.net Web Address: http://www.landrights.org Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003 March 1st at 6:00 – Critical Casino La Center Council Meeting at La Center High From Stand Up For Clark County Citizens: Subject: Urgent!! LC actually considering this agreement!!!/sample letter La Center City Council needs your help!!! Conversations with different members of the La Center City Council have caused more and more alarm about the actions of Mayor Irish and Daniel Kearns, Attorney for the City of La Center, both of whom, members of this core group are well aware, support an agreement. Mayor Irish, only recently stated to a S.U.F.C.C.C. member that the impacts from a massive Las Vegas style casino at the junction, "wouldn't be that bad" and compared social impacts as not that different from what we have with the card rooms. The only area he would concede would be bad was increased crime. Irish apparently has forgotten his previous statements that a M.O.U. was worthless, as did Kearns, who said, "they aren't worth the paper they are printed on". Kearns is advising the council that they HAVE to move on the proposed M.O.U. yet James Marino, tribal law expert out of California is absolutely saying that they don't have to do anything, as did Guy Martin of Perkins and Coie recently. There is no question that those that rush to make an agreement sell their citizens out. They may not intend to but that is what happens. And they send the message to the Interior Department that the Casino is supported in that area. That is the wrong message. The letter sent out by Irish, (now posted on the S.U.F.C.C.C. website) was NOT authorized by council members. Direct people to the site, as you write, so they can view those, as well as Phillip Brendale's letter and James Cason's position on needing letters of concern from local government. Cason discussed in a private meeting that he didn't understand what possible leverage the tribe had to try to force agreements. This is just more assurance that claims that the City has to move on this agreement are false. Surely, the official just under Gale Norton, knows this a little bit better than Jim Irish or Dan Kearns. According to inside sources, the City has NOT received many responses to their requests for position on the MOU. Tell people if they don't want to do the meeting at least...at least...write a letter! Most of you on this list, are the most active veterans of this issue so you can really help right now. In the upcoming meetings, if the "truly educated" can speak to Mayor Irish and Kearns to "explain" or rather ask them just exactly what they are doing, I think others in the audience will follow suit as occurred in the most recent meetings where passionate testimony seemed to inspire even more to speak up. Also, many of you have your own mail-out lists so if you could use them for this, that would be wonderful. Wendy McGraw already wrote an update for the North County Chamber, so those types of updates can be used too. Tell everyone, and please, write your own letter and plan to testify on Wednesday, March 1st. If we don't, La Center could try to sign an agreement or so that is what it appears is occurring. I think a concerted effort by all of us, will result in putting a stop to this. We did it before...we must do it again! No agreements until after the E.I.S. studies are complete and FULL impacts are known. Sample Letter Below: (Please put in your own words or modify it so that it says what you think.) Dear La Center City Council, I am writing to you to oppose any formal agreements being entered into prior to completion of the full Environmental Impact Statement Studies. The E.I.S. studies were designed to give citizens the opportunity to hear the full impacts, have their local governments respond and then, offer final comment on the findings. If the City of La Center signs an agreement now, they will have agreed to mitigation of impacts, long before the City even knows for sure what those impacts will be. I would appreciate it, if you could also answer the following questions: 1) How you plan to mitigate impacts when you don't know the impacts yet? 2) Why does the City of La Center keep asking citizens for testimony of opposition, when they have already held formal meetings and gained this position? 3) Why did the City take a formal position of opposition, yet now, is considering entering into an agreement that would show the City as supporting this proposal? 4) Why did Mayor Irish write a personal letter to citizens on the M.O.U. that only included part of the M.O.U., rather than showing any of the negative impacts and did the La Center City Council authorize this letter, as was required for the letter to Gale Norton on the restored lands? 5) Why did the Mayor refer to the draft E.I.S. in his letter, as though it was an accurate document when the BIA said it should be considered inaccurate? 6) When does the City plan to issue a formal statement of opposition to the Department of Interior, having adopted that position almost two years ago? 7) Why are attorneys who are tribal law experts state that the City of La Center does not have to consider any agreements at this time, and should wait until after the E.I.S. process, yet the City's legal advisor, Daniel Kearns keeps indicating that the City should move on this proposed agreement? Please enter these comments into the formal record, as opposing any premature agreements at this point in time. Sincerely, Please forward this message widely. _________________________ -- To unsubscribe from this mailing list; please visit http://governance.net and enter your email address.