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Rhode Island Casino Debate Gets Nasty Again

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island – As reported by the Pawtucket Times: "The chief of the Narragansett Indian Tribe and the governor of Rhode Island are throwing rhetorical bombs at each other once again.

"Narragansett Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas called it 'the height of hypocrisy' for Gov. Donald Carcieri to devise legal strategies to block a West Warwick casino after Carcieri engineered the deal to bring in BLB to expand Lincoln Park's slot machine operation.

"In a two-page press release issued Monday, Thomas said, 'it's time for the Governor to act as a statesman, to accept and support the democratic process, and to end his political games to deny Rhode Islanders the right to vote on a Narragansett Indian Casino.'

"'For seven years, the Narragansett tribe has been working to put the issue before the voters,' Thomas said. 'We've played by the rules. And every time the General Assembly put the question on the ballot, the governor has responded with legal maneuvers to block the will of the people and to deny Rhode Islanders their right to vote.'

"Carcieri wasn't going to take that sitting down. He returned fire in a response from Press Secretary Jeff Neal that said, 'It's unfortunate that Harrah's and their allies continue to take political shots at the Governor in an effort to cover up for their own ineptitude.Lest we forget, these are the same people who repeatedly tried to foist unconstitutional casino deals on the people of Rhode Island. '

"…Thomas called on Carcieri to 'stop playing political games, respect the democratic process, and accept the right of the people to vote on a Narragansett Indian Casino.'…"

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