Here's one more thing for the Charlestown Citizens Alliance and RI Shoreline Coalition to panic about....
Today's ProJo carries another one of their periodic reports on efforts to enact "Carcieri Fix" legislation in Congress. The object of this proposed legislation is to reverse the Supreme Court Carcieri v. Salazar decision, an odd 5-4 ruling that sharply curbed the sovereignty of all Native American tribes recognized by the federal government within the past 70 years.
Among the affects of that decision was to stop the Narragansetts from being able to put land under federal trust, a presumed precursor to building an Indian casino somewhere in Rhode Island. The worst nightmare for many non-Narragansett Charlestown residents is that the tribe would build this casino on the stretch of land that includes Larry LeBlanc's infamous 81 acres and the tribe's land that had been intended for affordable senior citizens housing.
Today's ProJo article is basically a story about a small rally at the Capitol last week padded with speculation about whether the Carcieri Fix legislation has a chance of passage. The White House supports it and the legislation has some strong bi-partisan support in both houses of Congress. Plus, the Carcieri decision was widely denounced for gutting Native American rights. But there are also strong forces pushing against its enactment. And this Congress can't agree on anything. Period.
After you read the entire story, you realize the answer to the question about whether the bill will pass is "hard to tell." I was kinda wondering where is the story. But, hey, it fills some space and it's guaranteed to get the CCA and the RI Statewide Coalition people to go berserk for a few days.
Makes buying Larry LeBlanc's land sound a little more appealling, doesn't it, Kallie?