Rats Fleeing A Sinking Ship

In recent weeks there have been announcements about some of President Bush's most loyal aides resigning from their offices.

Political mastermind and Deputy Chief of Staff, Karl Rove announced his resignation to take effect on August 31st.

Press Secretary and former Fox news reporter Tony Snow will be stepping down from his post in September.

Rove is best known for his political maneuvering during Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Critics call his tactics slimy and unethical. Others call him a genius. It is unclear why Rove is leaving the Administration. He claims that he wishes to spend more time teaching and writing. Many others believe that Rove saw the President failing and losing favor in the country at a rapid pace. Rove was also on the verge of being investigated numerous times for his involvement in the firings of several US attorneys and the White House E-Mail Scandal. 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards was pleased to see Rove go. In a released statement on August 13th (when the Wall Street Journal reported Rove's resignation), Edwards simply said "Goodbye, good riddance."

As for Snow, the only reason he is leaving is because of his poor health. He took a brief leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. He was a controversial choice for Press Secretary because of his work for the conservatively bias Fox News.

Many political editors believe that the resignation of these figures marks the end of the Bush presidency, and that he (the President) has fallen into lame duck status.


My Opinion: Goodbye, good riddance.

Mr. Rove I hope you go to jail for what you have done to your country for political gain and greed. Alas, I don’t believe that day will come as long as George is still around to pardon you.

Mr. Snow you were supposed to be a journalist. Yet, with Fox News there is no such thing. Instead, you fed the nation and your colleagues a series of lies handed down by the president. I pray you recover from your battle with cancer quickly.

The sooner George W. Bush is a lame duck, the sooner this country can move forward.

Middleboro Joins The Tribe

A bit of local news!

In a 2,387 to 1,335 the town of Middleboro, MA has recently approved a deal between the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe and the town to build the state's first casino. The deal promises the town $7 million each year.

The proposal deeply divided the town. Opponents of the casino claim on their website, Casino Facts, "One of the most comprehensive studies on casinos and crime reported that casinos increased crime in the categories of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. The increased crime starts about three years after casino introduction. This pattern is consistent with the theories that problem and pathological gamblers commit crime as they deplete their resources."

Proponents of the casino are looking at the town's current fiscal crisis, which includes a suffering school budget. With the casino in town they see a bright future with an increase in tourism, which will boost the local economy, and more jobs in the area.

"In exchange for its support, the casino developers are promising the town $7 million a year in cash payments, plus revenues from a 4 percent lodging assessment when a planned 1,500 room hotel opens on the site. The tribe has also promised to make improvements in town roads and other infrastructure for the benefit of the casino, and to make a onetime $2 million payment for police and ambulance services." (Boston Globe)

The casino still requires state and federal approval, which it is likely to receive.

Glenn Marshall, the tribal chairman called the state's largest town meeting in history "...an exciting day for everyone. Now, it's time to sit down and negotiate with the governor."

My Opinion: I am personally in favor of the proposes casino in Middleboro. The area and state needs a major source of revenue, and a casino is a good way to achieve such goals. I hope that this casino will put the spot light on Southeastern Massachusetts, and the area will no longer be treated as the armpit of the state.

I understand the concerns of traffic troubles, especially with the Middleboro rotary at Rts. 44 and 18. However, I feel that the long term benefits for Middleboro and the surrounding communities outweigh the negatives, especially considering that the tribe has agreed to pay for road upgrades to deal with the increased traffic.

One such opposition was an increase in gambling addiction. My major argument with this idea is that people are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, and food. Why not stop selling those?!

The thing that completely turned me off about Casino Facts was when I was watching an NECN report on the casino. A spokesperson for the group said that a casino would lead to an increase in child molestation. WTF?! I want to see the direct correlation between casinos and pedophilia. A straw man argument if I ever heard one.

Congratulations to the voters of Middleboro, who have taken a huge step in preserving their town's financial security for years to come.