The Brody File reports that the Democratic National Committee started running ads early this morning about Senator McCain and gambling. Here’s a piece of the report: “The DNC has felt for a long time that McCain is being disingenuous when it comes to his connections to lobbyists. But now with the lobbyist angle AND the [...]

Indianz.com is running a report that several of Senator McCain’s associates are/were linked to convicted felon Jack Abramoff for defrauding several Indian Tribes and committing other crimes. Read the entire story. “Associates to Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) profited from the Jack Abramoff scandal by soliciting tribes who were victimized by the convicted lobbyist, The New [...]

The National Indian Gaming Commission completed withdrawing controversial regulations that would have cost tribes more than a $1 billion in revenues. Tribes vehemently objected out of fear their $28 billion industry would suffer. NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen announced he was stopping work on the regulations in June in order to complete an economic analysis. The [...]

I am speaking Saturday September 27 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. and from 8-9 pm in Lancaster Pennsylvania at a conference held by the regional Lewis & Clark National Trail Heritage Foundation. In October I will be giving talks back east and speaking at a conference at Albany Law School entitled “God and the Land.” [...]

Federal judge Benjamin H. Settle dismissed a law suit that sought to stop the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington from building a casino. He ruled that the city of Vancouver lacked standing to sue the National Indian Gaming Commission over this issue. The federal agency approved the tribe’s gaming ordinance in January 2008. Vancouver claimed its [...]

“South Dakota lawmakers continue to oppose efforts by the state to protect sacred Bear Butte from continued encroachment. Gov. Mike Rounds (R) proposed to buy an easement to prevent development near the butte. Tribal practitioners are worried about biker bars and development related to the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally. Lawmakers already rejected a bill that [...]

President Bush tried to sell his proposed bail out bill last night. We better be careful of being stampeded by scare tactics, like the threat of a “mushroom cloud” that Bush and the Administration used to work up the American public over Iraq and the “facts” used to justify that invasion. I have read a [...]

Read this article on the Huffington post that echoes my concerns about the proposed Wall Street bail out giving unfettered and unreviewable power to Treasury Secretary Paulson to spend the $700 BILLION of federal taxpayers money any way he sees fit.

The Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum wants the National Indian Gaming Commission to shut down the Seminole Tribe’s casinos. McCollum said the tribe is offering Class III games without a valid tribal-state compact. The Florida Supreme Court invalidated the agreement in July. The Tribe says it will continue to offer slot machines and card games. [...]

Please read the prior blog entry too. Indian Tribes and individuals have long been shortchanged by oil and gas companies and lax oversight by federal employees. The recent scandal in the Colorado office of the Minerals Management Service has brought more attentionews to this situation. Here’s part of the editorial: “The sex and drugs and [...]