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Ugly casino-related acts on both sides must stop (The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.)

The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.McClatchy-Tribune Business News

July 25, 2006--Tuesday, July 25, 2006

In a democracy, which relies for its very existence on the free and fearless exchange of ideas, no act is as abhorrent as the attempt to stifle or intimidate free speech.

So the news last week that vandals set fire to a sign opposing the planned new Nooksack casino, coupled with allegations that similar vandalism has been occurring recently, is troubling indeed. It's an attack on the values that are at the core of this nation.

Opposition was swift to form when the Nooksack Indian Tribe announced in May its intention to build a casino on farmland near the Canadian border between Lynden and Sumas.

Residents fear the casino will bring a host of problems, including traffic, noise and the threat of future development in a mostly rural, agricultural area. But there was little that opponents could do to stop the project, since it is on sovereign tribal land not subject to county rules and regulations.

Undeterred, residents organized to press their opposition and attempted to persuade tribal leaders to build somewhere else. When their pleas failed, a group of protesters staged a demonstration at the site, disrupting what tribal leaders said was a cultural religious ceremony. Sheriff's deputies were called to disperse the protesters.

That unruly protest followed an earlier vandalism at the casino site, when some 100 nails were scattered in an apparent attempt to damage the tires of construction vehicles.

Such actions are born of anger, frustration and a feeling of powerlessness rooted in the fact that there is no legitimate political process that opponents can pursue to derail the casino plan. But that doesn't excuse vandalism or condone a demonstration that amounted to a blockade of the construction site.

Last month, we editorialized strongly against the alarming disrespect that casino protesters have shown toward the Nooksacks. But these attempts to silence casino opposition are nothing short of cowardice.

"It made me dig in my heels more," said Lori Honcoop, the resident whose 4-by-8 sign was torched last week. The sign, which read, "Casino traffic will make this corner a death trap," cost about $400.

Honcoop learned of the vandalism when a Whatcom County arson investigator knocked on her door at 2:30 a.m. She said that because of the sign's location inside an electric fence, there is no way the fire could have been anything but a deliberate act. She said it's lucky the fire didn't spread to surrounding pastureland, a real possibility with the recent dry weather and temperatures approaching 90 degrees.

Destruction of Honcoop's sign was a cynical, spiteful act.

Mike Wootan, manager of the Nooksack River Casino in Deming, said he can't condone the vandalism.

We encourage tribal leaders to make a strong stand against further vandalism and hope the two sides can learn to show restraint and respect for one another.

After all, they're going to be neighbors.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.


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