Casino coming to YOUR neighborhood?

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8)

The big casino industry lion is prowling Missouri’s Mississippi and Missouri River banks once again.  Why? Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment has announced the closing of the St. Louis President Casino and the relinquishing of Missouri’s thirteenth license. You know what that means–a new Missouri slot for slots, an open spot at the table for table games–yes, one new shiny license available.  Be on the alert…a new casino may be coming to YOUR neighborhood.

Unresponsive Government

This morning, “Save the Confluence” coalition casino opponents will not be allowed time on the agenda of the Missouri Gaming Commission meeting at St. Louis County Council chambers at 9:00 AM. The coalition is made up of a broad range of organizations and individuals representing moral, religious, environmental, and economic concerns regarding the building of a new casino in the Columbia Bottoms area in North St. Louis County, just south of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The St. Louis County Council has not listened to the people and has proceeded with the preliminaries for the new casino development, and now the MO Gaming Commission closes its ears to the concerns of the people. Government is not only unresponsive to public concerns, but is totally bent on a course counter to their wishes. This is very apparent from local to state to national levels. Enough is enough. They may be silenced in public meetings, but voters can speak in coming primaries and elections! It is time for citizens to reclaim all levels of government and for deaf, uninformed public servants to be retired from public life. To use Lincoln’s words, government of the people, by the people, and for the people needs a new birth of freedom in America. This is my prayer for America in 2010.

The City’s Road to Ruin

Today is a dark day. While memorial services are being held at Fort Hood, St. Louis is “celebrating” the opening of River City Casino Boulevard, a $23.8 million roadway paid for by Pinnacle Entertainment which will lead to the new $380 million casino development slated to open next spring.  (http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/11/09/daily14.html) Casino owner, Pinnacle, has paved the way for more family and economic devastation as local officials gloat over the economic impact of the road project. There is an interesting irony with this opening when, on its eve, Pinnacle CEO Daniel Lee resigned after publicly threatening a St. Louis County councilman. (A Missouri Gaming Commission investigation is underway as to the nature of those threats. http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/11/09/daily1.html?surround=lfn) I suppose Pinnacle is jealous over its St. Louis riverfront monopoly.  St. Louis is on the road to becoming another Atlantic City and perhaps even surpassing its per capita casino count. “Casino wars” may also become part of the ongoing saga as River City Casino and the potential Riverview casino battle for St. Louis headlines. Look how we are investing our dollars, time, and energy! The casino industry is dominating the business and news headlines as they battle for dominating the St. Louis market–and using billions in gambling losses to pay for it all.  Is it really worth the cost–economically and socially? Is St. Louis on the road to ruin?  Indeed it is a dark day.

St. Louis Churches Say “CasiNO!”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a front page, headliner story on 8/20/09 regarding the mounting “religious” opposition to the proposed casino in St. Louis County. The opposing forces are diverse and the Christian community is part of it!  Read the story:

“Churches Fervent in Casino Fight”

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/8CC57F5B293AA8B7862576180005D58F?OpenDocument