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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2004)
4 NOVEMBER 1, 2004 Smoke Signals Failed Casino Operator Supports Anti-Indian Gaming Initiative Salty's, Red Robin figure uses offensive images to support Washington's 1-892. By Ron Karten Washington State Initiative 892 "would authorize licensed gambling establishments... to operate electronic scratch ticket machines of the same type, and in the same total number, as authorized in state Tribal gaming compacts." Initiated by Washington tax ac tivist Tim Eyman, who is paying himself$3,100aweek from campaign contri butions, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, the cam paign is a virtual Who's Who of self-interested rogues in the Evergreen State. Take the campaign coming out of the office of Gerry Kingen, Se attle restaur an teur and failed casino operator. His mailer in support of the initiative features six cartoons drawn by Idaho cartoonist Larry Knighton depicting stereo types of Indians carting off the loot from casinos. "Use these cartoons if you have the courage to do so," the cam paign piece says. Although Kingen did not return calls for comment, cartoonist Larry Knighton said, "The car toons are talking about the issues. The drawings are addressing the issues that are right in front of your face with words and imagery. They are not addressing anything in regards to (Indian) intelligence. They're not poking fun at any (In dian) cultural lifestyles. It's only the issues. If they're offended by touching and talking about the is sues, then I'm sorry, too bad." "Governor Gary Locke has criti cized the measure and does not sup port it. He has expressed concerns that Initiative 892 would create wide-open gambling and he does not believe that the people of Wash ington want to become another Ne vada or Las Vegas. The governor finds these images stereotypical and offensive," said Sharon Wallace, Communications Director for the Washington Governor. The thrust of the initiative piece is that "The Tribes own the Demo crats," who are "selectively support ing our state's constitution." If fairness is at issue and Kingen properties, the Salty's res taurant chain, at that time owed "more than $330,000 in outstand ing state taxes and fees. In addi tion, public records show more than $320,000 in current (2001) liens against the various restaurant properties, filed by state agencies and the Internal Revenue Service." Also at that time, the article said, ffm& iiifiitt 'tomfti' i tkst ytogaf tffc trnvamu Kingen's piece says, "It's time to level the gaming field" Kingen's record is instructive. When Funsters Grand Casinos, Inc. at the SeaTac Airport went bust in 2002 after operating for a little more than a year, the company in which he was part-owner left behind a trail of debts ul timately amounting to more than $2 million, according to the Se attle daily. The com pany ran out on some 200 creditors in cluding 160 employ ees, many of whom lost a whole month's pay, ac cording to the Puget Sound Busi ness Journal. Before heading for the high road on his casino debts, Kingen faced a complaint from the Washington State Gambling Commission, ac cording to the Business Journal, "al leging that Funsters was behind on its gambling taxes, and that it didn't have enough money on hand to pay its advertised progressive jackpots or to pay winners for their chips." Also according to a 2001 Business Journal article, another group of W jar m jr.jr "Wells Fargo Bank also is suing the Kingens and their Salty's manage ment company, Happy Guests In ternational Inc., seeking the $551,000 outstanding balance on (an overdue) revolving loan...." The end of the Kingen initiative piece said, This same group of poli ticians also chooses to ignore our nation's Constitution which clearly illiterates sic on the importance of "Liberty and justice for all." The U.S. Constitution does not ac tually 'illiterate' anything, but the mistake indicates more than careless writ ing. It also demon strates the sloppy use of documents and the selective use of infor mation blighting the po litical landscape today. In the first place, "liberty and justice," does not come from the U.S. Constitution, or the state of Washington Constitution for that matter, but from the Pledge of Alle giance. In the second place, the is sue does not hang on the question of equal treatment among groups but on the sovereign status of Indians. Indians have casinos because N&!W they are sovereign and decide for themselves the shape of their na tions. Indians are, of course, Ameri cans, and fall under the federal um brella of laws, but at the state level, they are equal partners in the gam bling compacts that have come to mark one of the most remarkable resurgences in American history. And with the casino money earned, the Tribes' record of contributions to non-Indian commu nities around them far exceeds any commu nity gifts made by Kingen or the many other mainstream ben eficiaries of the forms of gambling that they are so far allowed. Other practices illu minating the charac ter of supporters of the campaign for 1-892 have surfaced. The Se attle daily reported this year that the campaign received 10 contribu tions of $2,500 each from 10 mini casino corporations, "all with the same address... and most or all of which are principally owned by ei ther or both of two brothers, Tim and Michael Iszely. "According to the state Depart ment of Revenue's most recent list of delinquent taxpayers, dated April 1 (2004), five of those Iszely-affiliated companies contributed money to the initiative campaign even though they owed the state $846,314 in back taxes." For those in Washing ton interested in keeping the likes of Kingen and the Iszely brothers in their place, a 'no' vote on 1-892 will be a start. Those from across the Northwest who would vote with their pocketbooks might not only want to avoid eat ing at Salty's, but also at the Red Robin restaurants where Kingen was founder and as recently as 1996, CEO. Tribe Puts Winter Weather Emergency Plan In Place By Ron Karten Last winter, we saw snow and lots of it. Fine for the kids, but Elders wondered not only about how they would get out of their homes and down their driveways, but what about their medical and pharmacy needs? As a result, Public Works Direc tor John Mercier has drafted an in ternal Public Works Department policy describing roads that will get cleared of snow first and how depart ment employees will be expected to respond to adverse weather condi tions in Grand Ronde. "We will assess the weather as we always do," said Mercier, "first whether people should come in to work at all. From that point, we have designated a Public Works team who will be called out to move snow or any other obstructions (ice is a little more difficult). The first priority will be the entrance road and the clinic road," he said. At the pharmacy, Pharmacist Julie Davis said that she will remain on call with her cell phone in times when she can't make it to the clinic. "If I can get down from my house, I'll come in and get anything," she said. In the works is a project with the Information Systems Department so that in emergencies, when she can't get to the clinic to fill prescriptions, she'll be able to access pharmacy records from her home, and call them in to other local pharmacies. Depending on the severity of the weather, the question remains open whether Elders or others will be able to make it to another local pharmacy. The Health Clinic Director Michael Watkins lives right down the block, which made it so much more conve nient and, in a way, neighborly dur ing last year's storm. "We came in and dealt with it," he said. "Well probably do the same thing this year. It's based on where the snow hits and what staff can make it in," he said. "Last year, I did some home de liveries myself because I live down the street." While noting that "winters are gen erally mild in Grand Ronde," John Mercier said that "personal responsi bility is also required" in times of emer gency. "Public Works can do the housing streets," he continued, "but we can't do housing (sidewalks and driveways). We're working with the Housing Au thority to take care of these needs." And Housing is ready again this year to keep all the walkways de-iced; and the snow shoveled from sidewalks and driveways, according to Housing Author ity Assistant Director Greg Martin. "We've done that for a number of years," he said. "Should we have a snowstorm, we're prepared to remove the snow in coordination with the Tribe; also we have standby snow removal equipment for the driveways and sidewalks. "Well clear all of the parking lots, the normal walkways, the side walks," said Martin. The Housing Authority also is coordinating with the Security per sonnel to be first on the phone list when emergency weather conditions are expected or in process. "This year," said Martin, "we've got greater coordination with the Tribe and John Mercier's office. We've done more advance planning for anticipated bad weather." For employees, the message dur ing a weather emergency is, "Don't risk your personal safety, but keep your supervisor informed," said Mercier. "Precipitation (for this winter) is likely to be above average in the Pacific Northwest," according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
