The Mowa Choctaws, a tribe located 35 miles north of Mobile, Ala., also plans to protest the Mississippi Choctaws' casino, Sunray said. "Our community has been fighting the Choctaws for 16 years," he said. "(Tribal Chief Phillip Martin) spent $15 million against our petition for national recognition." The Mowa Choctaws are not interested in opening their own casino, he said. "We held a referendum on gaming four years ago, and the majority of our people were overwhelmingly against it,"Sunray said.
The Mississippi Choctaws are not averse to using their money to undermine competition.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians helped former congressman Bob Riley's campaign for governor of Alabama, The Decatur Daily reports. The records show the money was part of "Operation Orange," a campaign the Choctaws funded in order to preserve their gaming enterprise. Alabama -- home to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians -- was considered a threat. The tribe spent $4.5 million over two years to fund Operation Orange.
The fact that other Indian tribes oppose him should counter the argument that because they are Indians the Mississippi Choctaws should be allowed to do whatever they want.
Why do we have to wait until 2008 to tell the Mississippi Choctaws we don't want a casino in Jackson County. I for one am tired of being threatened with having a casino I don't want as a neighbor.
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