Letter to the Editor by Cissy Jordan

Choctaw election should be of interest to Jackson County
Sunday, July 08, 2007

The election of a new chief of the Choctaw Tribe has brought to light some facts the people of Jackson County need to fully understand. Chief Martin, whom everyone believed spoke for the entire tribe, said it would be "up to the voters of Jackson County to decide if they put a casino on their land on Highway 57."

Now, Beasley Denton, the newly elected chief, says it will not be the citizens of Jackson County who make this decision but it will be a "Choctaw decision."
This clearly points out that any and all agreements between the Choctaws and anyone else is non-binding and subject to change.

We, the people of Jackson County, will have no legal rights in any issues with the Choctaw Tribe. If a citizen has a legal dispute on tribal lands; if a citizen has a dispute over a payout in a tribal casino; if a citizen, including a vendor, is owed money by the Choctaws, the matter is not under the protection of our courts but will be at the sole discretion of the Choctaw Tribal Court. Our sheriff, our courts, our laws are worthless even if you are attacked on tribal land.
Please understand this: A reservation is a foreign nation. They pay no sales tax, no property tax, and are not bound by any of our laws. What happens on this land just as well be happening in another country.

No doubt developers are chomping at the bit to see a casino come into the county and will probably roll out grandiose plans for condos, hotels and housing developments based on the proposed benefits from the casino. But is any of this worth it if we are giving up total control of everything else? In the long run this casino will bring us higher taxes; overwhelm our schools, possible loss of jobs for the 7,000 Jackson County citizens who now work at the Biloxi casinos and could diminish our sales tax base with unfair competition. Is this worth the so-called "promise" of compensation the chief made to our elected officials? And how are our elected officials going to collect promised compensations if any chief, current or future, changes his mind or neglects to ante up? Be aware of any elected official who sees the proposed Choctaw casino in Jackson County as a good investment.

It takes true leadership to see the big picture and the big picture brings into focus what we learned this week -- the word of one chief is not binding and can change with the election of a new chief; and all promises with the Choctaws are outside the jurisdiction of our laws.
If someone tells you they are favor of the Choctaw casino coming into Jackson County, they either are not aware of the true facts or they have a vested interest in unloading some marsh land.

Eleanor Cissy Jordan
Latimer