since the announcement of the lawsuit against the Senecas on Tuesday there's been a renewed discussion in the press.
if you're interested in the casino topic these articles stuck out to me.

for an overview of the the lawsuit and recent events check out this article from Business First
"Lawsuit filed against Buffalo casino"
Archived here

Don Esmonde wrote a great piece explaining the perspective of people against the casino.
"Casino suit tries to save us from ourselves"
Archived Here

Buffalo Rising has a great article too, with Links
"Obstructionist or Visionary?"



OH and don't forget to check out the pro casino argument and the debate going on at the SpeakupWNY discussion board. "Obstructionists run Amok"


Enjoy

[size=m]Suit readied to halt casino in Buffalo
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Wendt Foundation is financing effort

By MARK SOMMER
News Staff Reporter
12/30/2005

A team of Buffalo attorneys backed by a prominent foundation will file a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday to stop the proposed Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino.

The lawsuit will charge that the federal government did not properly apply three laws that govern the approval process for gambling activities on Indian lands and its responsibility to consider a casino's impact on the community.

"The casino is not a done thing. It's illegal in the City of Buffalo, and we're prepared to get a judge to rule to that effect," said Robert J. Kresse, a trustee with the Wendt Foundation, which will largely finance the effort that also includes significant contributions from other foundations and individuals.

"I think it will suck all the life out of Buffalo, and it just appalls me," said Diane Bennett, a former managing partner of Hodgson Russ. Bennett is one of a number of prominent Buffalonians backing the lawsuit as a member of the newly formed Citizens for a Better Buffalo. Members met with The Buffalo News' editorial board Thursday.

Several religious leaders are expected to confirm their opposition to the casino at a news conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday in the law offices of Stenger & Finnerty.

The lawsuit will name various federal officials and agencies as defendants, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, Interior Secretary Gail Norton and the U.S. National Indian Gaming Commission.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Citizens Against Casino Gambling in Erie County, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and preservation organizations.

Joseph M. Finnerty of Stenger & Finnerty said more lawsuits may be filed.

Seneca Nation of Indians officials could not be reached to comment Thursday.

The Senecas had a groundbreaking on their 9-acre downtown site near the Cobblestone District on Dec. 8. Seneca leaders said they wanted to begin construction this spring and open a 100,000-square-foot casino complex on New Year's Eve 2006.

The Senecas claim the Seneca Nation Settlement Act offers legal justification for building a casino in Buffalo. The act was cited by Norton when she allowed the Niagara Falls and Buffalo casinos to go forward.

The lawsuit will argue the act does not apply to Buffalo, and that the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act should have been implemented instead. That act requires an examination of the possible effects of a casino on a community.

Former Rep. John J. LaFalce, a co-sponsor of the Settlement Act, has written Norton claiming it was never intended to be used for purchasing casinos.

The lawsuit will also charge an environmental assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act, which was conducted in Niagara Falls before the Seneca Niagara Casino opened there, should have been conducted in Buffalo.

And it will claim the federal government failed to follow the Historic Preservation Act, which requires consultation between federal and state preservation officials for properties on or eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

The site's H-O Oats grain elevator is eligible for inclusion in the historic register, and there are other historic sites in the district that could be affected by the casino.

"Anyone of these [violations], we think, would void the action of [Norton] to allow the casino to be built," said attorney Richard Lippes. "The issues we are raising are very important and solid issues, which I think the court has to consider very seriously."

Finnerty said a lawsuit wasn't filed earlier because of the uncertainty over whether the Senecas would choose land in Buffalo for a casino, and where it would be. He said a restraining order will be sought to prevent construction while the lawsuit winds through the courts.



Check out the No Casino Erie Website if you hate the idea of a Casino in Downtown Buffalo..

[size=m]see my previous posts on the issue:
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The Casino is Undemocratic [inlink]dcoffee,28[/inlink]

Casino in Buffalo.. Why? [inlink]dcoffee,27[/inlink]

My Article posted at WNY Media

Good WNY Media Video of anti-Casino protest

I put on some long underwear today and took a nice 2 hour walk through the neighborhood. I was exploring all the urban nooks and crannies between Allen and downtown, it was realy interesting, and relaxing. I like living here.



this is a picture of a city with some history


is it London? or Buffalo NY?


Main St Reborn





More at Flickr

I'm not the only one talking about impeachment. the excerpt below is from a Barons editorial in their latest issue.

My prediction. 2006 the republicans loose a few seats in the senate and therefore their majority. Since the Republicans would never under any circumstances impeach one of their own that would open the possibility of impeachment.

there are government investigations underway that will undoutably unearth illegal details regarding this administration. Even the American government can finish an investigation within 3 years, so Bush will still be in office when these investigations are complete.

Democratic majority in the Senate
+ Legally proven constitutional offenses from Bush
= Say Bye Bye to the Arrogant Cowboy

Such a situation is no longer far fetched. and in fact, it would be the best possible way to mend American relations with the rest of the world. after "unsigning' treaties about WMD proliferation, Small arms, and the environment, as well as wiping our ass with the Geneva conventions.



From BARRONS:

"The most important presidential responsibility under Article II is that he must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." That includes following the requirements of laws that limit executive power. There's not much fidelity in an executive who debates and lobbies Congress to shape a law to his liking and then goes beyond its writ.

Willful disregard of a law is potentially an impeachable offense. It is at least as impeachable as having a sexual escapade under the Oval Office desk and lying about it later. The members of the House Judiciary Committee who staged the impeachment of President Clinton ought to be as outraged at this situation. They ought to investigate it, consider it carefully and report either a bill that would change the wiretap laws to suit the president or a bill of impeachment.

It is important to be clear that an impeachment case, if it comes to that, would not be about wiretapping, or about a possible Constitutional right not to be wiretapped. It would be about the power of Congress to set wiretapping rules by law, and it is about the obligation of the president to follow the rules in the Acts that he and his predecessors signed into law. ..."

Read the whole editorial here.

While on vacation in November I took a bunch of pictures on my nice 35mm Film camera, because it's far better than the digital we have, it was realy fun. I work in photography full time so I am always using nice cameras and taking artistic pictures at work, it was nice to finally work with a good camera outside of work. And since I do so much with Digital Photography I got a photo CD with the prints. it's a nice trade off untill I get my new camera. It's my first time trying this and it's prety cool. I just got around to getting them online. here's a few, there's more at















Go to Flickr for about 20 more photos