Indian Tribe Finally Gets Recognized .... And Now It's Time to Cash In !

Give 'Em an Inch, And They Take a Casino and 3600 Acres .....

If you ever wanted to know just why it seems so hard for Indian tribes to get federally recognized in the US, here is a good example why.... This week, the Office of Indian Affairs finally gave the Shinnecock Nation of Long Island it's official stamp of approval, after a 31 year battle. The Shinnecocks are pretty much about as legitimate as they come on the East Coast. They have a 600 acre reservation that's been in their control for hundreds of years, they're organized, and they met all the criteria - which is pretty stringent - that was required. Congrats to them.......

Now, for the hard part. You'll never guess what the first thing they want to do is. C'mon, ................ you know............. it's.................. a Casino ! Yep, the Shinnecocks want to bring the first legal casino to New York. While it would be nice for Long Islanders to not have to drive to Connecticut or Atlantic City to gamble, there is a lot more to this - and a lot more that the Shinnecocks want. You see, the Shinnecock Nation isn't just in a pine barren in Suffolk County - it's smack in the entrance way to The Hamptons. So, there are a lot of rich and powerful people who don't want a casino near their Summer getaways. Talks are already underway to move the casino to Belmont Park or Aqueduct Raceways - about 100 west of the reservation in New York City. It should be interesting....

The real kicker in getting recognized isn't the casino - that's small potatoes. What the the Shinnecocks are shooting for is - our favorite word - Reparations. You see, the reservation used to be 3600 additional acres from a treaty made with England back in 1703, and they want it back. The last time I checked, England didn't own Long Island, but that isn't stopping the tribe. You see, back in 1859, they settled with the US Government to take back the land, so rail lines could be built to access the East End. The tribe says the document is forged, but no one hwo ws there is around now, so who knows... The area is a 1/4 mile sliver between Shinnecock Bay and Peconic Bay, and there's no way around it - and the land is prime Real Estate. I don't know for sure, but $1 million an acre isn't out of the question. Times that by 3600, and you have $3.6 BILLION up for grabs.....

Adding to the problem is the fact that the land is developed, with private property owners, the Southhampton campus of Long Island University, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Course, where the US Open is regularly played.... Good Luck on settling that one, fellas. It's amazing to me that we entertain the thought of suing for something that was done, not to you or your parents, which I can understand, but for something that was done to people you can barely trace ancestry to 150 years earlier.... This is America -we can sue for anything....

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