Jena Choctaw

Can you say conflict of interest? Good.

Now read this article from AP and the Alexandria Daily Town Talk and tell me if a conflict of interest doesn't exist. A teaser:

WASHINGTON -- Nearly three dozen members of Congress, including leaders from both parties, pressed the government to reject a Louisiana Indian casino while they collected large donations from rival tribes and their lobbyist, Jack Abramoff.

It isn't just one party, Republicans and Democrats shared in the booty. Abramoff is an equal opportunity lobbyist.

The donations look like a Who's Who.

Denny Hastert (R-IL) $21,500 (over $100,000 total for four years)
Harry Reid (D-NV) $66,000
Jim McCrery (R-LA) $36,000
David Vitter (R-LA) $6,000, but he returned it
Tom DeLay (R-TX) $57,000

The dead tree edition lists Abramoff donations to Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), but those donations aren't covered in the online edition. And the list goes on and on. 33 different lawmakers took donations before writing letters to Secretary Gail Norton.

The Advocate has more, here:

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., was locked in a bitter Senate race in 2002, and is listed by The Associated Press as receiving $32,000 in contributions from tribes or the lobbyists.
U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, R-Shreveport, received $36,250 through Abramoff-connected donations, The Associated Press reported. McCrery could not be reached for comment Thursday. A call placed to his office was not returned.

Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux, D-La., received $27,500 in contributions related to Abramoff. Breaux wrote Norton on March 1, 2002. Five days later, the Coushattas contributed $1,000 to his campaign and $10,000 to his library fund, according to The Associated Press analysis.

Charming. Just simply friggin charming.

I'm disgusted with the whole damned bunch of them. I would love to see another casino in Central Louisiana. Preferably the Jena Choctaw, in Creola, LA. The genie is out of the bottle and the camel has his nose under the tent, as far as gambling in Louisiana is concerned. It 's time to open it up to valid competition. Give the consumer a choice. More importantly, it is time for our lawmakers to quit playing favorites.