Opinion
Opinion: Religious right now working for casinos


"In 1999, the Christian Coalition of Alabama helped defeat a proposed state lottery. The coalition is currently fighting a plan to open Indian casinos in Alabama.

Now we learn that a lobbying group called Americans for Tax Reform had given the coalition $850,000 to work against the casino plan. The anti-tax group is headed by Grover Norquist, a powerful player in Republican money circles.

It turns out that Norquist had no interest in discouraging casinos. To the contrary, he was working for a casino tribe in Mississippi. The Indians didn't want gambling emporia next door in Alabama to compete with theirs. They gave Norquist's group $1.15 million to stop them.

The Christian Coalition has strict rules against taking money from gambling interests. So Norquist in effect had passed the coalition 850,000 tainted dollars to protect his clients' casino profits. (Some now charge that coalition leaders were in on the scheme.)"

Get the Story:
Froma Harrop: Religious right played for patsies (The Providence Journal 6/12)
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