Brad Hollerbach is the Director of Information Technology for the Southeast Missourian. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the newspaper or its editorial board. He writes this blog primarily for his own amusement and to parody the absurdities of the world we live in. He lives with his wife and two cats that don't really care for one another in Cape.

Anti-Casino Petition Possibly A Moot Point

Posted Wednesday, July 14, 2010, at 12:00 AM

The Quality of Life for Cape Girardeau group has reportedly turned in enough signatures to force a vote on the legality of casino gambling in the city, but it really doesn't matter.

Their petition is a moot point.

It is completely irrelevant. Even if the petitioners have gotten enough qualified signatures to force a vote and then somehow by divine intervention every single registered voter in the city of Cape Girardeau voted against allowing casino gambling, it won't matter.

Mark my words we will still get a casino.

How could that be? After all, this is a democracy and everyone knows that the majority opinion of all registered voters who bother to get out of their Lay-Z-Boys on a given election day and actually vote is law. If this issue is put before the voters once again and is overturned, how could Cape still get a casino?

It's actually quite simple and I heard it from an impeccable source.

A friend of mine told me that a guy he knows overheard a couple people discussing this issue in a local bar while they were playing some of those state-sanctioned pull-tab games of chance.

They said that if necessary the two local partners in the Isle of Capri casino proposal on North Main will use the "Race Card" to fulfill their dreams of a riverside gambling Mecca here in Cape.

You might be wondering how partners David Knight and Jim Riley -- who to most people would appear to be a couple of upper-middle-aged white guys -- could possibly use the "Race Card" to make their dream a reality.

According to my source's completely above reproach third-hand gossip, if the issue is put to a vote and casino gambling is voted down, Mr. Riley and Mr. Knight will reveal they are each 1/64 Capaha Indian and that the 20-acres they control by the river is their tribal reservation, and therefore not subject to the laws of the city, county, state or federal governments.

In fact, that riverside reservation is a sovereign nation and if He-Who-Smokes-Meat-In-Silver-Cave and Chief Lightning Tongue wish to build a casino there, no petition is going to stop them.

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Brad - I don't think most of the readers will understand this article since they won't know what a "moot" point is. For the past several years I don't think I have hear anybody in this area call it anything but a "mute" point, including local tv anchors, politicians, and a professor from SEMO. Thanks for contributing to better lanuguage understanding. Now if you could just write article on being "vulnerable", since even the local news people think it is "vunnerable." Anyway, I think I will now go think of another ideal while eating my sherbert sitting on my living room suit.

-- Posted by ParkerDaws on Wed, Jul 14, 2010, at 6:44 AM
Parker, I think you mean setting on your living room suit, but sense you don't know no better, I'll let that one go two. Their not going to know the differnce anyways.

(Wow, that was hard to type even jokingly!)

-- Posted by MusicMaker on Wed, Jul 14, 2010, at 9:10 AM
Hey Brad,

While this vote would illustrate democracy, the US isn't one.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the democracy for which it stands...

See what I mean? If still in doubt, blow the dust off it and consult the constitution.

ParkerDaws...it's sherbet, so maybe you were just joking.

-- Posted by Maynard on Wed, Jul 14, 2010, at 3:26 PM
Ugh! More smoke.

-- Posted by IonU on Thu, Jul 15, 2010, at 7:54 AM
Hot Dang! Some suckers just can't wait to get to those Blackjack tables!

-- Posted by voyager on Thu, Jul 15, 2010, at 8:11 AM
Apologies to all for not responding sooner, but I was out of town yesterday visiting Blytheville,AR and Dyersburg,TN and then didn't crack open my computer last night.

Parker, I feel that if you're not aware of what a word means, you should look it up. I don't think "moot" is a particularly uncommon word and if Rick Springfield can use it in the song Jessie's Girl, then I thought what the heck, I will use it here.

The thought did occur to me that Moot Point would be a fantastic name for a subdivision. I, for one, would live there.

Me'Lange, I hope the law is not overturned, but I don't know the strength of the convictions of the people signing the petitions. November -- unlike April -- tends to attract more voters and we have some other big elections on the ballot this year.

As I've said previously, I don't feel a casino is a silver-bullet to the downtown local economy, but its presence could be leveraged to improve our infrastructure. I actually have another blog tomorrow that proposes a solution to what will be the most vexing part of any downtown casino development: traffic.

Maynard, according to the Democracy Index on Wikipedia, the US is a "flawed" democracy, but still a democracy. Canada is more of a democracy than us, but Mexico is less.

IonU, yes there would probably be more smoke especially since smoking on casinos in Illinois is against the law. And by the way, I did pick up some Yuengling at the Kroger in Dyersburg as I was headed out of town.

Actually Voyager, while the house has the odds on most casino games, according to about.com the best chances to win are at blackjack, craps, casino poker, video poker, pai gow banker (never heard of that one) or my personally favorite, baccarat.

Thanks for reading.

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Thu, Jul 15, 2010, at 9:12 AM

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