Your paper's coverage of the casino issue has been abysmal. The latest installment makes me wonder if any local news stories are reliable. I understand that we are all tired of the issue and wish it would go away. But that is no excuse for the paper to become the passive mouthpiece for a high priced spin doctor, hired from the tribes' supposedly empty coffers. He's been spinning for over a year now. Is it too much to ask that the Hood River News balance Mr. Leo's glib assertions with some real facts?

I guess the Hood River News has decided the details are just too difficult for anyone to understand. You much prefer to present the tabloid fare of late: the villain, evil governor Kitzhaber, who has sole power over the decision, refuses to do the one thing that everyone wants. It seems that you are incapable of including the reasons why. Never mind the fact the Warm Springs tribe themselves never put casino on their federal application for Government Rock Trust Status, when required to state the property's use. Never mind that the Industrial site isn't even owned by the tribe. Never mind the fact that the wishes of all other tribes in the state of Oregon hold sway over any off-reservation casino. Never mind that the legality of building on the Hood River site is in question. Never mind the fact that the people of Warm Springs have not yet been consulted. Never mind the fact that no other tribe in the state of Oregon has an off-reservation casino as defined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.