DEAR EDITOR: I clearly recall Mother’s Day, two years ago. Early that Sunday morning, I had picked my mother up at her home in LaPlace and dropped her off at a local Catholic church for mass. As we rode together, my mother spoke briefly of the possibility of her going on a free bus ride to a Gulf Coast casino. As I hand her some spending money, kissed her goodbye and let her out, I told her: “Mom, please don’t spend this money on gambling. You need to stay out of the casinos.” I learned of the tragic bus accident that evening and was relieved to learn she had decided to stay home. But it was a very close call for her. This letter is not written to judge or condemn those who were on that bus. I have no intention to add further pain and grief to those families who lost precious loved ones. I’m writing this letter, sitting in the waiting area of L’Observateur, having just finished singing for our senior citizens while they ate their lunch next to the sheriff’s office. The thought hit me hard that these vulnerable people depend on us for their protection. So, I wanted to write this letter while the moral outrage smouldered inside me. Why not lay the axe to the roots here, and put the responsibility of the dead senior citizens where it really belongs? The casinos think we are all brain-dead. We have been lullabyed into silence by all their glitz and glamor. It is a fact that casinos aggressively target our seniors under guise of “fun field trips.” They use the term, “The Third of the Month Club,” pertaining to when they get their checks. Our compromise with this vampire has shut our mouths because we have closed our eyes. Where is the moral outrage? Why don’t the radio and television stations and newspapers expose the real statistics…the real-life horror stories of destroyed families, savings squandered, teen-age addicts? Why? Because they profit from the gambling industry? We are tolerant of things which are destroying us from within. Pornographic magazines are once again showing up in local stores. Just another indication of a community asleep. Whether you agree or disagree with me, the fact is we both have precious freedom of speech. Where are those speaking out against corruption? Our own governor acknowledges that our state is being taken over by the powerful gambling machine. Many of our politicians (who could have been patriots) are resting in Delilah’s lap. Not only are their voices of morality silenced, but many have become shameless promoters of gambling. In closing, let me not leave you without hope. What can you do? First, stop waiting for someone else to speak out! You speak out, through phone calls, letters, the politicians. Second, let the local merchants who are involved with the gambling industry that they will not get your business. Be polite but firm. Third, encourage those who have been exploited by “gaming” to speak out and share their stories publicly. Let’s get the “shame on you” back to those who suck the life’s blood out of our neighbors. We are our brother’s keeper. It’s time to prove it. I have a message to those hoping the outrage will eventually run out of steam: don’t bet on it!

Richard “Butch” Berget Denham Springs