Welcome to today’s installment of The Casino Chronicles, fly-and-sledgehammer edition.
The fly: Gambling critic and Plainville resident Thomas Keen, who is fighting a proposed racino at the Plainridge Racecourse.
Yvonne Abraham
Yvonne Abraham
Welcome to today’s installment of The Casino Chronicles, fly-and-sledgehammer edition.
The fly: Gambling critic and Plainville resident Thomas Keen, who is fighting a proposed racino at the Plainridge Racecourse.
Comments
It's apparent that he should not be given a racino license. The last thing this state should do is reward him for being a hypocritical jerk who attempts to silence his opposition. My anger is boiling over.
Thomas Keen is both a victim and a hero. Piontkowski is a danger to a free society.
I will be writing a letter to the gaming commission expressing my views. I hope everyone who reads this column will do the same.
http://www.mass.gov/gaming/contact-us/ Contact mass gaming commission here
I'll agree that Keen is apparently a victim but what is the hard evidence pointing back to the track owner or his minions? If it's simply an anonymous facebook posting then that's pretty weak. Good luck with your letter. You should probably leave out the "danger to free society" part since that's bordering on defamation. On second thought...... go for it.
The owner of Plainville track should not get a casino or racino liscence hes a jerk for stiffiling free speach hey jerk now sue the globe for what I have posted
You should sue your English teacher.
Tony, perhaps his English teacher should sue him, for not paying attention in class.
The faux outrage is a thinly disguised attempt to intimidate a critic. There is no way a bully should be granted that license.
There's a sidebar to this issue that is missing. The owner, Gary Piontkowski, is a long-time friend of Scott Brown. Gary and Brown's daughter owned a horse together, I believe. But that is irrelevant. What is important is that US Senator Scott Brown used his influence to lobby state officials to get Gary P. the slots license at Plainridge. Why is this not part of the article, especially at this election time? You can read the article (complete with Gary's picture,) here.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/10/brown_pressed_senate_leader_on_slots/
With all due respect, I'm not sure that I understand what's wrong with a Senator (newly elected when that article was authored) advocating for his constituency. In fact I believe that's his primary role is it not? I may not be too pleased with the Scott Brown who is emerging as negative campaigner (in fact, I'm disgusted with the negativity) but everything he did with respect to advocating for this site appears to be proper. I don't gamble and I really don't care about this facility as long as it doesn't further impact that already overburdened cloverleaf with Rt 495. My concern is the way you interject an alleged friendship between Mr. Piontkowski and Senator Brown. You further that point by bringing his young daughter into the mix and then attempt to clear your conscience by noting your own comments were irrelevant? Frankly I don't understand what the relevance is to this particular article which was written relatively apolitically. I'm assuming that it's not part of Professor Warren's attacks or debate topics as Senator Brown's actions were on par with his job description. Perhaps I missed something?
Rileysdad sounds either naive or wilfully misleading. a racino and a Senator ... what is the money trail for this "constituent" ??
"If by now you haven't realized that Scott Brown is lighter than air, you're not paying attention.
Sorry, I intended to add that to my previous post.
"the post had held the racecourse up to “ridicule and scorn” in the community,...the company “suffered and continues to suffer severe economic harm.” Which one is more foolish? The lawyer who did not warn the racetrack owner that bringing the suit would hold the owner up to scorn or the owner who went right ahead anyway. Or...perhaps it was the content of the video that frightened the owner. Why else would lawyer and owner have been so stupid? Perhaps he saw storm clouds gathering if that video stayed up for all to see, ignoring the possibility that a twister of stupidity could touch down in Plainville and engulf his own enterprise.
Piontkowski and Brown and have been heard singing that old Sinatra classic "We Did It Ourway." (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)
another fine column by Abraham. interesting, reasonable and common sense. there are Globe columnists who need to learn from her how to think then how to write.
Leave the Senate race out of it. This is about rogue track owner who wants a favor from the state.
Is Yvonne Abraham saying It's OK to smear others?