Wampum

[I'm posting this as I suspect it'll be ignored by most blogs (as it has to do with Indians)]

Rick Green of the Hartford Courant is one of the few in the MSM to start putting pieces together regarding influence peddling and the federal recognition at Interior. Here's the meat of the matter:

In 2005, Bush's Interior Department reversed its own 2004 finding granting federal recognition to the Schaghticokes, making it illegal for them to open a casino. This development came after intense public pressure organized by influential Kent residents, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and the state's congressional delegation.

In January of 2005, a representative from the Republican lobbying firm of Barbour Griffith & Rogers, working with this coalition, said that he could "get to Kissinger via a friend," in an e-mail obtained by the Schaghticokes.

There's no proof that anyone got to the Nobel Prize winner, who lives on a mountaintop in Kent. But the Schaghticokes' federal court challenge to its loss of recognition could be about to turn explosive. The tribe now has a shot at reviving its case.

The Schaghticokes, one of two tribal factions, are backed by Subway Restaurants founder Fred DeLuca. Both want a casino development in Bridgeport. Kent residents have feared that a federal reservation would bring gambling to their town.

Schaghticoke supporters say that the tribe has as much evidence documenting its historic survival as our two federal tribes, who operate Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos. Opponents argue that the Schaghticokes faded away generations ago.

In an unusual decision last week, U.S. District Judge Peter Dorsey ruled that the Schaghticokes may gather more evidence, including testimony from federal officials and Barbour Griffith.

"The evidence produced by STN raises some questions about whether there was improper political influence during the federal acknowledgement process here," Dorsey said.

Indianz.com also has lots more on the Schaghticoke in its archives.