Donald Craig Mitchell

So last fall I read John Grisham's book The Whistler, which is about some crimes that take place on or involving an Indian casino and its reservation, and it got me wondering, how did gambling on casinos become legal.
Wampum, tells the story of how our inattentive, and lack of understanding congress, in concert with The Bureau of Indian affairs, the department of the interior, and every other group of government halfwits, who managed to make one huge mess, while at the same time helping very few Indians, what a surprise. It is easy to get bogged down in the legal jargon, and you may have to re-read certain passages, but this book is fantastic at explaining how little it takes to be recognized as a tribe, what and how a tribe gets a reservation, and which tribes have benefited, and which haven't.
One huge surprise for me was Harry Reid's involvement, a senator whom I have zero respect, but who repeatedly warned about the seriousness of what was being voted on and was the only member of congress qualified to understand the ramifications, since prior to joining congress, he was in charge of overseeing gambling in Nevada.
Those who remember Nancy Pelosi's famous quip " we have to pass the bill to see what's in it" didn't begin with her, as you will see when you read this book.… (más)