If You Think a Casino Can't Happen at Gettysburg...Think Again
Nearly a year and a half after investors first announced a plan to seek a license to bulid a 3,000-slot gambling facility one mile from Gettysburg National Military Park, the controversy continues with no end in sight. While the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, which oversees the application process, hopes to award site licenses by the end of the year, others estimate that final decisions may not be reached until late next spring.
In the meantime, there is still much you can do to take a stand against this potential desecration of America's most famous battlefield. Please consider taking a few moments to write to Tad Decker, chairman of the Gaming Control Board, to tell him that as a lover of history and a dedicated supporter of historic preservation efforts, you ardently oppose any plans to put a casino near the Gettysburg Battlefield. CWPT has already delivered in excess of 33,000 petitions to the board, but impassioned personal testimonies are also important in showing the depth of public opinion on the matter. Write to Chairman Decker at: PA Gaming Control Board, P.O. Box 69060, Harrisburg, PA 17106.
Also, No Casino Gettysburg, the local grassroots organization CWPT has been working with since the beginning of this fight, is always looking for volunteers. Whether you live nearby or on the other side of the country, there are plenty of ways for you to help them oppose a casino being built near this hallowed ground. To learn more, e-mail volunteers@nocasinogettysburg.com. Pennsylvania residents, especially, are encouraged to make contact.
As always, public awareness is an important tool in preservation efforts. Even after a year of controversy and media coverage, including a Fourth of July weekend piece on ABC's World News Tonight, many of your friends and neighbors may not know about the danger threatening to destroy the Gettysburg millions of Americans have come to know and love. Even some of the most diehard preservationists are not aware of thousands of dollars that are being spent by casino speculators to hoodwink government officials and Adams County residents.
Please continue to spread the word about the well-funded effort to build a casino at Gettysburg, as well as the threats to countless other priceless battlefields. If you think a casino can't be built at Gettysburg - think again. If we let our guard down, it will happen.
Visit us online at www.civilwar.org to keep up to date on the latest information about our progress at Gettysburg and across the country.
