| In 1620, a professional
solider named Miles Standish accompanied the separatist Pilgrims on
their journey to settle in America. On that fateful day in May,
Standish made a huge impact on American history. However, little
did anyone expect, Standish would have a hand in recent event.
The descendants of Standish made plans to file
a motion in the Superior Court of Connecticut to claim land for the
purpose of establishing a casino in honor of Miles Standish named
The Pilgrims’ Casino.
The Standish brothers, Jake and Izzy, are
preparing to open the casino. Izzy Standish sums up the point of
view of the brothers, “We have rights here. We’ve paid the Indians
back; people from Connecticut and surrounding states made Foxwoods
and Mohegan Sun a success. Now it’s time for the Pilgrims to
score.”
While cleaning out the attic of their recently
deceased aunt Rachael Standish, the Standish brothers came across a
deed granting Miles “The Hero of New England” Standish a plot of
land in thanks for putting down an Indian rebellion that threatened
an early Pilgrim settlement. Antique document experts have verified
the authenticity of the grant. It is dated back to 1625.
To make matters more interesting, 386 years of
erosion has placed the 58-acre plot of land dead smack in the middle
of the Housatonic River. That is not a problem says Izzy Standish.
Gesturing to a map of the river, Izzy lays out the possibilities,
“We could either dam the river up here or drain it down there.
Filling it in would be possible.” Brother Jake throws in his two
cents, “It’s my idea we make it like Noah’s Ark. Right on the
Water.”
Although Jake likes to entertain the idea of
the “Ark”, both the brothers seem to agree on the plan to drain a
section of the river and redirecting its flow. Izzy continues with
the master plan. “I don’t think 50 stories would be steady on a
Noah’s Ark boat. As I see it, it’s got to be 50 stories high. You
got thousands of people coming to gamble. They must have room to
sleep. It’s not good for profit if they go home early.”
The brothers even have money ideas in the
works. According to Izzy, “Money’s no problem. We already have
investors lined up.”
A Stratford-area poll shows mixed feeling
about the plans of the Standish brothers. As with any casino
project, protests are to be expected. There is already an upset
faction of citizens that object to the idea of a high rise building
blocking their view of the sound. Of the 500 people surveyed there
is almost a fifty-fifty split on the issue of the fate of the
Housatonic River. One half clearly objects to the draining plans,
the other half is willing to make the trade for the new jobs and tax
money.
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