Here I am again. There is so much to talk about, I want to be part of talking about it. Of making it better, too, if possible. From now on, while the thrust of this blog will continue to be commentary on Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, there will be more from and about the wider world. After all, for better or for worse, happenings and forces "out there" WILL affect life on our little urban island. We are facing a veritable tsunami of life-altering challenges, some good, some bad. And it is hard to tell which is which in advance.

At least, we have almost come to the Gaming Commission's decision as to whether this city shall have a casino. The announcement will be made December 20, if all goes as planned. On that day, some city residents will feel they have received a fabulous holiday gift, while others will feel betrayed and devastated. Whoever gets the "gift," I fear, may find it is an empty box. That is because of the seemingly boundless determination of the casino's opponents to sue it to death.

Now, I myself am not a proponent of gambling as such; far from it. Nor do I think the majority should always reign unchallenged. I've spent too much of my life in the minority, challenging the majority; and I continue to think I was right every time. But in this case the majority does seem to favor the casino, AND the opponents of the plan have offered no alternative plan which would have the effect of helping the city remain financially healthy--or recover its financial health, if necessary.

So I feel I must be for the casino--much to my own surprise--because I want Bethlehem to survive. While many decent and well-intentioned people disagree with me, and for reasons I can understand and sympathize with, I feel the leaders of the anti-gaming forces here are playing a different game. It is not about morality for them, I fear. Nor is it about the survival of the city. It is about power. Behind-the-scenes power.

Furthermore, their planned legal attack obviously is going to cost a great deal of money. Attorneys are a necessity, if you believe your cause is good. Or even if you are merely determined to prevail.

But lawyers are not cheap; and who will pay for them? The casino opponents have asked for donations. But it is obvious that the tenners and twenties of ordinary citizens will not go far in an ocean of legal fees.

I believe Bethlehem's casino opponents already have a substantial amount of funding for their effort. If so, they should be required to reveal their sources. If they plan to form a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to further their cause, or have already formed one, I believe they MUST make their sources of funding public. They should be pressed to do so, whatever their legal structure is.

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A HOLIDAY NOTE: The South Bethlehem Historical Society is back, although far from being up to full power. Nevertheless, its annual exhibit of ethnic Christmas trees may be seen at the Comfort Suites Hotel, Third St. and Brodhead Ave. in Southside Bethlehem, from now well into January. I believe it ends January 27, but don't hold me to that.