Should A Casino Get Built By Gettysburg? and the general question of proximity to sacred/historical spaces...

[RandomAnthony]

In the wake of the mosque controversy there's now a controversy about whether or not a casino should go up near Gettysburg:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_...

Now, I know "casino" and "mosque" are not synonymous, first of all. Some interesting issues emerge here.

1) Should faraway people of the same country have a same on this, or is the decision exclusively local? I can say, for example, "No casino near that important historical site!" but then I don't live with the economic issues apparent near Gettysburg.

2) Is this a slippery slope in either direction? If the decision "no casino near Gettysburg" is made, does that mean casinos shouldn't up near other historical sites? What about the other direction? If I say "Yes" does that I mean I support casinos everywhere?

3) Anything else? What do you think?

[[deleted user]]

I think that this should be a local decision, or a decision by the Federal Government. I do not feel that I should have any say in this matter.

In the case of the Federal Government I think that it would need a law about casinos, and all historic sites, I don't think that you can have a law broad enough to cover them all.

So in essence I believe that it should be a local decision.

[RandomAnthony]

I'm kind of fascinated, the more I think of it, as to how suddenly we're all so concerned in the media about how close certain buildings are to each other.

[Stacia (the 2010 club)]

Only if it's a mosque casino.

[Sarah]

In the case of McDonald's and Walmart, there's the question of whether it will positively or negatively affect the area. Will it drive locally owned competitors out of business? Will it create more jobs than it destroys? I believe the community does have a say in that.

When do others get a say? That's trickier. An Oklahoma fireman called in to Talk of the Nation when this was the topic the other day, and tried to weigh in on the "Ground Zero Mosque." The host pointed out that it wasn't at ground zero, nor was it a mosque, but I think two blocks means something different to an Oklahoman than to someone who lives in Manhattan. In two blocks you can go from the heart of Chinatown to the heart of Little Italy. I think New Yorkers would have handled this whole issue in a different way if the rest of the country hadn't gotten involved.

[ms.petra]

I don't think there should be a casino, a mosque/cultural center, or any other sort of commercial entity at Ground Zero, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, Auschwitz, or any other hallowed ground. People may have the right, but I don't think it is right. Just my opinion.

[Félix]

I used to work for the guy who is pushing this plan.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I agree with you about Auschwitz definitely. Pearl Harbor maybe. Gettysburg probably. But Ground Zero was a commercial entity before it was destroyed, and the plans are for it to become one again, along with a memorial and a public transportation hub. The mosque/cultural center, if it ever gets developed, will not be on Ground Zero proper. (And it used to be a Burlington Coat Factory.) One World Trade Center will be 1776 feet tall (including antenna) so there will be lots of floors of commercial things going on there. It's simply not feasible for the land to be developed without commercial profits being the goal.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I think casinos and slot machines are gross and sad and they harm more than they help and I generally don't think they should be built anywhere. But I don't have a huge visceral opposition to this being built in the vicinity of Gettysburg. As long as it's not butting up against it.

[ms.petra]

what are the plans for a memorial to the people that died on 9/11 and where will that be? I have visited the Columbine High School Memorial in Clement Park which is two blocks from the high school and it is a very moving, peaceful respite. A place to contemplate and reflect on the horrors of that day. I just want as much effort put into something like that for Ground Zero before a mosque/cultural center out of respect to the 3000+ that died on 9/11.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

There's a handsome artist's rendering of it here. It looks very nice. The actual bases of the twin towers will become reflecting pools, surrounded by trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tr...

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

"Cost — Preliminary estimates place the cost of the memorial alone to be US$500 million, which was the exact same cost to build the original Twin Towers. According to The Wall Street Journal, it would also place it among the most expensive memorials in history." - Wiki.

Wow, that's a lot of money! It doesn't look like it should be that expensive...

[Félix]

I liked him a lot. After our company was sold, he opened a Harley Davidson dealership in Gettysburg. He's been trying to have a casino there for several years with no luck.

The town does abutt the battleground, by the way.

[ms.petra]

Lobstergirl wrote: "There's a handsome artist's rendering of it here. It looks very nice. The actual bases of the twin towers will become reflecting pools, surrounded by trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tr..."

thanks LG.

[Pat]

ms.petra wrote: "I don't think there should be a casino, a mosque/cultural center, or any other sort of commercial entity at Ground Zero, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor, Auschwitz, or any other hallowed ground. People ma..."

I reject the whole idea of hallowed ground. Life is for the living. Roping off an area and making it sacred doesn't not make the dead any less dead.

I expect this is coming off as cold and insensitive, but I consider holding on to past wrongs to be very destructive.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Pat, I agree with you on this: "I reject the whole idea of hallowed ground." I don't think we should forget past wrongs; I think we should reserve these spaces where truly horrific things happened, and memorialize those things. However, I don't believe in the concept that ground is hallowed. The ground does not become holy or sacred as a result of some tragedy.