Word: greys
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...this attention has caught even Grey by surprise. His national coalition has barely any funds beyond small scattered donations from its 2,500 members, a $10,000 contribution from the Mormon Church to set up an 800 phone number, and Grey's own $3,000-a-month stipend from the Methodist Church. NCALG's new Washington office, in a back room of the National Council of Churches, is staffed by volunteers. "We're up against a multibillion-dollar industry," says Grey. "And we're beating them with housewives and dentists." The movement's strength lies in such groups as Virginians...
...flame that first lit Grey's fuse was a riverboat casino in Galena, Illinois, the quaint Mississippi River town where he lived quietly with his wife and served as the local Methodist pastor. In 1991, 81% of the townspeople voted against playing host to the boat, but the referendum was nonbinding, and local officials, thirsting for revenue, invited it to dock anyway. "I got mad," recalls Grey. Now, with this nationwide campaign, he adds, "I'm getting even." This hometown fight led to invitations to speak in Iowa, Indiana, Missouri and other states grappling with a riverboat onslaught. Grey...
...Fahrenkopf, speaking for the industry, is quick to point out that gaming (he never uses the word gambling) is creating jobs and "rejuvenating dying cities.'' And he adds, "We don't agree that Tom Grey and his supporters have the right to force their morality on others." Pulling a cue card from his pinstripe suit, Fahrenkopf reads H.L. Mencken's definition of a puritan: "'Someone who is afraid that, somewhere, someone else is having a good time.' The next time I see Tom, I'll say, 'Tom, you're a puritan...
...Fahrenkopf's advantage to lump all gambling opponents in with the religious right--and to Grey's to deny it. "If we based our opposition on personal morality, we would lose," says Grey. "After all, a majority of Americans gamble. But we're not for prohibition. People can go to Las Vegas or play poker in their homes. We are just saying, Let's stop the expansion of gambling." At his Washington press conference, Grey acknowledged seeking funds from the Christian Coalition, but, with a mischievous glance toward Ralph Reed, pointedly introduced ncalg's new political director, Bernard Horn...
...states, Common Cause and N.A.A.C.P. chapters are fighting gambling alongside restaurant associations, bowling alleys, video arcades, theme parks and racetracks that fear losing business to casinos. Nonetheless, NCALG's main foot soldiers are so-called traditional-values and pro-family activists. In Louisiana this week Southern Baptists are escorting Grey to rallies around the state. In Michigan Christian Coalition members helped collect 100,000 signatures on petitions to block casinos in Detroit. So far, Roman Catholic churches, with their bingo and Las Vegas nights, have been little help, while main-line Protestant churches just "like to pass resolutions," Grey scoffs...