Columnist Jeff German: Dobson’s diatribe mars work of fed panel

Sunday, Jan. 10, 1999 | 9:07 a.m.

IT'S AMAZING to me how people of so much faith can be so blind.

Take the case of James Dobson, a leading figure in the religious right who is opposed to gambling on moral grounds.

Dobson, a member of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, spent three days in Las Vegas in November and suddenly became an expert on our way of life.

Last week, he sent a letter to 2.5 million members of his conservative Focus on the Family organization, ripping into Las Vegas, Nevada and the casino industry that has made this state the fastest growing in the nation. Then, he issued a news release telling the media he had sent the letter.

Dobson relied on every myth and stereotype when preaching to his followers about the evils of our gambling-dominated society.

According to Dobson, Nevada is among the nation's leaders in suicide, divorce, abortion, rape, bankruptcies, child abuse and crime. One-tenth of all of us who live in Southern Nevada are alcoholics, he says.

And Las Vegas casino bosses -- people like Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn -- actually have the gall to participate in the political process.

Dobson says he's appalled that Wynn has sent his "plush jet" to Washington to bring "powerful politicians to lucrative fund-raisers" in Las Vegas.

How amoral? How un-American?

Dobson criticized the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill (among them Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay), the very people he has aligned himself with politically, for taking handouts from the casino industry. Even former GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole couldn't escape Dobson's sharp tongue. Dobson charged that Dole had attended so many Nevada fundraisers that he earned the nickname "Vegas Bob."

In Nevada last week, Dobson's letter naturally drew outrage from political leaders, who by now should be used to this kind of demagoguery.

Everyone knows the casino industry isn't perfect and has problems that need to be addressed.

But as Gov. Kenny Guinn put it: "It is ridiculous to draw a correlation between every imaginable ill in society and an industry that has provided a better way of life for so many."

Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, says all the fuss about Dobson is "much to-do about nothing.

"All I've seen from Las Vegas is whining and nervousness," Grey says. "If you're confident about who you are and you've got the truth on your side, you don't worry. You stand tall."

That may be true.

But Nevada officials, it seems to me, have reason to be concerned this time.

As a member of the Gambling Impact Study Commission, Dobson has an obligation to treat the industry fairly. Just what Dobson and the other eight panel members recommend to Congress this June could have an impact on Nevada and its No. 1 industry for years to come.

We're talking about hundreds of thousands of hard-working employees who even Dobson acknowledges have improved their lives because of the casino industry.

Many have suggested that Dobson's latest tirade against the industry finally has isolated the religious leader from the rest of the federal gambling commission.

There's also talk that Dobson now has undermined the credibility of the commission, as it completes its two-year examination.

It certainly is bad timing for Chairwoman Kay James, who though aligned politically with Dobson, has gone out of her way to be fair to the industry this past year in hearings around the country.

James was impressed enough with what she saw in Las Vegas last November that she decided to make a return trip here next week.

She is scheduled to discuss the commission's work Tuesday at the American Gaming Lodging & Leisure Summit at the Bellagio. The best and the brightest casino executives will be attending the conference.

It must be extremely embarrassing for James to have to come here in the aftermath of the tornado unleashed by Dobson, especially since she has worked so hard all year to conduct the commission's business in an even-handed manner. In just one letter, Dobson has set back those months of efforts during a critical time for the panel.

Somehow, I don't think Dobson cares. How can people of such good faith be so blind?