...but read the article!

The "story" begins in the second column, second full paragraph:

"Andy Clarke met with the council to discuss two proposals to bring businesses into Cairo and the creation of business districts within Cairo for the creation of Economic Development.

"According to Clarke, Jerry Westlund is seeking to establish gambling businesses in Cairo with the pending implementation of the new gaming machines on Sept. 1.

"Westlund is proposing to establish 12 retail/food liquor businesses and with the addition of gaming machines, would be mini-casinos."

Count 'em...

..."12 retail/food liquor businesses".

More importantly...

...bring 'em on!

For those of you with religious objections...

...count 'em!

No, not the gambling/demon rum businesses.

Count the parishioners in the pews this coming weekend...far from a "full house"! Ministers, priests, rabbis, imams...are your coffers "flush"?

More on point...

...by barring gambling businesses from Cairo by preaching that those who gamble and drink will go "straight" to hell, have you saved Cairo from being a den of sin and iniquity? (Pardon my French, but I have to wash my car at home for fear that the rumors about the Cairo car washes are true and I might get busted for buying drugs or shot in a drug deal gone bad.)

Cairo reportedly has all the drugs and prostitution that money can buy...but the illegal revenue does nothing to provide a tax base that might improve the lives of its law-abiding, tax-paying residents.

Men and women of the cloth and faithful followers...

...look at this as an opportunity to increase membership and to save souls.

Really!

There is nothing like a cause to reawaken religious fervor.

People in Cairo TODAY, this coming weekend, are going to sin in your eyes...what, at least seven times a day. But, right now, they do it on the day-in day-out sly, with no outrage to stir righteous indignation.

Dens of iniquity...

...bring 'em on!

Who knows?

The City of Cairo might finally pave the streets (okay, at least fill in the biggest pot holes) so that gamblers and harlots won't tear up their cars traveling to and fro...the same streets traveled by the faithful on their way to their place of worship!!!

And...

Did you watch the movie about Cairo..."Between Two Rivers"?

One point they made in the movie about the decline..."What happened to Cairo?" Aside from the obvious "racial strife" angle...it was the decision of the city fathers (no offense, but white city mothers were relegated to the kitchen and bedroom "back in the good old days")...

...it was the decision of the city fathers to "clean up" Cairo...to shut down drinking, gambling, and prostitution.

Just like today's "war on drugs"...

...that's going really well isn't it?!

Folks...

...where there is a will there is a way.

Those who would drink, gamble, and dally are going to do so. It's just a matter of whether it's legal and whether government institutions can collect taxes from the "sinners" to clean up their mess...or whether the "righteous" will have to foot the bill.

It's time to do as candidate Ronald Reagan did unto (the religiously-inclined) President Jimmy Carter when campaigning in 1980...