Rally at the Rotunda

Overcast skies blanketed Frankfort on a mild Tuesday afternoon as the Capitol Building was a buzz over the recent expanded gambling bill about to be presented to a State Senate committee. Governor Steve Beshear put together Senate Bill 151, a proposal for an amendment to the state constitution to include seven casinos across the Commonwealth.

Attracted by the prospects of increasing state revenues as well as reviving the struggling horse industry, proponents of expanded gambling have moved the debate over this bill rather quickly. On Friday, Governor Beshear pointed to joining states funding schools and emergency services with casino money, much of which is gained from lost wagers by Kentuckians. “It makes no sense to continue watching that happen,” concluded Governor Beshear.


The gray clouds allowed glimpses of sun rays to briefly brush the Capitol as over 100 Christians climbed the Capitol steps to attend a rally at the rotunda in opposition to the bill. Christians gathered in objection to a bill which "mocks the poor" and "clearly preys upon the poor," said Paul Chitwood, the newly installed executive director to the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

Nearly a month after a controversial prayer that opened Governor Beshear's annual budget address, Hershael York called for a "timely death" of the expanded gambling bill. York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church near Frankfort, led the gathered protestors in prayer that state legislators would consider the best for the people of the Commonwealth as well as strangers in the land, and "not a cut of their losses."

The acoustics of the rotunda echoed mellifluous hymns and urgent prayers lifted to Almighty God within earshot of state legislators. The rally was not simply contained to the rotunda, as many were led through the annex to voice their opposition with legislators face-to-face. Many that gathered stated their opposition to the bill was founded upon its predatory nature to gain some government revenue, which one pastor noted, "the house always wins."

Assembling beneath a statue of Kentucky's native son Abraham Lincoln, the expanded gambling protestors listened to ministers state their case against the bill. Kentucky Baptist Convention President Adam Greenway noted that the gathered Christians "are speaking in one voice to say no to expanded gambling."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/21/2077996/religious-leaders-pray-for-timely.html#storylink=cpy

Speaking to the lasting effect on future generations in consequence to the bill, Paul Chitwood asked, "how many children are we willing to lay upon the altar of casino gambling?" The amount of support in the state legislature is uncertain. Along with the bill's sponsor Senator Damon Thayer (R-Georgetown), Agricultural Commissioner James Comer (R) also supports the bill as it aids the ailing horse industry.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/21/2077996/religious-leaders-pray-for-timely.html#storylink=cpy

The rally, which was attended by the Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville), ended with Hershael York asking the crowd, "how do you want (state legislators) to vote on the bill?" An emphatic and resonant "no" reverberated the rotunda and adjoining halls of the state Capitol.