Monday, October 09, 2006

Shuffle up and deal

So you like to watch the World Series of Poker and other poker tournies? Think you might bone up online and gain enough experience to break in? Or maybe you just like to play and win a little extra cash? Well, you can kiss it goodbye if the Senate and House have their way and the President signs the new ban into law. What's that? You haven't heard of the new ban? Of course you haven't. It's not like this is as sexy as a perv Senator IM'ing young boys. While everyone has been watching Entertainment TV or Deal or Who Cares, your elected officials have been making decisions for you again. Once again they have decided that as adult, taxpayers, you have no right to decide how to spend your own money. This bill is just awaiting a signature and another harmless pasttime hits the skids.
The ban will not stop internet gaming, they don't have that kind of power, seeing as how the sites are almost exclusively offshore. However, they can stop you from getting paid in the US. Or from even signing up in the first place. What this seemingly harmless bill does is make it illegal for YOUR BANK to process any payments to betting sites. "So what? It'll stop parents from squandering away the rent payment, or grocery money". Go back and read the prior sentence. They are making it illegal for YOUR BANK to process payments for something with YOUR MONEY. If that doesn't worry you then go ahead and drink the Kool-aid, Guyana boy. I'm sure that nothing could go wrong with this plan. The federal government does not belong in your bank account. If you are a tax evader or a drug dealer, then maybe, but they still need to go in front of a judge for a warrant for that. With this bill they can just tell your bank not to allow you to gamble online. Oh, wait, I almost forgot. The bill doesn't include internet betting on Horse Racing or lotteries. Why? Why do you think? The states get their cut of these activities, and not from internet poker or casino games. Now is it starting to sink in? They (mostly Republicans led by Frist) could not give a rat's ass if you lose the electrical payment on the horses, as long as they get their piece. If these asshats cared one bit, then they would ban ALL gaming and stop pretending that they are taking the moral high ground on your behalf. I'm a Conservative, but I'm also a realist. Let them win this and who knows where they will go next. R-rated movies, fast cars, porn, liquor (we all remember how well that worked)? Pick your favorite hobby and imagine Congress banning it unless they received some kind of revenue from it. I'm laying down odds that we are opening a Pandora's box with this one. Any takers?

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

You've got mail...whether you want it or not.


Ah, those crazy congressman. First it was Byrd burning crosses, then Kennedy giving the ride to Mary Jo. Then it was Studds and Crane bonking their underage pages. And who can forget our favorite kook from Georgia, Cynthia Mckinney, who exercised her God-given right to punch Security Officers with impunity. Now Foley enters the picture as the disgraced congressman of the hour. What makes Foley different? He actually owned up like a man, kind of, and resigned. Although the "rehab run" is starting to get kind of old as a dodging ploy. Besides, it gives alcoholics a bad name being associated with the likes of Foley and Patches Kennedy
Mass liberals couldn't help themselves and kept voting Studds into office until he finally retired. Oh, he was censured though. Gasp!How cruel! Why the only thing he did was spirit his 17 year-old male page away to Morocco for some legislative, uh, training. Yeah, that's it. Why Morocco you ask? Good question. Apparently you can have sex with minor boys in Morocco and it is not a crime. That's what gave Studds the moral high ground over those do-gooders in Congress. And of course Byrd and the elder murderer from Mass just keep on getting re-elected by the sheeple in their states. A crocodile tearful Crane couldn't get re-elected, and the people of Georgia decided that they didn't like being represented by someone who was verifiably insane.
Now the left has started the hue and cry for investigations. They want Hastert to resign because he knew that, well, he knew something. Of course as I recall, the democratically led House Ethics Committe never asked Tip O'Neill to retire over Studds misdeeds. However, that doesn't clear Hastert of at least some responsibility. Apparently the leadership knew of Foley's innappropiate activities (though it is not known to what level) as far back as 2001. They should have acted then to nip this problem in the bud and, at the least, forced Foley to retire. The fact that they did nothing places a portion of the blame at their feet. But then again, the Dems knew also and waited until it was politically motivated to speak up. As did the Florida papers. Appears that there is plenty of blame to go around on this one
Once again a Congressman, duly elected to represent his constituency, has let us down. These asshats should be held to a higher standard and should act accordingly. The fact that they won't even own up to their transgressions just proves that they have no business being in the business of lawmaking. Never has one party's mascot summed an entire Congress so well.