One of the things that really gets to me is when politicians think/act like they are parents to the rest of us. I remember during the California govenor recall Bill Clinton called my voicemail and left a message telling me how recalling a governor was like recalling my parents. Needless to say, I voted for the recall (but I voted for the Lt. Governor to take over, not Arnold).
So, you can imagine how annoyed I'd be when I read that the Senate snuck a provision banning Internet gambling into a bill designed to strengthen port security. First off, why is gambling still largely illegal? Apparently the American government feels that the American public is weak willed and unable to make decisions for themselves.
Can you say no to gambling? I can. I spent a weekend in Las Vegas once and didn't gamble a dime. TheWife was with me and she gambled away $0.50 of her hard-earned money. What did we do there? We visited the Coca-Cola Museum, did the Star Trek Experience and, uh, spent a lot of time in our hotel room...
AAAANYway, the point is, legislating away our ability to choose the "moral" path doesn't serve our moral character. If you'll "get in trouble" if you do something "bad" then you won't do it--not because it's "bad" but because it's against the law. So much for our free will, right?
Beyond that, why does Bill Frist care so much about keeping us away from the sin of gambling when he's happy to torture terror suspects?
I'm thinking that the United States Government is the last group of people I want deciding my morals.
Read more about this in [http://reuters.myway.com/article/20060930/2006-09-30T003934Z_01_N29416194_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SECURITY-CONGRESS-DC.html|a September 29, 2006 article] from Reuters.Com available at MyWay.Com.
Oh yeah and don't get me started on how lame sneaking unrelated provisions into bills like the one on strengthening port security. I mean, in a fairly blatant sense, Bill Frist (the main guy behind the provision) is exploiting 911 for his own agenda. Nice, huh?
But there is something important for those of us who do like to play poker. The major impact of the gambling bill, and the resulting exodus by some of the most responsible, licensed operators, is the effect on players - as the industry goes underground, it leaves us more unprotected than ever.
ReplyDeleteWe have formed a coalition to fight the gambling ban - Poker Patriots. Poker Patriots will strive to create a community of players and advocates with a purpose - to reverse the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and demand the US government license and regulate the industry.
It is inherent in all American poker players to defend their rights against the special interests that created the bill and become Poker Patriots. We call on them to join the fight for the right to play at http://www.pokerpatriots.com.
Thanks,
Doug Savoy
Poker Patriot
Good for you, Doug!
ReplyDeleteThough I think the USG's War Against Gambling (WAG) is one of the lesser things we should be worried about, I commend you for standing up for yourselves. I will try to keep track of your progress and blog on it here when I can. Things are rather hectic these days and what with the removal of Habeas Corpus from our list of rights, I'll be covering those 'more important' things more often.
So, good luck to you!