A $200 charity tourney in Florida is hardly big news, but I find it interesting when it\’s a fundraiser put on by police, to raise money for a fellow officer (who has ALS).
First off, I just get pissy — because why can\’t Texas see what we are missing by being so anti-poker. I mean sheeot, the state of Texas is building what may well become one of the biggest non-Vegas casinos in all of America right across the border in Oklahoma … because of the belief that poker offends Republican primary voters\’ moral sensibilities. I mean either we don\’t believe that, and just are stupid for letting OK make all the $$, or we do believe that, and therefore are being pretty unneighborly (at least from a Christian perspective) by letting our good friends to the north destroy themselves — and our people — with poker.
But I digress … this tournament reminds me why poker is different from so many other similar political issues — and it\’s stuff \”our side\” should remember when trying to push through our political agenda.
As far as \”alternative\” political issues … the one most in line with poker right now would seem to be marijuana. They too are flooding Washington DC with supportive letters — and are making essentially the same plea: regulate and tax us, please!
While I\’m not so sure potheads are the best company to be in, politically — they\’re making moves, but it\’s taking decades, because you know, potheads are seldom in a hurry — there is such a clear difference here. And that is you would never see a group of cops hosting a \”bake\” sale to raise money for a comrade-in-need … as good of an idea as that may be.
Though a few cops playing cards certainly isn\’t any deal-maker on the political front, separating poker from other forms of \”vice\” seems to me would be an essential part of any plan to legitimize the game … so this helps. Save Captain Sargent!