Sadly, I Guess Someone is Going to Have to Get Killed

Alliance - in politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. – Ambrose Bierce

I don’t know about all of you, but I truly despise robbers and thieves. I know robbery/thievery isn’t the only sin being committed out there but I regard it as among the most reprehensible. Pokerati has the scoop here. I am going on record right now that I hope a few (or more) robbers/thieves are shot and killed while attempting to rob Texas poker games (or game rooms) in the near future. Sometimes, folks should get exactly what they deserve. Apparently, these guys have to be taught a lesson and we Texans are just the type to do it. Around here, we are often armed and usually (at least) pretty good shots. Perhaps, after a few (or more) would be robbers become shooting fatalities, the Legislature will stop wasting time and pass legislation that will enable legal gambling (particularly table poker with rake) to be played in Texas. Most of the citizens of Texas want legal gambling in Texas. It is only the alliance of well funded special interests and the religious minority that are presenting any significant opposition. The problem is virtually every one of them votes and it seems most gamblers don’t.
For those of you not familiar with the goings on around here, there has been a plethora of robberies, at not only underground poker games, but also at the ubiquitous “game rooms” that have opened in every town. These game rooms are home to eight liners and other slot-machine-type of gambling preferred by many folks (although, not me). Texas is full of empty race tracks (both dog and horse) that would love to be filled with gamblers.
These huge facilities are sitting idle and some have already closed due to lack of business. Enabling these facilities to serve an “eager to play” public would be a win-win for both the residents, as well as, the cities where these tracks are located. Jobs would be created locally, local tax revenue would be increased, and players would have a nearby place to play(legally). No one in Texas is benefiting from the current situation where would be Texas gamblers have two choices – suffer the inconvenience of travelling a long way to our neighboring States (Louisiana or Oklahoma) or play at an underground room. At the underground rooms, one has to fear both robbers and police since they will both take your money if they arrive while you are present. This state of affairs is deplorable and unnecessary. Texas Legislators, please WAKE UP!

Good Luck, Mr. Woods

It's only hubris if I fail. - Julius Caesar.

And so it is confirmed, Tiger is human, too. He is not the first nor will he be the last to succumb to temptation.

Caesar did not have the benefit of a modern education drawn from the wisdom of centuries of scholars. However, I wonder if, during all those years of developing into the (current) world's greatest golfer, Tiger was ever provided any classical education. Ancient Greco-Roman history and mythology are excellent sources to use to consider the human situation. There are an abundance of examples in which a person rises from obscurity and becomes famous/powerful/wealthy. Then, due to hubris, they end up losing everything, or almost everything. Enough is never enough for some people.

Tiger had it made. He is one of the world's most successful athletes and has the accolades and endorsements that go with it. He has wealth almost beyond belief. He also has a beautiful wife and family. But, it wasn't enough for him. Although apparently able to resist the lure of some vices, like so many other exceptionally successful men, he was unable to resist the siren song of the lovely ladies. Even though there is an abundance of evidence that clearly demonstrates no one gets away with this sort of behavior for long, Tiger gambled for the highest stakes and repeatedly pushed all in. He not only gambled with his career and family, but also with his life and the life of his wife by, according to at least one paramour, having unprotected sex. His gambling, in this manner, was clearly out of control. He is fortunate not to have shared the tragic fate of Steve McNair. Now, he has irrevocably compromised himself and his family. He has withdrawn from golf, his life's work, to try to mitigate the self inflicted havoc he brought home. It would be difficult enough to attempt to reconcile after a single affair with one woman. He now faces the herculean task of attempting to reconcile after a dozen or so affairs with a dozen or so (at the time of this post) women. Frankly, I would not wager on him being successful in this endeavor. After all, a tiger cannot simply change his stripes.

However, despite all this adversity he will have to overcome, Tiger will recover, just as President Clinton did, just as Kobe Bryant did, just as all the others have. I suspect, by then, he will have learned an invaluable lesson. Family matters.

You Were Warned

All new states are invested, more or less, by a class of noisy, second-rate men who are always in favor of rash and extreme measures, but Texas was absolutely overrun by such men. - Sam Houston

I guess some people will never get it. I wrote about it here. Don't mess with Texas poker players. Sure, we've got some cash since we are going to play poker, but we are some of the feistiest, orneriest, and most well armed folks around. If you try to rob us, you are at best an underdog and you may be drawing dead. Pokerati has the new story here. These kids are lucky to be alive.