Mean Gene

So, While I Was Gone...

What the hell? I'm outta the country for a week and look what happens?

The Senate and House decide to give the President unlimited power to arrest whomever he wants and do whatever he wants to them for as long as he wants. Charges? We don't need no stinkin' charges? Torture? We don't torture. We use "coercive interrogation tactics". It's all in the marketing!

And now I read that the Senate just passed the Port Security bill (nice to see that, five years after 9/11, we're getting around to worrying about whether al Qaeda might sneak a nuke or something on a ship) and tacked onto it is a bill making Internet gambling...bad or something. I don't even know exactly what it prohibits. I guess I'd better find out.

I have to say, I've been somewhat bemused as I read blogs and sites calling for people to call their Senators to complain. I mean, let's be honest here--most members of the United States Senate can't be trusted to sit the right way on a toilet seat. Whaddya gonna do, REASON with them? With Rick Santorum? The idea of me calling up Rick Santorum's office and trying to convince him to oppose this legislation based on logic and facts and the Constitution...why don't I just grab a lump of lead and transmute it into gold?

This is the sort of creature you're dealing with, folks. You look at the quality of people at the top echelons of government, and the idea of rolling the dice and taking our chances with a hereditary monarchy or some kind of entrenched oligarchy look pretty tempting.

So, am I gonna have trouble getting back into the country when I fly back on Sunday? Am I going to prison for keeping a poker blog? If I find out my flight has been diverted to Guantanamo, should I feel nervous? I mean, waterboarding sounds like something fun you can do in Aruba, but I haven't seen any places around here advertising it.

So tomorrow strike a blow against our craven elected officials and engage in some non-violent protest. Read the Ultimatebetblog for some final table live-blogging. A guy named Devon Miller has over half the chips in play, and he knocked a guy out with the Hammer. Sooted. Pushed all-in from the small blind, big blind (who had a decent stack) knows Miller's been on a crazy hot streak, sucking out, getting cards. He thinks forever and a day and calls with A-4. Miller shows the Hammer, laughter ensues. He flops a deuce. Other guy makes a wheel on the turn. Miller makes a flush on the river. Totally sick. Fun to watch.

Last day tomorrow. I'll write lots about my adventures down here when I get back. Just felt like throwing up a little post after reading about the latest travesty from back home. Read the blog tomorrow. Who knows if you'll ever get to read a poker blog again.

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