Righteous Folk

Everything changed after 9/11, and included in that everything is the way conservative lawmakers feel about gambling, I guess.

A few days ago, buried under all the news about Israel, Russia, the doctor who tried to kill himself, and whatever else, the anti-internet gambling bill cleared the house, and is now headed to the Senate (where it will be defeated, not that it matters). Also buried was how Republicans felt so differently about this issue in 2000, when they defeated a similar bill, shocking anyone who was knew anything about it.

See, it's a story, a tale about Jack Abramoff, and people like Tom Delay. Delay is now being hailed as a martyr; a man who was removed from the House leadership position even though he had done nothing illegal, so conservatives will say. But I think this story seems to back it self up when you take into account the passing of this anti-internet gambling bill just this week. Why did so many people change their minds?

On July 17, 2000 the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act was defeated with the help of Abramoff and Delay. Now with the two of them gone, a new bill has passed. This time there doesn't seem to be any illegal activity going on behind the scenes, with companies like ELottery forging documents and flooding money to House members like Tom Delay. Now the bill passes. Now they are righteous folk.

Of course, it's all about values, and if you read the latest article you'll see that this is about the Republicans new newer NEWEST values agenda.

See, gambling in Las Vegas, Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana, Illinois, California, EVERYWHERE, that's all well and good. Slot machines in convenience stores located in poor neighborhoods, that's fine. People have "choice." But when it comes to online gambling, where companies other than those operating and funnelling monies to campaigns in their states, that's a different story. It's a joke, of course. It's the hypocritical Republicans once again trying to mask who they are.

You have folks like Bill Bennett with major gambling issues, and it gets washed over. You've got Rush Limbaugh hooked on oxycontin, which for all intents and purposes is heroin. You've got Dan Burton fatherig children out of wedlock. You've got all these people attacking the Clintons. It's all because they are such liars, cheats, and scumbags that they need to divert attention away from the realities of the world: they have no morals.

This attack an internet gambling, whether you're for it, or against it, is irrelevant. The fact is these Republicans were bought and sold by Jack Abramoff with Tom Delay holding the whip. Now that they're gone, 6 years later, everything has changed, right? Yes, things have changed. They are no longer being paid to vote in the other direction.

As for Delay, and the reason no one stood by him when he was being ousted, and now that it seems he may have been innocent of some charges, that's easy. See, even if he is innocent with regards to redistricting, or if no one can prove a quid pro quo with regards to Abramoff, those in the House knew better. His colleagues knew better. Everyone one of them because of how they voted with regards to the gambling bill in 2000, or any other vote, know that Delay and Abramoff are connected. They know full well these people are unethical. They didn't need a judge or jury to tell them what they all knew in their hearts. Delay is scum, end of story. He's attached to Abramoff. Any level headed Republican was right to assume Delay would be guilty of something having to do with Abramoff because these Congressmen have witnessed it. Even if nothing could be proven, these folks know bad things went down. Therefore they were not willing to defend Delay. Now when it seems possible he won't actually be seen as guilty by law they will come to his aid and defend him. But when he was yet to be guilty they all relied on their instincts, and those instincts told them that this scumbag did a lot of bad things. Their silence was all the proof I needed. Of course, the same way they change with the wind when it comes to gambling in 2006, they changed with the wind with Delay now.

Whatever it takes to capitalize, regardless of whether it's built on lies and deceit, expect Republicans to do it. That's their American Way.