Just when I thought politicians in this state couldn’t get any more ridiculous, they go and surprise me.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Alabama and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, but damn!
Is it any wonder we are always stereotyped by everyone else?
Our governor is the poster child for anti-gambling, yet he places a bet with the governor of Florida on a freaking football game. Is gambling no longer illegal because you’re the governor?
The excuse that came out was that the items wagered did not have monetary value. Those items were, a case of Dreamland Ribs, vs a case of Florida Oranges. NO MONETARY VALUE MY BIG HAIRY BUTT!
Have you tried to buy either?
Dreamland Ribs are probably the best ribs you can buy in the state, heck maybe even in the whole doggone country. Florida Oranges?
Especially in December?
No monetary value?
You can fill up your car or truck just about for what a case of those things cost.
Don’t take this wrong I’m not “hatin’ on Bob Riley”, I dislike all politicians equally.
Bob Riley has done some good things for this state, he helped get a law passed that allows you to use deadly force to prevent an attack, anywhere it might occur as long as you have legal right to be there.
The law used to read that you had to flee, and had no other route of escape before you could legally use deadly force to protect yourself or your family.
Of course that is a law that shouldn’t have had to be written, you should always have the right to self defense, no matter where you are. But nonetheless it is a good law.
This is from ABC 33/40 :
Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson was named commander of the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling this week. Today, he asked the Alabama Supreme Court to lift a temporary restraining order that stopped the raid on VictoryLand.
All day Friday, Tyson had state troopers on standby waiting to attempt another raid if he received the court’s support. Tyson argues a recent supreme court ruling stripped a civil judge’s jurisdiction to issue the type of restraining order filed.
Okay Tyson is named commander of the GTFIG this week and is doing his job, there is nothing wrong with that, he just didn’t account for corruption in some judicial offices, nor did he account for legal search warrants in an instance or two.
I’m not faulting him at all for wanting to do his job, even though I believe we should legalize gambling in this state, (I’ll get to my reasons for that in a minute).
What I am faulting Mr. Tyson for, is he had over three hundred state troopers and others tied up all morning for these raids. State troopers that should be out enforcing safety laws on the highways in Alabama, are standing around waiting to see if they can raid an establishment. We have meth labs popping up all over the place and Alabama’s version of Eliot Ness is concentrating on bingo games, (which is his job by the way).
Seems our elected public servants have their priorities right.
Now what really struck me as odd is that one judge issued a restraining order at 5:30 a.m. Friday morning to stop the raids in his county. How the heck do you get a judge to issue a restraining order at 5:30 a.m. in the morning?
Somebody has some deep pockets. (I’m not saying that Milton McGregor has judges or politicians or anyone else bought off. Nope I’m not saying that at all. I’m also not saying that the judge in question is capable of being bought off like most of the judges in Alabama are, not that they are bought off either, no sir, I am not saying that at all).
Just thought that was kind of odd.
What I am saying is that if gambling is going to be illegal in this state, then it should be illegal not for just the average person, but everyone.
I have never been to GreeneTrack, or VictoryLand or any of the casinos in Alabama, I have however bought a Florida Lottery ticket, and I have been to the casinos in Mississippi twice, while I was passing through there.
I’ve never won at either, in fact I lost twenty bucks at the casinos and have never been back. Yes I am a cheap skate.
Here’s the thing. Gambling being illegal in this state is a load of manure.
Before people stand up and scream it’s immoral, it’s only going to hurt the poor, it’s going to destroy families,…etc….etc, let me say this, ‘Look around’.
Families are being destroyed everyday, by greed, lust, drugs, and the economy.
Places like GreeneTrack and VictoryLand, hire hundreds of people, and if the laws were enforced to the letter, they would be shut down. Of course those same laws would have seen Bob Riley arrested for the Bama/Florida bet as well as anyone that ever bet a cold drink or a nickel on anything.
Now here’s what I think of the gambling situation, the way it is now set up, the only people profiting from it is people like Milton McGregor, Bob Riley, a few judges, a bunch of politicians and all the surrounding states, that Alabamians keep going to in hope of winning the big prize. The casinos in Alabama that the state cannot collect taxes from are doing real well also.
Now before you start thumping your Bible at me, take a look in the mirror and make sure you are living life right, and then sit down and shut up.
I have witnessed way too many self-appointed Morality Police who were hell-bent on keeping gambling out of our state, turn right around and go to Georgia to buy a lottery ticket, or even take church sponsored trips to the casinos in Biloxi.
If Alabama had a legal lottery, and divided the state’s part of the profits up right, yes I know we would have to get rid of most all the elected public servants we have, the whole state would profit.
More money could be used for highways, educations, public safety and less of it would be coming from the taxpayers pockets, well unless you spend all your money in the casino or on lottery tickets.
Right now Alabama’s lack of a lottery is doing a great job of making Georgia and Florida’s schools and roads better. We’re also doing a heck of a good job of improving lifestyles in Mississippi.
People are going to gamble, no matter what the state of Alabama does, they cannot and will not stop it.
Of course I believe these failed raid attempts that went on yesterday, were also nothing more than showboating, and a waste of taxpayer money.
Any law enforcement officer knows good and well you must have a warrant to raid a business, home, or any other property.
Mr Tyson, said that a warrant was not needed when a misdemeanor occurred in the presence of an officer. So does that mean that we paid someone to stand around in these places and watch them or was the officer off duty?
Either way, if every misdemeanor that was ever committed in the presence of an officer was brought to court, there would be lines stretching for mile outside of the courthouse.
I just wish that our elected public servants, would all pull their heads out of the sand and pick one direction and go with it.
Remember you can’t legislate morality, and to try to is just an exercise in futility.
