My July 4th Rant About Freedom
I ranted in this forum on July 4th about how most of us really aren't truly free in the U. S. and now today I want to take pains to make sure that my meaning isn't misconstrued. I love my country. I gave a decade of my life to it, serving in our military. I was ready to go to war for my country if need be. In fact, in November of 1984 when a firefight broke out inside the Korean peninsula's Demilitarized Zone while I was stationed in South Korea, I thought we were going to do just that. We were issued weapons and ammunition and I was convinced we were going to have to fight.
I treasure the freedoms this nation provides us. Freedom of expression. Freedom of religion, including the right to be free from religion. I can say whatever I want about our elected leaders and/or those running for public office without fear of reprisal from the government. In February of 1985 I got tear-gassed along with a bunch of college students in South Korea when they were demonstrating just outside their campus. Wrong place, wrong time. Some of them were arrested. I'm sure they weren't treated as well as those who commit civil disobedience here. I watched as 487 people were arrested outside the Nevada Nuclear Test Site in 1987 and all they got was a citation, a short ride in a vehicle and then they were released. The citations were later dismissed.
Our nation has problems. We need to work together to solve these problems. I wrote about some of them yesterday. That I took pains to point out that we are a nation that has problems doesn't mean I don't love my country. I do.
I'm going to borrow some words from a fictional president named Andrew Shepherd because I think they are some of the best words ever written about what's going on in this country. You can substitute any current presidential candidate's name for that of Bob Rumson in the following:
" For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being president of this country was, to a certain extent, about character, and although I have not been willing to engage in his attacks on me, I've been here three years and three days, and I can tell you without hesitation: Being President of this country is entirely about character. For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago. America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I *am* the President.
We have serious problems and I've yet to hear any real solutions from any of the candidates. Bernie Sanders seems to have the best grasp on what some of these problems are, but he isn't offering any solutions at this point, merely identifying what's wrong. I hope someone steps forward ready to lead rather than fear monger.
* * *
Over the course of the next three days, thousands of people will pay $10,000 to take part in the biggest poker tournament in the world. The "Main Event" of the World Series of Poker begins today. Actually there are three "Day One" competitions because the thousands of players won't all fit into the room at one sitting. While the record number of entries (8,773) doesn't appear to be in jeopardy, there is hope that this year's total will top last year's 6,683. That was the first increase in entries since 2010. By July 15th the field will be whittled down to nine players who will face one another at the final table in November of this year.
Professional poker players, pro athletes, celebrities, and others will all put up their ten grand for a shot at a prize that might top $10 million. The popularity of poker has exploded since 2003 when amateur player Chris Moneymaker was the last man standing in the field of 839 entries. He pocketed $2.5 million. His victory, televised on ESPN led to the number of entries tripling the following year and poker is more popular today than ever.
It's big business. ESPN pays a lot of money for the rights to televise all 67 of the preliminary events in this year's tournament schedule. Last weekend on ESPN2 they ran a number of prior year broadcasts. The late Dick Van Patten was an excellent poker player and actually hosted ESPN's coverage of the main event in the mid 1990s. In one of those prelim events 135 players paid $111,111 to compete. The winner took home $3.9 million from a prize pool that exceeded $14 million.
Anyone with a dream and ten grand can take a shot. Or even better, one can win their way into a seat in the main event through a satellite tournament. That's how Chris Moneymaker got there. His seat in the tournament was earned by winning a $40 entry on-line poker satellite. $40 for a shot at the WSOP Main Event title and he went all the way.
If I had a bucket list, one of the items on it would be playing in the main event.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Sad to hear of the passing of Jerry Weintraub, who produced some really big films in his heyday. Without him the Ocean's 11 remakes and the Karate Kid movies would not have happened. RIP
The illegal immigrant charged with the shooting death of a woman in San Francisco is claiming that the gun went off accidentally. Considering the weapon was fired three times, it was three straight accidents. Or, it was a handgun that has a setting for three shot bursts, which is highly unlikely.
You've got to be really drunk to put a fireworks tube atop your head and light it. Or really stupid. Or both. The man who did this in Maine was killed instantly. Maybe this will be some comfort to the Australian moron who tried to shoot fireworks out of his ass a few years ago, causing severe injuries. At least he lived to enjoy his stupidity.
On a related note, Jason Pierre-Paul, an NFL star may have cost himself any chance at a long-term deal by suffering a severe hand injury while attempting to light fireworks. He was slated to earn $14.8 million next year.
Hugh Jackman's wife says he's not allowed to work with Angelina Jolie. Does she really think that would be a risky move?
The Miss USA pageant is scrambling to find hosts for this year's pageant since every host that was signed to take part bailed after Donald Trump's remarks caused so much controversy. Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards might be available. Or William Shatner and Candace Bergen could step in.
Is a deposition in which Bill Cosby admitted to obtaining drugs for the purpose of giving them to women for sex the long-sought smoking gun?
While I normally do my best to avoid anything involving the fame-whore Kardashian clan, I would love to ask Kourtney what took her so long to dump the jerk who is father to her three kids? He's been a loser since day one.
I want to know more about the incident but at first glance, the video of college FSU QB DeAndre Johnson punching a woman in the face at a bar appears to me to show that she threw the first punch
If you are old enough to be considered an adult in the eyes of the law at age 18, then you're old enough to decide for yourself whether or not you want to buy and smoke cigarettes.
.
I treasure the freedoms this nation provides us. Freedom of expression. Freedom of religion, including the right to be free from religion. I can say whatever I want about our elected leaders and/or those running for public office without fear of reprisal from the government. In February of 1985 I got tear-gassed along with a bunch of college students in South Korea when they were demonstrating just outside their campus. Wrong place, wrong time. Some of them were arrested. I'm sure they weren't treated as well as those who commit civil disobedience here. I watched as 487 people were arrested outside the Nevada Nuclear Test Site in 1987 and all they got was a citation, a short ride in a vehicle and then they were released. The citations were later dismissed.
Our nation has problems. We need to work together to solve these problems. I wrote about some of them yesterday. That I took pains to point out that we are a nation that has problems doesn't mean I don't love my country. I do.
I'm going to borrow some words from a fictional president named Andrew Shepherd because I think they are some of the best words ever written about what's going on in this country. You can substitute any current presidential candidate's name for that of Bob Rumson in the following:
" For the last couple of months, Senator Rumson has suggested that being president of this country was, to a certain extent, about character, and although I have not been willing to engage in his attacks on me, I've been here three years and three days, and I can tell you without hesitation: Being President of this country is entirely about character. For the record: yes, I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. But the more important question is why aren't you, Bob? Now, this is an organization whose sole purpose is to defend the Bill of Rights, so it naturally begs the question: Why would a senator, his party's most powerful spokesman and a candidate for President, choose to reject upholding the Constitution? If you can answer that question, folks, then you're smarter than I am, because I didn't understand it until a few hours ago. America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the "land of the free". I've known Bob Rumson for years, and I've been operating under the assumption that the reason Bob devotes so much time and energy to shouting at the rain was that he simply didn't get it. Well, I was wrong. Bob's problem isn't that he doesn't get it. Bob's problem is that he can't sell it! We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections. You gather a group of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time, and you talk to them about family and American values and character. This is a time for serious people, Bob, and your fifteen minutes are up. My name is Andrew Shepherd, and I *am* the President.
We have serious problems and I've yet to hear any real solutions from any of the candidates. Bernie Sanders seems to have the best grasp on what some of these problems are, but he isn't offering any solutions at this point, merely identifying what's wrong. I hope someone steps forward ready to lead rather than fear monger.
* * *
Over the course of the next three days, thousands of people will pay $10,000 to take part in the biggest poker tournament in the world. The "Main Event" of the World Series of Poker begins today. Actually there are three "Day One" competitions because the thousands of players won't all fit into the room at one sitting. While the record number of entries (8,773) doesn't appear to be in jeopardy, there is hope that this year's total will top last year's 6,683. That was the first increase in entries since 2010. By July 15th the field will be whittled down to nine players who will face one another at the final table in November of this year.
Professional poker players, pro athletes, celebrities, and others will all put up their ten grand for a shot at a prize that might top $10 million. The popularity of poker has exploded since 2003 when amateur player Chris Moneymaker was the last man standing in the field of 839 entries. He pocketed $2.5 million. His victory, televised on ESPN led to the number of entries tripling the following year and poker is more popular today than ever.
It's big business. ESPN pays a lot of money for the rights to televise all 67 of the preliminary events in this year's tournament schedule. Last weekend on ESPN2 they ran a number of prior year broadcasts. The late Dick Van Patten was an excellent poker player and actually hosted ESPN's coverage of the main event in the mid 1990s. In one of those prelim events 135 players paid $111,111 to compete. The winner took home $3.9 million from a prize pool that exceeded $14 million.
Anyone with a dream and ten grand can take a shot. Or even better, one can win their way into a seat in the main event through a satellite tournament. That's how Chris Moneymaker got there. His seat in the tournament was earned by winning a $40 entry on-line poker satellite. $40 for a shot at the WSOP Main Event title and he went all the way.
If I had a bucket list, one of the items on it would be playing in the main event.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
Sad to hear of the passing of Jerry Weintraub, who produced some really big films in his heyday. Without him the Ocean's 11 remakes and the Karate Kid movies would not have happened. RIP
The illegal immigrant charged with the shooting death of a woman in San Francisco is claiming that the gun went off accidentally. Considering the weapon was fired three times, it was three straight accidents. Or, it was a handgun that has a setting for three shot bursts, which is highly unlikely.
You've got to be really drunk to put a fireworks tube atop your head and light it. Or really stupid. Or both. The man who did this in Maine was killed instantly. Maybe this will be some comfort to the Australian moron who tried to shoot fireworks out of his ass a few years ago, causing severe injuries. At least he lived to enjoy his stupidity.
On a related note, Jason Pierre-Paul, an NFL star may have cost himself any chance at a long-term deal by suffering a severe hand injury while attempting to light fireworks. He was slated to earn $14.8 million next year.
Hugh Jackman's wife says he's not allowed to work with Angelina Jolie. Does she really think that would be a risky move?
The Miss USA pageant is scrambling to find hosts for this year's pageant since every host that was signed to take part bailed after Donald Trump's remarks caused so much controversy. Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards might be available. Or William Shatner and Candace Bergen could step in.
Is a deposition in which Bill Cosby admitted to obtaining drugs for the purpose of giving them to women for sex the long-sought smoking gun?
While I normally do my best to avoid anything involving the fame-whore Kardashian clan, I would love to ask Kourtney what took her so long to dump the jerk who is father to her three kids? He's been a loser since day one.
I want to know more about the incident but at first glance, the video of college FSU QB DeAndre Johnson punching a woman in the face at a bar appears to me to show that she threw the first punch
If you are old enough to be considered an adult in the eyes of the law at age 18, then you're old enough to decide for yourself whether or not you want to buy and smoke cigarettes.
.
posted by me at 3:29 PM
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