Poker is a game of skill? That explains a lot!

Why do we waste so much time and money prosecuting people for violating ridiculously paternalistic/antiquated/petty laws?

Here is an article discussing whether playing Texas Hold 'em for money (i.e., gambling) violates a state statute forbidding the playing of "any game with cards or dice'' under such circumstances. The statute has been interpreted as only banning games of "chance", but not games of "skill", so the next question that must be answered is whether Texas Hold 'em is a game of chance or a game of skill.

No doubt, many highly paid "experts" will soon waste their time researching and drawing conclusions regarding this truly inane and unanswerable question. More money and time will then be wasted as prosecutors and defense attorneys present their cases to juries, who will then ponder the "evidence" and most likely reach disparate conclusions based almost entirely on mere conjecture.

I have a better idea. Don't allow it to go down that path in the first place. Who really cares whether a few friends do a little gambling at a poker game? Why prosecute it at all. Keep the law in place, so as not to have to pay even more experts to research alternatives and waste the state legislatures' time drafting new provisions, and simply utilize prosecutorial discretion by choosing to not bring these cases. This will even allow certain egregious cases to still be prosecuted, such as a those involving complex gambling/poker rings.

Unfortunately, some prosecutors seem to lack the requisite "skill" needed to perform their jobs with competence.

Metallica Concert

The concert was awesome. Here's what was played, in order:

1. That Was Just Your Life (Death Magnetic)
2. The End Of The Line (Death Magnetic)
3. Creeping Death (Ride The Lightning)
4. The Thing That Should Not Be (Master Of Puppets)
5. One (...And Justice For All)
6. Broken, Beat And Scarred (Death Magnetic)
7. Cyanide (Death Magnetic)
8. Sad But True (Black Album)
9. The Unforgiven (Black Album)
10. All Nightmare Long (Death Magnetic)
11. The Day That Never Comes (Death Magnetic)
12. Master Of Puppets (Master Of Puppets)
13. Damage, Inc. (Master Of Puppets)
14. Nothing Else Matters (Black Album)
15. Enter Sandman (Black Album)
ENCORE
16. Stone Cold Crazy (Queen Cover - Garage Inc.)
17. Phantom Lord (Kill'Em All)
18. Seek And Destroy (Kill'Em All)

Want to see an "official" setlist with links to instant videos of the songs and the lyrics?
Did you say you wanted to see high-quality photos too? (Seriously, these are not the ones I took with my blackberry, thank goodness!)

Lasers, fire, huge metal coffins hovering around the stage, huge "metal" beach balls falling from the rafters...typical stuff for Metallica I guess! (Amazing, although NIN still managed to put on a better visual show)

Metallica has at least 10 songs that they should have played instead of a few of the new ones, but I totally understand that they are really into this new album (especially after the last few "flops") and want to promote it with their fans as much as possible. I figure that "Cyanide" will be one of the songs from the new album that becomes a mainstay and that they play at most of their future shows...and possibly "All Nightmare Long" or "The Day That Never Comes"...but "Cyanide" is a pretty amazing concert/live song and stands up well to almost any of their old songs.

I wish they would have played any of the following instead of some of the new ones though:

Hit The Lights, The Four Horsemen, Fight Fire With Fire, Ride The Lightning, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Fade To Black, Battery, Sanitarium, Blackened, Wherever I May Roam, ...And Justice For All, Turn The Page (Seger cover) - I could go on and on, but I'm biased because the new album is not as established as the older ones are with me. Possibly if I had never heard any of their songs before, I would pick one of the new songs over some of the songs I just listed...who knows.

Speaking of the old songs though: "Master Of Puppets" is one of my favorite metal (or any musical genre) songs of all time and my favorite Metallica song. I tried to record the entire performance on my blackberry - and did - but I was flipping out so much during the song that the only recognizable sound you can hear in the recording is ME singing the entire time, except during the incredible instrumental parts. I guess I couldn't NOT sing! What is even more ridiculous to me, is that a few songs later when they played "Enter Sandman", I thought it may have been even better, which technically should not be possible, since "Master Of Puppets" was perfection. I think I was still psyched up from the "M.O.P" performance.

One last note: There is nothing crazier/creepier than seeing Metallica perform "Creeping Death" and standing with thousands of people while everyone shouts "Die, Die, Die, Die..." to the beat while they pump their fists in the air. It was eerily reminiscent of some sort of Nazi rally, and "Die" is a German word (meaning "the") after all. It got me totally pumped up, but halfway through I started to feel bad and put my arm down. I KNEW they were going to play that song - about killing the Pharaoh's first born son in Egypt in the time of the Old Testament - since they were in Capital Jew City (aka, Long Island). I'm really glad they did.

Lifetime "Dreams" Fulfilled In The Past Six Months:
1. Got Engaged To High School Sweetheart
2. Played Football At Giants Stadium
3. Saw Metallica Live
4. Saw "Family Guy" Live At Carnegie Hall

Pretty nice run I'm having!

Go Home, Whitey

Today, January 20, 2009, after Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States (he's actually not the 44th, and Justice Roberts botched the Oath, but whatever), Civil Rights Leader Rev. Joseph Lowery, 87 years old, delivered these stirring remarks to conclude his inaugural ceremony benediction speech:

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

I understand what he meant by the final stanza of his rhyme, but I wish he would not have said it in that manner - not because I am in any way offended, but because I worry that some white citizens will take his words too literally and miss the greater point he was trying to make...and that would be a shame. Rev. Lowery marched with Dr. King and decried racial intolerance when his message was significantly less popular than it is today. Although he is pleased with the progress our country has made in the last few decades, he is not blinded by it. Rev. Lowery is not so naive to believe that racism and hatred in our country have been defeated. Nor is Rev. Lowery too senile to remember how powerful and sinister such hate can be. Rev. Lowery is a realist, and he knows that although this day marks a significant milestone in the civil rights struggle, we (America) have not yet reached the "top of the mountain." Racism still exists and there is still much work to be done. Racism is like a weed that will continue to grow just beneath the surface even when you stomp it out. And so, with that understanding, he implored Americans to keep striving for ANOTHER DAY, when racism will truly be defeated.

Do not rest on your laurels, America. This is NOT the end of the fight. Just look at the composition of our country's poorest citizens compared to the composition of our overall population, and you will realize that while Obama's presidency may represent some attainment of equality of opportunity for wealthy and well-educated minorities in America, it does not represent a true "change" for those with significantly lesser means. "White" still has the power...the power to DO what is right. "White" must embrace the responsibility that goes along with that power and help end inequality for EVERYONE of all economic means. "White" - at least to Rev. Lowery - probably means the wealthy and powerful of all colors and nationalities. Rev. Lowery has even criticized Obama for promoting the notion of "giving back" on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but not also emphasizing the NEED to keep giving back on the other 364 days of the year. Rev. Lowery is willing to point the finger not just at "White", but at "Black" and "Brown" and "Yellow" and "Red" - like Bill Cosby - and this sometimes puts him at odds with people in his own community who think that they are owed something and won't do enough to help themselves. However, he delivered the OPPOSITE message today, probably in the spirit of compromise, so as not to stir up resentment among the black community on such a triumphant day. That is a shame.

In his heart, I know (and hope) that Rev. Lowery meant to say:

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not [NEED TO] be asked to give back, when brown can [AND WILL WANT TO] stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when . . . [EVERYONE OF PRIVILEGE] will embrace what is right [AND HELP THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THAN THEMSELVES]."

For the great work that Rev. Lowery has done in his lifetime, I will give him a pass. Fortunately for all Americans, his actions will always speak louder than his words.