Bullet The Blue Sky (Rattle and Hum)
Category: American Politics | Nov 10, 2009 |
Lots of people would not even consider it, much less the politicians of today, who are not only trying to portray themselves as saints, but are also trying to bring the game industry down by refusing to consider poker a game of skill. However, they certainly cannot erase history, and it would be good for some of them to refresh their memories about the historical relationship between poker and politics.
In a time of controversial enforcement acts against the gaming industry, gambling has become a taboo, even a felony in one state, and money-transferring companies are now banning U.S. players for fear of getting busted and severely punished, like the recent Neteller case.
Even when some politicians and lawyers question and condemn the recent laws to the point of causing a lawsuit from attorney Lee Rousso against the state of Washington for turning gambling into a felony, most people in the Senate and other political circles declare themselves enemies of the gaming industry.
The question is: why now, if playing has always been a favorite past time within the political arena? Why not keep it silent, like it has always been?
It’s a known fact that ex-presidents and important political figures have been inclined to spending their leisure time playing golf, poker, drinking and partying with their peers. What are our current politicians trying to do with all this banning and censure? Are they indirectly saying they are ashamed of their political ancestors for their gambling?
Let’s refresh their memory. There’s a huge list of political personalities in the poker “black list,” including legendary figures like President Warren Harding and Secretary of State Daniel Webster, and more recent personalities, like president Nixon and presidential candidate Barack Obama.
According to presidential records, Warren Harding “played poker at least twice a week, and once gambled away an entire set of White House china. His advisors were nicknamed the ‘Poker Cabinet’ because they joined the president in his poker games.” Other sources even say “he was an ineffectual and indecisive leader who played poker while his friends plundered the U.S. treasury.”
President Harry Truman used to combine alcohol with poker in his long boat vacations, and it is said that “while he told most reporters his main goal was to get some sleep and drink some Kentucky bourbon, he also spends hours playing poker (pay $500 dollars to enter the game).” Some of his favorite poker guests were Speaker Rayburn and Chief Justice Vinson.
Richard Nixon learned to play poker during World War II, and it’s reported that “he became such as dedicated player that he once turned down a chance to have dinner with Charles Lindbergh when it conflicted with a [poker] game. He also won a great deal of money and used his winnings partially to finance his first congressional campaign.”
Secretary of State Daniel Webster, the greatest speaker in American politics, “was a well known poker player in his time [….] Kentucky Senator Henry Clay, a notorious gambler, was Webster’s friend, political ally and favorite poker opponent. They played high limit Draw and it wasn’t uncommon for the pots to reach thousands of dollars.”
Presidential candidate Barack Obama crowns this list, as his taste for poker is the most contemporary proof that politics have always gone hand in hand with poker: “’When he was a young state politician in Illinois, Barack Obama played his cards right. He had the stone face,’ said Senator Terry Links, who hosted weekly poker games at his home. ‘He didn’t stay in hands if he didn’t think he had a chance of winning.’”
There are many more politicians associated with poker, like President Dwight Eisenhower, Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, U.S. Senator Henry Clay, Presidential Advisor Clark Clifford and Justice Thurgood Marshall, to mention some.
Poker is much more closely linked to people who reach the top ranks of success in society than chess is, due to the fact that these personalities found poker more intellectually stimulating. Bill Gates, avid poker player while in college, once expressed to his college roommate that he “believed [poker] marathons were at least as productive and intellectually stimulating as his time spent in class.”
Maybe the answer to gaming persecution lies in what Radley Balko commented last year in Reason Magazine, “I think the main motivation for the bill was simply the moral aversion to gambling held by its chief sponsors – Goodlatte, Kyl, and Leach – and a desire to impose that moral rectitude on the rest of the country.”
Will current politicians achieve their unfounded moralistic quest? We can only hope that the American leaders elected in 2008 realize that these policies represent turning their backs on their political role models, the ones that built the America of today.
Watch the video related to american politics
I asked voters who they will vote for and why. They don’t know the real issues at all. Do not watch this one without watching Part II afterwards please. Go to www.youtube.com , I ask people why they are voting for Ron Paul. Unscripted. For video email, go to www.talkfusion.com/1540611
Help answer the question about american politics
What do you think of when you hear the concept American Politics?When you hear the concept "American Politics/American Political System" what kind of i.e., values, ideas, descriptions come to mind.
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Americans are secular and no very little about anything besides America which explains why we are socially awkward when communicating with the rest of the world.
Our education system teaches us about nothing but ourselves so we don't learn to appreciate what's different and get a sense of entitlement which is why so many uneducated americans feel they are better than everyone else.
I would suggest a college course for an in depth look. You can also find info on the CIA world fact book about the US as well as other countries. Local US embassies are always a help. Your question is too general for a straight answer. I would suggest http://www.firstgov.gov for all your questions. It's the first stop I make on any government questions.
I did the same picture but with charcoal x)
It didnt came out right though:s
lovely work^^
dude! ur a genius! i think i officially love u. and i also think u must be some alien with phenomonal artistic ability not available here on earth….but im cool with that
Is it really that hard to beleive someone has tallent?
Try Noam Chomsky. His books have the great virtue of relying entirely on published sources, so you can check all his references if you don't believe what he is saying.
His method is pretty simple: he proceeds by looking at what politicians say they are doing, then compares it with what they actually do, and allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. The disadvantage is that his books, while very accurate and persuasive, are a bit depressing, because you soon realise how much of a line you're being fed by politicians and the media.
Nevertheless, I recommend 'Failed States' and/or 'Hegemony or Survival' to kick off with. Unlike Moore or the cons you mention, Chomsky doesn't really make arguments. He just gives you facts, gives you the sources for his facts and lets you see what is actually going on.
He's been doing this since the Vietnam war, and knows what he's talking about. His day job is professor of linguistics, in fact he's one of the most eminent linguists of our time, but he insists that politics (unlike linguistics) is not an area of study where there's some sort of special knowledge you have to master in order to be able to understand it; anyone can understand government policy, he insists. (He's a big believer in the capacity of ordinary people to understand public issues and see past rhetoric.)
Rockefeller
In his memoirs, dated 2002, David Rockefeller is quoted, "For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it".
I'm super duper disillusioned thanks to Bush and his 'great' 8 years.
Stunning.
Sigh…same here.
one function is that they bring issues to light to the main political groups
No, not at all. I said “what if” =D
I think there is something of a divide, or else just a cacophony. The divide is imaginary – created by one extremist group or the other saying this and that about the left or right wings on television, and in debates. I believe the majority of good Americans actually don't have as extreme a viewpoint as most sources would have us each individually think. If any of us here got together in a pizza parlor and debated politics, some opposing viewpoints would arise, but I think we would find that distinguishing liberal from conservative (or even defining those two groups) would be difficult. I will not deny that there are extremist groups out there, but they're groups, not majorities. They're very loud groups, mind, but not the people I meet and see every day in different cities around America. Generally, these people aren't the one or two out-of-control fanatics we see on television.
U.S.-Turkish friendship dates to the late 18th century and was officially sealed by a treaty in 1830. Their close relationship began with the agreement of July 12, 1947, which implemented the Truman Doctrine. As part of the cooperative effort to further Turkish economic and military self-reliance, the United States has loaned and granted Turkey more than $12.5 billion in economic aid and more than $14 billion in military assistance.
U.S.-Turkish relations have focused on areas such as strategic energy cooperation, trade and investment, security ties, regional stability, the global war on terrorism, and human rights progress. Relations were strained when Turkey refused in March 2003 to allow U.S. troops to deploy through its territory to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but regained momentum steadily thereafter and mutual interests remain strong across a wide spectrum of issues. On July 5, 2006, Secretary Rice and then-Foreign Minister Gul signed a Shared Vision Statement to highlight the common values and goals between the two countries and to lay out a framework for increased strategic dialogue.
The U.S. and Turkey have had a Joint Economic Commission and a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which last met in Washington in April 2007, for several years. In 2002, the two countries indicated their joint intent to upgrade bilateral economic relations by launching an Economic Partnership Commission, which last convened in Ankara in February 2007. In 2006, Turkish exports to the U.S. totaled about $5.4 billion, and U.S. exports to Turkey totaled $5.7 billion.
I always find myself speechless every time I see your work. I always rate it 5 stars. You’re quite talented. Keep up the beautiful job. ^_^V
When FDR took office in 1932 the U.S. was mired in the worst depression in history. By 1938 the economy was expanding and the unemployment rate had decreased to 15% from a high of over 25%. By 1940 the economy was still expanding and unemployment was down to 11%. In 1941 the U.S entered into WW II via the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire on 12/7/41. Shortly afterward the U.S was on a war time economy with full employment. Roosevelt died before the end of WW II. An entire generation of people owe him a great deal. He guided this country through the Great Depression, from the brink of defeat in a world war into heading toward a victory and a great post-war economic boom.
Hm…that you did, that you did.
OMG!!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!!! so realistic….almost like a photo….