I feel like I am being dragged, kicking and screaming all the way down a dark hallway to enter the door that is labeled "liberal". I don't like the idea, but let's face the facts.

I have always been a fiscal conservative and a lifestyle liberal, and over the years I have voted with my wallet. Liberals spend too much money, and (still) have the idea that throwing (our) money at a problem will solve all the problems of the universe.

But now we have an administration that has probably spent more money than any liberal ever thought of PLUS we have

---Starting an illegal war. Period. U.N. Security Council?
What's that?

---Overt lying to the citizens of this country to facilitate said war. Truth?
What's that?

---Ignoring the realities of the many problems to be faced in such a war. All one has to
do is read and research just a little, and the civil war and chaos was damn near predictable.

---Torture is OK ( I guess its ok for the "good guys" to do whatever they want)
Not to mention that it has been pretty well proven that torture doesn't work.
The Geneva Convention?
What's that?

---Proposing a bill to exempt oneself from a war crime tribunal. Now come on, if you
have to even consider doing something like this, what does that say?

Those are just a few highlights that come to mind without digging too deep. The Republican party is now no more than a thinly veiled front for the conservative Christian coalition who are bound and determined to TELL ME WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT.

Fuck them.

Needless to say, I have not been in the mood to update much since the recent "poker legislation", as I politely call it, came into being. After the initial shock, outrage and anger, I find it interesting that there is no consensus as to the eventual outcome. Bill Rini had a pretty gloomy outlook (which I agreed with) but there have been a few more optimistic posts from other bloggers that I respect, so it appears that all any of us can do is wait and see.

From a personal point of view, Badblood said it for me in his post "Hit the Showers". I have been playing poker for over 30 years, but it was not until the advent of online possibilities when I really had a chance to work on my game. To meet other like-minded folks and talk poker, and for a change REALLY WORK AND THINK about poker. I have never had (too) many illusions about my skill level, as I doubt there was much of a chance for me to take on the Doyles, Chips and Daniels of the world. Although perhaps I had less than a scant chance of be being a world champion, I was getting better and improving all the time. On my best day, maybe all I was ever gonna be is a 5PTBB/100 winner at the 400NL, but it sure as hell will piss me off if I don't get a chance to find out.

I have spent an inordinate amount of time reading a variety of things this past week. I started out researching the thorn in my ass (Frist), and that led me to slew of other things, most of which I found disgusting and reprehensible. As a rule, I read quite a bit so I wasn't too shocked about the bare facts, but if you dig deeper it gets pretty ugly. I may not be apolitical anymore....

Anything I have to say has been said by others, all of whom have better writing skills than I.

I have several more observations which will be posted soon.