Gambling still causing headaches and heartaches

Gambling still causing headaches and heartaches

In a recent edition of al.com, I found an interesting story related to Milton McGregor and gambling proceeds to charity organizations in Macon County (Alabama). (05/24/2102)  This was a civil suit brought to a federal judge and jury as a challenge involving charity bingo operations which returned a $62 million verdict in favor of a group of plaintiffs.  It seems that these charities were filing against Sheriff David Warren, Milton McGregor and his VictoryLand casino for attempting to monopolize charity bingo games.

“The plaintiffs claim McGregor made his lawyers available to work on the regulations so they would write them in a way to favor VictoryLand.”

While many will wonder why this is interesting, especially seeing another competing bingo operation was involved in the civil suit, I would like to briefly piece this together for you.

In Alabama we have fought hard to defeat proposals to establish a state sponsored and state run Lottery, to allow Bingo type casinos throughout the state, and to change the Constitution in order to allow gambling.  We have three Indian run casinos within the state, which come under federal law, but overlook the sovereignty of state law which prohibits such activities within the state.  Before some of you jump on a bandwagon against me, let me remind you that the state law allows for paper bingo for charity in the state, but the same law forbids playing bingo on a machine, because that moves the charitable play from “simple fun” to “big dollars” and ultimately to corruption.

Furthermore, we have certain guidelines in place which allow certain state authorized charities to play bingo, and retain portions of the proceeds for the house, while benefiting the non-profit organization.  This too leads to corruption, and is the reason no bingo operations which have opened within the state are allowed to stay open, because they do not know how to do the math related to making it legitimate. 

Milton McGregor is a leading proponent of gambling in the state of Alabama.  The State of Alabama charged him and seven others with a variety of crimes related to their involvement in buying votes which would favor their industry.  Two well known, well respected state representatives were called to testify against them, with evidence that vote buying was being accomplished.  But the jury was unable to convict, therefore mistrials were ordered, then in another trail the defendants were deemed not guilty.

It amazes me the extremes people go to bring something corrupt and demeaning into the state, while calling it entertainment and family friendly.  Gambling is a concept of reversing Robin Hood-instead of taking from the rich to give to the poor, gambling takes from the poor and gives to the rich.  The poor become poorer; the rich become richer.

Statics reveal that the majority of people who play machines, slots or bet on anything such as dogs and horses, football games or wrestling are from lower and middle class families.   In essence what they are doing is taking the pay check, wager what little money they have, in hopes of getting wealthy.  In the end they lose all of the pay check and the rest of the family goes “wanting” because the bread winner has no bread; he has thrown it to the wind and the wind did not bring it back.

Story after story is told of the ones who have gone to the tables or the “one armed bandit” with high hopes, only to walk away with far less than they had when they arrived at the “casino” or the “palace.”  Furthermore, the ones who win something are more than likely going to keep going because they want more of the same.  It is an addictive and mind-altering drug which causes great harm to the one who plays.

Owners and managers of such places are the winners in gambling.  It is a legal pyramid scheme, as they advertise on roadside signs and in newspapers and magazines, telling the stories of the ones who win, in hopes of getting others to come in and place their bets.  Only the stories they do not tell are sad and heart breaking.  How one family goes through the millions won within a few years, to find themselves homeless and without any income to make ends meet. 

That sends us to the issue of the lottery.  How the proponents work hard and long hours to tell those who will vote on such a measure there will be better schools, better futures, better hopes for all within that state.  What they do not tell is that the end result is far more difficult than the “golden egg” they want to sell.  Mississippi voted for a lottery; but casinos were built on the southern tip of the state, with little return to the state.  Louisiana voted on a lottery for education, but the schools in that state are in great need.  Georgia has the Hope Scholarship, but the regulations still require that the student have a certain grand point average to win such scholarship. 

These are “barking dogs.”  They want us to believe they are doing what is right and just; while on the other hand they are padding their own pockets, getting fat and rich off another mans misery.  They tell us that the end is going to be better, but the end is far worse than the beginning.     

As a response and in keeping with my stand against the gambling industry in the state, I wrote the following article for my weekly column in The Coosa News in April of this year.  I have included the entire article here for your review. 

          

Barking Dogs and Self Satisfied Proclamations

By: Dr. Jeff Fuller

Have you ever heard the saying, “The guilty dog barks first?”  This is truly an interesting statement with a thousands implications.  It would take many columns of this newspaper to cover, so I will attempt to do my best in less than seven hundred words so I do not cause undue harm to Christa or Karen.

Recently I have pondered this little nugget, searching for truth and inspiration in the five words which comprise a monumental statement.  Is it fact or fiction?  Does it have merit?  What truth is found therein? 

Ouch?  I think it is causing me to have a headache!  Excuse me while I take an Advil.

Now, I am back.  Where were we?  Oh, yes, we were discussing “The guilty dog barks first.” 

While conducting a little informal research on this phrase, “The guilty dog barks first,” I came across one explanation which defines it for me. 

Yahoo.com reports, “It has to do with people covering up their mistakes.  The guilty party is very self-conscious about their wrongdoing, and usually is the first to point fingers or ‘bark’ [as in the analogy of the dog].

Another phrase I encountered, as I scrolled through thousands of World Wide Web pages, is akin to our primary phrase, “A guilty dog barks the loudest.”  A web site which answers any question you submit, ChaCha.com, published this answer: “’A guilty dog barks the loudest’ means that a dishonest man will tell you how honest he is.”

Now, let us consider these two together, “The guilty dog barks first” and “A guilty dog barks the loudest.”  Is this true?  Does this hold any semblance of truth?

I would say, “Yes it does.”  A man or woman who wants the world to know how honest and trustworthy they are, especially if they are accused of not being so, will go to great extremes in order to make sure everyone knows the character they wish to be perceived.

They might take out radio and television advertisements, full page newspaper advertisements, pay for direct mailing, or host an event where they can proclaim, in person, the perception they wish others to have of them.  Which ever of these they choose to do, it is their way of barking first and barking loudest.  Often, the barking will be presented with some form of Christianity as the smoke screen, attempting to justify or explain away the supposed untruths and lies which have been told or purported as truth.

To these types of people, my words and wisdom appears to be dry and empty, but there is one greater than I who spoke in days of old and still speaks today.

Jesus, while speaking during the event called The Sermon on the Mount, said to the multitude, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’  ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”  Scholars have taken this verse to task, dividing, dissecting, and deducing some answer from these words and the reason behind them.  In essence what I have gleaned as a form of understanding is this: If you agree with something, say “Yes.”  If you have full assurance of the answer, then you might say, “Yes, yes.”  On the other hand, if the answer is no, then saying “No” is sufficient; if you are very assured of that answer and want to make it clear, then you might say, “No, no.”  Any other explanation or answer is not needful, as additional information would make someone suspicious.  Because of the integrity of the individual, credit is already present and the answer of “yes” or “no” is enough.

It is with honesty we can state that reputation precedes the one who does business well or is one who cuts corners and attempts to make a profit at someone else’s expense.  A man who is attempting to do business honorable and truthfully, will be one that never has to explain his dealings or his motives.  A person who is always upfront, open and willing for others to know the real person will never have to explain his life. 

Most important of all is a person will always know the answer to one of the most important questions they can ask.  A person who is living to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in all they do, will be a happy person.  An individual, who seeks in all things to follow the path which God has laid out for them, will be a person who knows true joy. (Proverbs 3:5 and 6) When they take a long, introspective look within and ask the question, “What does God think of me?” and they are satisfied with the answer that is all that really matters. 

In the end, the one who barks is doing nothing more than attempting to give a self satisfied proclamation of their standing so others will overlook the faults or shortcomings which glare above the clamor and noise which emerge from their mouth.  I wonder how they will attempt to spin the tale when they meet the Judge at the end of time. 

            The noise from the gambling big wigs is an attempt to hide the truth; but the truth is still there and the truth is that no one wins in gambling.  My hope is that the great state of Alabama will stay clear of gambling.  So far our history proves we are going to do just that.