They Can Have My Cribbage Pegs
...when they pry them from my cold, dead hands.
File this one under "If this doesn't piss you off...".
Needless to say, if these vets were pooling their money and heading down to the Big Apple every weekend to load up on scratch tickets, we wouldn't be reading about this.
What with scratch tickets being a "game of skill", and all.
In fact, not only would this not be a story, but I'd wager there'd be some ding-dong up in Augusta who would find out about it and propose legislation to use the taxpayers' money to buy their lottery tickets for them, all the while labeling those who would oppose such a measure as being "anti-veteran".
No disrespect intended, but the fact that they're "old veterans" shouldn't even enter the discussion. The fact that American citizens are being assessed a fee [read: confiscatory tax] by the government to play a friggin' game of cribbage should (in a perfect world) be sufficient grounds for armed insurrection.
UPDATE: Big Apple link added for the benefit of my readers located "south of the wire".
File this one under "If this doesn't piss you off...".
GARDINER -- Bill Meserve passed hours playing cribbage with other veterans at American Legion Post No. 4.
The 87-year-old World War II veteran said the $5 entry fee to play in cribbage tournaments on Sundays was an inexpensive way for someone on a fixed income to have fun.
But that all ended a couple of weeks ago when a state inspector walked into the Gardiner Legion post and shut 'em down.
The inspector told players their game was illegal because the Legion had not acquired a license to host games of chance.
Needless to say, if these vets were pooling their money and heading down to the Big Apple every weekend to load up on scratch tickets, we wouldn't be reading about this.
What with scratch tickets being a "game of skill", and all.
In fact, not only would this not be a story, but I'd wager there'd be some ding-dong up in Augusta who would find out about it and propose legislation to use the taxpayers' money to buy their lottery tickets for them, all the while labeling those who would oppose such a measure as being "anti-veteran".
Meserve said he still can't believe state government would do such a thing to a bunch of old veterans who risked their lives for their country.
No disrespect intended, but the fact that they're "old veterans" shouldn't even enter the discussion. The fact that American citizens are being assessed a fee [read: confiscatory tax] by the government to play a friggin' game of cribbage should (in a perfect world) be sufficient grounds for armed insurrection.
UPDATE: Big Apple link added for the benefit of my readers located "south of the wire".
