Thursday, May 15, 2008

Nope, still illegal

Today, the constitutionality of a recently passed law outlawing Internet gambling was upheld in King County, Washington. The brilliant lawmakers in Olympia decided a couple of years ago to make the placing of a bet online a Class C Felony, yes I said Felony. People convicted of felonies in this country lose all kinds of civil rights, not the least of which is the right to vote.

For playing a card game...in the privacy of their home...

Let's look at some other crimes, and their associated maximum penalties.

not more than 90 days
Possession of Marijuana (less than 40 grams)
Willful or reckless killing of a pet animal
Spitting on a public bus

not more than 1 year
DUI - 1st offense
DUI - 2nd offense
Acting as a drawbridge tender while intoxicated
Leaving children unattended in a parked automobile

not more than 5 years
Possession of Marijuana (more than 40 grams)
Gambling on the internet
Distribution of child pornography
Knowingly cause or aid someone to commit suicide

not more than 10 years
Possession of child pornography (somehow owning it is worse than distributing it???)

I could go on and on, but it's completely ridiculous. The guy down the street could go on a couple of benders, drive himself home while rolling a joint, run over a couple neighborhood dogs, and leave his kids in the car while he goes into a strip club, and he'll get a more lenient sentence than someone who plays a single hand of poker online could potentially receive. Ridiculous.

1 comment:

Paradise Driver said...

"Want to play a game of chess?" LOL