NOT MUCH LOVE ON BLOG, TIME FOR BALACLAVA AND SHILLELAGH (KELSO "GETS" WHITE ETHNICS, SEE")

It being early in the morning following MLK Day, we present an excerpt from a speech by Malcolm X. Sure, he was a crook, a racist, an anti-semite, ultimately a European-style Marxist and perhaps evan a humanist. Complicated, so much more complicated than that absurd Spike Lee "joint" which needed a 20-minute dance number in the middle of it like Kelso needs more neuroses.

"Speaking as a black man from America, which is a racist society. No matter how much you hear it talk about democracy it's as racist as South Africa or as racist as Portugal or as racist as any other racialist society on this earth. The only difference between it and South Africa: South Africa preaches separation and practices separation. America preaches integration and practices segregation. This is the only difference. They don't practice what they preach. Or as South Africa preaches and practices the same thing. I have more respect for a man who let me know where he stands, even if he's wrong, then one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil."

Anything wrong with that? Yeah, these days South Africa and Portugal are more tolerant than the USA, Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey notwithstanding. Oh, neither South Africa nor Portugal have the death penalty and abortion is legal and free in both places. It is Kelso's guess that the entire Republican caucus with maybe seven exceptions would fit snugly inside the most right-wing Afrikaaner party in the Orange Free State or Transvaal. Lieberman and about five Washington reporters at the Tissue Of Lies would be rather comfortable in that environment as well. Other than that, there isn't much to disagree with in the Malcolm X excerpt.

Well, the US does celebrate MLK day. What does that mean? It means that back in the 1980s, Arizona was shown to be as racist as Alabama. And it's more proof of relevance of the Malcolm X excerpt. Samuel Alito will be confirmed easily and it's just too weird and frustrating. Kelso feels about all of this much the way he did when John Lennon was killed. It's all too bizarre to take in. As Kelso's attorney said, "you think you live in a rational country -- you don't."

By the way, the penny has finally dropped for Kelso. He grew up in NYC in the 1960s and 1970s, so, quite naturally he thinks that the vibe of those years is the normal course of things and everything that has happened since up to and including the Bush administrations own version of Hitler's "Enabling Laws" are some kind of bizarre aberration. It is not clear to Kelso that the 1960s and 1970s were the aberration and the situation that obtains today is the normal course of things in human history. He needs a Dr. Strangelove moment and needs to stop worrying and love the Patriot Act (and Saudi Arabia and Israel). He needs to exploit every ounce of his MBA-carrying White Male existence and fuck 'em all. If Kelso wanted to be a social worker, he would have been one by now. Federalist Society here we come. Kelso just gets first crack at Anne Coulter's lips. Deal?

NFL tomorrow, and another poker recap from Athens follows sign-off.

Kelso's Nuts love you.

BACK TO THE BAIZE WITH ATHENS

I hate Poker. Not really, but I was very down last night and this morning. I finished 9th last night for 2669. Rationally, I know I should be very pleased with three top 14 finishes in 6 events. But I had my sights set on winning last night. Here is the recap. The structure was again 2k in chips with 40 min levels and 25-50 starting blinds. My first table was tight and the blinds are too small early to be worth going after. So I just sat and observed the first couple levels. I picked up aces with the blinds at 100-200 and one weak player limped I raised 500 as I wanted action. This player raised me 500 more. I only had 1800 to start the hand so I stuck it in. He called and showed K6 off ????. Wow, that was a nice gift. I doubled a short stack when I had A6 in the big blind and he limped from the small blind. He had slowplayed AdTd. I filed away the information that he liked to play from behind ( check and call ) with his good hands. This was useful a while later. I raised it to 600 with JJ in 1st position and about 2500 in total chips. He raised me 400 more from the big blind. I called. Flop A36. He checked I checked. Turn 9. He checked. Normally I may bet here to capture the pot and perhaps get him to muck KK or QQ. But, knowing his tendencies I checked. I was either ahead with not too much danger in free cards or I was way behind. River T. He checked I checked. He showed AA and I gave myself a mental pat on the back. I was moved to a new table and the blinds went to 200-400 with 50 ante. Seeing some tightness I picked up a few sets of blinds and antes with hands like 910s and 810s. I had 4975 when a key hand came up. A big stack in first position limped for 400. I looked at JJ. I recognized that he may have a big hand but it was more likely he would fold and with my stack size an allin seemed like the best play. The button with a huge stack of 20k called. Then the limper reraised. Uh Oh. The button called the 6k more because the dealer missed the math and he thought it was only 2k more. A reminder to me to make sure of the math myself. I was against AQ and AA. and in trouble. Flop J93 =). Turn T. River 3. I tripled up to 16k in chips. Now we were getting near the money. About 36 players with 27 spots paid. During the next level of 300-600 50 ante, I raised 3/4 of the hands. I was never called once. I made a call of an allin of 2200 with AT. I was getting almost 2-1 on the call and I felt he was kinds desperate although he had played tight. He had 33. I flopped an Ace and won. I resumed my stealing ways and no one wanted to make a stand. Twice they all folded to my big blind. We made the top 27 and I had run my 15k into 49k just taking advantage of tight bubble play. We redrew and my new table had some big stacks. Limits now 1000-2000 blinds and 300 antes. I raised to 5k with 78s and won the blinds. I folded a few hands and then raised to 6k with K8s on the button. The small blind cold called and I felt he was fairly strong. Flop KhKc4h. He checked. I considered checking but I felt his most liokely hand was a medium pair and since he had me covered I did not want to give him a free card. I decided to make a weak bet and hope he would play back. I bet 4k into the 16k pot and he folded. I showed the K and he said he had AQ. I raised a couple hands later with 9hTh and the same player moved in. I folded. Now we were at 18 players and redrew. This new table seemed very active and I sat back for a while and observed. We were at 1500 3000 with 500 ante and we lost 4 players very quickly. I raised with A8 to 9k and the big blind went allin for 9k more. 23k-9k were the odds and I called. He had K9. I flopped an Ace and was at 60k. We went to ten players and redrew for the final table. I knew all the players there from my previous tables. My 60k was slightly below average. The limits went to 2k4k with 1k ante ( which is huge ). I did the math and realized a standard raise to 12k would net 16k if they all folded. I saw a chance at a big play. A player who seemed solid raised to 20k but he had raised the last 2 hands uncontested. A good player with 120k in chips called and I was fairly sure he would fold to a big reraise. I had 8d9d and If I go allin for 60k I double up if they both fold. I was worried that the first player had a hand so I did not pull the trigger. That may have been a good move? So now with the structure I raised with 8hTh and AQ and 6d7d. This moved me to 80k after a couple rounds. I was one off the button with A8 and I decided to raise to 30k because I did not want to invite a resteal and the remaining players had less chips than me. The player behind me went in quickly for 28k and I thought I was beat. He showed Ah5h. My hand held up and I had over 100k. The last hand of the level I had AQ one off the button and raised to 12k kinda hoping for a reraise from a worse ace. The player who had AQ when I flopped 3 Kings earlier moved in which was something I expected. I called quickly. He had 50k total. He showed TT and a board of all little cards cost me a 120k pot. We went on break with me down to 68k. I was a little shaken and could not help but think of how good a chance at the 56k first prize winning that pot would have given me. The limits went to 3k6k with 1k ante. I folded the first two hands. I had Ad8d in 1st position and felt it was worth a raise. The big blind only had 30k. A standard raise to 18k would be almost 1/3 of my stack so I thought all-in was the better play. I am still questionig this decision. A player in middle position agonized about his decision. He looked like he would fold a couple times but finally went all-in. He had JJ-- what took so long =). I still had a shot, 32% to be precise. Flop AhJs6c. Turn 8h and that was it. I was a little shellshocked and it took me until this afternoon to feel better. I know I am playing real well, but this one of the toughest things about tournament poker. With the top heavy prize structures only a top 3 finish, and really a win, yields a big return. I am putting myself in position to win with all these high finishes and hopefully my breakthrough will be in one of the 10k events. I'm taking today off and probably tomorrow too. I'm gonna watch sports, do a little reading, play the Sunday online tournaments, and try to get back to the Noon schedule for the WPT main event which starts Thursday.