Yes, I said it. Well, He WAS. He took a chance on us and does every day. He thought we were horses worth laying the entire bet down for. Every ounce of skin in the game. He paid the ultimate debt and cheers each and every one of us on in our daily race.
There’s a little legislation about horse racing going on, amongst a myriad of other issues at Georgia’s State Capitol. Crazy train.
You would think that a state that has strip clubs and sex toy shops galore, would be immune to the ‘moral’ argument regarding gambling in the form of casinos and horse racing, not to mention, our own lottery that funds many o’educations. Not so.
No. We are hiding, this year, as in preceding years, behind the pulpit of smoke and mirrors and I’m afraid it’s not because we fear the damnation some think will come to those who support such practices, but rather the loss of an impending election. This IS an election year after all.
Someone told me this evening, as I was scratching my head at what seemed to be hypocrisy of epic proportion, that if a legislator’s constituency was not for something, they should also vote in favor of the constituency. After all, it’s the people who are represented. Or are they? I wonder.
I wonder how many doors would slam in my face if I showed up to share the benefits of horse racing to a community? I wonder how many reasonable, rational people I would find; Christian and otherwise, who would open their doors and minds to the positive socio-economic impact horse racing would have on their state.
I wonder how many would sign off on a big, fat DUH box to mark ‘in support of’. Perhaps if legislators would take the time to host town-hall meetings to discuss issues that are important to their constituencies, they would feel more comfortable supporting obvious legislation. Maybe, if the people too busy to engage their local and state politics would actually take the time to be responsible citizens and show up on the battlefield with the rest of us, we may see a real, tangible difference in our communities. Maybe.
Maybe, by creating a little piece of heaven here, in the form of crime reduction, employment increase and overall positive functionality, through horse racing, Jesus would have less to do with the opposition’s narrative and hell wouldn’t be the first concern. Maybe.
Contact your legislator today and ask the questions, make your voice known. Give them something to stand with or against. They are, simply put, either for you or against you. Better to know now than mid way through another term. Apathy doesn’t count. If you vote them in or out, you share the burden. If you do nothing, you ARE the burden.
Work it.
2 Comments
Georgia now sells alcohol on Sunday’s, and the world is still exists! Wonderful article. I honestly believe racing will soon come to Georgia. GO Jesus! GO Thoroughbreds!
Wonderful! Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it’s amazing the world still turns on its axis in spite of man’s best attempts to govern our way right out of the spirit of everything. I’m still waiting to be able to purchase a mimosa before 12:30pm on Sunday. I can’t imagine that’s what Jesus meant when he turned to his mother (when she called upon him to turn the water into wine) and said.. “My time has not yet come”.
Strange birds we are indeed in our well meaning efforts to legislate what some deem as immoral. Perhaps we should legislate credit card debt by limiting the amount of cards any one person can have, since this seems to be a bigger wager with more of a cultural affect than horse racing.
I believe horse racing will see its time in Georgia. Truth be told, I’ve never been to a horse race. My mother tells me they are amazing and I look forward to my first purchase of a fine, ostentatious hat along with white, gloved fingers. Sure hope those mimosas are available too. I jumped aboard this conversation because as a minister of the good news of Jesus, I just don’t get my skirt as ruffled by the ‘how’ man carries things out because nothing is new under the sun according to that same good news. No, I concern myself with the ‘why’. I mean, if these were turtles we were racing or hermit crabs, would the argument be the same? Eh. probably not.
One man’s addiction is another man’s simple hobby and so on and the reason for that begins in the heart, not the legislature. It seems perfectly acceptable for men to wager their way through a sexy game of golf. And for some, that wager involves the detriment of time spent with the family and finances inefficiently allocated, while creating a need to work more hours to ‘afford’ said habit, leaving a golf widow and kids who wish their father was around more often. See how that works? Maybe golf will be next on the legislative calendar. Doubtful, but maybe.
Carry on Thoroughbred lovers! My affinity for anything equestrian can be summed up very simply in God’s ability to speak to me through them In a time I could barely move from my bed because life knocked me down one too many times. My solace was found in afternoons meandering through the polo fields near my house, gazing upon the strength and beauty of horses only to find the spirit of God’s voice in their majesty, wonder and unbridled spirit. He reminded me of how easily a spirit can be broken and what it takes to mend. A creature worthy of honor and respect with such poise, grace and agility. They were born to run and so was I. Or the countless times the movie Secretariat would literally minister to my broken heart and inspire me to keep betting on myself. After all, he was a horse worth betting on, who just needed someone to believe in him and offer him the freedom to run his race. He needed someone to invest in his existence as a born champion. Don’t we all?
I can’t imagine where I’d be without all those who saw me as an investment, a champion worth betting on. I think of what funds from horse racing could actually accomplish in the way of possibly allocating funds toward real education. The impact on some of those kids that society would otherwise fund via welfare or the prison system. I think of how many little scientists we could bypass who could cure cancer or those little architects who could build our next taxpayer- funded stadium, for a sport that could afford to send all of ‘Bernie’s Kids’ to school for ‘FREE”. The possibilities are endless.
But glory be to God we have some who are willing to wave the morality flag to warn us of what we already know; man is capable of anything and we don’t need a racetrack to lose every dime or soul that we have.
Peace and run your race!
M