[Lunatic Fringe]

Regardless of how you feel about Internet gambling, I think this goes way beyond the authority of the Commerce Clause.

[antiRepublicrat]

Pick what this is about:

a) Election time grandstanding on morality
b) Protecting people from evil online casinos
c) Protecting the lotteries from competition
d) Eliminating something where the government doesn't get its cut

Hint, it's not b.

[UncleJeff]

Seems politically stupid to me to sneak this in just before the election. There are a couple dozen million players who are also voters in this Country, and by using this backdoor means to get it passed now rather than wait for the lame-duck session it lets the Democrats hang it securely around Republican's necks.

With as many races looking to be as close as these are expected to be this will likely alienate a lot more voters than it pleases, voters the Republicans can't afford to give away.

[Mike Darancette]

The same thing the government did to Indian Cigarettes.

[taxcontrol]

Hmmm, I see an opportunity here for someone overseas to set up a "bank" ... not governed by US law, that will accept wire transfers and then issue credit cards to the people in the US.

Online Bank of UAE / Electronic Bank of Moscow / etc.

Feel good laws like this just create more markets in shadier parts of the world.

[mugs99]

Sen. Bill Frist helped get the Internet gambling ban attached to a defense bill designed to boost security at nation’s ports. The bill passed Saturday

Yeah, good ol' Bill Frist just protecting "American Values".

The same Bill Frist who took bribe money from Jack Abramoff.

The same Bill Frist who, along with his wife, are the only trustees managing a family foundation, Hospital Corporation of America. HCA was the subject of a decade-long Federal investigation into double-bookkeeping and suspected criminal fraud involving the bilking of Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare.

The same Bill Frist who is under investigation by the SEC for insider trading.

The same Bill Frist that the FEC fined $11,000 for hiding $1.4 million dollars.

The same Bill Frist that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington singled out as one of the most "corrupt" members of Congress.

The same Bill Frist who just took a liberty from me.
Shall I vote Republican in November? I think not!
.

[Wormwood]

Regardless of how you feel about Internet gambling, I think this goes way beyond the authority of the Commerce Clause.

Ya think?

Both parties believe your money belongs to the government.

At least the Democrats are fairly up front about it.

[KDD]

Sen. Bill Frist helped get the Internet gambling ban attached to a defense bill designed to boost security at nation’s ports.
In the dead of night.
On the weekend of the last session.

These are not the political tactics of an honest Government. Republicans under Frist did this in a cowardly way. I see he put in the promised protections for on-line racetrack betting and State Lotteries. What hypocrites. It proves to me that Frist is nowhere near being worthy of being President.

Wonder which Country will be first in line to sue the U.S. in front of the W.T.O. Five to one it'll be Antigua.

[Theo]

Has "internet gambling" ever been legitimate? Seems to me those who do "internet gambling" are all spammers. I say the more you can do against spammers, the better.

I've never "done" internet gambling, and don't know anyone who has, so maybe it's a legitimate way to take stupid people's money.

[38special]

Isn't this one of the reasons why we call the GOP the "Stupid Party"?

[kms61]

The D's October Surprise was the Foley thing, but this stupid piece of legislation may end up hurting GOP chances even more, and it was entirely self-inflicted. In fact, they had to work hard to even get it passed at the last minute. Foley is just another Beltway scandal, same-old same-old. This affects a lot of people who normally don't pay much attention to politics, and now they're incensed.