Back in the 60's, Jerry was a teenager, much like some of us. Oh yes, he was wild, some might say crazy, and some might even say threatening. But, then again, weren't we all a little strange? We were teenagers; And it didn't help that the winds of change were starting to blow in the culture of the time.

Hey Pilgrims! No casinos today. I've got something to get off my chest. Later in the week we will get into some gambling. Today, let's be human beings; you know, that highest specie in the animal kingdom. I can assure you, we are all going to have a good day, as opposed to the man we're are going to introduce you to.

Convict number 91102 has been behind bars for 31 years. Considering he is 58 years old, we know that he has spent more than half his life in the “slammer”. Jerry Hamilton is a product of the 60's drug culture. One would probably say he was a perfect example of those crazy “druggies” of that time. Now he is an inmate in the Oklahoma penal system, and has been one for the last 20 something years. Although, he was shipped out and warehoused in a Texas prison, for quite some time, he is really a resident of the Oklahoma prison system. The discipline of the prison system has tamed this man a long time ago. Funny thing about Jerry; He has never really harmed anyone. He has not killed. He has not raped. Never harmed a child. And finally, not guilty of any “white collar” crimes. You know, the kind where you “milk” investors of their money or life savings. Does any of those sound familiar to you? And yet, those “perps” are still walking the streets. I'll tell you what Jerry is, or was, guilty of! Drugs, youth, immaturity, poor judgment, bad company. All of which he long ago left behind him. The prison system has certainly done it's job and matured this man. And of all things, SURPRISE, the man has married while in prison. His wife, Sharon, has even written a book about this man, the prison system, and, her life as the wife of a convict. If anyone cares to read it, the name of the book is “Set Me Free”.Although this novel will never win a Pulitzer, it is interesting in the way that it shines the light on the politics and bureaucratic stupidity that has gone on concerning this man.

After caging this human being for the past 20 something years, wouldn't any reasonable man say “enough is enough”? I certainly would! Ol' Mordecai here urges any of you gamblers, sitting at your computers handicapping your basketball bets, to take a 10 minute breather. Send a message to the Governor of Oklahoma, Brad Henry. Urge him to immediately grant Jerry a pardon based on humanity and Christian charity. Tell the Governor to put aside any politics, and, the pettiness of the state bureaucracy, and just go ahead and free this man. The Governor can be reached by going to:.http://www.governor.state.ok.us/contact.php On this site there is a link at the left of the photo which reads “Message to the Governor”, Please, Pilgrims, follow this link and leave your message. Do the same with Oklahoma's 2 Senators. There is an easy link for both Senators at the following site: .                 http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=OK All in all, this will probably take about a half hour out of your busy gambling day, But just think, you will have contributed to giving a caged human being his life back, and really feel good about yourselves. Jerry deserves a chance! See to it that he doesn't die an old man in prison, Pilgrims.If there should be any problems with the above links, just use the ol' copy and paste thing. You know, computers 101.                                        

Well ladies, it's time to call it a day. Hasn't life become a little on the dull side with the absence of Football? Start paying close attention to College Basketball, and see if you can handicap who will win in the “Big Dance” this March.

Back in a few days, fellow voyagers, when we will really start to get into some serious Black Jack.

If anyone cares to email me, I can be reached at wdsatan@cox.net

Don't let that score fool you, folks. Just as yours truly predicted, it really was a close game. The interception of Peyton Manning was the game-breaking play. Up until then, each team took a turn controlling the game.

Good day, Friends, Romans, and Countrymen; Lend me your eyes for a little while. And, here's a refreshing thought for you Casino rats. Now that Football season is over, how about devoting some attention to your wives and girlfriends! 

For those of you who were betting with this old goat, WE WIN!!! Having gone "all in" with $300, we finished the season in pretty fair shape. Our record to finish the season is 18 wins, 16 losses, and, 3 ties. Now, this is nothing we would go around bragging about; But, IT IS, a winning record! To put it another way; We did better than a few of the so-called expert "hacks", who write for the various newspapers. Some of those guys didn't even have a winning record picking the teams "straight up", without the point spread. We also finish the season with a profit bankroll of $301. This will be our "seed money" when "March Madness" rolls in next month. All things considered over the course of the season, we are happy.

That's all for today, Pilgrims. Time for me to run to the other end of the Casino. I must go save Grandma from herself. You see, she loves to bet the trifecta in the last race on Fridays and Saturdays. Invariably, this costs me a dinner, most times, because she gets too "teed off" to cook afterward.  Do you get my drift? Be back in a couple of days. .

    

Lets all of us take a break from the past two weeks Super Bowl bombardment. If you ladies are anything like me, you're ready for seventeen aspirins after listening to all the football hype.

Good day to all you fellow Pilgrims. This is your cantankerous ol' Mordecai here, completely fed up after seeing and listening to mounds of Super Bowl propaganda. Believe me when I tell you this; All the "hype" you are hearing is mitigated by the Casino bookmakers in order to control the betting line so as to make the maximum amount of profit.

For all you Pilgrims over the age of fifty, you may want to heed my following advice. There is a site you should visit. Go to:
http://www.retiredseniorsnetwork.com/blog/2009/08/03/what-seniors-are-doing-for-money-today.html The main body of the blog, on this site, are probably things most of you already are aware of; But, what is really interesting on this site are the links in the sidebar. In particular, is a link called "Best Places To Retire". You know, everybody has a different idea of where Utopia is. Retiring to an RV sounds like an intriguing idea. Doing this can give you the best of all climates. Think about this! On this link you folks may be surprised by some of the retiree's different ideas. There are also links related to senior health. A very interesting site; Go there! It's a relaxing read.

Well Pilgrims, it's Casino time; Better known as the Bingo hour. Grandma has that look on her face, and is carrying her Bingo bag. I think she is trying to tell me something. See you ladies after the Super Bowl. May you all have winners!            

Must be a bird in my pocket because money seems to just keep flying away. We had the right team, but, the extra ½ point (- 3 ½) did us in. We miss covering the spread by that ½ point. It's enough to make you think about giving up gambling;  But, as we all know, it'll be a cold day in Hell, when that happens.

Good day to all you Pilgrims, in whatever your time zone. Today's little quip is as follows: “If you like money, keep it in your pocket”. Of course, this will also give you a serious case of “DT's”. That being said, read below.

Well, girls and boys, we now approach the Super Bowl. Yours truly, Ol' Mordecai, has a barely winning record. We finish with 17 wins, 16 losses, and, 3 ties. The bad news is that, although we have a winning record, we are down $100 due to last weekends fiasco. Saints, - 3 ½ win the game by 3 points and miss the cover by a ½ point. NOT GOOD!!! We lose! We now approach the Super Bowl faced with the prospect of having to go “all in”, as our Poker playing friends would say. And we will! We are wagering $400 on this one. Either we lose $500 in total for the season, or we wrap up the season as $300 winners. The bet is the Saints, + 5 ½ points. Let's not forget that these are the two best teams around, and super closely matched up. We think that whoever gets the ball last, wins by a field goal. Therefore, we are taking the points in this one. No matter what, though, this game shapes up to be one of the best, ever.

In preparation for Sunday's event, we here, will abstain from our usual Martini (Beefeaters, of course), for the next few days. We must be prepared for a three Martini day, Sunday. Also, a little numbing will help me to “tune out” Grandma, when she starts “bitching” about her losing bets. She is a die hard “prop” bettor on this event. For those of you with no plans, may I suggest you watch this game in one of our local Casinos. There are many great deals around on “Hot Dogs” and beer. The local Casinos are outdoing themselves with hospitality. See you ladies in a couple of days. Good luck to all of you on your Super Bowl gambling. May your box pop up a winner in the office pool.

We sure found out a couple of things this past weekend. Number one; Tony Romo is not a “clutch” Quarterback. Number two; The Dallas coaching staff is inferior, and not able to make mid game adjustments like a championship team can. And finally, number three; Brett Favre demonstrated a complete lack of class. More on this later. We also saw our betting money flying away, like it had wings, by the end of the first quarter.

Good day, fellow gamblers, in whatever your respective time zone may be. May we all bury the Bookmaker, this weekend. May Oboma, declare a gambling stimulus for us bettors.

Has anyone of you Pilgrims out there have the same headache that I have, after listening to all the hype on the Jets?  And, if they mention Brett Bum's age anymore, we will immediately switch the channel or station. Speaking of Mr. Favre; We here on these pages will no longer refer to him as anything but “Bum”. And the same thing applies to his coach. Even in the brutal sport of Boxing, a fighter is not allowed to kick his opponent when he is down. Brett Bum displayed a complete lack of class when he threw that TD pass with only minutes left on the clock, in a game that was already well in hand. It is my hope that this self-centered ego maniac, and media whore, retires after this year; Does anyone think that the Dallas defense is going to forget this game when the two teams meet next season? Brett Bum should reserve his hospital room right now! Enough said!                                                      Our record is now 17 wins, 15 losses, and, 3 ties. Our bankroll has disappeared, and now stands at $1. What this means is that we will have to reach into our pockets for this weekend. And of course, like all gamblers, you know we will. Hopefully, there will be enough in there to reach for..                                                                                          The feeling here is that Peyton will handle the Jets in a cool business like manner. But it may be only a 3 or 6 point win. 8 points seems like a little too much to lay. We stay away from this one.                                                                                                                         The New Orleans Saints, on the other hand, give the appearance of being able to blow the Vikings right out of the water. The thought here, is that the Saints offense will be too quick for the Viking defense, and will score almost every time they get their hands on the football. Did anyone say Reggie Bush? On the other hand, we don't think Brett Bum is that capable. It is the belief here that Saints defense man Darren Sharper, who played with Brett Bum on two previous teams, will have complete knowledge of all his tricks. In our mind Sean Payton's coaching staff wins the strategy battle. At – 3 ½, the Saints seem like a terrific value. We will now have to reach into our pocket, since our original bankroll was depleted, and come up with $100 to bet on this game.                                                                 That's my bet, ladies, in case any of you want to go along with “Ol Mordecai, here.

Now, on another note; For those of you health conscious Pilgrims out there, who believe, as I do, that the human body is the finest machine ever created, go to http://www.natureshealingnutrition.com/  Just think of all the things our bodies can do, Pilgrims; So, with proper nutrition and care, why shouldn't our bodies be able to heal themselves without help from the greedy drug companies, or doctors that continually push for invasive surgery We highly recommend a visit to this site! An extremely knowledgeable and interesting read.

We leave you ladies with one thought; May our Sunday afternoon be a celebration with the New Orleans Saints!