Stephen Paddock

[FloridaPhil]

The one year anniversary of the Las Vegas massacre is here today. So far no one has been able to produce a motive. The Las Vegas police report issued in August stated Mr. Paddock had lost 1 1/2 million dollars gambling in Vegas in the previous two years. During that time, Paddock also spent around $95,000 on “firearms and gun-related purchases” and began amassing an arsenal inside his Mesquite home, police said.

It's unbelievable that one person could be so angry that he made a conscious decision to take his anger out on so many innocent people. So many killed, hurt and families destroyed. It would be easy to place blame. Gambling was not the cause of this tragedy. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols killed 168 people in the Oklahoma City bombing. Allegedly they were paying the government back for Waco. Who was Stephen Paddock paying back? Evil exists. You may not believe in the devil, but you have to recognize it when you see it. Stephen Paddock made a deal with the devil and the devil called his note. There is no other explanation.

[Tedlark]

Phil, evidence came out that this same person had booked a hotel room in Chicago overlooking Grant Park for the weekend that Lollapalooza was being held, approximately 7 weeks before his rampage in Las Vegas. Why, in one breath would you say that he lost 1 1/2 million dollars in the previous two years and then in the next breath say that gambling was not the cause of this tragedy? If it wasn't the cause, then why mention it? The reason why he did what he did - died with him.

So far this year almost 400 people have been murdered in the City of Chicago and that too, is a tragedy. Who in Chicago - made a deal with the devil?

[FloridaPhil]

Why, in one breath would you say that he lost 1 1/2 million dollars in the previous two years and then in the next breath say that gambling was not the cause of this tragedy? If it wasn't the cause, then why mention it? The reason why he did what he did - died with him.

So far this year almost 400 people have been murdered in the City of Chicago and that too, is a tragedy. Who in Chicago - made a deal with the devil?

The reason I mentioned it was that some people have attempted to link what he did to his gambling. Most people lose money gambling. Most people don't do what he did. The only explanation that I can come up with is that he was driven to do what he did by the forces of evil. All through history we have seen these forces at work. What drives a Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot? Compared to these people, Stephen Paddock was an amateur.

This man made a Faustian pact. By all accounts he was wealthy. Wealthy enough to gamble millions of dollars. He was also what we would describe as an Advantage Player. I am not suggesting all successful gamblers are driven by the devil, this person surely was.

When you go to a casino, you may be influenced by these forces. They may not be killers, but they are dangerous nevertheless. What is so dangerous? Greed is dangerous. Selfishness is dangerous. Self indulgence is dangerous. Self importance is dangerous. Seeking wealth and celebrity at the expense of others is dangerous. Gambling as entertainment is not the same thing as gambling for profit. Profit is good as long as making it doesn't consume you.

God put us on this earth to take care of it, to coexist in peace with our neighbors, to help the less fortunate and to be happy. The forces of evil are real and they are working against us. These forces are not some cartoon devil with horns and a long tail. I am not a paranoid nut running around with a "Repent" sign. Evil is real. Stephen Paddock showed us that.

[Tedlark]

To say that gambling as entertainment is not the same thing as gambling for profit is walking a very thin fence. If gambling is for entertainment then it would be a zero sum enterprise for those who consider it gambling and they would NEVER win because they SHOULD dump whatever profit they win right back into the machine to pay for the entertainment.

Just because Paddock lost the amount you allege does this mean that you knew what his overall financial position was? For all any of us know, that 1 1/2 million may only have been a portion of his wealth.

I do not consider you to be a paranoid nut running around with a "Repent" sign but I have found that many of your posts recently have taken on a certain religious tone to them.

[DaBurglar]

The amount he lost is not "alleged", that's a matter of public record now. This is the Anything and Everything section...nowhere is there a prohibition or proviso stating that religion is not to be discussed here...granted, it's generally not appropriate to be discussed in other sections of the forum.

I agree with every concept and statement Phil is making....if you claim to believe in the old and new testament, in Almighty God the Father (Yahweh or Jehovah) and his only begotten son Jesus Christ, then you have to believe in and acknowledge the existence and influence of Satan the devil. The Bible is very clear regarding the devil and evil....1 John 5:19 clearly states " the whole world is lying in the power of the Devil". During the temptation of Christ after he was baptized and annointed as Messiah, Satan offered him all the kingdoms of Earth and all their glory if Jesus would simply bow to him just once. If the world of mankind in general were not Satan's to give, then this temptation would have been meaningless, but it was not meaningless...God has allowed Satan to essentially run human governments and society for a time, since it was Satan who originally challenged God's authority and impugned God's motives when he initiated the rebellion in the garden of Eden. But Satan's time is running out...

Now no one can say with 100% certainty that paddock was possessed and directly performing satanic or demonic directions, but the influence of evil was certainly there. You can't blame the Devil for every single evil act that people do, but at the same time throughout human history there are things which humans do that are evil beyond the reasonable level of normal human weakness, folly or malice. Nazi Germany cones to mind as do all genocides.

In the Bible the primary reason that Christ returns is to destroy the wicked and restore God's rulership and influence over the earth and humanity, like it originally was in the garden of Eden. Christ already sanctified God's name, and ransomed mankind from sin, when he died as a human and was subsequently ressurected back to heaven where he was from and belongs, at the right hand of his father. The devil and his demons will be ultimately destroyed. Until then, he is going to try and cause as much damage as possible because he knows he's doomed.

[DaBurglar]

Here is an example of human evil...it may not seem like a big deal but it is....the "spirit" of this world, where people refuse to get along, treat each other with respect and kindness, where people dehumanize others.....this is all evil. The opposite, where people live and respect one another, is from Christ.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dunkin- ... 48762.html

And yes, the poor victim of this cruelty is white, the perpetrator is African American. Goes to what I always say, you take people one at a time, just as God judges each of us individually according to our hearts and our deeds.

[billryan]

The matter of what he lost, or won is not public record, and based on the games at M.B., he wasn't an advantage player, just a big fish.
There is one local radio show who insist ISIS committed the attack, using several gunmen and the gubbermint is covering it up. Guess who our fearless leader chose to work his followers into a frenzy when he held a rally here last month.

[FloridaPhil]

I do not consider you to be a paranoid nut running around with a "Repent" sign but I have found that many of your posts recently have taken on a certain religious tone to them.

Thank you. My beliefs were formed very early in my life. During my life many things have happened to me that reinforced my religious upbringing. There is no doubt in my mind that God and the Devil are real. God is in us, around us and influences everything we do. He doesn't move us around like chess pieces and he doesn't smite us when we make bad decisions. He gave us the power to decide for ourselves.

God knows that greed make us unhappy and he wants us to avoid temptation. Gambling in itself is not harmful. Gambling for profit is also not harmful. If you can be paid for your entertainment, what's wrong with that? It's when gambling causes harm to people that it becomes a problem.

What I object to is the idolizing of high stakes professional gamblers. If you can make a million dollars a year playing video poker, that's wonderful. What possible good comes out of publicizing that fact? You can teach people to be better VP players without promoting the taking of big risks. Lots of people on this forum have benefited from this information. Billy plays VP and he eats and drinks free. He also trades his comps for local services. He may also make a small profit. I think that is a good thing and I would do the same if I had his games to play. Does Billy announce he lost $30,000 in an afternoon and say it doesn't bother him? Does he claim that math will get him his money back plus a profit when there is no such guarantee? Will he feel responsible for the harm he causes to someone trying to duplicate his results?

Teaching people that video poker is beatable is one thing. Teaching people that playing VP bigger is a necessary part of your strategy is evil. It festers greed and causes harm. I am sorry if this conflicts with the beliefs of others.

[Tedlark]

Again, what do you find objectionable about those who may idolize professional gamblers? Why would this idol worship be any different from those who idolize professional athletes? How many people idolized Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez, and the rest of the whole "needle in the hip" bunch? They sure acted the part of an iconic athelete but, Oops! The truth comes out twice a week 2cc's at a time.

Phil, what's with mentioning billryan and Bob Dancer here in this thread? Are they the root of your evil?

[billryan]

Obsession. You're my obsession.
Who do you want me to be to make you sleep with me?
Only the deepest and darkest of minds puts myself and Bob Dancer in the same category.
Some day, perhaps I'll do something worthy of being included with the premiere video poker player in the world, but right now it seems limited to the lunatic fringe.