Extreme Odds

People play the lottery. People play the slots. They play keno, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, bet on sporting events. Kids believe in the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, Santa Claus. Adults believe in Planet Zenu, Joseph Smith, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, amongst other religious figures and icons. Some people still believe President Bush when he speaks. Some believe Bin Laden is dead. Others believe there was a 9/11 cover-up. Heck, some even believe that the Chicago Cubs will win a World Series in the future.

Let's play the odds, shall we? When it comes to keno, blackjack, slot machines, and poker, I haven't seen or heard of people losing TOO much money. Blackjack is a pretty even game, where the house doesn't hold a major advantage. He or she may hold a bit of an edge at poker. Keno takes longer to play, so hopefully less money will be lost. In the slots, there are $1 machines, but also quarter, nickel, and even penny slots. If anyone loses a great deal of money on the penny or nickel slots, they have a serious problem! President Bush lies a great deal, as we've learned, but he thinks he's being honest, so that counts for something, right? Delusional, maybe. The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908, but they at least won that year, so there has to be hope that they can win again, right? There are what, 30 teams? So, every year, they have a 1 in 30 chance of winning. No, those aren't very good odds, but there's still the possibility. Bin Laden hasn't been seen in who knows how long. We've just heard audio tapes. Meanwhile, many leaders from around the world, even people in our own CIA and FBI have stated that he is dead. He had kidney failure and a poor diet back in '01, so to think that he's dead isn't too hard to believe. When it comes to other betting, with the likes of craps, roulette, and sporting events, it seems that more money can be lost and quickly, especially on sporting events. The odds of winning might be in one's favor, but the odds of losing a great deal of money are also higher, as well. A 9/11 cover-up? Well, there have been many holes in the story, changes that have been made, lies spreading faster than the hypothetical avian flu in that fictional movie shown earlier this month, the downing street memos, other scandals in the white house, slow investigations based on some of these scandals or potential scandals, including 9/11, and the fact that families of the victims of 9/11 are the ones who started the truth movement, as it's so known, there is a possibility of a cover-up of some kind. I don't know what the odds are there, but to say that the government knew about the attacks before they occurred and let them happen or had some direct involvement in them isn't too hard to believe. Kids commonly believe in such figures as Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy, but they outgrow that through time, when they find out the truth on the matter. There's a very slim chance at winning the lottery, but then again, there's still that chance, no matter how microscopic it is, there's still that chance. Then, there are people, adults even, who believe in these religious figures until they pass away. Out of all these people and events, what are the three long shots? Winning the lottery, holiday figures, and religious figures.

What's more likely to be true? A jolly big guy dressed in red and white goes on a magical ride across the country with his reindeer leading the way, to reward those that were good for the year with gifts? Winning millions of dollars based on a random set of numbers given to you after spending a few bucks? Or, that a man heard the message of God and wrote a book on it? A man saw the message of God on golden tablets and wrote about it? That a man was born from a woman who'd never engaged in intercourse, that he never made a mistake in his life, sacrificed himself for every living person's wrong doings, and rose from the dead three days after death? I'm going to pull the lottery out, because we know for a fact that it can actually happen. The chances of winning are not good, but it can happen. That brings us down to two, the holiday figures and religious ones. They're kind of one and the same, aren't they? We tell kids these holiday stories to inspire and motivate them to be good, just as authorities tell adults the same thing regarding these religious figures. Be good and you will be rewarded. The authorities are more harsh with the adults on the potential consequences than we are with children, however. We might tell a child that Santa's been known to put coal in stockings of kids who weren't good that year. But, authorities will tell adults that if they don't believe, they will burn in the fiery furnaces of hell for eternity. Heck, with a threat like that, I might have to give the tall tale edge to the religious figures, but it's too close to call, so I'll give it a push between our holiday and our religious figures and icons.