Monday, June 29, 2009

Sin City and 900 miles

Mike Cooley of the Driveby Truckers once wrote in his song, "Checkout Time in Vegas," that "...if all to need is a badge to take what's left from from those who've lost it, a badge ain't no more real than bullets are," and I can't help but think the words are so appropriate as watched two casino security guards hover over the motionless body of a woman passed out at the nickle slots.
Perhaps she was drunk, or perhaps she had lost it all, I'll even give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was just tired and didn't want to lose her lucky machine. The point, if there is one, and the reason why I feel Cooley's lyrics are so true is the fact that the two guards were rifling through this lady's purse and prodding her in some attempt to get her to leave or wake up so as to, as Cooley put it, "make sure sin city still shines brighter than creation's dark." To them this woman had no worth, in fact she was prbably harming their business, which gets to the bottom of my fundamental problem with Vegas. Behind the lights, pretty women, and false promises of fortune is an elaborate charade meant to entice people in and swindle then out of their dignity and sense of self worth.

If someone asks me to go in the future, I'll pass...

-WD

1 comment:

Autarkes said...

Great post, Wes. We'll go back one day, with napalm, big game rifles, and a tank to put the city out of its misery.

Best of luck on heading through Arizona.

Cheers,

Troop