The Gamble

United States philosopher Lysander Spooner tried to tell us that "vices are not crimes," but somehow that aphorism has not penetrated the thick skulls of people who write laws.

Lives are risked, tens of thousands of dollars are spent in the ultimately hopeless effort at stamping out illegal gambling, specifically in the Los Angeles area in this entry of the "Police Story" series.

Gambling, prostitution, even drug peddling are what are called "victimless crimes" or "consensual crimes." Based on such shows as this, those acts, those vices, seem to be where armed police spend most of their time and energy.

My own experience as a police reporter, including in Los Angeles, prove cops do a lot more, but nothing, I believe, is so futile, so wasteful, and so needlessly dangerous as trying to enforce vice laws.

This entry, "The Gamble," does a pretty good job of showing all that, as well as giving us an engaging story. Angie Dickinson looked lovely, and her acting talent just grew.

Other than the evil premise of using law to coerce "moral" behavior, this show is one more I highly recommend of a series I very highly recommend.