Alabama law enforcement at its finest

The Shelby County DA had a Columbiana coffee shop raided on Tuesday for hosting "illegal" poker parties. Apparently, this is the first step in a "crackdown" on on such "illegal" games throughout Shelby County. (hattip to Red State Diaries)

From the article:

Shelby County officers from various agencies Tuesday afternoon raided a business they said was the site of an illegal gambling ring just a block from the district attorney's office on Columbiana's Main Street.

Seven members of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force confiscated poker tables, cards and chips from the building that houses the Coffee Kettle coffee shop and Davenport Bonding Co.

And it gets better:

Owens said the raid on the Coffee Kettle was the result of a complaint his office had received from a former poker player who had lost money at the games.

So here's how I see it: DA's cousin/friend/random idiot loses money in a poker game, decides that rather than facing the truth that they stood a good chance of losing in the game of chance, they would report this to the authorities, possibly as a means of vengence. DA sees this as an opportunity to publicly show the good work he does, and so goes for the easy kill. Meanwhile, crystal meth dealers breath a sigh of relief, knowing that members of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force are being put to good use elsewhere.

Shelby County District Attorney Robby Owens, would you please focus your attention on real threats to publis safety. Poker is not killing people. Poker is not causing property damage. Poker is not destroying the youth of our state through chemical addiction. It is a sad fact that law enforcement cannot police everything, and therefore must prioritize what it goes after. your time would be better spent leting the Drug Enforcement Task Force members worry about drug enforcement.

-the Progressive Conservative