New York, New York

Around 1 A.M. last Thursday morning the insistent hum and ringing that suffused the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas was interrupted by the putt...putt...putt of a series of gunshots. They were fired by a woebegone white middle-aged man with, well, issues, who stood at the entry balcony and aimed vaguely at some anonymous gamblers whose luck, from a given perspective, was either terrific or terrible. A few folks were hit, none seriously, and the gunman was wrestled down by some bold bystanders who definitely ought to be comped the next time they visit.

So ended the July 4th celebration that fell midweek in our nation's gaming capital. It was of some significance to me because I had just been there as early as that morning, and had driven away after an agreeable three-day visit. I was never endangered by the shooter, since it is my policy to avoid casinos named after cities, where I never do well (New York, Paris). The weather was horrendous, unless you like eternal sauna, and perhaps it was the heat that drove the gunman over the edge of whatever despair was consuming him. That the perpetrator was caught without doing major harm, and will be suitably punished with, I bet, a 40-year prison term, is somewhat comforting. But I can't shake the feeling that this is not going to be the only violent incident in that venue. In fact, there had been some gunshots exchanged a few weeks ago at the Frontier, I believe, and there are occasional robbery attempts. But when I witness the massive crowds flocking the Strip and the all the casinos, where entry is apparently unguarded, I ponder fearfully on how much of a luscious terrorist target this place happens to be.

In Showtime's lurid and exciting series "Sleeper Cell," the most "successful" terrorist blows herself up at a Las Vegas gathering of veterans, killing over 500 people. Not that so awful an event is likely to occur, but I will never forget that Chris Carter's "Lone Gunman" show foretold the World Trade Center attacks quite accurately. There are few arenas in the world that crowd so many persons in so tight a space as a Las Vegas Casino. Security is pretty tight, I'm sure--at least TV's "Las Vegas" suggests so--and it's a good thing that the garages are located at suitable distances from where most of the players congregate, which would minimize bomb casualties. But nothing can prevent the solo asssassin to commit the kind of carnage that our New York visitor attempted. I guess luck did play a hand.

One perverse reason that terrorists may be abstaining from a Las Vegas attack is that the town can offer them a source of financing that is not easy to get otherwise. (Caution: I am about to make racist statements). I have occasionally sat at gaming tables where other players were of Arab origin, including this week, when I played "Three-Card poker" at a table with an ornery and humorless Arab couple. (I know he was humorless because I mentioned aloud how he and I were both wearing identical baseball caps, and though he understood, did not crack a smile.) Although I like to pretend I am without prejudice, I really really wanted him to lose, lest (in my most paranoid expectations) he use the funds to buy some explosives for his cell mates. And I can't forget that right before the 9/11 attacks, several of the terrorists enjoyed a stopover in Vegas for some gaming and womanizing. Wonder that the Quran says about that?

While my luck at New York, New York has been dismal, the casino itself has been lucky enough to avoid some major misfortunes, including the quick resolution of a potentially disastrous incident. Even moreso, it benefited by a remarkably prescient decision not to include the World Trade Center in its massive skyscraper melange that dominates its edifice. After 9/11 there was a relatively tasteful display of flowers and testimonials along the entranceway, but the owners were surely thanking the architect for not putting the casino in the position of having the tear down that painful reminder of our nation's worst moment, while film and TV producers were scrambling to airbrush images of the WTC out of their backgrounds.

In pleasanter news, though, the theme of New York, New York will be becoming more dominant as the news year proceeds, with the two leading Presidential candidates coming from the Empire state, as well as a potential Independent in New York's successful Mayor Bloomberg. Not to mention the upcoming World Series victory by the New York Mets, on which I placed a wager right before I left town. Okay, the Yankees aren't going to be involved, and I will be slightly bummed, but Gotham is on the rise.