American Atheists Sue Over World Trade Center Cross

By RESHMA KIRPALANI

An atheist group is suing over the inclusion of cross-shaped steel beams, dubbed the "World Trade Center Cross," in the exhibit at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.

Jane Everhart, who is part of the atheist's suit, derided the cross as nothing more than "ugly piece of wreckage" that "does not represent anything … but horror and death."

Last weekend the 17-foot cross, discovered in the rubble of 9/11, was given a "ceremonial blessing" by the Rev. Brian Jordan, removed from it's temporary post near St. Peter's Church and lowered 70 feet into its permanent home inside the museum.

But a group identified as American Atheists filed a lawsuit today claiming the inclusion of the cross-shaped steel beams promotes Christianity over all other religions on public property and diminishes the civil rights of non-Christians.

"The Christian community found a piece of rubble that looked like an icon and they deified it. But really 9/11 had nothing to do with Christianity," said American Atheists president Dave Silverman. "They want a monopoly and we don't want that to happen."

 "It just so happens that the WTC was made out of T-joints and they found a T-joint," Silverman said. "They put it in the church, kept in the church for years, prayed over it, blessed it. You don't get to do that just in the coincidence that your icon looks like a T-joint."

Crossoaders of Nevada of Years Ago

  I received an email the other day in regards to a post I had done on a forum site some time ago. I had used the term "crossroaders" and the email inquired as to what I was referring to with that term.

  It is an old "Nevada" term referring to a type of thief, one who learned a move of some kind on a game or table in a casino, and as a result of his or their "hit" on a club, could win money, not necessarily legally.

  Then, after the "hit" they would meet outside of town, at the "crossroads," thus the term "crossroader."

  Working in the casinos I knew some, and they were a unique breed. They practiced their "move" hours a day, and in many cases, they were the only one who knew that particular "move." They were all extremely intelligent, had razor sharp minds, and as we said, "had more guts than a slaughterhouse."

  I liked every corssroader I met. They were a unique breed, never wanted to be too loud or pretentious, just did their "move," smiled and left the table.
  They all loved to get away with things, anything they could. They practiced their art, whether in a casino or in a carry out or a clothing store.
  On one occasion, I was sitting box on a crap table at the Primm. I had just come back from a break, and was talking with the two dealers on the table and mentioned that I had just been to a men's clothing store, saw a suite I liked, described it briefly and that was it.
  When I went on my next break, a man i recognized beckoned me outside to his car, and there was the suit, and in my size, half price. Crosssroaders were good.

  Buster Smoot, Wesley West, Blondy Johnson, were a few I knew or came into contact with.

  My introduction to "them" was at the Nevada Club, I was training to be a dealer. Early one morning I was on a table my myself with a shill. A "hick" came up to the table, bib overalls, plaid shirt, a real hayseed. He made a few stupid bets, threw the dice, and won. Made a few more stupid bets and won. Made a few BIG bets and was getting ready to throw the dice when I heart Fitz let out a yell. The "hick" picked up his money and headed for the door.

  It was Blondy Johnson, he saw a new dealer, at first, Fitz was not in his "cashiers cage" so Blondy took a shot. Made a few bucks so he was happy. They showed me what he did, so I learned a good lesson, so that was the end of it.

  Not to long ago I heard from a Granddaughter, I think she was, of Buster Smoot. She had never met him, and wanted some information. He apparently had been shot and killed in Las Vegas. I told her what I knew.

  Buster was a real Nevada character.

Crossroaders

I  am not sure who wrote this article, most of which I agree with. I knew a number of "crossroaders," travelled with a few of them to learn how to protect a game, they were a breed all to themselves. Names like Blondy Johnson, Buster Smoot, the Preacher, the Cowboy, and my favorite, Wesley J. West.  There were two brothers who lived in San Jose, California. Had their own airplane. They would get something lined up in Vegas, fly in, do their "thing" and fly back home, Blondy was my first. He slide an 11 on me early one morning when I was training at the Nevada Club. He was wearing bib overalls and looked like a farmer.

He rented the NICE house he lived in, leased his car, owned nothing. Was an excellent golfer and pool player, when he wanted to, hustled and made BIG money at both, as well as poker.

The origin of the term crossroader was this. They would hit a casino, do their thing, whatever it was, and then meet out of town afterwards, "at the crossroads." They were a rare breed.

I was driving with Wesley and a few of them one time, from Elko to Reno. Stopped in Battle Mountain to get something to eat. Wesley noted a new dealer on a table, could not resist. We ended up leaving there with the aid of tear gas pens, which Wesley happened to have a few of. Never did eat. I forget the next town, but went into a carry out type grocery store. They stole lunch meat, bread, cheese, chips, pop, etc. They were probably carrying about ten thousand or more between them, but they would rather steal it than buy it, they just kept in practice.

Crossroaders were some of  the most intelligent people I have ever met, and a unique breed. One, I heard, ended up getting shot, in Vegas.

A "crossroader" is a highly skilled professional gambling cheat that uses one or more techniques to gain an unfair advantage (or flat-out steal) in a game of chance. The term probably originated in the Old West and was used to describe a cheater that frequented saloons that were usually located at the crossroads of small towns. A crossroader would spend many hours learning a specific skill, such as card manipulation or dice switching, so he could fleece suckers in the many private games that flourished in the latter third of the nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth.


The skills a crossroader needed were passed along from cheater to would be cheater and techniques were refined over the years. With the involvement of America in WWII, many crossroaders enlisted, so they could have the opportunity to fleece the thousands of GI’s that wanted a momentary diversion from the monotony and the horrors of war. The number of gambling supply factories that specialized in the manufacturing of marked card and loaded dice increased dramatically in the war years and all of them did a booming business. Famed magician and gambling expert John Scarne recognized this and gave demonstrations to members of our armed forces, in an effort to educate our GI’s in the methods of cheaters.

Since the end of the war coincided with growth of legalized gambling in Nevada, it was only natural that some crossroaders decided to call Reno or Las Vegas their new home. Other crossroaders wore out their welcome in illegal gambling Mecca’s such as Steubenville Ohio, Hot Springs Arkansas and Galveston Texas. Some of them became "bustout dealers" that were hired by the casinos to "enhance" the house percentage. Others worked in gangs that took full advantage of the fact that there was no "eye in the sky." Understand that even catwalks weren’t invented for many years, so if someone made a move when the bosses were looking the other way, who was going to see it? Some were dealers that either worked with an "agent" (partner in crime) and did things like deal seconds or overpay bets to them or they wore "subs" (a hidden pocket in the pants or apron) and stole as many silver dollars and five-dollar checks they thought they could get away with. Sometimes they would pass off their subs to their agent by meeting them in the restroom and passing it under the stalls.

Eventually the "wild west" settled down a bit, due primarily to the advent of surveillance. Another factor is that the federal government eventually cracked down on the companies that manufactured crooked dice and cards, forcing the few remaining manufacturers underground. It has been said that the era of the crossroader has, in all but a few cases, has come to an end. Perhaps, but I had a known dice slider get a shot on a game that I was sitting box on because surveillance contended the die tumbled, when I knew it actually slid. A friend of mine caught two BJ players mucking cards in on a game. I caught some flea doing the $27 for $3 switch on my game and we later found out that he had used that move for many years without being caught. I was working on a crew where one of the dealers was caught handing off a stack of green to his agent. I was working in a joint that caught a dealer changing into a disguise in the parking lot. Apparently she had been stealing red and silver for months from her BJ game and then changing into a disguise, so she could become her alter ego and cash out on her breaks. I have worked in at least three casinos that fired a BJ dealer for tipping their hole card to a George.

All of this makes me wonder how far removed the industry really is from the "wild west" days. If I have been exposed to this much in my career (and much more) can you imagine how much more was going on? It has been suggested and I tend to agree, the era of the highly skilled crossroader has all but disappeared but a few are probably still out there and there will always be a supply of people with larcenous intentions.

Crossroaders

Got an email over the weekend, he wanted to know if I had heard the term "crossroaders."
YES, a term we used to use in Nevada, not sure if it is still in use.
It referred to those who devoted all their time and energy to "stealing" from a casino. Some of the cleverest and most intelligent people I have ever met and known, were crossroaders.
The term originated in the old days, when the towns in Nevada were small, an "arrangement" of some kind was made to take money from a casino, and after the "hit" they would meet out of town, at the "crossroads." Thus the term.
Casinos have money, money for the taking, and if you develop a move or a system, or whatever, and can take the money without getting caught, it is there for the taking.
I knew people in Nevada who devoted hours a day to practicing some move, "mucking" cards, short stacking, adding to a stack, a shot on a craptable, marking cards, daubing .... and I mean days and weeks of practicing till their move was perfected.
I was promoted to a "boxman" on a craptable, and was offered an opportunity to "travel the road" a bit, in order to learn how to protect my table.
So, I got to know a lot of them, got to know a few rather well, they were a rare and interesting breed.
I learned early on, when dealing a game, never be overheard saying, "Oh, I love that suit."
In a short while, a person, a hanger, and that or a similar suit would appear, at a greatly reduced price. I know, I built up my wardrobe that way. Even got two pair of alligator shoes that way. Shirts and underwear you had to purchase.
I have watched old Wesley West, carry a book of matches, concealed in his hand, have one laying on the bed or a table, pick it up, and drop the concealed book in exactly the same spot, completely undetected.
There was not the surveillance in those days there is today.
I knew some brothers, from San Jose, California, had their own airplane. They would get something lined up, fly in to Vegas, extract their money, score, or whatever term you like, and they fly back to California. They lived well, nice homes, and basically that was all they did.
One of the old timers, and the first one to "take advantage" of me when I was a "dealer trainee," lived in Reno, by the golf course, rented house, leased car, nothing in his name, and was an expert at whatever he did. He had been a crossroader all his life.
They used to have weekend golf tournaments in Reno, he never won on the weekend. But a few of the money players would stay over a day or two, get a little "action," and they his game improved. He was a great golfer, but no one knew that, except those he beat.
I went with him one time to pick up a new golf cart, his old one had worn out. We spent an hour beating it up to look like his old one.
He drove an older car, kinda beat up, but it had new "everything" on and in it. He never looked like he had any money. Even wore bib overalls at times. No pretense.
He was good. Took me a long time to learn not to "flip for coffee" with him. He would let me call it, I never won.
He finally told me how he did it. When he flipped the silver dollar, it was always the same number of revolutions, if he caught it here, it was tails, up here, heads.
Pool, he was an expert, he could not even hold a cue right, until the money was right.
We went bowling one night, he limped out of his house, limped in to the bowling alley, in practice he was awful, I had a real pigeon here.
Until money entered the scene. Then it all came back to him. He never kept or knew his average, same in golf, no handicap, he just could bring it on, when the money was on the line, and he didn't want anyone to see how good he was, till it was too late.
They had a pro golf tournament one weekend in Reno, years ago, mostly West coast pros and club pros. Quite a few of them stayed over a day or two, as they often did. Got some heavy betting going on. He won more, on monday, than the tournament winner got on Sunday.