Stand Up
Monday, June 22, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
The Poker Players Alliance held a press conference this morning to announce some new initiatives and discuss the current legislative state of affairs. PPA Executive Director John Pappas discussed three recently-launched websites that should help further the PPA’s grass-roots recruitment of poker players to the cause:
- The PPA announced that July 19-25 will be National Poker Week. At least 35 PPA State Directors and several well-known poker players (including Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher and Dennis Phillips) will be in Washington, D.C. to visit with member of Congress and ask them to support the legalization of online poker. There will also be a charity poker tournament (benefitting the USO and Walter Reed Hospital) and other poker-related activities. So if you have some free time in mid-July, or happen to find yourself in our nation’s capital during that time, mark your calendars.
- During National Poker Week PPA representatives will also deliver a petition to President Barack Obama, which you can sign yourself at PokerPetition.com. All you need to do is enter your name, email, and address, and your name will be added to the petition. Pappas said they’re hoping the number of signers is in six-figures–maybe seven–when the petition is presented to the President.
- If you’d like to make a more personal statement about poker you can visit My Poker Story and upload a video describing why you play and love the game. A lot of people are passionate about the game (and passionate about their right to PLAY the game) and a brief video explaining how that fervor came to be adds a personal touch to this unnecessarily contentious issue.
Pappas said that there may be additional legislative initiatives introduced before the start of National Poker Week; he said that Senator Robert Menendez may re-introduce his bill to legalize online poker (his is a more narrowly-defined bill than Representative Barney Frank’s House bill). Rep. Frank may hold a hearing on H.R. 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, & Enforcement Act of 2009 (whew) which would give online poker’s legislative defenders a chance to debate their opponents in public. And further sway public opinion in poker’s direction.
PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato was at the press conference (and as we speak he’s playing in today’s Senior’s Event, his first WSOP tournament) and said that the legislative effort is going forward and that while Rep. Frank’s bill might need “some tweaking” before it comes out of committee he’s confident that they have a piece of legislation that will eventually end up on the President’s desk for signature. And while it may seem odd that poker players need to pull the levers of government in order to get the government to treat us fairly, that’s politics for you. “Big Brother government should not tell you what you can do online,” D’Amato said emphatically. “We should be allowed to do what we want online without the arm of the government intervening.”
D’Amato’s words were echoed by U.S. Representative Shelley Berkley, who serves Las Vegas in the House. “That legislation (the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was an affront to every freedom-loving American,” she said. She also said that it’ll take more than a handful of politicians to wipe the UIGEA off the books. “The only way (Rep. Frank’s) legislation will pass is if we stand up and get involved. Politics is not a spectator sport”.
And there are ways for you to get involved in the process. Sign the petition (I just did, it takes ten seconds). Upload a video, if you have mad camcorder skillz. Rep. Berkley recommended sending your Congresspeople emails in lieu of a written letter (will arrive instantly and is far more likely to be read). And ask your poker-playing friends (or friends who think that adults should be free to live without onerous goverment interference) to do the same. The UIGEA passed in large part because a small group of very vocal people convinced a handful of politicians to subvert the legislative process. To defeat them we need an army of freedom-loving citizens to stand up and be counted. Do your part, and stand up.
Related posts:
- Stand Up I mentioned in my post yesterday that the bracelet ceremonies...
- Upping the Ante Every week seems to bring fresh news about a potential...
- Girding for Battle It seems these days that I write more about legal...
- Change You Can Believe In Last Tuesday saw the inauguration of Barack Obama as our...
- The National Poker Week That Was You can be excused for thinking that once the November...
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, barney frank, barney frank legislation, barney frank poker, poker laws, poker legislation, poker players alliance, ppa, uigea, world series of poker, WSOP
July 26th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
[...] bit of downtime. Bu that wasn’t the case–the Poker Players Alliance declared July 19-25 “National Poker Week” and took the fight to legalize online poker to Washington, D.C. Thirty of the PPA’s state [...]