***OFFICIAL CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON NOW THREAD***

[BooG690]

Contacting the Congress: A Citizen's Congressional Directory

Click your state, contact your congressman or woman. Let's stop slacking off and instead give them an earful. Don't put it off anymore. Now is the time.

[a500lbgorilla]

What are we giving them an earful of? I actually called my Senator on a whim a few weeks ago to see how easy it was to get the ear of my representative. I know how I can get a message to him but all I'd know what to say is "UIGEA" of 2006 sucks, now online poker has been killed, I don't like it, what do you think of it?

And I'm sure his answer will be UIGEA is law. Law enforcement is enforcing the law.

[philly and the phanatics]

yea any hints on what to say would be great

[Ender]

If you start off with the 'this is the time' attitude, you most likely won't get listened to at all. Like rilla said, they'll just state the obvious about the UIGEA and expect you to nod and smile, because your representatives are 'looking out for you'.

[cr4zybe4utifu1]

Nerd I am, I'm looking into just exactly what the UIGEA says it outlaws and the charges being made against the poker room. If I'm remembering correctly, the UIGEA prohibits payments from online gambling entities. And, if I'm still remembering correctly, poker has been classified as a game of skill (similar to chess), not as a game of luck, time and time again in court rulings, making it not fall into the category of "online gambling." That I think would make the UIGEA not apply to online poker.

The Poker Player Alliance is also going to be issuing an official statement soon, and I'm sure that they will have some recommendations on what to say.

[BooG690]

For starters, simply ask them on their position concerning online poker. Ask them what they are doing to help push toward the legalization of online poker. If they are against online poker, tell them they will be losing a vote during the next elections. Granted, your voice is only one vote. If enough people call, they'll hear us sooner or later.

Actually, they probably won't. This government is so FUCKING corrupt. UGH.

[cr4zybe4utifu1]

For starters, simply ask them on their position concerning online poker. Ask them what they are doing to help push toward the legalization of online poker. If they are against online poker, tell them they will be losing a vote during the next elections. Granted, your voice is only one vote. If enough people call, they'll hear us sooner or later.

Actually, they probably won't. This government is so FUCKING corrupt. UGH.

Could also point out that if they had regulated poker in the first place this wouldn't have happened (lying to banks, etc.).

[bigred]

Could also point out that if they had regulated poker in the first place this wouldn't have happened (lying to banks, etc.).

I'd lean more towards the infusion of new tax money due to regulated, legal online poker industry. Money talks.

[bigred]

For starters, simply ask them on their position concerning online poker. Ask them what they are doing to help push toward the legalization of online poker. If they are against online poker, tell them they will be losing a vote during the next elections. Granted, your voice is only one vote. If enough people call, they'll hear us sooner or later.

Actually, they probably won't. This government is so FUCKING corrupt. UGH.

I can't be the only one who finds this bolded statement hilarious. Government seizes illegal money laundering operations -> corrupt government

[BooG690]

I can't be the only one who finds this bolded statement hilarious. Government seizes illegal money laundering operations -> corrupt government

I never said the government being corrupt had anything to do with them seizing the money. To be honest, they have a good case in doing so.

My corrupt government statement has everything to do with my voice meaning zero in this country and politicians doing whatever the fuck they want and whatever the fuck fattens their pocket most.

[BennyLaRue]

WHO IS MY CONGRESSPERSON?!?!

[Warpe]

NEWS RELEASE Carolyn Kemp
For Immediate Distribution [email protected]
(202) 617-3074

PPA Comments on Federal Action Against Online Poker Companies

WASHINGTON, DC. (April 15, 2011) – Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide, issued the comment below on today’s announcement on federal action taken against online poker companies.

“On behalf of the millions of poker players across the country, we are shocked at the action taken by the U.S. Department of Justice today against online poker companies and will continue to fight for Americans’ right to participate in the game they enjoy. Online poker is not a crime and should not be treated as such. We are currently gathering all of the information around today’s announcement and will offer detailed analysis when the full facts become available.”

###

About The Poker Players Alliance
The Poker Players Alliance (www.theppa.org) is a nonprofit membership organization comprised of over 1,000,000 online and offline poker players and enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and to protect poker players' rights.

[Warpe]

PPA: Action Center

[supa]

PPA: Action Center

If you click the link at the PPA action center to send a letter to congress there's an editable text that you can send.

[supa]

Took about 1 minute to send the unedited message from above. It certainly couldn't hurt if everyone did the same.

[TerminalFrost]

The White House also has a web page you can use to submit comments, but I can't use URL's but you can find it whitehouse,gov/contact

This is my first (and not my last) sent this am:

I strongly object both to the UIGEA, which I consider an unjust, hypocritical law and to the DOJ's actions on Friday to limit my ability to enjoy my hobby from the privacy of my own home. As a taxpayer, voter and American citizen, I feel my rights as a free person were violated in 2006 by the actions of Bill Frist in attaching the UIGEA to the Safe Harbor Act in an effort to limit free trade and to impose the morals of the religious right on all Americans.

The exceptions to this law are extensive and hypocritical. No one cares if a little old lady spends her entire social security check on lottery tickets, where her chances of winning are ridiculously low and the "rake" is 50%. But if I want to pay $1.20 to play a tourney online, someone feels I need to be protected from myself.

Poker, as a game of skill, needs to be given an exception to this onerous law.

Thank you for any relief you can give to millions of Americans who are now deprived of their right to play with players around the world. Imagine the irony that I can no longer play with Iranians, Chinese or Russians. Where is the America I was brought up to believe was commited to personal freedoms?
__________________
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PHONE CALL TODAY?
Eric Holder, AG 202-514-2001, White House 202-456-1111

[Monty3038]

Letter sent... I'm pissed off about it and I probably have the lowest balance of anyone on here.

[scott_owen]

just fired this off to the whitehouse.

In light of the weekends actions regarding the UIGEA I feel the need to speak out against such poor decisions made by a nation considered a world leader.

The UIGEA is a law that restricts the freedom of people living in a nation boldly declaring itself “the land of the free”. It is a hypocritical law, preventing your nation’s people from enjoying a pass time that would be legal simply by changing the environment it is performed in.

The choice to gamble is an individual’s decision, and your government has shown over time that gambling in a live setting is considered acceptable in many forms. I strongly object to a government making that choice for a person be it in that live setting or online in their own home. Even more so, I am deeply enraged that that decision has affected the game of poker. A game known to be won or lost based on skill, not chance.

Beyond that, the game of poker, when played online, has given me a worldwide network of friends. Many of whom have just been stripped of their favourite pastime without a justifiable cause; in some cases friends have essentially lost their livelihoods. That is to say their own government has fired them without cause. Potentially millions of your citizens are in fear that their money has been seized and that they will never see it again.

Your law makes the transfer of money by US payment processors illegal; it does not make playing illegal. If the sites involved in the FBI indictment did commit the said crimes I do not support their actions. However, they did not steal money. The money belongs to, and would have been returned to the players on these sites. If your nation’s actions result in loss of funds then your government will be liable. You will have stolen from your own citizens, and potentially from people the world over.

I, and an enormous number of people I have spoken to on this issue over the last few days are exceedingly disappointed by the actions of the US government and sincerely hope that you will work quickly toward legalizing and regulating online poker in your country for the enjoyment and benefit of people both in your homeland and around the world.

Sincerely
xxxxx

[PlayToWin]

The choice to gamble is an individual’s decision

Hey, I'm not hatin. That's a pretty good letter. But for others that decide to write, I think it's a good idea to NEVER use the word gamble/gambling. The PPA wants to distinguish "poker" from gambling by regarding it as a game of skill.

[scott_owen]

NEVER use the word gamble/gambling.

yeh i think i agree with this.. but its 50/50.

I wanted to address the hypocrisy of the law in relation to american values, aswell as the fact that poker shouldn't even be a part of it. I think you can write an effective letter either way though

i think "freedom of choice" is a harder punch than "poker is a skill game" though both are completely legitimate arguments.

[Ender]

I'd agree to the thought of freedom of choice, but when I write (well, used to in school) essays and all that, I always tried to avoid using the terms that the reader used in their arguments. Never remind them of their own thoughts, only provide reasoning and input against their ideas.

I'd say your letter was certainly well thought out and well written though, not taking anything away from you there.

[mrhappy333]

Welcome to our free country.

[BooG690]

PPA Take Action | Poker Players Alliance
The United States Department of Justice | Facebook

You can even take this fight to their Facebook wall.

[BennyLaRue]

PPA Take Action | Poker Players Alliance
The United States Department of Justice | Facebook

You can even take this fight to their Facebook wall.

Yes, it's a good idea to flag your Facebook acct for the FBI to monitor as a threat to democracy. You do that.

ZACK DE LA ROCHA WAS RIGHT!

[kiwiMark]

check out that slug of a mustache on the DOJ banner on the PPA page. so solid.

[supa]

Looks like they've updated the PPA action page to include more addressees. I can't imagine that sending multiple letters to the same addressee could hurt either. I'm sending everything I can to everyone everyday until some kind of action is taken. The squeaky wheel ...blah, blah. Get involved, get loud and get our right to play poker back.

[Monty3038]

While not the response hoped for... here is the response received after I submitted:

Dear Mr. Montgomery,
Thank you for contacting our office. After receiving your email, I researched the bills referenced in your message in order to learn more about them, as they are federal legislation, not Ohio legislation. After researching the issue, I found that neither H.R. 2267 or S.B. 1597 were ever passed into law. While the legislation was introduced, it was never brought to the floor or passed in either chamber. At the end of every two year session of Congress, any legislation that was not passed into law must be re-introduced, so either bill would have to start the entire legislative process all over again, and so far it does not seem like that has happened. Our office will continue to monitor the issue, as well as a number of other pieces of federal legislation, in order to assess what impacts laws of Congress might have on the citizens here in Ohio. Thank you again for contacting our office, and please feel free to contact us in the future if you have any new information about internet gambling regulation.

Sincerely,

Mike Cunnington
Legislative Aide, Rep. Todd McKenney