bumpy bump

I'm going to add to that list in the next week or so. I'll add GOP/Dem, the specific committees, and problably a few more facebook pages for the against/unknowns. I'm a little burnt out on lists right now, though.

Done.

Let's all call Congress and respectfully demand our rights. These should be short, friendly calls. These are not debates, so there is no need to worry about preparation. Rather, the goal of the call is simply to let these lawmakers know that their constituents support the right to play.

For the phone numbers of your elected representatives, either click here or visit the PPA Take Action page and scroll down to item #2.

Here are some tips on what to say to the staffer who answers the phone:

• I am a constituent, voter and a poker enthusiast.
• (For Representatives) Please support H.R. 2366, a bipartisan bill to license and regulate Internet poker.
• (For Senators) H.R. 2366 has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. I would like the Senator to support Senate legislation to license and regulate Internet poker.
• Regulation means strong consumer protections as well as billions of dollars in federal and state revenue.
• Please support my freedoms and support this bill.
• Thank you.
• I would like a response from the Representative/Senator.

After your call, tell PPA how it went, at http://go.theppa.org/callfeedback. Then, please post ITT to encourage others. Thanks!

Recurring actions:

Let's continue to own a lot of Facebook pages (senators, congressmen, Congressional committees, etc.). We need lots of posts on the issue of poker and lots of "liking" of pro-poker comments:

• The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Facebook page is here.
• The House Financial Services Committee's Facebook page is here.
• The Dept. of Justice's Facebook page is here.

Thanks!

Rep. Howard Coble responded to us: http://www.facebook.com/HowardCoble6...20853754617890

Today, I hit the against and undecided/unknown from here: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=710 as J.K. Ludwig. Please "like" my comment. Thanks.

H.R. 2366, the Online Poker Act, has been referred to three committees in the House: Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, and Financial Services. Let's Facebook them all!

The FOR/AGAINST/UNDECIDED/UNKNOWN after each name is based on H.R.1174, the Campbell/Frank online gaming bill. The names with an “x” in front of them are those who do not allow direct posting on their Facebook wall. No problem for us. Just post a comment in response to a post already on the page. PLEASE BE SENSITIVE about this though. If the post says the Congressperson is being treated for cancer, don’t bother them with poker. Tell them to get well soon. Be sensitive to what’s going on in their state, too – wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, etc. And PLEASE say please and thank you. Courtesy goes a long way.

Oh, and let’s all try to get the bill number correct. It’s H.R. 2366.

Let's all also remember to revisit these walls to like the posts and comments made since your last visit. Thanks!


For

Joe Barton, TX Facebook Contact THE MAN
x Peter T. King, NY Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
x John Campbell, CA Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
Steve Cohen, TN Facebook Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
x Ron Paul, TX Facebook Facebook Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
x Barney Frank, MA Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
John Conyers, Jr., MI Facebook Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
Linda Sanchez CA Facebook Facebook Contact CO-SPONSOR
Michael E. Capuano, MA Facebook Contact
Judy Biggert, IL Facebook Contact
Maxine Waters, CA Facebook Contact
Al Green, TX Facebook Contact
Gwen Moore, WI Facebook Contact
André Carson, IN Facebook Facebook Contact
John D. Dingell MI Facebook Facebook Contact
x Edward J. Markey, MA Facebook Facebook Contact
Edolphus Towns, NY Facebook Contact
William Lacy Clay, MO Facebook Contact
x Ed Perlmutter, CO Facebook Contact
Bobby L. Rush, IL Facebook Contact
Eliot L. Engel, NY Facebook Contact
Lois Capps, CA Facebook Facebook Contact
Jay Inslee, WA Facebook Facebook Contact
Tammy Baldwin, WI Facebook Facebook Contact
Doris O. Matsui, CA Facebook Contact
Marsha Blackburn, TN Facebook Facebook Contact
Leonard Lance, NJ Facebook Contact
Darrell Issa, CA Facebook Facebook Facebook Contact
Howard L. Berman, CA Facebook Contact
Bobby Scott, VA Facebook Contact
x Sheila Jackson Lee, TX Facebook Facebook Contact
x Henry (Hank) Johnson, GA Facebook Contact
Ted Deutch, FL Facebook Contact
Fred Upton, MI Facebook Facebook Contact
Jerrold Nadler, NY Facebook Facebook Contact
Mel Watt, NC Facebook Contact
Michael G. Grimm, NY Facebook Facebook Contact

Against

x Spencer Bachus, AL Facebook Contact
Edward R. Royce, CA Facebook Contact
Donald A. Manzullo, IL Facebook Contact
Walter B. Jones, NC Facebook Contact
Scott Garrett, NJ Facebook Contact
Randy Neugebauer, TX Facebook Contact
Patrick T. McHenry, NC Facebook Contact
Shelley Moore Capito, WV Facebook Contact
Michele Bachmann, MN Facebook Facebook Contact
Joe Baca, CA Facebook Contact
David Scott, GA Facebook Contact
x Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ Facebook Contact
Gene Green, TX Facebook Contact
Diana DeGette, CO Facebook Contact
x Jim Matheson, UT Facebook Contact
G. K. Butterfield, NC Facebook Contact
x John Barrow, GA Facebook Contact
Mike Ross, AR Facebook Contact
Cliff Stearns, FL Facebook Contact
x Ed Whitfield, KY Facebook Contact
John Shimkus, IL Facebook Contact
Joseph R. Pitts, PA Facebook Contact
x Mary Bono Mack, CA Facebook Contact
Greg Walden, OR Facebook Contact
x Lee Terry, NE Facebook Contact
x Mike Rogers, MI Facebook Contact
Sue Myrick, NC Facebook Contact
John Sullivan, OK Facebook Contact
Tim Murphy, PA Facebook Contact
Michael Burgess, TX Facebook Contact
x Brian P. Bilbray, CA Facebook Contact
x Phil Gingrey, GA Facebook Contact
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA Facebook Contact
Lamar Smith, TX Facebook Contact
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., WI Facebook Contact
Howard Coble, NC Facebook Contact
x Elton Gallegly, CA Facebook Contact
x Bob Goodlatte, VA Facebook Contact
Dan Lungren, CA Facebook Contact
x Randy Forbes, VA Facebook Contact
x Steve King, IA Facebook Contact
Trent Franks, AZ Facebook Contact
Louie Gohmert, TX Facebook Contact
Jim Jordan, OH Facebook Contact
Mike Pence, IN Facebook Contact
Jason Chaffetz, UT Facebook Contact

Undecided/Unknown

x Jeb Hensarling, TX Facebook Contact
x Frank D. Lucas, OK Facebook Contact
x Gary G. Miller, CA Facebook Contact
x Thaddeus G. McCotter, MI Facebook Contact
x Kevin McCarthy, CA Facebook Contact
Bill Posey, FL Facebook Contact
x Michael G. Fitzpatrick, PA Facebook Contact
x Lynn A. Westmoreland, GA Facebook Contact
Blaine Luetkemeyer, MO Facebook Contact
Bill Huizenga, MI Facebook Contact
x Sean P. Duffy, WI Facebook Contact
Nan Hayworth, M.D., NY Facebook Contact
James B. Renacci, OH Facebook Contact
Robert Hurt, VA Facebook Contact
Robert J. Dold, IL Facebook Contact
x David Schweikert, AZ Facebook Contact
Francisco "Quico" Canseco, TX Facebook Contact
Steve Stivers, OH Facebook Contact
x Stephen Lee Fincher, TN Facebook Contact
x Luis V. Gutierrez, IL Facebook Contact
x Nydia M. Velázquez, NY Facebook Contact
x Gary L. Ackerman, NY Facebook Contact
x Brad Sherman, CA Facebook Contact
x Rubén Hinojosa, TX Facebook Contact
x Carolyn McCarthy, NY Facebook Contact
Stephen F. Lynch, MA Facebook Contact
x Brad Miller, NC Facebook Contact
x Emanuel Cleaver, MO Facebook Contact
x Keith Ellison, MN Facebook Contact
Joe Donnelly, IN Facebook Contact
x James A. Himes, CT Facebook Contact
x Gary C. Peters, MI Facebook Contact
x John C. Carney, Jr., DE Facebook Facebook Contact
x Michael F. Doyle, PA Facebook Contact
Jan Schakowsky, IL Facebook Contact
x Charles A. Gonzalez, TX Facebook Contact
Donna Christensen, VI Facebook Contact
Kathy Castor, FL Facebook Contact
Charles F. Bass, NH Facebook Contact
Steve Scalise, LA Facebook Contact
Bob Latta, OH Facebook Contact
Gregg Harper, MS Facebook Contact
Bill Cassidy, LA Facebook Contact
x Brett Guthrie, KY Facebook Contact
x Pete Olson, TX Facebook Contact
David McKinley, WV Facebook Contact
Cory Gardner, CO Facebook Contact
x Mike Pompeo, KS Facebook Contact
x Adam Kinzinger, IL Facebook Contact
Morgan Griffith, VA Facebook Contact
Steve Chabot, OH Facebook Contact
Ted Poe, TX Facebook Contact
x Tim Griffin, AR Facebook Contact
x Sandy Adams, FL Facebook Contact
x Ben Quayle, AZ Facebook Contact
x Zoe Lofgren, CA Facebook Contact
Pedro Pierluisi, PR Facebook Contact
Mike Quigley, IL Facebook Contact
Judy Chu, CA Facebook Contact
Anna G. Eshoo, CA Facebook Contact
Tom Marino, PA Facebook Contact
Trey Gowdy, SC Facebook Contact
Dennis Ross, FL Facebook Contact
Stevan Pearce, NM Facebook Contact
Henry A. Waxman, CA NO FACEBOOK Contact
Gregory W. Meeks, NY NO FACEBOOK Contact
Carolyn B. Maloney, NY NO FACEBOOK Contact

Let's call the Justice Department and share with them the fact that players at Full Tilt Poker, UB, and Absolute have not been paid, this despite the sites signing agreements with the DoJ allowing them to do so.

Some contact info:

• Department of Justice Main Switchboard: (202) 514-2000
• Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line: (202) 353-1555
• Office of the Attorney General: (202) 514-2001
• Jim Eastman: (239) 745-5919 (anti-player Eastman comment)
• The Dept. of Justice's Facebook page is here.

The DoJ testified to Congress their opinion that Americans are not breaking federal law in playing (they believe sites themselves are not lawful, though): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTvd8...outu.be&t=2m8s.

Let's hit them up for a couple of days and make our case.

Some tips:

• If you do not wish to identify yourself as a poker player, perhaps refer to yourself as a "poker enthusiast" or something like that.
• If you wish to state that you have a balance locked up on a site but prefer not to mention that you have played the game online for money, simply do not volunteer the extra information. State that you have money locked up on a site and leave it at that.
• I am not a lawyer, so please do not construe any of this as legal advice.

Thanks!

Awesome. Glad to see you made this latest action call, TE.

Thanks for the info. Will make some calls today on my lunch break.

Ed Bishop on facebook, you're not doing us any favors by being a dumbass on the Department of Justice facebook page.

I sent him a Facebook message with a request to delete that comment and to make one more focused on the broader issue.

He's consistent though. His previous comment was about deporting Preet's aunt. Grrrrrr.

For those who have never done advocacy work of any kind before, being a jerk does more to derail our good works than staying out of it. If you can't be a decent human being, just don't advocate for your own cause. There are a lot of lazy poker players out there, but I'd rather you be lazy than stupid.

End sermon.

Let's finish up calling the Justice Department and share with them the fact that players at Full Tilt Poker, UB, and Absolute have not been paid, this despite the sites signing agreements with the DoJ allowing them to do so.

Some contact info:

• Department of Justice Main Switchboard: (202) 514-2000
• Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line: (202) 353-1555
• Office of the Attorney General: (202) 514-2001
• Jim Eastman: (239) 745-5919 (anti-player Eastman comment)
• The Dept. of Justice's Facebook page is here.

The DoJ testified to Congress their opinion that Americans are not breaking federal law in playing (they believe sites themselves are not lawful, though): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTvd8...outu.be&t=2m8s.

Let's hit them up for a couple of days and make our case.

Some tips:

• If you do not wish to identify yourself as a poker player, perhaps refer to yourself as a "poker enthusiast" or something like that.
• If you wish to state that you have a balance locked up on a site but prefer not to mention that you have played the game online for money, simply do not volunteer the extra information. State that you have money locked up on a site and leave it at that.
• I am not a lawyer, so please do not construe any of this as legal advice.

Thanks!

Let's get back to Facebook, focusing on lawmakers in individual states. I'd like to start with Kentucky.

We have really seem a big change here. When UIGEA passed, most of the KY delegation supported it. A mere three years later, the entire KY House delegation, plus Sen. McConnell, signed a PPA-drafted letter requesting a delay in implementation of the UIGEA regulations. The delay letter was based on concerns of the horse industry, but it was great for us to have the cooperation.

The two senators from Kentucky:

Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R]*: http://www.facebook.com/mitchmcconne...03435599705980

Sen. Paul, Rand [R]*: http://www.facebook.com/RandPaul2010...24835400939930


The Commonwealth is divided into 6 congressional districts:

District 1 -- Rep. Whitfield, Edward [R]*: http://www.facebook.com/RepEdWhitfie...65797763492512 (comments with with word "poker" are hidden on this page, so let's simply refer to the game as a card game here).

District 2 -- Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R]*: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...id=21836146886 (comments with links are hidden on this page, so let's not include links in comments here).

District 3 -- Rep. Yarmuth, John [D]: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Congre...3/214258646163 (posts with with word "poker" are hidden on this page, so let's simply refer to the game as a card game here).

District 4 -- Rep. Davis, Geoff [R]: http://www.facebook.com/GeoffDavisfo...=wall&filter=1

District 5 -- Rep. Rogers, Harold [R]: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harold-Rogers/6722039085

District 6 -- Rep. Chandler, Ben [D]*: http://www.facebook.com/congressmanb...87744474618184 (comments with links are hidden on this page, so let's not include links in comments here)

* Does not allow open posting. For these, I posted a link to an existing post to which we can make pro-poker comments.

Rep. Barton has cited our Facebook posts, so we know it works.

Next, let's all go to POPVOX and vote up the two poker bills:

• www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr1174
• www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2366

Thanks!