I suspect none of your money was used.

I don't know why TE and skall keep on feeding the trolls, these haters are probably pre-teens that don't get enough attention from mommy and daddy ... like do you really think that you can debate and use rational and logic with trolls? save your energy for better things imho and keep fighting the good fight.

Your track record is equal to my personal (not PPA's) track record??? LOL

Thanks. I try to address criticisms when they are raised, but it is clear this guy is simply looking for attention.

Yeah when a congressman says he is in works with an organization to draft a bill. I guess that means that organization is a joke.

This thread just kills me all I hear is wining but what are you wieners doing to help the fight for poker rights.

My post count is going way down on average, and a large part of that is no longer responding to trolls. I admit, though, that on occasion I simply can't resist, sorry.

But sometimes it is necessary that a point be made. Not because there is any real chance of changing a troll into a prince, but because there are other folks who read these forums who may not be entirely familiar with the history and background of the situation and they need to read some facts amidst all the screaming.

Skallagrim

Really? You went to meet with lawmakers and brought former Sen. Porter with you to help? You delivered 90,000 letters to lawmakers, too? You brought attention to the issue that wasn't there before? Well, why didn't you say so?

Skall, TE, serious question:

If the CA bill goes through with all the negatives currently in the bill, would the successful passage of a federal bill such as Barton's overturn some of the aspects of the CA bill?

Namely, player criminalization, inability forr CA residents to play out of state, etc...

What are the chances that a federal bill can be passed before the CA bill? Isn't the risk that once the Correa bill is successfully implemented, other states will follow with similarly disastrous bills?

My issue with you is that you continue to tout this "lobbying Congress" thing when other groups are forming solidarity movements on local and state levels and I don't see your organization even trying to do the same. In fact Unions are moving to using there lobbying efforts from Capitol Hill to the State House where its been far more effective.

Also You haven't been honest about the level by which you were influenced personally by FTP sugar daddy(yes it a divisive term) relationship with you Papas and Mr Flemming.

All you can say is that im calling you a "liar" yeah i called you and the PPA Shills during your association with FTP(where two of the professed owners were on your board) and shilling for them in the weeks after black Friday. I said it because it was true.

I'm not going to applauded you for finally making announcements of certain board resignations weeks after the proverbial **** hit the fan with Black Friday and with FTP not paying players back.

I'm also not going to poo poo the recent rally you had on Capitol Hill because its at least a start(all though its Capitol Hill and not a State Capitol House). However I would not be beating my chest in triumph if I were you by pointing to that anemic demonstration. I'll point out to you that even that small showing garnered you more press than you've had on issues like the seizing of funds from 22 months ago.

LotF,

If the CA bill passes before any federal legislation, CA will probably opt out of federal legislation. So, the federal bill won't overturn the state bill, unfortunately.

However, CA could choose later on to opt into the federal program. Unfortunately, as the bill is now written, it requires CA to opt out of any federal poker bill, so that law would have to be overturned first.

Thanks, and wow...that bill is truly horrible for us, which is unfortunately going to make it that much more attractive to the big money involved and that much more likely to pass.

I've been perfectly honest. You simply lobbed some baseless accusations. Mason Malmuth posted to correct you:

Many wanted PPA to oppose the Reid bill specifically to defend FTP and PS, and complained that PPA was not supporting those sites. Now some are posting as if we should have never supported any sites offering services to the U.S. after the passage of UIGEA. Well, PPA has been consistent in its support for our rights as poker players and I'm proud to be associated with the organization.

And if the PPA had a guy putting as much effort that Pappas puts on Capitol Hill in Sacramento would the CA Bill be in the state its in?

Sir, States are on the hook for budgets and This is an easy fix to raise revenue why isn't the PPA there making sure they influence these bills on the players behalf in some way? Its going to happen sooner rather than later on the state level and its going to be written by Big Casinos and money grubbing possibly corrupt state officials. You're talking to Congress?

The Federal Government is pretty much jacked and the movement of the people is going to be on the state level more than ever in the ensuing decades...

If we're lucky we'll get the federal bill first. CA will still be able to opt out and try for their bill later, but they may look bad at that point if the bill retains the provisions you noted earlier.

Not me, I am questioning the slowness of the Board to condemn(if that has actually happened yet) two Federally indicted Companies after April 15. I have yet to get a letter from the PPA with words saying.

"Hey, FTP and PS were keeping the lights on. Now we have to distance ourselves from them please send me 10 bucks or what you can so we can continue the fight for......"

I know you're auto responders are working cause I'm getting emails about the Washington Fly in ect....

You guys have the emails phone numbers and address of over ONE MILLION PEOPLE.

Leader Lead and getting on the phone appealing to your members is a start.

Mr Muny I know you have to remain optimistic but how are you going to get a Federal Bill Passed when you couldn't get one passed during the biggest lame duck congress since Hoover Left Office?

Especially with a presidential campaign with larger issues like immigration and the possible resending of Medicare on the agenda?

Sure, but what about the other 49 states? It's not like PPA has a money printing press. Additionally, these are areas where state interests should at least be at the table with us assisting. If there is no interest by state businesses, it's makes our job pretty tough.

Still, I have personally met with my state lawmakers and asked them to support both opting into federal bills and an intrastate game.

John Pappas testified before the CA legislature with player concerns. Also, PPA does lobby in CA with regard to this bill.

This is a damn good question actually. But there is no real definite answer at this time. It all depends on how far each side (CA or the Feds) is willing to push the issue.

IMH legal Opinion, Congress would be within its powers under the Commerce Clause to require that if a state has any online poker, it would have to be part of the Federal System. I do not think the Feds have the authority to require a state to allow a specific activity if the state otherwise does not allow similar activity (so there will always be the option for a state to opt-out of online poker completely, that is unfortunate political reality).

A provision which specifically stated that a state could not have online poker except by being part of the federal system was actually a part of last December's Reid proposal. It was very contentious part of his proposal, primarily to certain CA representatives.

But, just because they can, the Feds do not have to exercise this right; they can give the authority to the individual states to opt-out and have an intrastate online poker system if they want.

So ultimately the answer to your question is going to come down to a lot of different political interests meeting in some form of political compromise.

And hopefully that political compromise will be a decent deal for players, not just the state and the operators. That is what this fight is now about.

And then, even more hopefully, this political compromise has to be good enough to attract enough support from different interests that it gets a majority vote in both Houses of Congress and a presidential signature.

This is not impossible by any means, as all of us who participated in the fly-in can attest, the vast majority of the meetings, including my own, were met quite favorably; the were only a few meetings that were clearly negative, maybe 5-10 (I didn't talk to everyone) out of the 130.

And there was one thing that was common among almost all meetings: when the PPA representative would say something like: " ...and many members of my community are concerned" the Congressperson or staffer would raise their hands in surrender and reply "oh yes, we have heard." And each PPA rep was provided with a packet to leave at the Congressional office which counted each email that was sent through the PPA system from a member of that Congressperson's district. Almost always, this was the piece of paper they wanted to see first.

Your calls, letters and emails do count among these people.

Some people might have us believe that because calls, letters and emails alone will not carry the day, it's useless to bother with sending them. They are wrong.

Skallagrim

Mr Muny, You have ONE MILLION FREAKING NAMES ADDRESS PHONE NUMBERS. You need to make an effort to mobilize that base in more than just . Hey fill out my auto responder and send this form letter to congress men x y z.

Organize those members like a a friggiing ARMY because that exactly what they can be ONE MILLION FIRRIGN MEMBERS!!!

Lets call a spade a Spade Alfonse Damato being your "chairman" was nothing but a paid front man. You need to get a actual motivated and AFFECTED leader who will be more effective like IAVA has Paul Rieckhoff. With all the big name online player who came to prominence in the last five years not ONE of those guys can be your front man?

At the end of the day what does Senator Damato have to win or LOOSE if the PPA wins or looses?

Why would we condemn them for offering poker? I want them to offer poker. PPA does not condone bank fraud, even if done for no reason but to offer a service the sites believed to be lawful, but last time I checked no one has been convicted of anything. Even if they were, why would it be PPA to do the condemning? Let FoF or someone like that do it.

Also, no sites were indicted. Indictments were directed at some principals within some sites.

My issue is that one of the sites needs to let me withdraw my roll. I can imagine an updated notice coming out on that.

I actually don't disagree here. I would like to ramp this up and I have a proposal on the table to do just that. Surely you've seen the Fight Back thread linked a few posts up, so you know I prepare these on a daily basis. We'll see what happens.

Mr Muny YOU and everybody on Two Plus to need to get your heads out of the PAST int the PRESENT.

Who cares what FTP or PS did or didn't do piror to april 15th 2011 or what they will do after. One ting they wont be ding anytime TODAY or in the FUTURE is operating in the United States.

You can go on on about "innocent until proven guilty" Blah Blah Blah.

When is the last time you played on Party Poker or BetWin?

+1

I met with six offices on Tuesday. All said they've heard a ton from us and all care about that more than virtually anything. That's why PPA makes it easy to send these letters in.

A fight back thread on a Niche Forum?

How many of those one million purported member is aware of two plus two?

Mr Muny I make my living today as a internet marketer and if I had your mailing list...

For GODS SAKES the the world doesn't begin and end on TWO PLUS TWO!!!!

Is this true?

If so, how can you have a rally that only turns out 70 people in DC? I'm embarrassed. You could get more than 70 to show up for the Bellybutton Lint Collectors rally.

Being an organizer, this is such a slam dunk.

The phone lines should be on fire and members' offices hearing about it every day.

A thousand people should show up on the Mall with bags of fake dollar bills and "donate" the millions of dollars they are losing out on by not regulating and taxing poker.

THAT would be a tea party!!! Front page news baby.

Should have a costume party vigil Poker-In. Folks dress up as all the past (and current) presidents who played poker, from Nixon to Obama, and sit at card tables on the Mall 24 hour/day (in droves) playing poker.

Where's my bumper sticker "Poker: The great American pastime"

Tell me you don't really have a million folks in your DB. If you do, you should be unleashing holy hell on the Hill.