We poker players are continuing to be heard via the Daily Action Plan! On the heels of the PC World review of our social networking activism (http://www.pcworld.com/printable/art...printable.html) where we were rated very favorably and even mentioned alongside Arab Spring and other world events of great significance, we now have a new direct response from a senator.

Sen. Boozman (R-AL) today responded on Facebook to the concerns of the poker enthusiasts who have been sharing their thoughts on the issue on his Facebook wall. This is great for us. It shows that we're being heard, of course, but it is also a nice public posting that will be seen by everyone visiting the senator's FB page.

Let's all take a moment to thank the senator for responding to our comments: http://www.facebook.com/notes/john-b...84533904947335

We've got some good momentum going. And we're getting noticed, for sure.

remember that scene in "the shawshank redemption" where andy dufresne's hard work of writing a letter a week to the state pays off ... but not in the ways he wanted, so he decides to write two letters a week?

yeah...

We should also take care to be respectful of his wishes to confine our comments to his note.

I updated today's action plan accordingly.

When we sent zero letters a week, the poker community got a regular drubbing in Congress. HR 4411, the bill that became UIGEA in 2006 after getting watered down in the Senate, passed 317-93 as a freestanding bill. I'm glad we're not lying down and taking that anymore.

in b4

More on the social media effort:

Commented and liked.

What a cool surname



That's positive news and a sure sign that your efforts aren't going unnoticed.

GL guys

Respect for your efforts Rich, you are helping make a difference. I the end it will come down to money, but by mobilisng the troops maybe you have cemented just how much money there is to be made.

Good luck and keep fighting the good fight.

Thanks!

Money and lobbying are very important. PPA does a lot of lobbying. B&M casino interests are lobbying hard for online poker now as well. However, it's not ONLY money. If it were, B&Ms would have gotten this years ago.

Gaming issues are often seen as driven solely by industry lobbyists with phony astroturf groups. That's why our efforts at social media pay off much more than a typical outreach campaign. Our efforts show that this is an issue many everyday Americans care about. Lawmakers see that we are active and that our opponents are not. The objective evidence is right there on their own Facebook walls.

Additionally, our efforts give those lobbyists the ammo they need for their fight, while their lobbying gives voice to our letters, calls, tweets, and Facebook posts. We are hearing from a lot of good things from lawmakers on the impact of our efforts here. I hope we'll all keep it up and ensure they hear from all of us.

Awesome stuff. If we keep rolling pebbles around in the snow we will eventually get a nice snowball going.

Im from Arkansas and I have written him several times over the years and he has always responded as against online poker(although canned). This is pretty huge to change his mind IMO. Very nice work guys.

I came here to post the same thing. He was always very negative toward online gambling. If you can turn this guy, you can turn anyone.

And THIS is why we do what we do. Awesome.

So, the only reason he responded was because he was sick of getting spammed. Awesome.

Congrats all on at least getting his attention.

The wording of this part confuses me:
It seems like there is a word or two missing from that sentence because the first part and the second part aren't representative of a consistent opinion.

Put the word "do" in there and his response makes more sense, in a good way for us.

Put the words "do not" or "don't" in there and his response makes more sense, in a bad way for us.

Way to encourage everybody to take action. Thanks.

Well , if "taking action" is only doing harm.

Well, it's not, despite whatever random thoughts that may occur to you from the comfort of your couch.

When we weren't standing up for ourselves, bills to ban online poker were passing the House and the Senate by margins from 3-1 to 10-1. Politicians thought they'd benefit by opposing us. That's what your suggestions would get us.

I'm glad I fight back when attacked by those who'd take my rights from me. In other words, I'm glad I'm not you.

It's not spam. We have business before the Senate and we have every right to tell lawmakers how we feel. That right -- the right to petition government for redress of grievances -- is guaranteed by the First Amendment.

That's how things get done/not done. If people didn't spam against sopa do you think it would of been killed?

that's a very good point.

Thanks for posting this Rich, I just friended you on facebook to follow any other updates like this.