would this really work iam wondering?

If the speech in question is protected speech, then blocking internet access to it is a clear violation of the 1st Amendment. Not all speech is protected. Obscenity, for example, is not protected speech. Commercial speech is less protected than other forms of expression.

Bottom line: Actual gambling (or playing poker since that may or may not be gambling depending on the legal definition of gambling being used) is not "protected speech.' Talking about playing poker is protected speech.

The remaining issue is thus whether blocking access to an entire site where both protected speech and non-protected play occur violates the amendment.

Skallagrim

Send letters boys. That's all we can do at the moment. PPA has pre prepared letters sent mine today.

http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/home/

LETS DO THIS

Jesse Ventura, Al Franken and now this. I'm glad some state has taken on the challenge of knocking NJ off the title of most ridiculous state.

It's true.

didnt this same thing happen with the australian government too? whatever happened with that?

The issues of basic liberty and of us having our rights would not be.

I don't wish to feel like a criminal when I'm not one. I hope we'll all take a stand here.

If Minn. gets away with this, what would stop Texas from being next?

I just communicated with Pappas on this issue. PPA is on it.

I recommend everyone in Minn. contact Gov. Pawlenty and their state reps to express disapproval. Everyone should also write to their U.S. reps to express their support for our rights. The PPA letters are at http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/home/.

Probably, but I hope we'll all focus first about fighting for our rights than on how to sneak around it.

Jesse Ventura would never have let this happened. Now we're screwed. Time to find John Willems, kick him in the nutz, and tell him to mind his own ****ing business.

This is the best:

"Also, I've had people call me and say they've lost $20,000; can I help them? I can't."

Oh - so if I go to Canterbury & dump $20k you'll be able to help me? LOLZ.

Cause it's Texas and not this bleeding heart we know whats best for you state. Plus how they gonna ban poker when the god father uses there state in his name?


I have sent letters and personally contacted my reps, senators, and governor Pawlenty.

So....

Are we blaming this one on the Republicans too?

bump for question

Jesse was terrible for the state besides his vehicle tag tax reduction but I do agree that he would have fought this tooth and nail. He was closer to the people than any of the ill elected people in my districts.

MN has a republican governor and he appoints the person that made this decision.

not that it matters but just on a moron hunt today apparently.

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Son of a ****ing bitch!

I will definitely be doing everything I can here. I live in Minnesota and payed in 6 figures worth of state and federal taxes for playing online poker here last year! I don't want to move (have a great life and tons of friends here), but I will if I have to. I am in complete shock.

FWIW, I have been a member of the PPA for a long time and send all letters that I am asked to or see here. I will get as many people as I can who live here to send that letter. The Engineer, please PM me or post with anything else I can do. I will go around town putting up fliers with the link to the letter on it if it will help!

I will x-post this in the legislation forum since I assume there is a thread there too.

That's how I feel too. I thought Obama was going to fix this. Isn't that what everyone said?

I assume so. Minnesota is by far one of the most Republican states in the country I think, right?

Mark

Umm... no.

Uh no. Minnesota is not a republican state by any means. They have a moderate GOP governor who barely won re-election in 2006, and Obama won by double digits there. It's also the only state that never went for Ronald Reagan, one of America's great presidents.

As I understand it something would need to be proven illegal to qualify as an illegal act. Poker has not been proven to be such and the UIEGA does not make playing poker illegal as we all know. So therefore your ISP would be blocking you from something that is completely legal.

Glad to see all the activity in this thread. I was hoping their words wouldn't fall upon deaf ears.

Of course if the bill gets passed, this all should be irrelevant, but that's besides the point.

This is the first thing i'm trying to find out. I'v been trying to contact some of the providers, and seeing if they have heard anything about this, and if they are going to comply. No luck yet... any help would be appreciated.


We're not going down without a fight. I don't think they have a true idea of the kind of fury this is going to bring down on them. But if we can stop this before it goes into effect, all the better.

Thanks for everyone's support. Especially the non-Minnesotans.

My working hypothesis is St1ckman and the Russians paid off MN state officials to try to make this happen.

I still very strongly feel that in order to reestablish consumer confidence AND head off the almost certainly pending US Govt action, the Online Gaming Providers need to band together and declare themselves an organized INDUSTRY. They need to establish standards, guidelines, testing procedures, security protocols, privacy guidelines...

Then they need to run - not walk - to the US Govt and show them their progress and then PLEAD for regulation. I suppose it could be the EU instead of the US Govt, but I think the only way to ensure that the US Govt doesn't act in a punitive manner is to let them set the rules. In no way am I saying the the US Govt is better than others (at least not in this debate), and I do not tend to be trusting of my or any other government, I just think that OL Poker is gonna need to do something desperate to stay in business.

Clearly this is just my assessment and I welcome any rational debate.

lol, PUBLIC schools and PUBLIC libraries.

In my home I do indeed have the ability to do legal activity. The UIEGA did not make playing online poker or gambling illegal. For an ISP to block an internet gaming site they would have to know for certain that the activity they are blocking is illegal.

You said that poker is not a free speech issue. I am saying that it will be argued as such.

You may be in the wrong forums is my guess, maybe you were looking for gardening or something. Here we are pro poker and for freedoms.