Subject: Your Internet Censorship Plan
Dear Governor Pawlenty,
I am writing to express my displeasure with your plan to censor the Internet to stop Minnesotans from playing a hand of poker. I ask that you reconsider.
Poker is a proud American tradition. Presidents such as FDR and Harry Truman, Chief Justices such as William Rehnquist and William Howard Taft, members of Congress, generals, and everyday Americans have enjoyed poker for more than 150 years. It is an honorable game that we are all proud to play. It is also a right for which we are willing to stand strong and be heard.
If your main concerns are truly those listed in the DPS press release, I believe you would be better served by supporting sensible, limited regulation at the federal level. After all, the Constitution does give the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the Congress, not to the states. Limited federal regulation and licensing would allow the Congress to mandate rigorous safeguards against underage participation and protections for those with excessive gaming habits while providing consumer protections for the millions of Americans who play online poker every day. Regulation would also allow American gaming companies to participate in the world's Internet gaming market, bringing needed jobs to America. Internet censorship and an unenforceable, unpopular, protectionist prohibition provide none of these benefits. All censorship and prohibition can do is drive players underground or overseas while limiting personal freedoms.
I hope you'll review Gov. Steve Beshear's (D-KY) experience with trying to censor the Internet. When he initiated his crusade against online poker, he thought no one would object. Well, thousands of Kentuckians called and wrote. Additionally, pro-rights groups like the million-member Poker Players Alliance, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, and many others stood up for Internet freedom and poker rights. Press was mostly negative, and Beshear did not get what he wanted. He won at the circuit court level, but lost his case at the Kentucky Court of Appeals. He's now appealing to the Kentucky Supreme Court, where even eBay and Network Solutions have filed briefs opposing his unpopular actions. Please see my blog on Townhall.com at
http://poker.townhall.com for more details. I hope you will consider this cautionary tale before proceeding further.
What's most important to me is your support. Please respond to this letter and let me know you will change your mind and support liberty. I will be watching your actions on this issue closely and, should you choose to run for national office, will definitely keep them in mind in 2012. I hope that I, along with my over one million fellow Poker Players Alliance members, can count on your support.
Thank you for your consideration.
Rich Muny
Union, KY 41091