Answer from Sen, Durbin (IL-D)

[c5Nfold]

I especially liked the P.S. I just got this today.....

Thank you for your message regarding Internet gambling. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

The debate over Internet gambling has generated strong public interest.
While most types of Internet gambling operations are prohibited under federal law, many Internet gambling operations are based in foreign countries and have fallen outside the jurisdiction of American enforcement
agencies. Overall, Americans spend roughly $4 billion to $6 billion a year on Internet gambling. Because of the largely unregulated nature of this business, Internet gambling sites often fail to block access to
gambling by children and often lack effective safeguards against fraud.

Further, Internet gambling can be addictive, and this addiction has had a harmful effect on some individuals and communities.

In September 2006, the Senate passed the SAFE Port Act of 2006 (H.R.
4954). This legislation contained numerous important provisions that would improve the security of our nation's ports. When a House-Senate conference committee met to work out differences in their separate
versions of the bill, the conferees added language regarding Internet gambling.

The language that the conference committee added to the SAFE Port Act prohibits those who are in the business of gambling from knowingly accepting credit cards, checks, electronic fund transfers or similar
financial instruments in connection with unlawful Internet gambling. The Act imposes fines and/or prison sentences on violators. The legislation further requires the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board to
issue regulations directing banks and other financial transaction providers to adopt practices that will enable them to identify and prevent restricted transactions that support Internet gambling.

The final version of the SAFE Port Act of 2006 included a number of provisions important to our national security. It passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. There was not a separate vote on the provisions to
prevent unlawful Internet gambling.

As the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board craft the regulations required by the gambling provisions of the SAFE Port Act, it is important that they work with law-abiding financial transaction providers. We can effectively improve the enforcement of our longstanding
ban on unlawful Internet gambling transactions without imposing unrealistic or overly burdensome requirements on law-abiding financial transaction providers.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to stay in touch.


Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator

RJD/ds

P.S. If you are ever visiting Washington, please feel free to join Senator Obama and me at our weekly constituent coffee. When the Senate is in session, we provide coffee and donuts every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. as we
hear what is on the minds of Illinoisans and respond to your questions.
We would welcome your participation. Please call my D.C. office for more details.

[DrewOnTilt]

Most of the replies that posters here have received from Senators or Representatives have been of similar nature.

Translation: I don't give a [censored] what you think. Here's a nice boilerplate form letter to thank you for taking time to send me your opinion, which I will totally ignore.

[primetime32]

I am just happy he is looking out for the children, because i know my 2 year old spends at least 6 hours a day multi-tabling at Full Tilt.

[Dunkman]

[ QUOTE ]
I am just happy he is looking out for the children, because i know my 2 year old spends at least 6 hours a day multi-tabling at Full Tilt.

[/ QUOTE ]

That gives me an idea. My 2 year old is smart as hell, she picks things up super fast, if I teach her to play I bet she could do way better than me....

[GMan42]

[ QUOTE ]
I am just happy he is looking out for the children, because i know my 2 year old spends at least 6 hours a day multi-tabling at Full Tilt.

[/ QUOTE ]

He must be the one who keeps calling me a poopie head when I river him. He's good, though...does he give lessons?

[ronster71]

LMAO...come on down for coffee and donuts...what a tool!!!

[LotteryOrPoker]

Senator Durbin goes to my church, and he is a good Senator. I got the same form letter in response to him, but he has grown a lot since he was a Congressman. I was not very impressed with him before he went to the US Senate. In fact, I thought he would be a one term Senator. He has matured a lot politically since he got to the Senate.

If you are in Washington (like I will be on business in a few weeks), you should get to together with him. He is really open minded and if you tell him how this bill is impeding on your personal freedoms and rights as a tax payer/law abiding American (as I will do), I think he may be one that will come around.

[Zetack]

[ QUOTE ]
Because of the largely unregulated nature of this business, Internet gambling sites often fail to block access to
gambling by children and often lack effective safeguards against fraud.



[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder what this is based on. And if, as the statement seems to imply, the sites would block access to children and prevent fraud with regulation, I wonder why that is not a reasonable step to take...

Oh, right, because he's a butthead. I keep forgetting my politics handbook.

--Zetack

[Nick_Foxx]

[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church

[/ QUOTE ]

the fact that he either a) believes in mythology or b) pretends to believe in mythology suggest to me that he will never truly understood the concepts of personal freedom necessary to do anything positive for the internet gambling cause

mike

[BenA]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church

[/ QUOTE ]

the fact that he either a) believes in mythology or b) pretends to believe in mythology suggest to me that he will never truly understood the concepts of personal freedom necessary to do anything positive for the internet gambling cause

mike

[/ QUOTE ]

That's absurd. I go to church, I play poker, and I drink beer. What is this 'if you believe in mythology you hate freedom' crap that I keep hearing on this forum? Not everyone who believes in something belongs to the right-wing nazis.

[WLC4Ever]

This is what drives me nuts about a lot of the responses on this site, as well as the PPA in general. There are people here pissed off about the law that just passed, when it has been illegal to play in their state for years! How does it make any sense to to bitch to a US senator or representitive that they just made it harder to break the law?!? I love how the PPA is happy to take your money to start a new poker lobby...but they seem to have the most tenative grip on what it would take to make legal poker a reality for most of the country.

And while I'm on a tear, one more thing. Don't waste your time voting based on this issue. Do it if it will make you feel better, but please don't kid yourself into thinking that amidst the Foley Scandal, Iraq, North Korea, Healthcare, etc, a single national representive that loses this November will think "damn, that gambling bill was really the difference." We're not even on the radar people, and admitting that is going to be the first step in getting anything done.

Think Grassroots, think Daily Kos...they practically run the Democratic party now, but they had to start small...so do we...

[SlyGuy]

I think he means, if he can believe in something make believe how can you be trusted with protecting his personal freedom.

[Mroberts3]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church

[/ QUOTE ]

the fact that he either a) believes in mythology or b) pretends to believe in mythology suggest to me that he will never truly understood the concepts of personal freedom necessary to do anything positive for the internet gambling cause

mike

[/ QUOTE ]

While I understand your frustration, you have to consider that it is probably easier for a gay man to get elected to office than someone who is an open athiest. (and consider this is a time when people are trying to ban gay marriage.) In other words, whats the guy to do? While I find superstition are rediculous as you, I cant really bring myself to fault somone in the political sphere for acting faithful, whether it is real or pretended. Just think how fast the republican machine would tear apart any candidate that, heaven forbid, thought for himself on matters of spirituality.

The fact is, everyone in politics expouses some religious belief and many of them ARE capable of protecting personal freedoms and generally making good policy decsions.

[Mroberts3]

WLC, well put. Even as an avid player other issues do, and I would argue, should come first.

[Ron Burgundy]

[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church, and he is a good Senator. I got the same form letter in response to him, but he has grown a lot since he was a Congressman. I was not very impressed with him before he went to the US Senate. In fact, I thought he would be a one term Senator. He has matured a lot politically since he got to the Senate.

If you are in Washington (like I will be on business in a few weeks), you should get to together with him. He is really open minded and if you tell him how this bill is impeding on your personal freedoms and rights as a tax payer/law abiding American (as I will do), I think he may be one that will come around.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately, I don't think it will do much good to make the "personal freedom" argument. The US govt. doesn't give a crap about your personal freedom. I think it would be a better idea to mention the Swedish govt. regulated site, especially to democrats. I think they would be more willing to go the regulation route than republicans who are just trying to get bible-thumper votes.

Here are some points to mention:

- The Swedish site www.svenskaspel.se (http://www.svenskaspel.se/pl.aspx?pageid=241&menuid=2) requires customers to send in ID to prevent minors from depositing, just like B&M casinos check IDs.

- The republicans keep trying to say that it's an unregulatable industry, but they are wrong and Sweden has proved it.

- Every year the US doesn't regulate and tax the industry, we're being deprived of billions of dollars in tax revenue that could be spent on public schools, health care, or the national debt.

- The UIGEA only shut out the publicly traded companies based in Europe and Australia. The small private companies based in south america and the Caribbean, the ones much more likely to be associated with organized crime, are not going to care about breaking US laws. These companies are the only ones that will stay in business in the US. The UIGEA simply drove the industry underground, not away. It will create the same problems alcohol prohibition did.

If you do talk to Sen. Durbin, post a trip report plz.

[MicroBob]

[ QUOTE ]
LMAO...come on down for coffee and donuts...what a tool!!!
*link deleted*

[/ QUOTE ]


I have absolutely no idea what is so LOL about the Thursday morning meeting with his constituents.

I think the fact that he does this once a week with whoever wants to show up is something more of our representatives should be doing and is extremely classy.

Nothing in the rest of the form-letter about internet-gambling really impressed me very much.

But getting invited to personally meet with him if interested is extremely impressive imo.

[LotteryOrPoker]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church

[/ QUOTE ]

the fact that he either a) believes in mythology or b) pretends to believe in mythology suggest to me that he will never truly understood the concepts of personal freedom necessary to do anything positive for the internet gambling cause

mike

[/ QUOTE ]

That's absurd. I go to church, I play poker, and I drink beer. What is this 'if you believe in mythology you hate freedom' crap that I keep hearing on this forum? Not everyone who believes in something belongs to the right-wing nazis.

[/ QUOTE ]

On point BenA. I drink beer, I play poker, and I go to church on Sundays also. There is no prerequisite that says in order to believe in God, you must be close minded and fascist. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Christianity is about acceptance, tolerance and compassion. Many Christians are probably far more progressive than you may think. Not every Christian is a member of the religious right and there is no reason to turn this into a God bashing thread.

[ronster71]

Here we go again...noboday can mention anything in any post around here which has the word "god" or "church" in it, without some atheist going off...I swear, the atheists must keyword search every thread for those words just so they can erupt into an anti-god soap box. It's amazing atheists have any time to play poker with all the time dedicated to angry ranting towards those who do not agree with their beliefs. it completely detracts from the point of this thread in the first place...I was making fun of Sen Durbin's response too, but it wasn't a religion/anti-religion stance...word of advice, deal in the subject of the threads being posted and stop going on tilt every time you see the word "church" atheists!!!

[Ron Burgundy]

[ QUOTE ]
Here we go again...noboday can mention anything in any post around here which has the word "god" or "church" in it, without some atheist going off...I swear, the atheists must keyword search every thread for those words just so they can erupt into an anti-god soap box. It's amazing atheists have any time to play poker with all the time dedicated to angry ranting towards those who do not agree with their beliefs. it completely detracts from the point of this thread in the first place...I was making fun of Sen Durbin's response too, but it wasn't a religion/anti-religion stance...word of advice, deal in the subject of the threads being posted and stop going on tilt every time you see the word "church" atheists!!!

*link deleted*

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, the irony.

[ronster71]

I see it as symbolism...but then I'm a cynic. He very well may be well intentioned, but I think it is naive to think that a politician truly plans to affect change based upon having coffee and donuts with him on Thursdays. I think it is a symbolic marketing tool designed to help him achieve a certain image, and ultimately to garner votes...but again, I'm a cynic.

[ronster71]

there's no irony...I am not bashing atheism...my point is that we should be staying on the subject of the initial post...if a right wing extremist had posted some bible verse in here I would have had the same response towards them...no irony

[adios]

[ QUOTE ]
Most of the replies that posters here have received from Senators or Representatives have been of similar nature.

Translation: I don't give a [censored] what you think. Here's a nice boilerplate form letter to thank you for taking time to send me your opinion, which I will totally ignore.

[/ QUOTE ]

[jackaaron]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Senator Durbin goes to my church

[/ QUOTE ]

the fact that he either a) believes in mythology or b) pretends to believe in mythology suggest to me that he will never truly understood the concepts of personal freedom necessary to do anything positive for the internet gambling cause

[ QUOTE ]

I think he means, if he can believe in something make believe how can you be trusted with protecting his personal freedom.


[/ QUOTE ]



[/ QUOTE ]

Religion isn't wrong.

Believing in God isn't wrong.

Abusing those things in order to gain power politically is wrong. And, of course, abusing anything to gain power politically is wrong.

Religion and the belief in God are not mythology. However, none of you that do not believe in God are being asked by me to start believing because I would never do that. It's just, at the same time, I shouldn't be expected to not believe either. I can protect personal freedoms, and my belief in God doesn't hinder that. I would venture a guess that many of Clinton supporters (me being one of those) forget the fact that he and his wife are strong church goers. I would trust that Bill, or Hillary could protect our personal freedoms and also continue to believe.

[Texibus]

Maybe you can dump thej coffee potj on to his lap

[c5Nfold]

The final version of the SAFE Port Act of 2006 included a number of provisions important to our national security. It passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. There was not a separate vote on the provisions to prevent unlawful Internet gambling.

I really liked this......no one in their right mind would have voted against a "PORT SAFETY BILL" That would be political suicide right now.