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Additional push against Ouija.

In addition to writing Reps. Frank and Maloney, please foward the link and story about BBV's fundraising for Children's Inc. Forward the link to your local newspaper news editors, editoral page editors, columnists, radio hosts, magazines, college newspapers, everyone and anyone you can think of.

Especially helpful right now would be someone that could get this in front of some eyes at the New York Times and Washington Post.

Here's what I've been fowarding:

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed last November by Bill Frist as a rider on the Ports Security Bill. Even though Democrats spoke loudly against it (especially Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank) they couldn't vote against it because it was a rider on such an important bill. Frist and Senator Kyl said that it was necessary to "protect our children" from internet gambling.

[For liberal paper/columnists] Here's a story of a bunch of 18-25 year old kids (the children that needed protection) who play internet poker that raised $30,000 for a children's charity in the span of two days - the irony is thick and heavy. It also shows how a simple rider backed by right-wing rhetoric pandering to the christian right dismissed the hobby and livelihood of millions of people.

[For conservatives] True conservatives would not attack this - they would allow personal choice on the issue, and at the same time, find tax revenue from this based on some user fees. Legalizing, regulating and taxing online gambling is a way to generate non-income tax revenues and lessen the burden on individuals and corporations.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Sat...d=1149193496884

Local charity cashes in on wager
'Robin Hood' of poker turns a dare into a way to help Children Inc.

BY BILL LOHMANN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Mar 3, 2007

Without playing a card, Children Inc. hit the jackpot.

Online poker players around the world have donated more than $20,000 to the Richmond-based charity this week, paying off a friendly wager among themselves. The money was still coming in yesterday.

"We are amazed and overjoyed at the response from the poker community," said CI spokeswoman Liz Sauer.

To some, the situation might seem a paradox: a charity founded by the daughter of a Presbyterian minister that distributes $4 million annually to more than 16,000 needy children around the world receiving money from gamblers. But CI officials said generosity is generosity and money is money -- and poker is legal -- so they are gladly accepting the contributions and will put them to good use.

"These people want to do something good, and we are happy to help them do something good," said Sauer, who noted the $20,000 would enable CI to sponsor 60 children for a full year.

The ringleader of this wave of bigheartedness is Barry Greenstein, a well-known poker player who has been dubbed the Robin Hood of poker for his custom of donating his tournament winnings to charity. Greenstein is no stranger to CI, which has been one of the beneficiaries of his generosity in the past decade. He's donated more than $1.5 million to the organization, according to his Web site. He also sponsors seven children through CI, said Sauer.

Greenstein's most recent largesse directed to CI began as a wager -- sort of a double-dog-dare-you -- among the 2+2 Forums online poker community (www.twoplustwo.com). If other players promised to make contributions to CI, Greenstein vowed to say "LOL donkaments" during a televised poker tournament. The phrase is an online expression that, according to a discussion board on the 2+2 Web site, pokes fun at the poor skill level of some tournament players by combining the words "donkey" and "tournament." In Internet lingo, LOL means "laugh out loud."

In an episode of "High Stakes Poker," aired Monday on GSN, Greenstein uttered the phrase. The money started rolling into CI on Tuesday morning.

"One of the [donation] process- ing ladies asked me, 'What's going on? We're being inundated with these donations, and they're all referencing Barry Greenstein,'" said Sauer. "I asked her how many did she have, thinking maybe five or10, and she held up a stack of papers."

So far, more than 200 donations have come in this week, ranging from $20 to $2,000, from across America and other places as farflung as Australia and Slovenia.

"We're just thrilled these people want to help our children," she said.

In an interview at www.pokerlizard.com, Greenstein said he got involved with CI as a result of "bad parenting."

"I had spoiled my kids and I was trying to show them that other kids aren't as fortunate as they are," said Greenstein, 52, a father of six who lives in California. "I wanted to sponsor a boy and a girl the same ages as my two youngest children."

He didn't care for the overtly religious approach of many charities feeding, sheltering and educating poor children around the world, but he liked CI, which, though clearly guided by Christian principles, is not religiously affiliated.

CI has "many religious people working for them, but that isn't their agenda," Greenstein said on Poker Lizard, adding that more people need to realize "you can have good morals and ethics even if you're not religious"

Contact staff writer Bill Lohmann at blohmann@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6639.