PPA's latest email - 100,000 members and growing.

[Benjamin]

Text of email I received today follows. I was happy to hear they have passed 100,000 members. If 1/3 of the members contact their Senators, then we are starting to generate some fairly goodsized numbers. I know that some here don't think too highly of this organization, but by putting such numbers on their membership rolls so quickly, and urging them to action, I think they are doing a good thing.

B.

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Poker Players Alliance
Keep it Legal
Act Now!

Tell your Senators to Oppose The Internet Poker Ban!

Dear PPA Member:

As the summer temperatures continue to rise, so does the heated debate in Congress over banning online poker. The Poker Players Alliance is working to ensure that the U.S. Senate does not vote on the same misguided legislation that passed the House in July. We have been successful in delaying action until now, but Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) intends to bring the online poker prohibition bill to a vote when the Senate returns for business in September.

The PPA continues to grow. We have just recently exceeded the 100,000 membership mark. Impressive, yet, we must continue to make our voices even louder. We have updated a letter which we ask that you send to both of your U.S. Senators. Simply click on this link, enter your zip and send the letters today!

Additionally, throughout the month of August U.S. Senators will be back in their home states. During this time most Senators host town hall meetings, public forums and debates to discuss the issues important to you, their constituents. We encourage you to seek out these meetings and ask your Senator to oppose any legislation that will limit your ability to play the great game of poker on the Internet.

Here are some key points for you to know:

I strongly oppose H.R. 4411 which passed the U.S. House in July and implore you and your colleagues to oppose similar legislation that may be offered in the Senate.


With rising gas prices, a prolonged war in the Mid-East and an ever increasing national debt, the U.S. Senate has much better and bigger things to accomplish than a ban on poker.


More than 70 million Americans play poker. 23 million enjoy the game on the Internet. A vote against poker is a vote against me and other like minded Americans and will mobilize us in the November elections.


A recent CNBC poll showed that 91 percent of Americans would like to see online gambling regulated in the U.S. and not prohibited! Studies have shown that regulation and taxation of Internet poker could net the federal government $3.3 billion in revenue annually and another $1 billion for the states.
Thank you so much for your continued support. With your help we can keep the federal government from banning the game we love.

Michael Bolcerek, president
Poker Players Alliance




If you can not see the image above, click the link below or copy and paste into your browser.
http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/...rt_081006.html

[Lawman007]

Thanks for posting this. Here is the link referenced in the e-mail to send the updated letter to both of your Senators. Please do it right now.

http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersallian...11&type=CO

Also, please take this advice to change the first few lines of your message so that your Senators will pay more attention to it:

"Please personalize this letter to your Senators. Research has shown that if you personalize this letter at the beginning, it has more impact and is reviewed more closely by members of the Senate. So take an extra minute to add a few words of your own to this letter. Your support of the game of poker is appreciated.

Regards,
Michael Bolcerek
President
Poker Players Alliance"

[Mr.K]

A C+ lobbying effort at best by PPA. Those talking points at the end of the e-mail are pretty damned flimsy (aside from the one re: higher priorities like gas prices and fighting terrorism), and again the PPA appears to be whoring for the casinos rather than just poker players. Don't be used, guys. Notice that PPA is just urging flat opposition of the bill, rather than modification of it to accommodate poker players. I have argued before that this is an untenable position in the long run, and potentially a losing one in the short run. Why fight a large battle that is already lost when a small one that can be won is available?

Alas, PPA is focusing on the wrong things. Growing membership is unimportant. Mobilizing current membership is very important. Promoting online polls is unimportant, cultivating holds on the bill is important. Focusing on poker is important, shilling for online roulette is not (at least from a pure poker player perspective).

[antneye]

Mr. K,

You make valid points, but anything that generates people contacting there senators to voice opposition is a positive. I wouldn't discount there effort offhand. There is value in it, even if there is room for them to do better.

I am one of those who thinks that at the end of the day nothign will come of this, but I am not stupid. I am doing everything in my power to fight this. Sadly for most of us, all we can do is try to raise awareness and contact our senators.