We don’t normally get as serious as this around here…. despite what it seems I don’t blog that much at all.

Rich:

Your opinions are just that.. and so are mine.. It appears as if we will continue to disagree on a whole range of issues.

I feel that the attacks on me via the ppa forums by 2 different state reps were both unfair and unwarranted. While Randy’s subsequent apology seemed genuine, Brubaker’s reply was (IMO) littered with subtle passive aggressive insults. The man doesn’t even know how to word an apology the right way. But the PPA’s track record for those selected to speak for them isn’t that great.

As this thing drags on I realize more and more how incompetent the PPA seems to be from top to bottom. Maybe some states only had 1 or 2 volunteers for the position so the pool to choose from was not that deep. I suspect that is the case .. otherwise you wouldn’t have so many new voices on your own boards…

How did you guys go about choosing? What are the qualifications of these men to represent thousands/millions of poker players? I wonder what the road has in store for us when the first instance of adversity these guys encountered were treated like typical online forum banter. I mean… Brubakers first posts were directed right at me. He registered on the forums in Dec of 2007. Where has he been for 2 years or the last 4 months? Those with the loudest voices again seem to be the newest members.

I realize the position of the state directors is a new one… but those interested I would think should have been long time participating members…. instead of people picked to fill spots. Are any of the directors long time members? or have half as many posts as you Rich?

I have supported the PPA since the first few months of inception. We were down in Vegas during the WSOP in 2006 and attended the rally/dinner hosted by the PPA and various pros. I signed up 3 people and brought them with me. We did numerous strips on the subject of legislation and supporting the PPA with inclusions directly in the comics itself. I am responsible of at least 20 people personally who signed up to the PPA thanks to me. AND countless others who did so by hearing of the PPA via this site.

It’s not a pissing contest… I am just pointing out that if a state director can insult/attack a person who has that track record knowingly or unknowingly on his/her first few public acts as director…. it really shows to the character of that particular person and the complete and total lack of professionalism. I also question that person’s ability to lead and I don’t think I am alone on that.

My problem with with PPA has morphed into one of fundamental distrust and the seemly lack of integrity by those charged with leading it.

I will try and my point down one more time;

My family is here from NY this week. We talked about poker and the first thing I was asked was “Isn’t online poker banned?” – I had to clear that up right away… And this is the general consensus of those who are not informing ourselves of these issues. The average person/poker player thinks the UIEGA banned poker. And the constant misinformation and misleading public positions of the PPA and others have only reinforced those ideas. I don’t blame them either because it is murky and I do agree that it should be clearly defined to the American people. The question then becomes how….

The problem I have with defining it is what happens if the government finally says… “oh yeah .. you know what .. we forgot to add poker to the wire act/whatever… so now it is… and it is now officially banned. ” And then the go about enforcing it by forcing ISPs to block access to certain websites they deem illegal. OR the government says OK fine.. here is your carve out. That still doesn’t excuse the individual states like Washington from banning it…. and thus portions of the country loosing access to certain sites. (ie red china) OR does it? I have brought this point up again and again and none of you have addressed it… Maybe I am seeing it the wrong way but this is the crux of my problem…. I don’t understand what the PPA means exactly by regulation and how they suggest it happens….. maybe you can fill me in?

This why I keep saying online poker is FINE right now. There are no problems with it. The only problems stem from those who have problems funding their accounts… and that is only because online GAMING (ie, craps, roulette, etc.. games of chance) is clearly defined and illegal. Sites like Poker Stars, Full Tilt, etc… those that ONLY host poker… have no problems and the sites are bigger and better than ever. These sites are now again offering a buttload of WSOP entries. Online poker is starting to return to normal.

I think the PPA accepting funding from GAMING sites indirectly is a conflict of interest OR exactly the interest they wanted. I think that is the true agenda of the PPA and I am not sure what will prove that to me otherwise. You guys again are going to end up getting poker included into the wireact/ban and it will be YOUR fault directly when poker as we know it ceases.

Otherwise the PPA would have no problem taking public positions on scandals… because it seems to me being able to use those scandals as an example of why we needed that government regulation… so that our American citizens don’t continue to get swindled by offshore gaming sites. So we don’t continue to bleed billions of dollars into the hands of possible criminals.

Not an online poker is rigged argument…. an online poker is flawed argument… point out the reasons why we need regulation… and use examples of Absolute to spear head it. BTW its worth noting that Absolute and UB are just the biggest scandals.. there are all kinds of smaller sites that cheat players out of their money and collapse.. leaving people left with no recourse… Regulation in my view is only needed to assure that the sites we deal with are legit and run software that is safe. There should be some sort of independent authority charged with overseeing so.. not a place that has invested interest.. (ie Kahnawake) Other than that .. what else do you want of government regulation?

The other issue is the integrity of lack thereof , of people like D’Amato who enjoy a not so nice public perception. Again I use my family from NY as an example. They had nothing but bad things to say about good ole AL and his various involved activities over the years. Al optimizes sleazy politicians… And that cannot be denied… Spokesperson or not… do we really want this guy as the face of poker? My Aunt’s jaw dropped when I told her about him joining the PPA.

While I am at it… The integrity issue is very important to me. When you guys know full well that those of us who are outspoken about Absolute or UB and have called for a boycott or at least for people to stop playing there… and you have directors who take public positions like they will continue to play…. in essence CROSS THE PICKET LINE….. man.. I tell you… it takes a special kind of person to do something like that. You just don’t do it.