Problem is, our elected officials, are playing a game of "Russia Roulette" with our futures... Republicans in general appear to be doing everything possible to cut programs to the poor and needy, while providing extended tax cuts to the wealthy 3% of Americans... people like Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Charlie Sheen...
Today, whether Washington knows it or not it has cast a blind eye to an event that will forever change/harm/blemish this country. It has ignored it's citizens by todays actions.... as much, if not more, than the Chinese Gov't offends it's citizens. We really, today, are no different.
Between 2.5 million to 8 million Americans play online poker, at sites like Poker-Stars, Full-Tilt Poker, and Absolute poker and others. Today the FBI allegedly "seized" ownership of those company sites and domain names.
Millions of Americans play poker online, and today they lost it all...
It all began with:
H.R.4954 - Port Security Improvement Act of 2006
Texas Holdem Poker at the time was a world-wide phenomenon, very popular, especially in the United States. This was a direct result of an average American, early 2000's, who with a couple of dollars and a computer won himself a seat, online, to the World Series of Poker Tournament, and WON!!!
Today players from the United States are unable to play online poker. Some people have gotten FBI Warnings when connecting to the sites like PokerStars. Others get a message as follows when they're able to log on and try to play a game:
I am logged in when I receive this message. And then when I go to sign up for a game:
As you can see players from many countries are signed up and about to play. So the companies aren't "SHUT-DOWN". Instead, players in the US are being censured from playing... and why? My opinion is those republicans I mentioned earlier that included that clause that caused all this poker problem in the first place, are terrorists, as they have effectively put millions of Americans in PANIC MODE right now, and not that it will happen... but it would be nice if a Federal Judge in Boston would review the indictments handed down in NY, and file/judge whatever he/she needs to, if warranted, to put a stop, if only temporary, on the indictments.
It is not fair to put American citizens through this HELL, like this, on a Friday afternoon. Now into the weekend!
IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO PLAY ONLINE GAMES WHICH INVOLVE MONEY... and for some players millions of taxable dollars are at stake, about to be seized.
This sounds like China that recently passed laws against a citizens right to view anything related to "Time Travel, Reincarnation, X-Files, UFO's... Chinese Government Bans Television Time Travel
But we have to do better... so ban poker to americans while the rest of the world plays, and laughs at us...
Senator John Kyl, of wherever said... "Anything I say doesn't have to be factual" - Article/Link: Sen. John Kyl Mocked for "Not Factual" Remarks And that's just fine... lets govern Americans based on fantasy and lies.
That's the problem with Washington... seems FACTS don't matter... like the budget bill... screw the have-nots, reward the haves!
TO SUMMARIZE:
The Justice Dept of the United States has infringed on the rights of US citizens to play an online game that involves money. It is obvious most other countries ARE NOT subject to censure, and that these companies and their domains have not been seized, albeit, except by the US targeting US citizens. This is no different than actions we abhor in China.
The only way what happened was made possible was because certain of our elected officials decided to insert this poker clause in an important Port security bill. What tees me off the most is the politics... underhanded and distinctly targeted towards a group of people with a specific legal interest.... people who enjoy playing online Texas Holdem, and why not??? It is a great sport, even better than betting on the horses, which is considered "more legal".
What's legal is called the US Constitution... and this final straw to clamping down on a personal individuals rights, is inexcusable. Today, the federal government played it's hand of cards... and lost, as US Citizens LOST, and the federal government works for it's citizens, not it's own special interests, nor those of certain right-wing politicians who think poker is immoral. Today, the indictment heard 'round the world was thrown. An assault on Americans no different than those heaped on Chinese or Libyan citizen's.
I urge the UN to review the indictment, and to consider, are other's around the world still enjoying online Texas holdem at PokerStars? If so, this is a violation of our Constitutional Rights and I hope the UN intercedes. A country's Constitution outweighs any laws passed that violate said Constitution.
UPDATE; APR_16:
I followed up on the comment left by "BlackLuck", and no surprise, we have a white-knight in the Republican ranks, who is dead against poker!!!
Introducing, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Virginia, 6th district.
WIKIPEDIA LINK:
Apparently Bob, hates online poker. Why is that, I wonder? Is it simply Republican Insanity Syndrome? Or was the pot he smoked in the '70's tainted with paraquat???
Add to that Bob's powerful committee connections in Congress:
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS:
***Committee on Agriculture (Vice Chair)
Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
***Committee on the Judiciary
Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security
So WHO elected this guy??? If his views on poker are like his views on other personal freedoms, including cannabis, and he's on the Judiciary Committee, then Bob is exactly sort of politician that doesn't represent a "Free America", but rather, he represents the exact opposite. Corporate Special Interests!
Read what Bob "thinks" about online poker here, at Wikipedia:
Goodlatte is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online gambling. In 2006, he sponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[1] In September 2006, working with now defeated Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, Goodlatte was a major House supporter of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The Act was passed at midnight the day Congress adjourned before the 2006 elections. Prior to it being added to the bill, the gambling provisions had not been debated by any Congressional committee.[2] The bill was made sure to exclude online horse racing gambling. They claimed moral reasons for pushing for a ban on Internet gambling, but critics charge that it was due to campaign contributions from the horse racing industry.
"Prohibition"! What is it about federally sponsored acts of prohibition??? Poker, cannabis, prostitution... Are we not a free society? How can laws based on theological premise make their way into our society? Or laws based on hysteria and misinformation? People talk about Capital Punishment and how an innocent man could be executed, but do we consider the number of people cut off from freedom in this country everyday because some of our laws are archaic and draconian, and Washington does nothing to correct these issues.
How can President Obama, Senator Ayotte ignore the seriousness of these issues, infringements on citizen's rights?
It's simply a very sad state of affairs in this country right now. Things suck! And they might just as well outlaw baseball!!!
WAKE UP WASHINGTON!
This is China, under a different name...
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: Take this action as a sign of things to come.
Watcher 1
Goodlatte is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online gambling. In 2006, he sponsored H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[1] In September 2006, working with now defeated Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, Goodlatte was a major House supporter of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. The Act was passed at midnight the day Congress adjourned before the 2006 elections. Prior to it being added to the bill, the gambling provisions had not been debated by any Congressional committee.[2] The bill was made sure to exclude online horse racing gambling. They claimed moral reasons for pushing for a ban on Internet gambling, but critics charge that it was due to campaign contributions from the horse racing industry.[3]
ReplyDeleteThat's right. You can still bet online on horse race betting.
I'm ashamed to be an American. If I could I would instantly renounce my citizenship and claim Canada or any western European nation as my country.
Ramrodding dogmatic religious beliefs as legislative mandates is beyond comprehension in a secular, free society.
America is not free any longer. Except if you're wealthy, then you can buy it.
The USA has not been free, spelled "FREE", at least since the Civil war.
ReplyDeleteThe reason we get along so well with China is our similarities in censorship. We both nations have our ways to manipulate our citizens. It's called "regulation", what's deemed appropriate for a "civilized society".
You point out, BlackLuck: "Ramrodding dogmatic religious beliefs as legislative mandates is beyond comprehension in a secular, free society."
Our politics is not secular, except by design... that design was never enacted. The Constitution was ratified, but never made public.
This recent ban on playing online poker is simply a reminder who's in charge of your life. Renouncing your citizenship will do you no good as no other country wants an American.
Think about it.
Watcher 1
Your post is good, but the situation is not. I played at Full-Tilt, occasionally at Pokerstars, and have lost hundreds of dollars, and the ability to play a game I love against millions of other people around the world.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your "Goodlatte" even realizes that? That I was simply playing a game with millions of other human-beings. On the internet, the open-web.
This is too disturbing to even write about. At least you were able to put things in perspective.
HUNGOUT2DRY
Why can't a federal judge in Boston or Washington put a temp hold on this indictment from NY... it's obvious there are Constitutional issues at stake here, rights potentially violated. The FBI simply does not have the right to infringe on Citizens Rights like this. Prior to the assets being frozen for millions of Americans in something legal, any legal action must consider the rights of it's citizens. I don't believe the FBI nor the Justice Dept (NY) has done so.
ReplyDeleteI urge action - an immediate injunction blocking the actions of the FBI.
GoodAmerican... you're wasting your time. If you want to urge Congress to give money to Big Oil, or Wall St., you're in luck. Recent Republican/Tea Party backed Budget Reforms that cut billions of dollars to Programs for Challenged Americans were approved. The needy in America ended paying for the previous Presidents zeal for war. Nice job President Bush... building up the debt. We had to invade Iraq??? We had to turn our backs on the war we were fighting in Afghanistan? And now we're mired down in it.
ReplyDeleteThe concern is given the present state of affairs, how do we survive and find a victory here? From a Global perspective, global warming is a huge problem; the current extinction rate of wild-life; the War on Drugs and 35,000+ people dead in Mexico - because our leaders don't understand, Prohibition Doesn't Work!
Prohibition is not in the public interest. Few people today are all that concerned with people that us pot. They're more concerned about it's legality issues and whether they might get hurt.
And they just might. 35,000 innocent civilians dead, mutilated, in Mexico, as a result of DRUGS, the euphemism most loved by pro-prohibitionists. The Bob Goodlattes of this country.
I don't see you having much to go on. Barney Frank might be your only hope, and he's not publicly available. There's Senator Ayotte, but even before you scorned her, she wasn't much into citizen freedom; more like into corporate freedom.
State run online poker sites are coming online - they don't want the competition of sites like PS and Full-Tilt. Poker needs to be regulated, but fairly. Recent actions by the fed were not fair!
Watcher 1
Online gambling /online poker was legalized in Washington D.C. today. Several other states have legislation either pending or considered. Their primary concern is that in the case of poker players these players have their favorite sites already! Well, not anymore!!! Not since last Friday when PokerStars and Full-Tilt were forced out of the US.
ReplyDeleteNow what do you suppose Washington D.C. will do about UIGEA, and the fact no one can legally deposit money to play?
Since politics is politics, and I'm sure many politicians want to cast their wagers, they'll amend that law.
That's how we do business in the US. Let's just say "Free Trade Agreements" between nations and off-shore companies is cutting edge!