Post by wtfadam on Nov 3, 2006 9:18:26 GMT -4
From www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/article/3412
Lobbyist Debbie Richardson Organizes a Rally at the White House in Favor of Poker and Personal Freedom
This Friday and Saturday, people are taking it to the streets of Washington, D.C. to make their voices heard about online gambling, online poker, and other personal freedoms they feel are at risk with the current government. The movement, led by lobbyist Debbie Richardson, expects to bring at least 50 protesters to the country’s capital to make their feelings known regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
“Whether we have 50 or 500, it only takes one voice to be heard,” Richardson told Card Player in a phone interview on her way to the rally. “If we lay down, they’ll lay down, and this will continue.”
Richardson is holding two rallies on Nov. 3 and 4 that will meet at 9 a.m. in front of the Washington Monument. The protest will move from there to Pennsylvania Avenue where Richardson has reserved the sidewalk in front of the White House for demonstrations. Richardson also told Card Player that she has a surprise guest speaker in place for the event, but would not divulge who.
Richardson has stated that, while she understands President Bush does not have line-item veto power to allow him to single out the act and remove it from the Port Security bill, there are other options available to him to have the act revised or removed. According to Richardson, Bush can send the bill back to the legislature for a 30-day period after it has been signed (that period is extended because of the congressional campaigns) if parts of the bill are legally flawed. Having been rushed into the bill at the last moment, the act did not have a chance to be properly read and debated upon by the legislature and also contains a fair number of legal loopholes, according to Richardson.
Richardson made it a point to emphasize that, while the protest is focusing on gambling legislation, the real issue is personal freedoms. Specifically, she aims her additional protests toward the wiretapping program the Bush administration has put in place.
When asked what her official job was, Richardson cryptically stated that she had an “interest” in online gambling that she was not at liberty to further discuss. She said that referring to her as a lobbyist is the most appropriate designation at the moment.
Richardson’s event isn’t the only grassroots movement geared toward regaining our rights to play poker online. Finance lawyer Jim Perkins started an online petition shortly after the bill was passed. The petition currently has 11,672 signers and that number grows each day. Those interested can view and sign the petition here.
Online poker also has the Poker Players’ Alliance (PPA) on its side. The PPA has over 75,000 members and lobbies Washington to regulate poker rather than restrict it. The organization includes such prominent poker players as Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Greg Raymer.
Lobbyist Debbie Richardson Organizes a Rally at the White House in Favor of Poker and Personal Freedom
This Friday and Saturday, people are taking it to the streets of Washington, D.C. to make their voices heard about online gambling, online poker, and other personal freedoms they feel are at risk with the current government. The movement, led by lobbyist Debbie Richardson, expects to bring at least 50 protesters to the country’s capital to make their feelings known regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
“Whether we have 50 or 500, it only takes one voice to be heard,” Richardson told Card Player in a phone interview on her way to the rally. “If we lay down, they’ll lay down, and this will continue.”
Richardson is holding two rallies on Nov. 3 and 4 that will meet at 9 a.m. in front of the Washington Monument. The protest will move from there to Pennsylvania Avenue where Richardson has reserved the sidewalk in front of the White House for demonstrations. Richardson also told Card Player that she has a surprise guest speaker in place for the event, but would not divulge who.
Richardson has stated that, while she understands President Bush does not have line-item veto power to allow him to single out the act and remove it from the Port Security bill, there are other options available to him to have the act revised or removed. According to Richardson, Bush can send the bill back to the legislature for a 30-day period after it has been signed (that period is extended because of the congressional campaigns) if parts of the bill are legally flawed. Having been rushed into the bill at the last moment, the act did not have a chance to be properly read and debated upon by the legislature and also contains a fair number of legal loopholes, according to Richardson.
Richardson made it a point to emphasize that, while the protest is focusing on gambling legislation, the real issue is personal freedoms. Specifically, she aims her additional protests toward the wiretapping program the Bush administration has put in place.
When asked what her official job was, Richardson cryptically stated that she had an “interest” in online gambling that she was not at liberty to further discuss. She said that referring to her as a lobbyist is the most appropriate designation at the moment.
Richardson’s event isn’t the only grassroots movement geared toward regaining our rights to play poker online. Finance lawyer Jim Perkins started an online petition shortly after the bill was passed. The petition currently has 11,672 signers and that number grows each day. Those interested can view and sign the petition here.
Online poker also has the Poker Players’ Alliance (PPA) on its side. The PPA has over 75,000 members and lobbies Washington to regulate poker rather than restrict it. The organization includes such prominent poker players as Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Greg Raymer.