PPA to Rally at Washington State Supreme Court

This shirt is technically inaccurate now in Washington State but still would make for a great rally souvenir.

I saw a horrifyingly disturbing video several weeks ago. In it, this dude is getting fucked by a horse … I know I know … not even gonna link to it. (Forget NSFW, this is NSFHumanity, let alone lunch; trust me, you don\’t even wanna google \”2 guys 1 horse\” … unless you happen to enjoy YouTube reaction vids to interspecies snuff films that show a man dying after literally getting ripped a new one by a 900-pound equine lover.)

Crazy thing is, this Darwin Awards ceremony took place on a farm in Washington State, which apparently has some of the most lax laws anywhere against bestiality — in fact no laws, and thus no charges were pressed against the men who ran an underground bordello for zoophiles. (Seattle Times, fyi, safe to click)

A little stomach-wrenching legal perspective as the Supreme Court in Olympia prepares to consider the felonious nature of the very toughest state law anywhere against online poker. Later this month, the court will be taking up the 2007 case of Lee Rousso vs. State of Washington, where an online poker player challenges the constitutionality of Washington\’s 2006 Internet Gambling Ban.

Click here to read Rousso\’s original complaint. He filed seeking a declaratory judgment on the legality of playing poker online, as opposed to other forms of online gambling that are specifically illegal (sports betting) or legal (horse racing and lottery). His primary beef seems to be that the IGB violates the federal Commerce Clause. He also calls out the questionable political backscratching between representatives and the casino industry that he claims was really behind this law that infringes on his liberty.

Heavy stuff in the balance …

As the court prepares to hear the case — not sure who won then lost, but these matters almost always require a suck and re-suck to get this far — the PPA is gathering a force to turn whatever happens on May 27 into a media event. Rousso, who happens to be the PPA\’s Washington State Director, is set to testify, and cheering him on from the steps of the Supreme Court will be Al D\’Amato, John Pappas, and Phil Gordon (the only Team Full Tilter who lives in Washington State). They hope to rally enough local PPA members to turn online poker issues into a noble courthouse spectacle.

Click below to read the PPA press release:

To be fair, even though the storyline being pushed is that this wretched law puts poker on par with child molestation, that\’s a touch misleading. Playing online poker is just a class C felony in Washington — with the same 5-years max in prison and $10k fine as small drug crimes, possession of stolen property, (non-grand) theft, witness tampering, and DUI. Far more prison time for child-molesting and other Class Bs.

But still a crime that strips people we know of their full citizenship nonetheless … and the kind of law that needs people like Rousso to stand against it … unless, of course, online poker players in Wash-State are just fine and dandy being criminals (on paper) while distinctly more atrocious acts exist outside the justice system\’s reach.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2010

*** Media Advisory***

Poker is Not a Crime: PPA to Hold Rally Outside Washington Supreme Court

WHAT:
Lee Rousso, PPA’s Washington State Director, will deliver oral arguments to the Washington State Supreme Court on May 27th, and the PPA will hold a rally and press conference outside the courthouse immediately following the hearing.

In Washington, playing poker online is now a felony–like child pornography or heroin possession–making any of the over 800,000 Washington residents who can legally play poker in card rooms look like hardened criminals if they play online. Russo is challenging the constitutionality of the law, arguing that it violates the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, which reserves to Congress the right to regulate interstate and international commerce.

Professional Poker Player and Washington native Phil Gordon and PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato will join with Washington State members of the PPA at the rally to show their support for Rousso’s efforts to keep poker legal.

WHO:
Senator Alfonse D’Amato, PPA Chairman
Lee Rousso, Washington State Director of the PPA
Phil Gordon, Washington native and Top National Poker Professional
John Pappas, Executive Director of the PPA
Local PPA Members

WHEN:
Thursday, May, 27, 2010
Approximately 10:00am PDT

WHERE:
Washington State Supreme Court
415 12th Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98504-0929