Mike, just sent me the below email to share with all of you. I think the Mason Malmuth question can now also be laid to rest.

<SPAN>We have employed and continue to employ one of the top lobbying organizations on Capitol Hill, the Federalist Group, www.federalistgroup.com</SPAN>

<SPAN>This is available for 2005 at: http://opensecrets.org/lobbyists/cli...&year=2005</SPAN>

<SPAN> </SPAN>

<SPAN>You might find this interesting as well. She is not exactly objective (her husband had a business deal go wrong with MM), but it is a reasonable assessment.</SPAN>

<SPAN>http://www.elainevigneault.com/categ...mason-malmuth/</SPAN>

<SPAN> </SPAN>

<SPAN>Our lobbying strategy is two fold:</SPAN>

1. <LI class=MsoNormal><SPAN>Work with members of Congress to introduce, co-sponsor and help pass federal legislation that provides a skill based exemption for games such as internet poker, from UIGEA other federal legislation.</SPAN> <LI class=MsoNormal><SPAN>Work with members to create legislation that would enact legislation to license and regulate internet poker in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>.</SPAN> <LI class=MsoNormal><SPAN> </SPAN> </LI>

<SPAN>This is how the PPA will help keep poker legal.</SPAN>

<SPAN> </SPAN>

<SPAN>Our strategy is combing of lobbying activity and grassroots power to let Washington DC know that we are not gone and we are fighting back to fix the wrongs of last congress, and start work on creating common sense regulation for American poker players going forward.</SPAN>

<SPAN> </SPAN>

<SPAN>Regards,</SPAN>

<SPAN>Michael</SPAN>

This reply answers 1/100th of the legit questions about the PPA. Where's the public access and accounting for the other millions of dollars raised since it's inception?

What I don't get is "Why the witch hunt?" Michael is well respected by the majority of the poker playing community and I seriously doubt Lederer, Ferguson, Raymer, Linda Johnson, etc would be officers in the organization if the PPA was not on the up and up!

I would think your energy would be better used to fight for your rights to play poker online, but what do I know!!

Witch Hunt? I'm a memebr of the PPA. It's not a witch hunt on my part, just some very valid questions have been raised that need some answering. Just because the source of these questions is comming from someone that has other issues with Michael, does not make them any less valid. If you read the post on 2+2, it lays out these questions in a very coherient form. This org has taken in Millions of dollars and the reply(s) so far account for approx 200K. No answer on how much anyone in the org is being paid or where other funds are being distributed. I mean just on the surface alone, 1 person does not hold every top spot in any multi million dollar Non-profit.

Felononious,

criticize away, I could care less! Obviousky there is no getting through to you and you will believe what you want. Both KK and I have posted links to background and financial information along with reassurance that Mike is not some scam artist.

I would suggest you call Michael yourself as this is the only way you will be satisfied. Please feel free to email me at eric@bluffmedia.com and I will forward you all his contact information.

ONce you have been re-assured, please make sure to post your apology in big bold letters! My eyes are not as good as they use to be!

You are actively trying to defend PPA on these boards, but you couldn't care less about my criticisms? More likely you recognize that you can't address them because the facts either aren't available or don't support you.

A lot of tough people on this board Mr. Bolcerek, ty for taking the time to read through our questions. My main question is are any of the major poker sites helping our cause? Surely they stand to lose the most from the seller perspective so are they doing anything?

Eric,

The post above is hitting the nail on the head. They have taken in Millions. So far the only information and accounting given is ultra generic. Why are u getting so defensive about this? Just like my response above that was unanswered. Why are the top spots held by 1 person, and where is the rest of the millions contributed so far, as well as compensation if any of the other board members.

You guys are ridiculous. It's only $25 to join ($15 with the bluff magazine discount). They are the only ones doing anything. I cannot believe what i'm reading. If you don't like what the PPA are doing, what are our other options?

Eric,

You're defending them in a public forum. With reply's from them in a public forum. Why would anyone need to get any reply at this point in private?

This is not about the cost to join IMO, nor about whether the PPA is the only choice. This is a simple matter of principle. If the PPA cannot or will not answer valid questions about it's operations, that has an impact. If the PPA is a valid, honest, and more importantly competent advocate, then they should be able to convince the doubters without much effort.

How can we expect the PPA to influence anyone in DC if they can't even make a sound argument here?

Also, let's not forget the damage that can be done if an advocate for an issue is found to be incompetent or dishonest. I'm not at all saying this is the case, I'm simply stating that in today's world, the image of lawmakers is everything. If even the appearance of impropriety exists, it damages the cause.

Super, as the owner of Bluff Magazine, I have nothing to hide, nor would I want to post as an alias. I also will do my best not to be a DOUCHE!

Thanks for you r input, I have already contacted Michael and asked him to come over to this forum and reply to some of the concerns.

Please also note I am not blindly defending the PPA. I have met with ALL but 2 members of the PPA many times and I am more then satisfied that they are acting in our best interest. Please also note that I am not a spokesperson for the PPA and do not have specific numbers to answer many of the concerns.

Oh, I didnt know you were the owner..so obviously youre not going to get in trouble..hehe

I hope you realize I wasnt calling YOU a douche..lol...I actually wasnt calling anyone a douche..just saying that criticizing the PPA doesnt make ANYONE a douche, if they do it correctly.

Having Michael come on here would be great. I also wasnt saying that YOU were blindly defending the PPA, but some people in this thread are.

Beanie, you and I have had this conversation many times, but again, "shooting firefighters" or not..if you give money to a non-profit, you absolutly 100% have the right to see where that money goes...PERIOD. Not just where some of it went...but where EVERY SINGLE PENNY OF EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR GOES. That is the whole point...a balence sheet or income statement would pretty much clear up all the questions I would suppose.

Kindly define "gets pleanty (sic) done" since I have "absolutly (sic) no clue." (I did, btw, 3 separate internships at two Congressional offices and one party's national office on consecutive summers and have seen the dollar amounts that pass, as well as other interesting stuff that would make typically moral and ethical people somewhat sick to their stomachs, so you'll have to take my word for it that I have a very strong and informed idea about what $220K is, and that is peanuts compared to what other organizations spend.) Why would realtors need to put almost 12 million into lobbying efforts? Do they have 60X more on the line than we do? Maybe, but the amount they put forward as a group shows they are serious about getting legislation they want. Money is what moves Congress, not just the speaker. When O'Neill was Speaker and Reagan was in the White House, they fought, but Reagan got what he wanted pretty darned often. Over the past several years Hastert has been nothing more than a puppet to Bush, who held a bully pulpit over the House and Senate. Hastert could only get something done if Bush gave the ok. My questions are: 1. What is the PPA doing to generate large-scale donations? 2. Who are they soliciting for these funds? 3. How much have they raised to date? 4. Are the big sites working with them? 5. Have they asked the big sites for cash? 6. What was the reply? 7. Just exactly what the hell have they been up to the last year?

LOL Benny, I refuse to reply to your post until you edit it in a way that doesnt hurt my eyes to read.