Washington, DC – After losing seven of eight games to the Members of Congress, lobbyist Paul Miller, co-founder of the charity basketball game, decided on a new strategy which paid off with Miller’s team winning for only the second time in nine years, 45-36.

Because the Congressmen played zone defense, less strenuous than man to man, Miller’s game plan was to win or lose on long-range three point shooting against the zone, to, as the saying goes, “live by the three or die by the three.

Miller told the oldest player on either team, Jim Martin, 71, to take the first three point shot. Martin made it and after the Congressmen missed their first shot, Martin ran down court to drain another three-pointer. When the Congressmen missed again they double teamed Martin who passed to teammate Danny Leonard who buried his three. Now down 9-0, celebrity coach John Thompson III, who took Georgetown University to the Final Four this year, called time and told the Congressmen “get out of the zone defense before the old guy kills you.”

When they switched to man-to-man, Martin signaled to his celebrity coach, Karl Hobbs, to pull him from the game because, Martin said, “these legs can’t run in the faster paced man-to-man defense.” Hobbs is George Washington University’s coach and the charity game is played each year at GW.

The ninth annual Hoops For Hope All-Star Classic has raised over $300,000 for childrens’ charities like Horton’s Kids, the Luke Tiahrt Fund and St. Anthony’s Scholarship Fund.

Republicans and Democrats played together on the Members team. The game was co-founded by Miller, former president of the American League of Lobbyists (ALL), former Republican Congressman Jack Quinn of New York and Democratic Congressman Tom Barrett of Wisconsin. The stars for the Members were Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO), and Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI).

After the game, several members of Congress touted Martin for MVP honors. A remark heard often was that “after you made two straight three pointers, that took us out of our zone defense and set the tone for the game. The third three pointer put us down 9-0 and we lost by that exact margin.” Martin said that in practice leading up to the game he was trying to shoot “at least 50 threes but after Paul told me I was to take the first shot, I went to the gym every day and increased my output to 100 three pointers. I sure didn’t want to fail. It paid off.”

Following are some quotes from a couple of Martin’s teammates.

Jameson Booth: “Great shooting! We went up 9-0, in large part thanks to Jim — and we never looked back. Now that’s the way to start a game!”

Andy Blocker: “Ditto. Jim “Free for the Three” Martin. It’s good to win!”

Danny Leonard: “The answer is that we need to find Jim “make a three look like a lay-up” Martin’s long lost twin and have one in each game!” (Leonard referred to the first game of the evening between lobbyists and Congressional assistants won by the assistants, 66-55.)

Attached are two photos showing Martin well behind the three-point line. Martin is President of the 60 Plus Association, a senior citizen organization with 4.5 million supporters nationwide.

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Statement By James L. Martin

Arlington, VA – The 60 Plus Association supports efforts to inform seniors on the 2009 digital television transition. However, we are very concerned about the recent advertisements by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) which led older consumers to believe that NONE of their cable service channel line up will be interrupted after the broadcast digital transition. These ads, specifically targeting senior Americans who often live on a fixed income, are misleading if the only way seniors can be assured of uninterrupted service is to purchase more expensive digital cable service.

Older Americans often cannot afford the expense of upgraded digital service and without the commitment of continued carriage of all broadcast channels on analog cable will be denied valuable informational and entertainment programming that is relevant to their daily activities.

NCTA needs to live up to their own promises by agreeing to down convert all broadcast digital signals for analog cable customers post the digital transition or the Federal Communications Commission should preserve this important public interest by requiring them to do so. Then and only then can older Americans be confident that their cable provider is living up to its obligations and that they will receive the uninterrupted service that cable maintains through its new ad campaign that it will provide.

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Statement By James L. Martin

Washington, DC – “Justice delayed is justice denied. Our Federal Judiciary continues to face a crisis — too many vacancies. And who suffers? Senators, you ask? No, not Senators who, unfortunately, are playing politics, present company excluded. Thank you, Senator Specter, for your outstanding leadership.

Instead, it’s the people of America who suffer. For an efficient system of justice, nominees for judicial appointments deserve to be voted on, up or down, but voted on.

So specifically, on behalf of millions of seniors, I urge the Senate to vote to confirm Judge Leslie Southwick, President Bush’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, that is the states of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Judge Southwick has earned the American Bar Association’s highest possible rating, normally considered the gold standard by Democrats. Ironic that the ABA, which often treats conservative judicial nominees unfairly, gave Judge Southwick this highest endorsement…how? Unanimously!

He is also a courageous Iraq War veteran. In 2003, the Judge volunteered to serve in Iraq with the Mississippi National Guard. At age 54, his unit went to Iraq where the Judge served until age 56. Well, this old Marine and head of a national seniors organization both acknowledges and salutes Judge Southwick’s service to his country; his willingness to volunteer and go into harm’s way at that somewhat advanced age is an indication of his strong character and patriotism.

There’s been plenty of time to study his record; his credentials are sterling. It’s high time for the Senate to vote, up or down. He’s earned it.”

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Arlington, VA – Senior citizens have lost two wonderful friends with the passing of former Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) and Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-OH).

Both distinguished themselves in Congress as legislators who always had their constituencies first and foremost in mind and I know were proud of their work on senior’s issues. Both earned awards from 60 Plus every time they were eligible. Seniors had no finer friends on Capitol Hill than Jennifer Dunn and Paul Gillmor.

Jennifer championed repeal of the confiscatory death tax that hurt small businesses and farmers.

Gillmor, who represented Ohio’s 5th District in the Bowling Green area, was first elected to Congress in 1988. He was 68.

Dunn, who represented Seattle’s east-side suburbs for six terms in Congress before retiring in 2004, was 66.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,” said Martin.

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Statement By Jim Martin

“As a newspaper reporter covering Congress in 1964 and as a four-pack-a day (non-filtered) smoker, I witnessed Congress, in its infinite wisdom, ban TV/Print advertising of tobacco and mandate printed warning labels on cigarette packs.

Nearly 45 years later, in its most outrageous attempt to fuel big government on the backs of smokers, Congress, “for the children” proposes a 156% increase in “sin” taxes on tobacco, 61 cents per pack, to provide health insurance for “kids”, raising from 200% of poverty to 400%, reaching into middle class homes with up to $83,000 income.

The result? Those with private insurance will cancel it. Why? Because the government (Congress) will now be providing it free of charge. What a deal!

The only fly in the ointment? A study by the Heritage Foundation concludes there aren’t enough available smokers to extract this new tax.

To meet its nutty goal, I’ve lived to see the day Congress will have to lift the TV/Print ban on smoking and instead entice some 20 million (or more) Americans to take up the habit in order to collect the tax revenues to finance this scheme. How stupid can Congress be?

Seniors say YES to SCHIP Authorization, NO to SCHIP Expansion. And while I defend the tobacco folks’ right to market and sell their products, 60 Plus is not beholden to them on this hot button issue.

For the sake of seniors, hopefully the President will veto this public relations gesture “for the kids” by Congress.”

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