Editorial
Stop Internet Censorship
Although Congress was back in session for scarcely more than a day last week, private citizens across the country managed to cause an uproar felt across Capitol Hill. The uproar took the form of hundreds of thousands of phone calls to both Senators and Representatives, urging them to oppose two draconian new bills that threaten the free and unbridled flow of information on the internet.
On Wednesday last week, dozens of prominent websites like Wikipedia, Reddit and Craigslist were blacked out in protest of two bills known in DC jargon as SOPA and PIPA. SOPA is the House bill; PIPA is its Senate companion. These bills ostensibly will combat internet piracy, and of course we also are told they will help us wage the never ending "war on terror."
What these bills actually do is force website owners to police the internet; create entry barriers to the only relatively free and open medium of communication; and threaten to break the technological structure of the internet itself. They also violate our 1st Amendment right to freedom of speech and our 4th Amendment freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures.
SOPA and PIPA have been drafted not only without respect for the Constitution, but also without an understanding of the how the internet works. These bills attack the very system upon which the entire orderly organization of the web depends. Search engines, internet service providers, advertising sites, and sites with user-generated content such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter − all magnificent creations of the market − are directly threatened by these bills. They will be held responsible if even a single of their millions of users posts even one link to a website that a copyright holder claims is violating a copyright.
Note that under the bills as written, the Department of Justice or a copyright holder do not have to prove that their copyright was violated − they simply have to claim copyright infringement and an entire site is shut down. The burden of these regulations on the internet will be enormous, shifting resources away from productivity and innovation and into monitoring and censoring. It turns internet companies into involuntary tools for Big Brother government, further eroding our Constitutional rights.
As is typical of so many bills in Congress, SOPA and PIPA were not crafted to make life better for the American people, but rather were written at the behest of big business trying to enlist the federal government as its strong-arm. For example, the Motion Picture Association of America spent more than $1.2 million so far lobbying for their passage.
But the internet community is fighting back effectively, not just with websites that went black but with millions of users who expressed their solidarity. Congressional sponsors of both bills have been jumping ship in response to the outrage. The House Judiciary Committee canceled the SOPA hearing they were planning to hold last Wednesday; the House leadership announced they have no intention of considering this bill; and at the end of the week Senator Reid announced he was postponing the vote until a "compromise" could be reached. The American people are speaking, and with their continued grassroots efforts the marketplace for free ideas and communication will prevail over government controls and censorship.
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Posted by rossbcan on 01/29/12 06:35 AM
RP: "They will be held responsible if even a single of their millions of users posts even one link to a website that a copyright holder claims is violating a copyright."
This is the basis of THIER "power": their ability (tolerated by "we, the people") to change the IDENTITIES of "who profits by actions" and "who pays for the consequences". Private profit, socialized loss.
In this case, vested interests want to forcefully restrict information to that from which they profit from and, more powerful vested interests want to keep us all lobotomized by restricting access to REAL KNOWLEGE:
Click to view link
which allows sane, free (but not risk-free: freedom is not without cost) existance.
And, of course, SOPA, PIPA and most legislation written since the dawn of the 20th century are nor concerned with protecting peace and civilization (the rules by which we cooperate for mutual self-interest), but, rather protecting the interests (ability to prey) of those who would enslave us. Thus, we are losing peace and civilization because we have not been vigilent and, civilization has been legislated away.
Luckily, different choices WILL be made. It is not particular choices that must be made, just jealously guard YOUR right to choose and, your moral duty to face the consequences of YOUR own choices, including tolerating tyrants if you be so foolish:
Click to view link
Justice Defined: We are all free to profit or suffer and learn (adapt to excellence) by facing the consequences of our OWN choices. Injustice is to be forced to suffer the consequences of choices of unaccountable (irresponsible) others..
"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern. The law of liberty tends to abolish the reign of race over race, of faith over faith, of class over class." ~ Lord Acton
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Posted by Cupitor on 01/27/12 02:58 AM
News report I came across today - Twitter to start censoring international posts, theme is growing
Click to view link
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Posted by Joelg on 01/25/12 12:14 AM
District of Criminals (DC) - I love it, Cosmos.
I am sure this Congress of Cowards that is bought and paid for and owned lock stock and barrel will slip this unpopular bill into another massive piece of legislation (mysterious middle of the night insertion by stealth staffer) where it will go unnoticed by the public (until it is too late) and be signed into law.
Bush II's War on Terror is evolving under Obama into something more akin to the Spanish Inquisition. Add in Obama's class warfare (that strangely exempts him and his wealthy cronies, who point the fingers elsewhere) for a bit of French Revolution.
Seems more like a War OF Terror being waged against us by our so-called elected government, rather than a War ON Terror.
I canceled Netflix today. My small protest that will go unnoticed by Hollyweird.
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Posted by cosmos on 01/24/12 07:43 PM
These days, the left is coming after us with so many bills, it seems like if even one of themgets through, we're screwed. Of course, we are under attack like never before from our Fed.
Throw the Bums out ! ! !
Ron Paul is about the only honest politican left in Washington's "District of Criminals".
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Posted by Agent Weebley on 01/24/12 12:46 PM
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Posted by JM on 01/24/12 12:27 PM
SOPA and PIPA Fully Alive - And a New Bill Joins Them
Excerpt:
"Actually, SOPA is set to be reformulated in February. PIPA will be revisited with possible amendments in the coming weeks. Case in point, all is still open and possible - nothing is dead, pulled, or cancelled. If that wasn't enough to keep us on our toes, a new, similar bill has surfaced.
"Déjà Vu in the form of OPEN - The New Anti-Piracy Bill
"As an alternative to SOPA-PIPA, Representative Darrell Issa (CA-R), and 24 co-sponsors introduced the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) H.R. 3782 on Wednesday, during the Internet blackout."
Click to view link
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Posted by pjmauigirl1 on 01/24/12 10:37 AM
They will sneak something through and the prez will sign it on New Year's Eve.
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Posted by Agent Weebley on 01/24/12 10:08 AM
hello dave . . . this was posted while we were sleeping . . . uncensored . . . like they will always be . . .
Click to view link
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Posted by dave jr on 01/24/12 12:53 AM
Well, its good to know the public has a pulse. I was beginning to wonder.
