A number of sites, including Wikipedia‘s, explain the broad implications for free speech and access to information. Some parts of the proposed legislation are redundant with existing law; others are invasive and probably unconstitutional. Go here to find contact information for your representatives, and don’t fail to tell them how you feel about SOPA and PIPA. These are not dead letters, and we need to make our elected leaders understand that we want to see the stuff go away and not come back.
From MoveOn.org:
This Internet Censorship Legislation Is Terrible
The Internet that we know and love is under attack by big media and pharmaceutical corporations. Their lobbyists are pushing Internet censorship legislation like the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The copyright enforcement mechanisms in these bills would restrict online innovation and threaten the existence of websites with user-submitted content—including the MoveOn.org front page, Reddit, and Wikipedia.
We’re taking time today to focus and act on this important issue. We encourage you to do the same.
Get involved
- Black out your website in solidarity with MoveOn.org, Reddit, Wikipedia, and others.
- Sign our petition against Internet censorship.
- Censor your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures using #BlackoutSOPA.
Watch this video from Fight for the Future, which explains the Internet censorship legislation and why it’s so bad.
Learn more:
- Read the PROTECT IP Act, at OpenCongress.org.
- See where your member of Congress stands on Internet censorship at SOPAOpera.org.
- Here’s a list of websites that are blacking out today, from SOPAStrike.com
- Here’s the first email we sent out about the Internet censorship bills in the House and Senate from last November.
We’ll be back tomorrow, keeping the pressure up to stop Internet censorship and trying to win every progressive battle that we fight together.
Paid for by MoveOn.org Political Action, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
How do we get the letters to representatives/senators in a way that it won’t immediately go to their spam box though?
Because I took a class my senior year of high school where we were required to email a whole committee about an issue, and I got one response back from 1 aid to the representative asking if this was spam. (I incidentally had a nice conversation with the representative after that over email though.)
Telephone. A low- or unpaid kid will answer the phone. State your position calmly, because he or she has no say about anything–just answers the phone and tabulates positions on issues. Your statement over the phone will go in as a numeral in the “pro” or “con” column.
Or send a letter by snail-mail. At least someone has to get out a letter-opener or pair of scissors to get it open, which causes them some work.
This is legislation that was formed by people that don’t know the internet, can’t get their email unless their staff helps them and wouldn’t know what a DNS server was unless it bit them in the part that goes over the fence last.
A useless bill and it has stirred the wrath of Hollywood, home of millionaire actors and directors that threaten to defund Mr. Obamas reelection campaign.
This bill has no teeth beyond our 12 mile limit. China counterfeits DVDs on a daily basis and we do nothing.
George who stands looking at the sunset with his hands on his hips wonders why?
This bill is just another stick in our spokes to drive a steak into the heart of the Constitution.
Move On is a Socialist organization funded by that ugly fat jew, George Soros. If you have a fine opinion of him, that is fine and once again this is your blog and I do enjoy reading the events of your life But.
Rand Paul triggered one of those TSA body scanners that we paid billions for so we could scan grandmothers, babies and many other people that were not obviously terrorists.
The wanted to pat him down.
He said no, let me walk thru again.
They said no, so they detained a member of Congress.
“The Senators and Representatives…shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same….” according to Article I, Section 6.
We need the TSA to just go away.
But then Obama loathes the Constution.
George who stands looking at the sunset with his hands on his hips wonders why?
When I did this in San Diego in ’68 I was looking for a war and I did find one.