SOPA Was Postponed Indefinitely
On January 20, 2012, Sen. Harry Reid and SOPA sponsor, Rep. Lamar Smith, both reluctantly released statements of postponing the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution
. Both statements vowed to continue to fight for similar legislation in the future, so our job isn't done yet. Although these two particular bills, SOPA and PIPA, are likely put to rest, I will keep this page up for now to remind us of this battle and prepare us for the next. Thank you to all who participated.
January 18th Blackout
On January 18, 2012 this website was blacked out in protest of the dangerous SOPA and PIPA legislation which could damage the internet. This protest was done in solidarity with the many sites on the internet which will also blackout on that day. Read more about the Reddit blackout.
SOPA Threatens the Internet
You may not have heard yet, but there is a dangerous piece of legislation that threatens to change the internet as we know it. The bill, known as SOPA, the "Stop Online Piracy Act", contains provisions that would radically transform how websites and ISPs do business. They claim to be attempting to enforce copyright violations, but the legislators who sponsor this bill have fundamental lack of understanding as to how the internet works and the danger this bill poses. The same goes for PIPA, the "Protect-IP Act". Here are some links to articles on to help inform you about the issue.
- How SOPA would affect you: FAQ
- What's Wrong With SOPA (PDF) - A one page PDF from the EFF pointing out some of the dangers.
- A technical examination of SOPA and PROTECT IP - A wonderful article on the problems of this legislation as it applies to internet companies from the perspective of a sysadmin at Reddit.
- How The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) Seriously Harms the Internet - YouTube video explaining why DNS blocking in these bills doesn't work.
- Learn how the Protect-IP Act breaks the internet:
- Strike Against SOPA & PIPA
- The Pirate Bay SOPA Press Release - The view of SOPA from an actual pirate website.
Local Offenders
Here is a list of local offenders who we need to urge to change their support. Make sure that your voice is heard. When they come up for election next time, we can not let them say they were ignorant of the will of the people. Either they stand with their constituents, or they stand with the media lobby.
- Marsha Blackburn - Marsha Blackburn has stated strong support for this legislation, and she is a co-sponsor. She claims to support the TEA party and freedom, but in her support for SOPA, she shows where her true values lie. She is reported to have collected over $140,000 in campaign contribuitions in the last four years from the media industry. Let's not let her off the hook for this one.
- Lamar Alexander
- Jim Cooper - In an email which I received from Jim Cooper, he claims to be working to "advocate for protections in the bill". However, that is not enough. He is a co-sponsor of this legislation, and talk is cheap. He will surely try to use this excuse when he votes for the bill. Do not let him think that this is acceptable.
- Bob Corker - Is a co-sponsor of PIPA. I have sent him an email to which I have only received a "will be back in touch" email, but no further response. During the blackout, his website was down and his phones only gave a busy signal. Make it clear that this is not an issue he can ignore.
The Good Guys
While there are many heroes in this debate, I would like to highlight some of those with greater importance to those of us here in TN. If you know of a local politician who opposes SOPA and you think that they should be represented here, please send an email to end_sopa@anewmind.org, and I will consider adding them.
- Ron Paul - While other presidential candidates are now against SOPA because it's becoming the popular thing to do, Ron Paul has been opposed to SOPA before it was popular. He spoke out against its attack on freedom from the campaign trail, and for that, I think that he needs our support.
- Scott DesJarlais - I admit that I don't know much, or really anything about this guy. He's not in my district, so I couldn't vote for him anyway. However, he opposes SOPA. That's significant because, according to probublica.org, he is the only Tennessee politician to oppose it. I think that's good enough reason to give him a more thorough consideration.
Contact Your Representatives!
We must act now to put an end to this legislation. I strongly urge you to contact your representatives on this matter. Here is a convenient link to Contact your representatives.