Intro comments by J Smithson
Original Commentary by Daily Kos
Whether you are a Marxist/Liberal/One Worlder or a Radical Right Wing Nutcase, such as myself, we must all come together on this matter. I have taken the entire article, below, from the Daily Kos. Somehow, I do not think they will mind. The Kos is as far Left as I am Right, and I do mean right. But on this issue, we could not be more in agreement. Of late, there have been several Congressional attempts at limiting internet service/access under the guise of protecting copyright law. Lamar Smith is one of the culprits on this latest try . . . . very disappointing to realize that Lamar is an Establishment Republican who does not believe in open and free speech. I will divide the message, in terms of size. You will need to "Read more . . ." to get the full message. After reading, email this to others, make a phone call or two and write a letter or email. - J Smithson, blog editor.
Big Pharma and the recording and movie industries are on the verge of passing a bill that could very well destroy the social web, including Daily Kos.
This is no hyperbole. Watch the video above. It is literally an existentialist threat for Daily Kos and any other site with user-generated content, from Facebook, to Reddit, to tumblr, Sound Cloud or YouTube.
This is the holy grail of the entertainment industry—to destroy the internet, and thus, destroy the biggest danger to their business.
While the entertainment industry already has outsized tools to fight piracy, they don't want to deal with the hassle of having to send takedown notices to individual infringing sites. It's hard work, going after YouTubes of dancing babies and stuff! And, of course, they don't have jurisdiction over many foreign-based sites. So, if they can't stomp out all piracy, plan B is to destroy the internet.
Democratic Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy is inexplicably leading the charge in the Senate with the Protect IP Act. Republican Texas Rep. Lamar Smith is leading the companion bill in the House with the Stop Online Piracy Act. This bill would've been rushed through with no debate through both chambers had it not been for the singular efforts of Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a true hero of grassroots media and the social web.
Wyden has put a hold on the bill in the Senate, and has promised a full filibuster. . . . . . . .
Continue reading here . . . . . . .Currently, there appear to be 60 votes to overcome that filibuster, but the delaying tactics would tie up the Senate for a full week. And if it doesn't pass this year, supporters have to start from scratch all over again next year—this time under the full glare of a spotlight.
Wyden is now being joined with Sens. Maria Cantwell of Washington, Jerry Moran of Kansas (he's a senator that exists) andRand Paul of Kentucky (even a stopped clock ...).
In the House, Nancy Pelosi has come out against the bill, which proves that this is not an ideological battle. And it shouldn't be—no one outside Hollywood is served by destroying the internet. Social media has been key in the rise of both the tea party and the Occupy movements, as well as pro-democracy movements from the Ukraine to Egypt.
The LA Times and NY Times have both editorialized against the bills today. The LA Timeswrites:
Both bills go to risky extremes, however, in their efforts to stop these sites from attracting an audience. Of the two, the House bill goes further down the wrong path, weakening protections for companies — including those based in the United States — that enable users to store, publish or sell goods online. The change could force such companies to monitor everything their users do, turning them into a private security force for copyright and trademark owners.
We'll have more info soon on what you can do to help stop this atrocity. You can also go toAmericanCensorship.org to learn more about these bills, and what you can do to help stop them.
p.s. See below the fold, in graphic format, why these two bills are so dangerous.
ORIGINALLY POSTED TO KOS ON MON NOV 28, 2011 AT 10:43 AM PST.
ALSO REPUBLISHED BY DAILY KOS.
TAGS
No comments:
Post a Comment