Lamar Smith Says 'Just Joking...' About Tomorrow; SOPA Markup Postponed

from the and-there-it-goes dept

Tue, Dec 20th 2011 11:25am — Mike Masnick

Well, look at that. There's been a lot of back and forth over the past few days concerning whether or not Lamar Smith was serious about holding the continuation of the SOPA markup tomorrow morning. Many people believed he was bluffing just to piss off the anti-SOPA folks... and it appears that his bluff has been called. Smith has just announced that the continuation of the markup has been "postponed due to House schedule." In other words, see everyone next year on this... Either way, just saying that the markup was going to continue tomorrow was a pretty cheap political trick designed to piss off lots of people... and to avoid Smith's own promise that he'd actually take time to hear from technology experts on the subject of online security. Update: And just to continue the joke, we're now hearing rumors that they might try to schedule it... for next week. I can't believe that Smith would be so politically crass, but it's not out of the realm of possibility, if Congress actually is in session next week to argue about other stuff that actually matters. Update 2: And now a Smith staffer says nothing scheduled for the rest of the year...

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Filed Under: copyright, lamar smith, markup, postponed, sopa

35 Comments

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Rob, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:32am

Yeah, right
I'll believe it's been rescheduled from tomorrow after tomorrow's over.
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Not Jason again, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:44am

Lies
With how the government has been hiding stuff and passing legislation behind close doors. It wouldnt surprise me if he said that just to put people off guard. After alll, look at ACTA and the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial. Sure I believe that they wont try and pass it tomorrow. And lightning bolts will shoot out my ass and slaughter all the evil doers. What happened to my government that I have fought to defend all these years.
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Ima Fish (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:44am

Oh, "let's censor the internet tomorrow... not." That's so funny. That Lamar is a real cut-up. He definitely needs his own talk show.
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E. Zachary Knight (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:47am

Lamar's Twitter Profile
I was just looking at Lamar's twitter profile and it reads as follows:

I represent the 21st District of TX in Congress & protect the Constitution as the top Republican on the Judiciary Com.

I think it is pretty hypocritical of Lamar to claim that he wants to protect the Constitution at the same time he is championing one of the worst censorship legislation ever seen.
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The eejit (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:47am

Re: Yeah, right
I think it's been secretly scheduled for today, with all those so-signing the petition against SOPA not being able to attand, due to the fat ass of Chris Dodd blocking the doorways.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:50am

I hope it's true that they aren't going to take it up until next year, but not getting my hopes up.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:55am

Let's do it yesterday!
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:56am

Re: Re: Yeah, right
It secretly happened yesterday and it's already been signed into law.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 11:56am

Yeah, because Congress has never snuck through anything at the last moment right before Christmas.
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:07pm

Re: +1K
Thank you for getting that in there before me.
And with a link!
+1000 internets to you AC!
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Hephaestus (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:10pm

Re: Lies
"And lightning bolts will shoot out my ass and slaughter all the evil doers."

Damn, neat super power, all I got from driving behind a toxic waste truck was a rash and the ability to mind control slugs.
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MAJikMARCer (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:17pm

I say we nuke him from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:18pm

worst joke ever, first time in my life that i am pro-censorship.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 12:35pm

Lamar the lame by being tame will fall with all the blame.
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anonymous, 20 Dec 2011 @ 1:03pm

it will probably be sneaked in on the back of some other god-awful legislation or pathetic excuse, like the EU did the other day over ACTA. seems as if none of the elected officials anywhere are representing those they should be. what a sorry state of affairs!
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The eejit (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 2:49pm

Re:
Like a New ORleans Regeneration fund?
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The Amazing Sammy, 20 Dec 2011 @ 3:09pm

You know the coolest thing about all this?
If you do the math on what the entertainment industry pays these guys, it really makes good sense. $50,000 divided by four years, divided by 52 weeks, divided by 8 hours per days, and you get a really reasonable rate per hour. Works out to less than $5 per hour, per Representative! I don't know about you, but that sounds like one hell of a deal for getting in on this level of collusion and nepotism. At these bottom of the barrel prices, I could afford to pay a congressman off! If as few as a couple hundred of us got together, we could make the whole corrupt political system work for us. Why aren't we all starting political action committees?
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someone special, 20 Dec 2011 @ 3:16pm

With the risk of being visited by men in black...
.. can someone, ANYONE, please hurt this man.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 3:27pm

Re:
It was already passed in secret a while ago. Why do you think courts have already been secretly enforcing it? It's a secret law that's secretly enforced.
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Nanya, 20 Dec 2011 @ 3:27pm

Re: Lies
It doesn't exist, not anymore.

It died with Reagan. :(
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 3:31pm

Re:
This is so nuts. I mean, listen - listen to what you're saying. It's paranoid delusion. How - It's really sad. It's pathetic.

--Burke
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hmmm, 20 Dec 2011 @ 4:03pm

smith stikes me as the kind of man that calls someone pretending to be a cop and tell them that there mom died in a car crash.

honestly this guy has ###hole written in his DNA.
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Jay (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 4:49pm

Re: Re: +1K
I'll do you one better.

Here's an entire documentary on the subject

:)
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Matt, 20 Dec 2011 @ 7:36pm

The worst kind of person.
OMG, this guy is a real life troll. Now you guys know that this is a publicity stunt, right?
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Michael Long (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 8:48pm

Re:
Yeah, passing ACTA during an agriculture summit meeting...
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Michael Long (profile), 20 Dec 2011 @ 8:51pm

Re: Re:
If you want delusional...

I wonder if all of these fits and false starts are to get the opposition tired of emailing and calling. I called once. Twice. How many more times will I need to do it? Then the second it falls off... wham.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Dec 2011 @ 9:37pm

Dems are Two Faced
I say if Speaker Nancy Pelosi can insist that - "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it" is good enough for the future of healthcare in our country, then I say it�s good enough for the Inter-Tubes!

Where was the uproar when Speaker Pelosi was pissing on our backs and telling us it was raining, you Two faced bastards?
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A Guy (profile), 21 Dec 2011 @ 2:37am

Re: Dems are Two Faced
Oh, you're on the wrong site. You wanted www.medicaldirt.com
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2011 @ 3:51am

A congressman exhibiting petty, passive-aggressive behavior? Shock!
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MAJikMARCer (profile), 21 Dec 2011 @ 5:32am

Re: Re:
The funny thing is that Burke was the 'business' voice and it fits for Smith just as well. Wait, that's not funny. That's just sad.
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The Devil's Coachman (profile), 21 Dec 2011 @ 6:21am

Re: Lamar's Twitter Profile
How come there's nothing there about fellating donkeys? Just asking.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2011 @ 7:08am

Response to: MAJikMARCer on Dec 20th, 2011 @ 12:17pm
If that's a Clerks Animated reference, kudos.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2011 @ 7:47am

Re: Lies
Shut the fuck up tinhat.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2011 @ 8:01am

Re: Re: Yeah, right
Shut up you fucking tinhat freak, no it hasn't. It's been postponed until next you piece of shit. Stop being a crazy person you fucking freak niggercunt faggot piece of niggershit.
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MAJikMARCer (profile), 22 Dec 2011 @ 7:08am

Re: Response to: MAJikMARCer on Dec 20th, 2011 @ 12:17pm
Further back than that...Aliens
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