Heritage Foundation Says SOPA Threatens Free Speech
from the pirates? dept
We recently wrote about the somewhat surprising move that The Heritage Foundation had come out against SOPA. This was surprising mainly because the think tank was famous for being very closely aligned with the MPAA on copyright issues in the past -- even to the ridiculous degree of insisting that "there is no difference between shoplifting a DVD from a store and illegally downloading a copyrighted movie from Kazaa." However even an organization that has made that statement in the past recognizes that SOPA/PIPA aren't actually about copyright, but about regulating the internet in dangerous ways.The think tank has decided to speak out again about how SOPA "threatens free speech." Much of the discussion focuses on the government's totally bungled seizure and censorship of Dajaz1.com. It notes how ridiculously overbroad this kind of censorship is under existing law, and questions why we would want to go down the "slippery slope" of expanding those powers for the government.
Once again, when even the most strident supporters of copyright are recognizing what horrible bills SOPA and PIPA are, it makes you wonder how Congress can continue to move forward with them.
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Filed Under: copyright, free speech, pipa, protect ip, sopa
Companies: heritage foundation
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I'm at a total loss here.
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OPEN
OPEN is a much better plan to remove funding sources from pirate sites without the major censorship aspect which violates First Amendment rights.
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Response to: bjupton on Dec 29th, 2011 @ 1:15am
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Its pretty bad when even THEY realize this is bad
When even they have to admit that something is going to be bad and hurt America's standing.... ugh... My head hurts thinking about the stupidity of SOPA.
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Todd Rokita
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wonder how ?
Internet is the only medium that offers free speech. The rest are just near images.
There is always somebody that does not want for some information to spread. We all have done something wrong in our lives and told to our selves "if only these two people would now about it...". So what you get is "free speech" where you can talk about it but don't shout to loud. Powerful people always wanted to suppress some information and they bribe the media to keep it or do other ugly things. In the end you will get rumors about something but not real information.
Fast forward to present and shouting something on the internet has the potential of a global audience, uuu that's not good, that means that killing a woman at a protest in some country will not have the effect of a rumor but you get 1 - 4 videos of that happening speeding faster than a virus on a global scale. Ohh shit now we've don it... what do we do next ahh crap we need to get rid of this internet.
do a google search on "Death of Neda Agha-Soltan"
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It's really simple, our current government over all is expanding it's power over us, it is expanding and consolidating. We will live in a nudged saul alinsky, cass sunstein authoritarian oligarchy.
The 4th amendment has been mostly nullified, the 1st is under attack, all we have to save us is the 2nd.
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How can Congress do this?
The money talks, bullshit walks. With the obscene amounts of cash being waved in front of members, it's no wonder they tend to forget who they're working for.
It's also obvious that most of them don't read anything on the Internet, lest they become confused by the real issues with SOPA/PIPA.
All they know is what their handlers tell them.
That's what you get when you have technologically-challenged people running the country.
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Re: wonder how ?
At least until google can explain secret deals it has with certain copyright holders, allowing them to pull down free speech videos.
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How Congress can move forward
“Congress Ends 2011 With Record-Low 11% Approval” by Frank Newport, Gallup, Dec 19, 2011:
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Silly Mikie,
because they are paid too. :o)
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Good Ol' Uncle Sam
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Re:
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updated list of supporters and opposers to SOPA and PIPA
You have put together a lot of individual articles that stated which companies, organizations, and Congress critters support or oppose SOPA and PIPA as a running process as the info rolled in about them.
I think it would be good to write a summary update article listing off what we currently know as the supporters and opposers, with special notation of those who have changed sides (whether going from supporting to opposing or vice versa).
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Re: Re: wonder how ?
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Re: How Congress can move forward
The median net worth of members of Congress is about $913,000, compared with about $100,000 for the country at large, the Times’ analysis found.
Nearly half of Congress — 249 members — are millionaires, while only 5 percent of American households can make the same claim.
Congress is the 1%. The rest of us are cannon fodder.
Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/as-americans-get-poorer-members-of- congress-get-richer/
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Re: Re: Re: wonder how ?
It is no fight. Changing from Godaddy, sorry Google, is not starting a fight.
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Re: Silly Mikie,
There, FTFY. ;)
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Re: Response to: bjupton on Dec 29th, 2011 @ 1:15am
Shhhhhhh, don't say that out loud! The place would fill up with only the most ignorant, unqualified and useless people! We can't have that!! Gotta keep some of the perks quiet, you know.
Sorry Mr Speaker. I may be out of order. But I also see it's too late because it's already happened.
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Mike, this one is easy to explain...
Queue up Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon, Track 6...
MONEY!!!!!
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Response to: Franklin G Ryzzo on Dec 29th, 2011 @ 2:40pm
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Re: Response to: Franklin G Ryzzo on Dec 29th, 2011 @ 2:40pm
And get sued for copyright infringement? No thanks.
I have a license(I've purchased at least 5 over the years(any other license expire when medium it is written on deteriorates? Drivers license etc...)) for Floyds' "Money."
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Re: Re: Response to: Franklin G Ryzzo on Dec 29th, 2011 @ 2:40pm
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