ISPs are trying, Arlee. The problem with this legislation is it’s backed by the entertainment industry, which has been trying to put a stranglehold on content so they can charge more for their crap. Unfortunately, the way content is delivered is changing and the industries aren’t changing with it. If things keep going in this direction, eventually we won’t be able to criticize or protest either.
Not sure I understood, but that DOES sound wrong even from over here. They want to stop internet piracy and shut down the whole internet? Or whole sites? or they block them? errrrr what?
Isn’t that like draining a lake when there’s some preadtor fish in there? Or like blowing up a house because you’ve got cockroaches…. but then again that’s just as crazy a thing that a European has learned to expect from Americans by now.
Dear America,
DON’T censor the internet, please! Noone’s gonna die, if you don’t, but we will lose a lot if you do! Just think of variety, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion even, freedom of choice, and other very important facts Liz will be very happy to add ;)
Thank you, sock, for making a case from your country (Germany) against this legislation. You hit it on the head; if I may be permitted one more metaphor, they’re trying to punish the whole class for one kid throwing an eraser!
Our government has been sold out to corporate interests. This will only make it worse, Eventually we won’t even be able to comment like this. It’s a slow decline that will only get worse, And it will spread.
You know that our chat room is populated by people all over the world. If our beloved SST goes down because one of us posts a link to an LOL picture in chat, our community will be disbanded. We do not want this!
You make a good point about what Europeans expect of Americans. I’m embarassed to admit that now when speaking with anyone who isn’t from the US.
I understand SOPA and PIPA, they are bad bad bills. Bills with good intentions but extremely bad consequences. The heart of the problem is the type of people who make laws in this country. The majority of Congress and the Senate is old white males almost all of them Lawyers and none of them know anything about technology in general and the internet in particular. What they listen to is money. the big media companies hand them a huge sweaty wad of cash and whisper the promise of more sweaty cash in the future if they support the bills. Politicians just love handfuls of sweaty cash, they live for it. The big media companies do not know how to deal with new technology so they decide to use the handful of sweaty cash tactic to circumvent what they do not control.
This is an uphill battle and hopefully enough of our politicians will ignore the cash and listen to the voices of the people. Unfortunately the majority of people do not know or care. when I explained to my mother what was happening earlier today her response was “well don’t break the law, and if you do call a lawyer not me” thanks mom supportive as ever.
call your congress critter, throw some shiny things at them to distract em from the sweaty cash. It might work… it might not.
I did this morning, ikcewicasa. I like your image of the sweaty cash LOL. That sounds very dark-alley-under-the-table, where I’m sure many of these deals take place.
Graphomaniac - A. Elizabeth West 
AWESOME blog design. Give my best to the surgeon !
LOL it’s only temporary, for the SOPA protest. Then I’ll go back to the nice pretty green and my old books picture.
It would be nice if they would start blocking spammer sites and clamp down on hackers. A safe internet is what I’d most like to see.
Lee
Have you heard about the A to Z Video Challenge?
Blogging from A to Z
ISPs are trying, Arlee. The problem with this legislation is it’s backed by the entertainment industry, which has been trying to put a stranglehold on content so they can charge more for their crap. Unfortunately, the way content is delivered is changing and the industries aren’t changing with it. If things keep going in this direction, eventually we won’t be able to criticize or protest either.
Not sure I understood, but that DOES sound wrong even from over here. They want to stop internet piracy and shut down the whole internet? Or whole sites? or they block them? errrrr what?
Isn’t that like draining a lake when there’s some preadtor fish in there? Or like blowing up a house because you’ve got cockroaches…. but then again that’s just as crazy a thing that a European has learned to expect from Americans by now.
Dear America,
DON’T censor the internet, please! Noone’s gonna die, if you don’t, but we will lose a lot if you do! Just think of variety, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion even, freedom of choice, and other very important facts Liz will be very happy to add ;)
Thank you, sock, for making a case from your country (Germany) against this legislation. You hit it on the head; if I may be permitted one more metaphor, they’re trying to punish the whole class for one kid throwing an eraser!
Our government has been sold out to corporate interests. This will only make it worse, Eventually we won’t even be able to comment like this. It’s a slow decline that will only get worse, And it will spread.
You know that our chat room is populated by people all over the world. If our beloved SST goes down because one of us posts a link to an LOL picture in chat, our community will be disbanded. We do not want this!
You make a good point about what Europeans expect of Americans. I’m embarassed to admit that now when speaking with anyone who isn’t from the US.
I understand SOPA and PIPA, they are bad bad bills. Bills with good intentions but extremely bad consequences. The heart of the problem is the type of people who make laws in this country. The majority of Congress and the Senate is old white males almost all of them Lawyers and none of them know anything about technology in general and the internet in particular. What they listen to is money. the big media companies hand them a huge sweaty wad of cash and whisper the promise of more sweaty cash in the future if they support the bills. Politicians just love handfuls of sweaty cash, they live for it. The big media companies do not know how to deal with new technology so they decide to use the handful of sweaty cash tactic to circumvent what they do not control.
This is an uphill battle and hopefully enough of our politicians will ignore the cash and listen to the voices of the people. Unfortunately the majority of people do not know or care. when I explained to my mother what was happening earlier today her response was “well don’t break the law, and if you do call a lawyer not me” thanks mom supportive as ever.
call your congress critter, throw some shiny things at them to distract em from the sweaty cash. It might work… it might not.
I did this morning, ikcewicasa. I like your image of the sweaty cash LOL. That sounds very dark-alley-under-the-table, where I’m sure many of these deals take place.