Comments on: SOPA IS BACK: Lamar Smith trying to quietly revive SOPA and cram it down the world's throats

By: James LeClare

James LeClare — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Politicians cant be leaders because they lack a fundamental quality to be one, selflessness.

By: Cowicide

Cowicide — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:38:00 +0000

Ha, I thought someone might say that. ^-^

By: Sagodjur

Sagodjur — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:18:00 +0000

I’m not saying that I advocate for a strong regulatory government either, but a weakened government is how we got the corporations in the first place, starting with the railroads that ran roughshod over the weak federal government and disorganized local governments they dealt with until it was too late to contain them. Weakening the government creates a power vacuum that someone will fill. The only solution is to better distribute that power to a well-educated populace – something we’re not going to get to easily in our current state.

By: Ike Pigott

Ike Pigott — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 02:10:00 +0000

The solution isn’t to use Government to limit Corporations… The stronger the State, the more tempting (and cost-efficient) a target it becomes for special interests and lobbying.

The only way to beat back the cycle is to make the central government weaker. Let the corporations fight each other to keep each other in check.

By: Jaron R. Hendrix

Jaron R. Hendrix — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:26:00 +0000

I’d guess the chances are better that he read it first.

By: wulfcry

wulfcry — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Nope some are like demons in disguise but what do we know huh.

By: donovan acree

donovan acree — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:28:00 +0000

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. He has been in office since 1987. The people of Austin and San Antonio keep re-electing him. What I don’t get is how his actions are going to benefit the residents in his Texas district?

By: JProffitt71

JProffitt71 — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:31:00 +0000

Yeah, I thought about that after I had posted (well, edited). I mean watching tv shows in lieu of movies. You can find a lot of random stuff that’ll entertain you days, perhaps weeks longer than the next blockbuster. Heard of The Shield? Good stuff.

By: Alex Rudnick

Alex Rudnick — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:59:00 +0000

Netflix has to pay the MAFIAA just like every other legal means of getting Hollywood movies.

By: P.F. Bruns

P.F. Bruns — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:56:00 +0000

Economical!

By: P.F. Bruns

P.F. Bruns — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:53:00 +0000

True enough. I always pronounced that one “Cloaca.”

By: Lemoutan

Lemoutan — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:56:00 +0000

I’m afraid these large corporations aren’t going to run out of resources any time soon at the rate they’re going. Our politicians are way too cheap. I’m getting less and less taken aback by how little they get out of betraying their (human) constituents. A company directorship in a couple of years here, a few thousand quid there, a bit of influence yonder. It’s actually quite disturbing. We need a lot more corruption, we need a far larger number of high-maintenance scoundrels to soak up the slush funds a hell of a lot quicker than is happening at the moment.

By: zakwilson

zakwilson — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:23:00 +0000

Haven’t you heard? Corporations are people, my friend.

By: jdorfman

jdorfman — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:13:00 +0000

“Not on our watch” – The Internet

By: Denton Jackson

Denton Jackson — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:07:00 +0000

That’s exactly what we need here. However, he only did that from internal gov pressure. No court will convict Lamar Smith, because what he is doing is *sigh*…legal.
If only we could get enough 2/3 of state legislatures to agree on Constitutional Amendments that protect online rights. Or start electing real fecal flinging primates. I vote for the latter ;)

By: NelC

NelC — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:01:00 +0000

This is like some bizarre Sixties’ sci-fi parody of the cold war, with the capitalists getting more and more extreme until they’re indistinguishable from what they’re fighting.

By: msbpodcast

msbpodcast — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:49:00 +0000

The only way to get rid of them, without raising eyebrows, is to vote the scum out of office. The Lamar Smith's of the world are ultimately powerless and impotent.

By: Lithi

Lithi — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Would it be horrid and cruel for me to wish Lamar Smith pulls a Budd Dwyer? (Look him up.)

By: JProffitt71

JProffitt71 — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:30:00 +0000

Fuck that. I’m furious and done with it. I’m insuring I don’t spend a dime on anything associated with these asshats ever again. No movies, no music. I can find plenty in lieu of the former on netflix and look to wonderful online communities for the latter, and make up the difference with games (a market that seems to thrive despite a lack of overbearing assholes).

I implore everyone to do the same. Factor the cost of corruption into your purchase, and throw an extra buck to every independent you encounter. The sooner the MAFIAA runs out of money for bribes, the sooner the congress critters stop caring about them.

By: beepbeep

beepbeep — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:14:00 +0000

Uh, really. Is any one at all surprised by this?? Other than it took this long to happen?

By: dioptase

dioptase — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:37:00 +0000

“, n” would be my guess.

By: dioptase

dioptase — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:36:00 +0000

Politicians always think they are doing the former. But they change the definition of “normal people” all the time.

By: mikedt

mikedt — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Our elected officials will continue to sneak bills like these through until one finally makes it. You, the voter don’t matter. What matters is the multi-millions of dollars in donations that corporations give, and they want this, so it will eventually happen. I’m sorry to say, a SOPA like law is inevitable.

By: Sagodjur

Sagodjur — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:25:00 +0000

This is why professional lobbying should be severely limited or stopped completely. As a citizen, I have a job and a life. I don’t have time or money or revolving door jobs to make my interests known to anyone with the power to do anything about it. Meanwhile, the wealthy and the corporations they own can employ people whose full time jobs are to make their interests known to those with the power to give them what they want. If money is free speech then more money is more free speech. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

By: foobar

foobar — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Remember that every dollar you give the MAFIAA encourages this sort of thing. Be ethical, pirate.

By: austinhamman

austinhamman — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:59:00 +0000

i think the idea here is to keep pushing legislation eventually with each one the opposition will lose protesters (since they will figure, what’s the point they will just keep bringing them up and i dont have time to write my congressman every 2 weeks) they have no other job, THIS is their job to KEEP pushing this agenda. most protesters don’t make it their career. suffice to say, they have the advantage

By: perch

perch — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:33:00 +0000

It’s not too often I still see scribes from the church protesting the printing press, how long until these fucks run out of money?

I’m really wondering, anyone have any idea? Surely within the decade, right?

By: Daniel Friesen

Daniel Friesen — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Nah, there was one before PIPA called COICA.

By: Tom Henthorn

Tom Henthorn — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:28:00 +0000

Yeah I hear there’s even a new secret organization forming – the Federal Union for Copyright Unity (FUCU)

By: Listener43

Listener43 — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:23:00 +0000

”Hell” and “no!” would be my guess.