The Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) House Bill 3262; as introduced by Rep. Lamar Alexander and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) Senate Bill 968; as introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy are threats to the Freedom of Speech in Alabama. Thankfully this attempt to seize control of the internet and curb the freedom of expression has been tabled for now. It is no time for conservative citizens to rest on their laurels.
Having our leaders even considering encroaching upon the most basic of human rights should ignite righteous indignation in the heart of every Alabamian. This blatant attempt to silence our voices will most assuredly rear its ugly head again. The free people of the great State of Alabama should join in the protest. Ensure it never sees the light of day. Stand up for the Bill of Rights today.
C-Net correspondents Declan McCullagh and Elinor Mills followed the January 18, 2012 SOPA Blackout Protest. Following the ensuing public uproar; Congress decided to hold off on a vote. Some of the participants included:
- Craigslist
- Wikipedia
- Amazon.com
- Flikr
- Metafilter
- Consumer Electronics Association
- Boing Boing
- OpenDNS
- WordPress
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
- Oath Keepers
- Participants from both the left and right of the political spectrum.
The power of an angry and informed citizenry was seen as Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ), and numerous others dropped their support and sponsorship. A massive call volume was noticed as protest participants urged users and members to contact their Congressmen. The American Republic in action and effective.
These travesties of justice would have allowed the Justice Department of Fast and Furious fame to obtain orders to serve on search engines, internet service providers, etc... forcing the shutdown of a website. Free speech, liberty, personal privacy, and prosperity were under attack by an out of control Congress and a power hungry President.
Oath Keepers explained the dangers of SOPA/PIPA best:
"The First Amendment is first for a reason. Without it, peaceful redress, correction and removal of oath breaking officials becomes impossible. Leaving you with only the Second Amendment to secure your rights. The internet is our most powerful weapon of free speech, which is exactly why the powers that be want to shut it down. With a free internet, they no longer have a monopoly on the exchange of ideas and the spreading of information, and that scares the hell out of them. So, we can expect them to do all they can to find a way shut the internet down or to tightly control it."
The Obama Administration ignores border security, utilized Operation Fast and Furious to attack the Second Amendment, and trampled the Constitution to give us the indefinate detention of the National Defense Authorization Act. They cannot be trusted to protect the First Amendment. The Bill of Rights seems to mean very little to them. It should mean everything to the citizens of Alabama.
It will take vigilance on the part of American citizens to keep SOPA/PIPA in the trash heap of history where they belong. Spread the word, kindle the fire of public outrage, and defend the Bill of Rights from misguided politicians. You must use your Freedom of Speech or run the risk of losing it. If it goes; the rest are sure to follow.
We don't need Big Brother forcing social networks and search engines to block content. We cannot allow them to ban sites they deem offending. We must keep Washington from spying over the shoulders of every internet user.
It is our patriotic duty to stand opposed to government censorship. Patriot is defined as "one who loves, supports, and defends his country." Patriotism is seen through personal actions. It is seen in our natural love of fairness for all. It is seen in our respect for others, their property, their customs, their works, their beliefs-Freedom. Speaking out against the efforts to curtail the freedom of your fellow Americans is being patriotic.
Patriots hate the arbitrariness of out of control government. Our leaders are all too eager to trample our rights for frivolous reasons. Alabama's delegation needs to hear from you. Alabama Rep. Spencer Bachus was the only one with a definate no on SOPA. Representatives Robert Aderholt, Jo Bonner, Mo Brooks, Martha Roby, Mike Rogers, and Terri Sewell stance was unknown. Sen. Richard Shelby's stance was unknown. Sen. Jeff Sessions was leaning towards no.
Contact them today and let them know that you want a definate "NO" on any effort to curtail free speech in America.
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