SOPA

The bill will allow the Dept of Justice to shut down websites which facilitate copyright infringement, or that are accused of facilitating copyright infringement, which could be as little as providing a link to a website with copyrighted material.


The bill threatens the openness of the internet, it will in effect make the federal government a censor of the internet and what they do not want to be posted. It is a violation of the 1st Amendment.


Such censorship has so far been the province of autocratic dictators quenching uprising and free speech.


This is a house bill, H.R. 3261 (The Senate version is called PIPA).


The Stop Online Piracy Act was introduced by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) and was initially co-sponsored by Howard Berman (D-CA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Steve Chabot (R-OH), John Conyers (D-MI), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Timothy Griffin (R-AR), Dennis A. Ross (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Lee Terry (R-NE). (can you say corrupt, corrupt, corrupt, ...)


Some interesting current sponsors include rep Peter King and Debbie Wasserman.

Ron Paul voiced his opposition of SOPA in an open letter, no other Republican Presidential candidate has so openly rejected SOPA to my knowledge.

The candidates supporting this bill are bought and paid for by the likes of Viacom, FOX,  Bose, Burberry, CBS, Ford, Harley Davidson, Lucky Jeans, Coach, Nintendo, Sony, etc (some weird companies are supporting this bill).

The people oppose it. Let us see if corporatism or democracy wins this round.