I hate to do this....

[domino_blue]

I'm going to be on a soap box for a few minutes and say please help oppose the SOPA bill if you live in the states. What we do here is attempt to share our love or mutual hatred for comics, I love this community and don't want to see it go. If this bill gets past we go from a legal gray area into a full "no this site will be taken down because we say so" because some company could come in and shut it down.

So please go to this site learn about it and call in Tuesday and try to stop this very, very, very stupid bill.

http://americancensorship.org/

and because of legality have some cross dressing Jimmy after the cut.

Comments

[ar_feiniel]

Thank you for posting this.

[aeka]

I must wonder how exactly the US plans on 'censoring' the internet considering Americans aren't the only ones who use it? I don't see the likelihood of this passing without having a run-in with other international governments. :/

[lissa_quon]

It BLOCKS what Americans can see. It doesn't change the content of the net at large it just filters it. Like China does.

[aeka]

Ah okay, that makes sense. I missed the part where it said "the bill can ask internet service providers to block websites" when I initially clicked the link.

[elf]

The bill can *demand* ISPs to block websites, based on *accusations* of copyright infringement, without filing any charges, much less proving anything in court. It can shut off all payments to web hosts, on the grounds of accusations. The accusers are protected from backlash.

It could be used to shut down Dreamwidth (either by shutting off payments, or by playing DNS games to make Dreamwidth inaccessible from US ISPs, or both) if Marvel files a claim that scans_daily infringes copyright. Marvel wouldn't have to prove the claim. They wouldn't even have to file a lawsuit... just send out the right SOPA-inspired forms, like a DMCA claim only with less detail.

Or not Marvel. If any comic book author or artist decides that quoting them is a violation of copyright, they could file the claim. DW, LJ, and other journal sites could be shut down for the user icons alone.

Of course, Netflix thinks this will shut down YouTube, rather than shut down Netflix when some composer files a complaint that some movie they rent contains copyrighted material used without permission. Media companies want to use this to shut down sites that support individual creative activity; they haven't noticed that its strictures work both directions.

[rainspirit]

No need to apologize. This bill's heinous. And knowing my government, Canada will follow suit if it's passed. :(

Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[jazzypom]

This is what they are focusing their energies on? (The UK will follow in lockstep if this goes through - crud). Damn, just damn.

Re: Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[rordulum]

Yeah, it's wonderful to know that in these times of global economic crisis (crisis is probably too tame a word for some countries), and instability to the point of civil war rife across the Middle East, some pissant little congressman or senator can find time to freak out over someone seeing something he or she disapproves of on the internet.

Re: Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[fifthie]

crisis is probably too tame a word for some countries

Yeah, 9%+ unemployment is a crisis.

9%+ unempoyment for three years running is, god, I don't know what you call that

Re: Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[salinea]

You prompted me to go search the rate for my country through the years. I was surprised to find out that for three years, there, between 2006 and 2008, we had been under 9%.

So you know, life as usual?

Re: Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[fifthie]

Idk like maybe you are from one of those countries that has a semi functional welfare state so prolonged unemployment doesnt automatically mean choosing between homelessness and never being treayed for an illness ever again (or if youre a real lottery winner, both!) and like has aome kind of passable employee rights such that even "employed" doesnt still typically mean "na you are actually still p much fizzucked" and the other fun factors which make 9% unemployment a complete social catastrophe like it is here in the US.

Or maybe I am totally wrongand your country does have all that other stuff wrong with it in which case dang man that is a real ungood saituation for alla them people in your country to be in as a basically ongoing state of affairs

Re: Man, of all the things facing the Western economies

[salinea]

No, it is one of those country.

But your first statement wasn't specifying that you weren't talking of those countries.

[biod]

http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/33243-top-11-reasons-he-wont-review-digimon
There are some good words and a video about the subject here. Scroll down to see them.

[rdfox]

Honestly, the entire internet is overreacting to this. I'd be shocked if the bill even gets 40 "yea" votes in the House (out of 435, for those outside the States). It's not popular even in Congress. On top of that, if it somehow gets past both the House and Senate, President Obama has, in one of his few cases of actually taking a definite stand on something, stated that he'll veto it if it comes to his desk. (I'm not a fan of his, but this is one place where I definitely agree with him.)

Beyond that, if it DID make it into law? It'd pretty much instantly be challenged in the courts, and then be ruled unconstitutionally vague and overreaching, and in violation of the First Amendment. Result: it's no longer US law.

tl;dr: It ain't gonna happen, folks.

(Icon is standard "politics" icon, mods, not a reference to anyone in particular.)

[plague_rabbit]

Still, no reason to become complacent.

[sindra]

You'd think that...been then again...our government said pizza was a vegetable.

[big_daddy_d]

our government said pizza was a vegetable.

..................say what?......

[mrstatham]

I already signed a bunch of petitions against it, and I'm not even American. I just don't like what the idea stands for and want to support the people it would affect, because it's beyond the pale. And if it succeeds (incredibly unlikely), who's to say other governments wouldn't get the wonderful idea of using it, too?

My Two Cents

[chocochuy]

Situations like this one fit like a glove for this quotation of Evelyn Beatrice Hall (or was it Voltaire?) :

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

This isn't the Cold War nor the Inquisition days for government or whatever organizations to draw a line between what's good and bad. As many posters mentioned above, this censorship bill would end up bringing several abuses and even produce certain "witch-hunts" all over the internet. This reminds me what a friend told me about PETA trying to ban Super Mario Brothers 3 because they thought the tanooki suit was offending or like the time the Comics Code's silly attempts at censoring EC Comics. We should try to fight the true tragedies and vices that haunt our lives so we can create a better future. Idealistic perhaps but it sure beats several years of cynicism.

Well, those were my two cents.

[sindra]

Even though our current political system is corrupt as corrupt can get (Congress being the biggest joke right now in terms of being in big corporation's pockets), considering the huge amount of support against this bill.....(Nostalgia Critic, Philly D., etc), I don't think this'll get nearly as far as people might think.

Regardless....even if it doesn't, it won't be the last time.

[lissa_quon]

It's already been shot down once but apparently its coming back again with some edits and with a new spin on it.

So one can argue it's not going to get that far but it's damn worryingly persistent.