Today the internet is protesting SOPA and PIPA, and it’s impressive to witness. Absolutely huge sites are blacking out to raise awareness and prevent these bills from passage. It leaves me feeling both hopeful and saddened. I’m hopeful that this type of activism can help curb bad bills, but ultimately I’m mostly just sad.
Here are two bills that are almost universally opposed by constituents, are fundamentally flawed from both a logical and technical perspective, opposed by the entire technology industry, and are clearly funded and pushed only by rich and corrupt special interestes. Yet the only thing preventing them from passage is massive worldwide outcry the likes of which we’ve literally never seen before?
Maybe this is democracy working, but it feels like things shouldn’t be this hard. Particularly in a representative democracy. Bad bills are bad bills and they should be dealt with, but I think the reality is that this isn’t even that bad of a bill when stacked up against recent travesties like the NDAA.
So maybe we can pull out of this tailspin as a country, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion this is how empires die.
PEEBS.ORG 
Agreed, yet at the same time, the sadness of this bill is nothing new. What’s amazing is once again the phenomenon of the internet, and how it’s keeping big media accountable – to some degree anyway. The billions of dollars, and money tends to control most things, and the lack of publicity on TV would, in that past, have sealed the deal without a hitch. With more transparency, a greater voice from the people, and the ability to do something about it primarily due to the power of democracy, we’re being empowered more and more, which is pretty awesome. What saddens me is that the more complex issues, ones of far more gravity, far more detriment to the people, and far more outrageous, are hard to easily convey to the masses, so unity and progress around something like this isn’t made. Consider the cycle of corporate leaders through government and back with mixed interests – and blatantly displayed with laws and actions. Isn’t that be what the 99% should be protesting about?Even these bills, Sopa and Pipa, it was amazing how many people just saw the protests as promoting piracy. Never the less, it was an accomplishment. I was proud to jump in early, take action early, and see weeks later the momentum to up Jan 18. *Sorry, that kinda gushed out, maybe it’s time to get my own blog…