Stop the Internet Censoring Bill

[Inazuma]

I really hope this doesn't pass. I may actually cry, as the internet is the one place that's truly free in this world.

If this passes, I will literally cry and be extremely depressed for a very long time. Humanity's last hope would have been destroyed.

[brunoafh]

Hm. If something seriously fucked up happens to the Internet I'll be that much more tempted to finally go 100% off the grid. This should be interesting.

[AppleQueso]

Blame the excessive lobbying by the entertainment industry for this.

Luckily, we at least have companies like Google and Yahoo on our side with this particular issue. It's sad that we have to just hope that big corporations happen to have interests that align with our own.

I really hope this doesn't pass. I may actually cry, as the internet is the one place that's truly free in this world.

If this passes, I will literally cry and be extremely depressed for a very long time. Humanity's last hope would have been destroyed.

A bit dramatic, but I definitely hope this doesn't pass to say the least. I do have a good feeling it won't, if that's good for anything.

[MrPopo]

I sign petitions for this sort of thing all the time and it makes me sick how close things end up. We need more support! Thanks for making a topic about this.

Online petitions or real petitions? I have never seen an online petition do anything.

[Inazuma]

I sign petitions for this sort of thing all the time and it makes me sick how close things end up. We need more support! Thanks for making a topic about this.

Online petitions or real petitions? I have never seen an online petition do anything.

Online petitions and writing congressmen. I'll happily do both, even if they don't make much of a difference.

Even if an online petition only had a 0.01% chance to make a small difference, I would fucking sign that thing without hesitation.

[noiseredux]

[AmishSamurai]

Online petitions and form emails do nothing. I wrote out an actual email to my congressmen, and encourage others to do the same.

I'd say this would get shot down by the Supreme Court, but at the moment they're pretty pro-corporation (having basically legally declared corporations people a while back. Fortunately, having played Shadowrun all these years I've been prepared for this ).

[MrPopo]

I sign petitions for this sort of thing all the time and it makes me sick how close things end up. We need more support! Thanks for making a topic about this.

Online petitions or real petitions? I have never seen an online petition do anything.

Online petitions and writing congressmen. I'll happily do both, even if they don't make much of a difference.

Even if an online petition only had a 0.01% chance to make a small difference, I would fucking sign that thing without hesitation.

Writing congressmen I think is worthwhile. Internet petition, I'd say you'd be better off buying a lottery ticket every time you get the urge to sign an internet petition. You'll probably win about as often as the petition makes a difference, and you can use the money to lobby congress on several issues you care about. You'll come out ahead.

[AppleQueso]

My congressman's a bit of a cockgnobbler who wouldn't bother listening to my concerns even if I did bother writing him. Plus he's already pocketed money from lobbyists in support of this bill.

Well that and the hearing on it is today so it's kinda too late to write him even if I wanted to.

I'd say this would get shot down by the Supreme Court, but at the moment they're pretty pro-corporation (having basically legally declared corporations people a while back. Fortunately, having played Shadowrun all these years I've been prepared for this ).

On the other hand, they've been VERY pro-free speech lately too. I'm confident this would be shot down.

[Hatta]

My congressman's a bit of a cockgnobbler who wouldn't bother listening to my concerns even if I did bother writing him.

That describes all congresspeople.

Plus he's already pocketed money from lobbyists in support of this bill.

You can at least yell at him for it. If it doesn't change anything, at least its cathartic.

Well that and the hearing on it is today so it's kinda too late to write him even if I wanted to.

Until they hold a vote, it's not too late.

On the other hand, they've been VERY pro-free speech lately too. I'm confident this would be shot down.

The Supreme Court isn't pro-free speech, they're pro corporate and authoritarian. Consider Citizens United. Since money equals speech, corporations are entitled to more free speech than the rest of us. Their piles of cash allows them to drown out the rest of our free speech. Or consider Brown vs EMA. Yes they decided this correctly, but only because businesses were on the right side.

Or consider the Westboro Baptist decision. Sure that's free speech because it doesn't harm any corporate or governmental interest. But compare the "Bong Hits for Jesus" decision. There we have a combination of political and religious speech by an adult on public property. That would obviously be protected, but since he mentioned drugs, there's a "compelling state interest" in suppressing his speech.

Or look at a lesser known case like Garcetti v Ceballos. There the Supreme Court decided that employees have no free speech rights in the course of their jobs. Again anti-free speech, pro corporate.

The pattern appears to be that whenever free speech rights would conflict with profiteering and authoritarianism they don't apply. Whatever falls through the cracks is what we have left.