I find it hard to fault him for thinking everyone against SOPA is a pirate when it has become abundantly clear that everyone supporting shares a common trait: retardation.

THE digital tsunami that swept over the Capitol last month, forcing Congress to set aside legislation to combat the online piracy of American music, movies, books and other creative works, raised questions about how the democratic process functions in the digital age.

Seems like it worked pretty goddamn well to me, but then again I'd probably be pissed too if I just flushed $20 million or so down a Washington D.C. toilet.

Because reason is spending millions of dollars to lobby pinholed legislation and cut out constituent voices.

DIAF RIAA/MPAA!

Humanity survived eons without your industries, and we'll do just fine, if not better, without them again. The time is fastly approaching when you're as extinct as the dino.

FTA: "Perhaps this is naïve, but I'd like to believe that the companies that opposed SOPA and PIPA will now feel some responsibility to help come up with constructive alternatives. "

I know I told you I'd make breakfast in bed, but you didn't like the bowl of vomit that I gave you. Maybe it's naïve, but you should feel some responsibility to come up with a constructive alternative instead of calling me a crazy biatch.

Oh man, this op-ed is just the gift that keeps on giving:

Misinformation may be a dirty trick, but it works.

IT CERTAINLY IS, Mr. "Piracy costs us $11 gazillion dollars a year".

more proof that the "old boy network" has no interest in keeping up with technology. still waiting for the vcr and dvd to be banned now that blue ray has stopped all piracy...

we all are

jayhawk88: THE digital tsunami that swept over the Capitol last month, forcing Congress to set aside legislation to combat the online piracy of American music, movies, books and other creative works, raised questions about how the democratic process functions in the digital age.

Seems like it worked pretty goddamn well to me, but then again I'd probably be pissed too if I just flushed $20 million or so down a Washington D.C. toilet.

Yeah, he's just upset that democracy still works, despite how much money he's invested in making sure it doesn't.

"to shield consumers from counterfeit products and fraud"

YES! Please shield me from those counterfeit products! I just can't handle the bargains!!

The hyperbolic mistruths, presented on the home pages of some of the world's most popular Web sites, amounted to an abuse of trust and a misuse of power.

Apparently the writer has never heard of the word "irony".

What a crock of shiat.

sprawl15: FTA: "Perhaps this is naïve, but I'd like to believe that the companies that opposed SOPA and PIPA will now feel some responsibility to help come up with constructive alternatives. "

I know I told you I'd make breakfast in bed, but you didn't like the bowl of vomit that I gave you. Maybe it's naïve, but you should feel some responsibility to come up with a constructive alternative instead of calling me a crazy biatch.

this, lol

RELIGION OF LPS

That's partly because "old media" draws a line between "news" and "editorial."

BWAHAHAHAHA! Seriously, The Onion wrote this, right? This is all just a complicated avant garde piece by Colbert?

Misinformation may be a dirty trick, but it works.

Someone knows what he's talking about.

With a blatant propaganda, lying-by-omission and weasel-word piece like this op-ed, I don't know whether I should be outraged or enjoy the writer's tears.

While no legislation is perfect, the Protect Intellectual Property Act (or PIPA) was carefully devised...~FTA

Given the admitted general lack of tech-savvy and awareness of Congress, I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'carefully devised' by any Representative or Senator.

It was a piece of trash that was handed to them and it took a general cry of 'Fark That' from the biggest names of the internet to get those ADHD legislators to listen.

SmackLT: If it's important enough to require legislation, it's important enough to write the legislation correctly.

If it's important enough to warrant a Fark headline, it's important enough to write the headline correctly.

"Indeed, it's hackers like the group Anonymous that engage in real censorship when they stifle the speech of those with whom they disagree. "

Flame away, but the guy's right.

And, honestly, smitty's misleading headline kind of proves the guy's point, too.

I am not going to sit here and defend every possible slippery slope implication of the bills. But, you know what, on balance, I actually agree with this guy. As I said, flame away, accuse me of being a paid astroturfer, and so forth, but really his basic point is correct. the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

I like how the last line of the article he's begging for reason, not rhetoric.

Since rhetoric is all that the RIAA and MPAA have been offering up as evidence for their crusade against the unwashed internet masses.

/I'm fairly sure there were enough reasons NOT to enact SOPA/PIPA.

But what the Google and Wikipedia blackout showed is that it's the platforms that exercise the real power. Get enough of them to espouse Silicon Valley's perspective, and tens of millions of Americans will get a one-sided view of whatever the issue may be, drowning out the other side.

Oh how will the poor, small, humble industries of radio, television, music, and film ever be able to withstand the onslaught from that evil machine of doom named "Silicon Valley"?

TFA: While no legislation is perfect, the Protect Intellectual Property Act (or PIPA) was carefully devised, with nearly unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate, and its House counterpart, the Stop Online Piracy Act (or SOPA), was based on existing statutes and Supreme Court precedents.

This is not in dispute. The issue is that said unanimous support and existing precedent is and has been generated by people who do not understand the technologies they intend to regulate. In as much as you would like to have somebody with more experience than a 5-year-old with a lemonade stand crafting financial regulation, we would like people who understand that AOL is not the internet crafting tech legislation.

All other points aside, though, it is a bit beyond the pale to see the primary lobbyist in support of these measures arguing that its opponents are biased. In the future, perhaps you should pay somebody else to submit these articles.

FTFA: We all share the goal of a safe and legal Internet.

Stuff like this is what scares the bejeesus out of me.

That's just doublespeak for tyranny.

They want totalitarian control of the net.

Once you define the terms to brand the bad guys, it's easy to start throwing your enemies under the umbrella.

Bomb Head Mohammed: "Indeed, it's hackers like the group Anonymous that engage in real censorship when they stifle the speech of those with whom they disagree. "

Flame away, but the guy's right.

And, honestly, smitty's misleading headline kind of proves the guy's point, too.

I am not going to sit here and defend every possible slippery slope implication of the bills. But, you know what, on balance, I actually agree with this guy. As I said, flame away, accuse me of being a paid astroturfer, and so forth, but really his basic point is correct. the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

Or they could just enforce the laws already on the books instead of trying to make a retarded power grab.... I dunno...

"No one lived a completely blameless life. It might be just possible, by lying very still in a cellar somewhere, to get through a day without committing a crime. But only just. And, even then, you were probably guilty of loitering." - Terry Pratchett, *Feet of Clay*

We and the politicians we sponser went behind closed doors came up with a really awesome bill that solved all our problems and fark everyone else. You know, DEMOCRACY. And we would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids.

\srsly is this real?

Perhaps this is naïve, but I'd like to believe that the companies that opposed SOPA and PIPA will now feel some responsibility to help come up with constructive alternatives.

Not my issue, it's yours so YOU come up with a constructive alternative that the American people will agree with. We did our part and are not obligated to devise a model to protect your property.

jayhawk88: That's partly because "old media" draws a line between "news" and "editorial."

BWAHAHAHAHA! Seriously, The Onion wrote this, right? This is all just a complicated avant garde piece by Colbert?

That line stuck out for me too. Somebody apparently doesn't watch cable news.

Theaetetus 2012-02-08 09:29:11 AM
(deleted: Headline fixed)

Uh, thanks, mods. I would have liked to keep the bit about how Subby's headline is trolling, since the op-ed didn't actually say that they were all criminals.

"to shield consumers from counterfeit products and fraud"

You mean that Fendi bag I bought for my girl for $20 at the Swap Meet last weekend MIGHT NOT BE THE REAL THING???????????????????????????????

Oh save me save me.


Asshole.

Bomb Head Mohammed: "Indeed, it's hackers like the group Anonymous that engage in real censorship when they stifle the speech of those with whom they disagree. "

Flame away, but the guy's right.

And, honestly, smitty's misleading headline kind of proves the guy's point, too.

I am not going to sit here and defend every possible slippery slope implication of the bills. But, you know what, on balance, I actually agree with this guy. As I said, flame away, accuse me of being a paid astroturfer, and so forth, but really his basic point is correct. the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

So what you're saying is, because your analogy is a bowl of vomit, we should feel some responsibility to come up with a decent analogy instead of calling you a crazy biatch.

I liked Subby's original headline better.

Bomb Head Mohammed: the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

You don't think criminal liability for User Generated Content falling upon the host of a website (new window) won't destroy the internet as we know it? That's... naive at best?

rewind2846: "to shield consumers from counterfeit products and fraud"

You mean that Fendi bag I bought for my girl for $20 at the Swap Meet last weekend MIGHT NOT BE THE REAL THING???????????????????????????????

Oh save me save me.

Look up secondary confusion. It's not all about you.

Theaetetus
Uh, thanks, mods. I would have liked to keep the bit about how Subby's headline is trolling, since the op-ed didn't actually say that they were all criminals.

"I didn't SAY it, I'm just asking questions!"

TFA And how many of those e-mails were from the same people who attacked the Web sites of the Department of Justice, the Motion Picture Association of America, my organization and others as retribution for the seizure of Megaupload, an international digital piracy operation?
.

i wonder why i can still get the albums, cds, dvds, books and such for free to take home and enjoy? why does the federal, state and local governments allowed to disseminate this content for free? the riaa and mpaa should be attacking the government too! after all, the library system does not pay fees for the public to use this content...
but the mpaa and riaa both owe royalties to the artists, but, wink wink, nudge nudge, who cares!

Oh another thing, you crazy ass RIAA CEO.

You say people who want movies and music for free are the ones opposed to SOPA/PIPA.

So, I ask yourself.

WHY are Google and Wikipedia against SOPA/PIPA?

It can't be because they love to pirate movies/music.

Must be something else. I wonder what is it.

Remember the petition we all signed to have Chris Dodd investigated? Apparently FARK did.

He's sorta right. We've got a generation on our hands for whom copyright is sort of an antiquated concept. And it isn't like torrenting movies and music isn't common. I didn't like the acts either, but hard drives the world over are full of products that weren't paid for.

ftfa: No doubt, some genuinely wanted to protect Americans against theft but were sincerely concerned about how the language in the bill might be interpreted.

Did Subby read a different article than I did?

Don't worry if you're not currently a criminal the RIAA MPAA will make sure you are soon!

Bomb Head Mohammed: I am not going to sit here and defend every possible slippery slope implication of the bills. But, you know what, on balance, I actually agree with this guy. As I said, flame away, accuse me of being a paid astroturfer, and so forth, but really his basic point is correct. the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

Yeah, just like taking away trials and the whole "innocent until proven guilty" would do nothing to harm the US legal system.

Do you realize how stupid you sound?

You do understand that SOPA/PIPA would remove all that and force people to shut down their entire website because of an accusation of infringement, with no trial, no recourse, and no ability to appeal?

I like how you started your post with "I am not going to sit here and defend every possible slippery slope implication of the bills." because otherwise the rest of us might actually want you to defend your idiocy. It's nice to see upfront that you're unable and unwilling to do so.

FTA:They knew that music sales in the United States are less than half of what they were in 1999, when the file-sharing site Napster emerged"

Just let it go. Find some closure.

And I love his bashing Wiki and Google. These aren't small guys sharing mixtapes or whatever. They are large enterprises, one is traded publicly. His argument, to me, boils down to "It's not fair for anyone to protect and defend their industry and livelihood but us!"

Farking tool!

Bomb Head Mohammed: the idea that SOPA/PIPA would destroy the internet makes about as much sense as the notion that speed limits should be entirely banned because they might prevent a pregnant woman from getting to the hospital on time.

I know!

Forcing ISPs to start f*cking with DNS filtering sounds like a brilliant idea.