Internet blackout changes minds.

[Skippy00004]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/01/19/internet-blackout-causes-18-senators-to-flee-from-pipa/

It may have been a sight to behold as the internet helped topple governments in the Middle East last year, but yesterday it did something even more impressive. It caused Senators to change their minds on policy.

Though the entertainment lobby has poured millions upon millions into Senators and Representatives in order to get anti-piracy, internet censorship bills SOPA and PIPA passed, yesterday?s massive online protest against the two bills by major sites like Google, Reddit and Wikipedia, actually produced real results. As calls flooded into congress, lawmakers were forced to change their position on the bills.

I?m sure it wasn?t a road to Damascus moment where they finally saw the error of their ways, rather I imagine it was somewhat terrifying to consider that they may have significant trouble getting re-elected should they choose to pass bills like SOPA and PIPA that ignited this much passion among constituents.

With SOPA on the shelf for now, it was PIPA that lost the greatest amount of supporters. The tally is currently 18 Senators and counting, many of whom were former co-sponsors of the bill. It?s mostly Republicans who have changed their minds, though I?m not sure what that says. That Democrats are still tighter with Hollywood perhaps?

Here?s a list of Senators who wised up and are now not in favor of Protect IP (PIPA) via Ars. The asterisk says that they used to be a co-sponsor of the bill:

Roy Blunt (R-MO) *
John Boozman (R-AR) *
Scott Brown (R-MA)
Ben Cardin (D-MD) *
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) *
James Inhofe (R-OK)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Marco Rubio (R-FL) *
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
David Vitter (R-LA)*
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)*
We always joke (sadly) about our representatives never listening to us, their constituents, but finally at last the roar of the crowd was too loud to ignore, and a massive  ?armchair? protest actually achieved significant results as the bills now move closer to being scrapped entirely.

If we can get this upset about people messing with the internet in order to change policy, imagine what else we might be able to get done by all banding together online?

[CrystalHunter1989]

Petitioning groups like Anonymous, Wikipedia and even Google might be a great base of support in the future. Let's all make a note.

[Ghost]

They probably changed their minds because they couldn't access their favourite porn sites.

[505th.NM.Militia]

Under SOPA this site, SP, would have ben SOL.  So I'm glad those GDI's in congress STFU and GTFO.   Also U.S.A! 

[RS762]

lol
Maybe Boozeman got my email.
A guy can dream.

[EJR914]

Sweet!  Maybe my emails helped, doubt it though.

SOPA and PIPA are extremely dangerous laws to our freedoms and liberties, not to mention it was all a big collusion between the corporations, making the pirating software available on their websites and making it very easy to find the pirated material for download, and then lobbying Washington to do something about the pirating of property. 

The truth is, they did the same thing the ATF were doing with Fast and Furious, only they are corporations, not government.

The corporations promoted the pirating of property and the pirating software, and then ran to Congress and said, LOOK AT ALL THIS PIRATING!  SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!

 [img]http://www.arrse.co.uk/at

[goodnightChesty1775]

but there was a bigger public uproar for obama care and they didnt listen to us on that...

[EJR914]

but there was a bigger public uproar for obama care and they didnt listen to us on that...

Yep, they shoved it down our throat anyway.