I felt I needed to say this

So, I'm not much for making a big fuss over current political issues.  Most of the time I just feel depressed when I think about politics.  However, there is one issue that I take very seriously.  I've always taken it very seriously because it is the basis upon which every other freedom in the United States rests.  I am, of course, talking about the First Amendment.  The freedoms espoused in the First Amendment make it possible for those of us who live in the US to be ourselves without fear of reprisal (at least, it should be doing that.  In practice, there are many who would rather forget the uncomfortable fact that the First Amendment means everyone has this right).

My reason for this post today is to discuss two bills currently in the US Legislature: the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).  These two bills are not just an infringement on the rights of a free and open Internet, but also a horrible violation of the First Amendment right to Free Speech.  What appalls me the most is the number of Legislators who have decided to back these bills.  They will do nothing to curtail those activities they say they are supposed to try and stop; instead, they will do the most harm to the internet culture as a whole, not just in the US, but abroad as well.

(Not to mention the whole mess that would come about if they actually decided to alter the static DNS routing tables used to keep the Internet infrastructure actually functioning properly.)

I stand by and support those websites that have decided to blackout on the 18th.  This is me, throwing my voice in with theirs as they protest these two bills.

Side note: I do want to thank my lucky stars that both of my Senators (Kerry and Brown) are not among those backing Senators for PIPA.  It is also a relief to know that the President sees these bills as dangerous and has voiced opposition to them.

I'll be posting a far less political post soon, but I felt that I had to say something about this issue.

Wikipedia Article on PIPA
Wikipedia Article on SOPA
Wikipedia Blackout