The buzz around SOPA has been circulating for a while now so I finally decided to dive in. I’m not one to be very political at all, I like to stay out of things I don’t know about, but this one has a little more effect on me.
So I did my research, found the actual bill and read it. I urge you to please do the same thing. Go right here, read the bill for yourself and form your own opinion. Just because I or someone else says one thing doesn’t mean it’s true. I’ve formed my opinions and so should you.
That being said, this is my blog and is full of my opinions. And this one will not be lacking. Here is the letter I wrote to the South Dakota Congresspeople and I leave here as an open letter to all others.
Hello Congressperson XXX,
I was just wondering what your stance on the SOPA/PIPA bills is. Do you support these bills? I hope that you don’t. As an IT Specialist, Network and Systems Administration senior at Dakota State University and an ‘insider’ in the web, I hope you will take my words with a little bit more than a grain of salt.
I agree, just as everyone would, that piracy is a bad thing and needs to be stopped. It hurts the industries and the artists/developers who create that content. I have many friends who are those creators that piracy hurts. It’s a bad thing. But SOPA/PIPA will not stop any of it.
These bills are going about the process of stopping it completely wrong. Having an ISP or a registrar block sites and domain names is like having the police completely shut down a neighborhood because someone stole a pack of gum from the grocery store. It doesn’t make any sense. Punishing the person who commits the crime and censorship are completely different things and they are not equal when it comes to this.
If the bills were to pass, it would be the 18th amendment and prohibition all over again. There are many many more people, that are much smarter than the people working for the government that will circumvent every attempt that the government will be doing nothing but throwing money down the virtual toilet. The Internet will not stand for this. Honestly, if you want a real revolution here in America, this would be a good way to start it.
Please take the time to consider what this bill would do to such a large population. Recall what bills with this general of a censorship have done in the past.
If there is anything else I can do or questions I can help you with please feel free to contact me. My email address is DS@DevonSchreiner.com.
Thanks you,
Devon Schreiner
