You have a choice to watch what happens, wonder what happened, or make things happen.

Here are two articles/links from both sides of the divide that has been created by the controllers – i.e. divide and conquer. It’s nice to see that this time they are working together on this one.

Take your pick to voice your support to protect the internet.I signed both

Dear MoveOn member,

As soon as this week, Congress will start debating whether to give the government the power to turn off parts of the Internet. If that sounds like a terrible recipe for abuse of power, that’s because it is.

If enacted, a new law would make it so a simple allegation of copyright infringement—with no review process—could lead to the shutdown of sites from YouTube to Wikipedia to MoveOn.org.¹ Any website, foreign or U.S.-based, could be wiped out on suspicionand made unavailable to everyone in the world.

For example, if you (or Justin Bieber) wanted to post a video to YouTube of yourself singing a Beatles song, a record company could force the Department of Justice to shut down YouTube. Really.²

But as you may have guessed, Congress didn’t come up with this tragically terrible idea on their own. Lobbyists representing Comcast, Pfizer, record and movie companies, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce³ have been pushing Democrats and Republicans to pass bills to allow this new kind of Internet censorship. And they’re close to getting their way.

But a small number of Democrats are standing strong and saying “No” to these powerful special interest groups. They need our help.

Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon is one of our champions. He has promised to start a historic filibuster of the Internet Censorship Act where he’ll read the names of every person that signs a petition against Internet censorship.⁴ It’s the perfect opportunity for 5 million Internet-connected progressives to visibly add their voice to a Senate debate. The more of us that sign, the stronger this effort to block this terrible law will be.

Click here to add your name and say NO to Internet Censorship.

We know that the Internet’s openness, freedom, and lack of censorship are what make it a bastion of infinite possibility, continued innovation, and job creation. Innovative companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Mozilla, and Yahoo have spoken out against this law, saying:

We should not jeopardize a foundational structure that has worked for content owners and Internet companies alike and provides certainty to innovators with new ideas for how people create, find, discuss, and share information lawfully online.⁵

Internet venture capitalists say that the legislation is “ripe for abuse,”⁶ and leading law professors reject it because it will “allow the government to block Internet access to websites.”⁷

We condemn censorship overseas when it happens in China or Iran. But today, we need to stand up for freedom of speech on the Internet here at home.

Click here to add your name and say NO to Internet Censorship.

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Garlin, Elena, Stefanie, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “House Version of Rogue Websites Bill Adds DMCA Bypass, Penalties for DNS Workarounds,” Public Knowledge, October 26, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268060&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=5

2. “Why Is Justin Bieber So Hackin Mad?” SaveTheInternet.com, November 2, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268061&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=6

3. “Five things to know about SOPA,” The Washington Post, November 16, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268062&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=7

4. “Wyden to read petition names during copyright filibuster,” The Hill, November 21, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268065&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=8

5. “SOPA opposition from tech heavyweights Google, Facebook,” CBS News, November 17, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268063&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=9

6. “The PROTECT IP Act Will Slow Startup Innovation,” Union Square Ventures, June 23, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268064&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=10

7. “Law Professors’ Letter on SOPA,” Electronic Frontier Foundation, November 15, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=268067&id=33343-19838789-nlYNnfx&t=11

Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. This email was sent to Cheryl Mychaluk on November 29, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here.  To remove yourself from this list, click here.

http://www.conservativeactionalerts.com/2011/11/obama-admin-still-in-opposition-to-internet-freedom/

Obama Admin still in Opposition to Internet Freedom

by CONSERVATIVE ACTION ALERTS on NOVEMBER 22, 2011 · 1 COMMENT Print This Post

Conservative Action Alerts has been warning you for months about the Obama administration’s attempts to take over the Internet. He is creating a police-state in which NOTHING is free from government control.

HR 3261, the “Stopping Online Piracy Act (SOPA),” and its counterpart in the Senate, “Protect IP,” seek to limit Internet freedom and commerce, and will give unprecedentedpower to the government and law enforcement.

Under the terms of this legislation, a copyright owner can accuse a site of theft, and WITHOUT DUE PROCESS, that site can be shut down – along with any others that share the domain, even if they have done nothing wrong.

The legislation being debated will give Obama the power to
SHUT DOWN THE INTERNET…
At ANY TIME…
For ANY REASON…
Without Due Process!

Our First and Fourth Amendments are under assault. We must get our message to Congress IMMEDIATELY and tell them to OPPOSE these bills! This has the potential for GREAT abuse by our government, and as freedom-loving citizens, we MUST take action now. Flood Congress with your Faxes and tell them to oppose this legislation and protect free speech and free enterprise in America.

Unless concerned citizens like us speak up, these bills will pass! Imagine, then, what will happen. If ONE video, ONE picture, or ONE product on a legitimate website is deemed “pirated” by the copyright owner, the ENTIRE website can be shut down-a move that will cripple the economy further by punishing American business.

Many groups will just move their hosting off shore to prevent the shutdown from occurring to them. Because the groups know this will all be done without due process.

Even large, reputable retail sites can be made to “disappear” if someone accuses them of using copyrighted content.

THE GOVERNMENT WILL DECIDE.

This is happening because Obama’s Hollywood friends have pressured him to shut down the internet. They are upset over people stealing music and movies, but instead of going after the bad guys, they are going to regulate all of us good guys who are simply trying to use the internet legitimately!

We all know there is a problem with people stealing music and movies, and making money on it, and we need measures in place to protect intellectual property … but these bills go WAY TOO FAR in limiting our freedoms.

It’s like taking a missile to a knife fight – this is a reactionary, overreaching government initiative that has the potential for great abuse of our freedoms. If SOPA and Protect IP pass, it will be a SERIOUS threat to online innovation and to legitimate online communications tools.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) says, “This is a cluster bomb where you should be going in with a laser, and the collateral damage to innovation and freedom is huge.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has said he will introduce an alternative. He must know he has our support! Join Conservative Action Alerts in calling on Congress to OPPOSE this legislation. Flood Congress with Faxes right now and tell them to STAND FOR FREE SPEECH IN AMERICA and oppose Hollywood’s intrusion on our liberties!

The Internet Commerce Association warns the bill “could be a death knell for all domains that provide a platform for user-generated content.

Last year, when the government shut down ONE child pornography site, 70,000 other LEGITIMATE websites were closed for several days, even though they had done nothing wrong!

Already, 130 individuals involved in technology start-ups have warned Congress that this legislation will threaten the future of American creativity.

They warned:

“While the bill will create uncertainty for many legitimate businesses and in turn undermine innovation and creativity on those services, the dedicated pirates who use and operate ‘rogue’ sites will simply migrate to platforms that conceal their activities.”

In other words, there is an easy way around this law for those who wish to break it; but law-abiding, legitimate Internet business owners will pay the price.

The E-Parasite Act:

• Kills Innovation
• Reduces Job Growth
• Stifles Free Speech
• Will Restrict Truth
• Denies Justice
• Gives the Obama administration more power

Congress is debating these bills RIGHT NOW, AS YOU ARE READING THIS. You must act quickly. Our First and Fourth Amendments are under assault. We must get our message to Congress IMMEDIATELY and tell them to OPPOSE these bills! This has the potential for GREAT abuse by our government, and as freedom-loving citizens, we MUST take action now. Flood Congress with your Faxes and tell them to oppose this legislation and protect free speech and free enterprise in America.

Little by little, this administration is taking our freedoms away – and they are hoping you won’t notice! But Conservative Action Alerts has noticed, and that is why concerned citizens like you are making a difference in preserving our freedoms! We must keep up the fight for our Constitutional rights!

Do you want the federal government to have the ability to restrict the websites you frequent, at any time, for any reason, without due process? And, do you want them to have the ability to COME AFTER YOU and YOUR WEBSITE based on an unsubstantiated allegation, without giving you your “day in court?”

Barack Obama has been served as President for almost two years—and during that time we have seen unprecedented government expansion and invasive regulation of nearly every aspect of our lives: guns, land, commerce, healthcare, climate, banks, automobiles, energy and food.

This is yet another in a long line of examples of the Obama administration overstepping their authority and concentrating more power with the government-and against the wishes of the American people.

When will we say, “no more?” Please, send your faxes to Congress today and tell them to STAND FOR FREE SPEECH IN AMERICA and oppose Hollywood’s “E-Parasite Act!”

Conservative Action Alerts

P.S. It is imperative that we fight the forces of a police state and keep the Internet free! Send your faxes to Congress RIGHT NOW and tell them to oppose SOPA and Protect IP! If we do not act now, we could lose our Internet freedoms forever!

You can also CLICK HERE  to send a FREE message directly to YOUR U.S. Representative and Senators!

Conservative Action Alerts (CAA) is a media outlet protected by the first amendment and that support for our efforts is not tax-deductible.