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CISPA Sponsor Says Protests Are Mere 'Turbulence'

SolKeshNaranek writes with news that Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI), sponsor of CISPA, has decided to tempt fate by referring to the protests that are springing up as 'turbulence on the way down to landing.' From the article: "What really comes through in the article — which mostly talks about how Rogers has been supposedly working with Google to change some of the language in the bill to make it more acceptable -- is how little concern Rogers has for the public. Instead, most of the article just talks about how he's been working with tech companies to make sure they're okay with the bill. And while that's a start, it's no surprise that lots of tech companies would be okay with CISPA, because it grants them broad immunity if they happen to hand over all sorts of private info to the government. But to then call the protests mere 'turbulence' is pretty damned insulting to the actual people this will impact the most: the public, whose privacy may be violated."

39 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So much for the idea that politicians effected the will of the people. He's been working with CORPORATIONS to make sure that CORPORATIONS don't have any problem with the LEGISLATION that is put upon THE CITIZENS.

    As for the opinion of CITIZENS? -- Who gives a fuck?

    1. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Corporations make donations while citizens just whine and bitch. He knows who butters his bread.

    2. Re:Constituants. by jamstar7 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For a revolution in the US, you need 2 things.

      1. Everybody needs to go a day without eating.
      2. Shut off the internet & the cable tv.

      You'll have a new government in place in the morning.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    3. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A new government put in place by a revolution will be stacked to the limit with bizarre extremists and arseholes who could never make it to power under democracy. The most likely outcome is that you'll get some unstable maniac in charge, with no limits on his power.

      Revolution is not a magic "reset the government" button. It's a form of election that puts a disproportionately high number of votes on those willing to kill, regardless of their reasons for wanting to do so.

    4. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      G. Dubya Bush is what you get from a democracy that has gone bad.

      Mao or Napoleon are what you get from a revolution.

    5. Re:Constituants. by Thanshin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So much for the idea that politicians effected the will of the people.

      What's bizarre at this point is how is it possible that so many people don't already understand that. I think it's sufficiently clear that the government is not a tool for the people and that democracy doesn't allow changing that.

      Protests have no effect. Votes have no effect. Terrorism has no effect. This is capitalism, only money has an effect. If you don't have large amounts of money, you are a production machine and your opinion matters as much as that of a cow.

      The only way of stopping the absolute power of money in capitalism is revolution. Anything else is fruitless crying.

    6. Re:Constituants. by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Lenin and Washington were from revolutions as well. Hitler was elected into power. Well, Washington was elected into power, but based at least partly on his performance in the revolution.

    7. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes. Revolution means the utter failure of the current system. It's a last resort when you have nothing to lose, because you're taking a HUGE risk that things will turn out 10x worse. You're far better to invest some time and effort into fixing the current system rather than failing to vote or not being involved in politics enough to influence anything. Write those letters. Make your view heard. Use the tools you have *within* the system. Yes, it's screwed up and it's hard to believe we ordinary citizens can make a difference, but where's SOPA now?

      I get the feeling that some people would rather sit around on their lazy arse until the government truly is a serious disaster, then they'd be happy to shoot up the place, go home, and then assume it will all be magically better. No, probably not. Did it work that way during any other civil war in the world? Heck no. It's a total crap shoot. Worse, if most people cared so little before the crisis to do something to prevent impending disaster, they certainly aren't going to be able to guarantee things will be any better after the crisis. Revolutions can go bad. Really, really, really BAD.

      Pressing the "revolution" button is rather like pressing the big "nuclear" button during the Cold War. You really don't want to go there if it is in any way avoidable.

      So, get off your political ass and be involved rather than saying "I'll be involved once they start shooting."

    8. Re:Constituants. by Nidi62 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Lenin and Washington were from revolutions as well. Hitler was elected into power. Well, Washington was elected into power, but based at least partly on his performance in the revolution.

      But Washington was also elected into the Revolution. He did offer his services, but he was also elected by the Continental Congress to lead the Continental Army. Prior to that, his one and only significant military action was in the French and Indian War, and resulted in him surrendering.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
    9. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Do you really find it hard to imagine a Mao-like revolutionary leader in the US? Sure, they would be very unlikely to be carrying a communist banner, but some aspects of his thinking carry over very well.

      "You worked for the government? Then you die."
      "But I was just a primary school teacher!"
      "Socialist! Indoctrinator! You make the children dependent on the state! Die, scum."

    10. Re:Constituants. by guises · · Score: 3, Informative

      Mao is too old to be relevant? He only died in '76, that's not that long ago.

      Clinton and Chavez are better examples of what you get from a revolution? Did you think this through? They were both elected. Chavez staged a failed coup, but was democratically elected afterwards.

      Why was this modded up?

    11. Re:Constituants. by demachina · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "you'll get some unstable maniac in charge. . . those willing to kill"

      Yea we sure need to avoid letting anyone grab power who might:

      A. Execute people, including U.S. citizens, women and children, without a trial, like with UAV's and Hellfire missiles
      B. Torture people
      C. Lock people up indefinitely without a trail
      D. Snatch people all over the world, put black bags over their heads, drug them, and render them to various dictatorships for indefinite detention and torture, and occasionally snatch the wrong people, oops
      E. Start long, expensive wars under false pretenses, that kills hundreds of thousands of people and bankrupt the U.S.
      F. Engage in massive electronic spying on citizens without a warrant or court oversight

      Yep, we definitely don't want any wild eyed revolutionaries grabbing power and doing that shit .

      --
      @de_machina
    12. Re:Constituants. by Isaac+Remuant · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'd think that Obama was a better example of the failures of apparent democracy.

      His photo appears in the dictionary when you look for charisma or oratory but he ran on a platform of opposition to most of the things than by the "Other Party" and ended up maintaining very much the same policies in large scale (expanding many of those concerning civil liberties and foreign policy).

      You had this option to oppose what Bush did. It said it would do things differently (in very specific terms). Once elected, it didn't.

      Democracy doesn't work because we've developed the science of propaganda to a point where the amount of money you have is directly related to the odds of winning an election.

      --
      "Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world. " - Asimov.
    13. Re:Constituants. by Hatta · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Revolution is not a magic "reset the government" button. It's a form of election that puts a disproportionately high number of votes on those willing to kill, regardless of their reasons for wanting to do so.

      This is true. But the threat of revolution is the only leverage we have left anymore. If you want to avoid a revolution, we need to reform the system. Anyone who is not serious about reform is pro-revolution.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    14. Re:Constituants. by DigiShaman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      History begins the moment you're born. In other words, historical perspective varies from person to person.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    15. Re:Constituants. by SchMoops · · Score: 3, Funny

      In other breaking news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead. This has been Weekend Update with Chevy Chase.

    16. Re:Constituants. by guises · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What? Historical perspective is all well and good, but history doesn't change from person to person. I don't think I'm following this conversation anymore.

      Clinton and Chavez are not good examples of leaders which came to power after revolutions because they did not come to power after revolutions. That's all there is to it. Don't get all metaphysical on me, it doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

    17. Re:Constituants. by mcgrew · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You kids are cute in your ignorance. My generation never got violent (hell, we were all stoned on reefer) but our protests got the Vietnam war stopped, we got the draft stopped, we got the EPA instituted, we got equal rights for black people, and the only violence done was done to us.

      You kids need to put that cocaine down and smoke a joint. As the Salvor hardin said in Asimov's Foundation, "violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

    18. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      "... the only violence done was done to us."

      They say smoking pot damages memory, and in your case it seems true.

      I guess you don't remember the Weather Underground, or the Black Panthers.

      I was there too, and I wasn't stoned. You have a selective memory which is quite inaccurate.

    19. Re:Constituants. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      True, but for the first two years of his presidency he had a super majority in congress meaning his party could pass any legislation they wanted no matter what the opposition wanted.

      six months

      What happened with that?

      Basically, the Affordable Care Act, which the Right has tried to obstruct every step of the way. (Actually, they've tried to obstruct Obama himself and everything associated with him since inauguration, and haven't been shy about their intent to do that.)

    20. Re:Constituants. by StikyPad · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Washington was also shy of the spotlight. Reluctant leaders are often the best kind.

      I think that's probably where democracy got lost. When leaders are nominated by the people who know them, rather than "throwing their name in the hat," you tend to get people who are worthy of the position. When you have people nominating themselves, you get self-aggrandizing assholes. I'm not sure how to make the former work on a large scale that doesn't require campaigning though, which is nothing if not self-aggrandizing, and certainly not in a way that can't be gamed.

  2. You only had to listen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why... why didn't you vote for Ron Paul...

    1. Re:You only had to listen by sjames · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Historically, Democratic presidents have closed the gap between rich and poor and overall increased income for the middle class It's too bad they've been becoming more Republican lately.

    2. Re:You only had to listen by Endovior · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Wait... we're still pretending there's an actual difference between the Republicans and Democrats now? Both clearly want the same thing; more spending, more debt, more rules. The only difference is what each side makes it's partisan points off of; Republicans like spending money on guns and subsidies to their rich backers, and Democrats like spending money on entitlements and subsidies to their special interest groups. Both sides like passing new laws that benefit whoever's bribed them, and neither likes tearing down laws, unless it's a specific law that's especially unpopular with their buddies. Neither likes going after the debt, since there's no political points to be made there; except in accusing the other side for not doing enough about it, and thus to attack the other side's spending preferences. Both sides are essentially doing the same thing, so the overall direction of things remains the same; the only 'change' is that whoever's winning at the moment can throw more tax money at their buddies.

    3. Re:You only had to listen by AK+Marc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, the only difference is that Democrats (before Obama) would tax and spend. The Republicans would borrow and spend, while claiming to be more fiscally responsible.

    4. Re:You only had to listen by Serpents · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Free corporations of any government oversight and you have Cyberpunk 2020 - corporations become independent states with their own military and law enforcement agencies. Unlikely? Well, the SFPD has already been used as a private police force but that was at least questionable and a few people had some explaining to do. If corporations are accountable to no one you can be sure that they are going to take full advantage of that. Yes, the current system is broken and governments sit in deep pockets of their corporate sponsors but they have to do something from time to time to please the masses if they want to keep up the appearances of a democratic election process.

  3. Same Shit, Different Day by Transist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's incredibly frustrating that these 'sponsors' will continue to ram legislation down our collective throats such as this, when it clearly is against the general good and serves only private interests. Even if a bill such as SOPA gets defeated in the public spotlight thanks to major protest campaigning, it just shows up a couple months later under a different name. The tragedy is you can't get people interested in fighting 'the man' every week. I was very pleasantly surprised by the general outcry when SOPA was being pushed through, but I seriously doubt you can rally that kind of support every time these legislators bow to lobbying pressure and essentially copypasta their last draconian bill and rename it without any effort at all. How are you supposed to fight this kind of system (a term I generally avoid in this kind of context, but is rather fitting), when it's painfully obvious that the common man really has far too little say in government?

  4. We have two choices to make it go away.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Either we all stop buying movies and music for a few years so the MPAA and RIAA go bankrupt, or we shoot them all... I'm fine either way.

    1. Re:We have two choices to make it go away.. by DarwinSurvivor · · Score: 3, Interesting

      They'll just scream pirates and demand a bail-out like the automotive companies did. Then they'll use the governments money to buy new laws.

  5. don't shout down the bill... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...shoutdown the politicians that would suggest the government has a right in the first place. Always hold them accountable. (thats the goal)

  6. No he's not. by Zsub · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But here you are wrong. With SOPA, the public at large managed to find -- finally, I might add -- the supreme spot where to exercise influence over legislation. See, if corporations control politics, it's no use trying to influence politics directly. But if we can influence the politics corporations push for, which we demonstrably can, we can influence politics. Therefore, your point that people don't matter anymore is false.

  7. "Turbulence" by girlintraining · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... In other news, the Senator woke up to find the ghost of internet past in his room, carrying a very long chain, each one forged from a civil liberty removed.... Rogers dismissed the entire affair as turbulent, and was shortly after killed by a mob of angry young boys on crutches, which is how Dickenson would have ended it if he'd had to role play with Rogers, who has the character flaw "Turbulent."

    --
    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
  8. Mike Rogers? Or Governor Tarkin? by FSWKU · · Score: 4, Interesting
    To paraphrase:

    Mike Rogers: "The will of the people will no longer be of any concern to us. I have just received word that democracy has been dissolved permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away forever."

    Barack Obama: "But that's impossible! How will we maintain control without the illusion of people having a voice?"

    Mike Rogers: "The regional CEO's now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local populations in line. Fear of having their personal information leaked with immunity."

    Barack Obama: "Excellent. Everything is proceeding exactly as I have forseen it..."

    --
    "So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die..."
  9. Re:Wait a procorporation teet sucking Republican R by stms · · Score: 5, Informative

    Why are so many /.ers insisting that Dems are less guilty than the Republicans in this fight we've recently been having over internet freedom. SOPA/PIPA had some bipartison support (and opposition) but it was mostly the Democrates bill. Check out this informative wikipedia article. Both sides are equally full of currupt assholes stop giving one side a free pass just because you think they're ideallistically superior. Idealism doesn't mean shit when you have two wolves (the politcal parties) and a sheep (the people) deciding what's for dinner. They mainly just argue about how they're going to cook us.

  10. Re:Well... by benjfowler · · Score: 3, Insightful

    That's the single dumbest thing I've read all day, and something I'd expect from an american conservative.

    Obama is well to the Right of any centre-left party in Europe or Australia. He'd be comfortable as a conservative in most of these places, actually.

    You're either stupid, or a liar.

  11. Re:Wait a procorporation teet sucking Republican R by pla · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why are so many /.ers insisting that Dems are less guilty than the Republicans in this fight we've recently been having over internet freedom.

    Not less guilty - "Differently" guilty.

    The Republicans want to take our money and freedoms and, ideally, would have us all living as mindless zombie serfs to the Corporate Police state.

    The Democrats want to take our money and freedoms and, ideally, would have us all living as politically correct zombies who don't want to float to the top (and aggressively push down those who do).

    Both sides "hate our freedom" far more than the bogeyman of the week, and will take any steps necessary to strip us of what little sense of individuality we cling to.

  12. Re:it is turbulance by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 3

    We can change it. Unfortunately, violence may be required.

    Let me point out what that would look like: Remember Gabrielle Giffords? A judge and a rep were shot, and a completely innocent kid got killed at the same time. You're talking about that times a thousand?

    When Giffords was shot, we, as a nation, decided we didn't like that. (Or was the outpouring of sympathy just a fabrication by corporate-owned media?)

    I'm sure your revolution will be completely different than that because your revolution will be based on rational grievances like copyright law, rather than schizo lunacy. And you'll only go after those awful, horrible, oppressors who no one likes. Also, your marksmanship is so much better that little kids won't get killed in your crossfire.

    --
    There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
  13. Re:Well... by Hatta · · Score: 4, Informative

    Left and Right are completely irrelevant when it comes to civil liberties. One thing that the vast majority of both parties

    In the US, both major parties are right wing. One is just more extreme than the other. There is exactly one moderate in Congress, Bernie Sanders.

    --
    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  14. Re:Constitu"E"nts by geohump · · Score: 3, Funny

    We don't need a new government. We need the old government. You know, the one of the people, by the people, and FOR the people? The one that had a constitution that said no torturing would ever be allowed. Where the constitution said the government could never arrest anyone without just cause and a warrant issued by a judge. Where no one could be searched (or wiretapped) without just cause and a warrant issued by a judge. The one where if the government did arrest anyone they could not be held incognito (disappeared) and had to be allowed access to their lawyers, visitors and family?

    You know, the one that used to be THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

    As for the parents comment that a revolution only puts extremist nutcases in power (what he really meant) :

    Yep, Just like, oh, I don't know... THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ??

    Its time to save ourselves people. We need a new political party that doesn't follow the examples of any of the existing political parties. Not the republicans, or the democrats, or the libertarians or the greens.

    No government is ever perfect. The USA's older government had its problems too, corruption, discrimination and the like, but the current government has completely abandoned even the pretense of following the constitution and is becoming a totalitarian state. And it happened (is happening) under both the Bush and Obama administrations

    We need a political party that represents the original intent of the constitution: THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED EQUAL, AND THAT THIS DEMOCRACY SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THIS EARTH.

    The initial goals of this party would be:

    Step 1 - pass laws declaring that no company has the same rights as a human
    Step 2 - make lobbying by businesses illegal
    step 3 - make taking any gifts, no matter how small, even lunch, a felony for any law making representative, local, state, or federal.
    step 4 - make it illegal to pass any law that exempts any law making representatives,( local, state, or federal) from laws the rest of the population has to follow.
    step 5 - pass a law that says that any laws passed by any law making representative, (local, state, or federal) which increase the benefits (pay, health ins etc..) will not be applied to any of the reps in office at the time the law is passed. It will only be applied to the next rep to take that same office. So if a rep is in office at the time a salary increase is passed, they do not get that increase, Ever. Their pay and benefits are stuck at the level they were at when they entered office, except for any increase that wew passed before they got elected or appointed. Note that says "before elected or appointed" not "before taking office"
    Step 6 - pass a law which makes it illegal for anyone who gives or attempts to give a rep a gift or a bribe to ever own or run or manage a business or part of a business again in their lifetime.
    Step 7 - make quid pro quo exchanges a felony with a lifetime sentence.
    step 8 - form an auditing corp branch of government. These individuals must be willing to have every moment of their life recorded, be well paid, and will have the power to investigate anyone, or anything at anytime for any kind of corruption. They will have the power to ask for and immediately receive any information they ask for. And if they do not receive it, they have the power to bring in any branch of the military they need to enforce their requests.
    Step 9 - Remove all judges who cannot separate themselves from any childhood religious indoctrination from the Supreme court. Indeed, any Judge who cannot, should be immediately replaced by an Atheist (satan worshipping, baby eating etc.. ). Note - the vast majority of the US population is Protestant Christian. Why then does the the Supreme Court of all the land consist of 6 catholics and 3 jews? These people were all raised in religious cultures which indoctrinate them to polarized, extremeist, fantasy based views of reality. Examples - "God gave the country to us for our exclusive use! Even though most of us lef