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SOPA Provisions Being Introduced Piecemeal From Lamar Smith
bricko sends this disappointing but not unexpected news from Techdirt:
"While it didn't get nearly as much attention as other parts of SOPA, one section in the bill that greatly concerned us was the massive expansion of the diplomatic corp.'s 'IP attaches.' If you're unfamiliar with the program, basically IP attaches are 'diplomats' (and I use the term loosely) who go around the globe pushing a copyright maximalist position on pretty much every other country. Their role is not to support more effective or more reasonable IP policy. It is solely to increase expansion, and basically act as Hollywood's personal thugs pressuring other countries to do the will of the major studios and labels. The role is literally defined as pushing for 'aggressive support for enforcement action' throughout the world. ... In other words, these people are not neutral. They do not have the best interests of the public or the country in mind. Their job is solely to push the copyright maximalist views of the legacy entertainment industry around the globe, and position it as the will of the U.S. government. It was good that this was defeated as a part of SOPA... but now comes the news that Lamar Smith is introducing a new bill that not only brings back this part, but appears to expand it and make it an even bigger deal."
IP is a euphemism for bit slavery.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
Money, it's a hit. Don't give me that do goody good bullshit.
Trying to sneak rejected legislation in under wraps should be grounds for public beheading.
Time to get serious with these fucks, or else they'll never learn.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
That's the biggest problem I see with this shit.
They can just keep trying, voer and over again, until either by apathy or random chance it gets through.
We can't all mobilize like we did for SOPA every month.. eventually people run out of energy fighting this stuff.. and then it'll pass.
You say dystopian fiction, they say operator's manual.
Fugue for Aaron Swartz
Austin is actually gerrymandered to hell. It is split into about 5 different congressional districts so that the D can never overtake the R. We have no hope of getting rid of these idiots as long as they stuff a bunch of people who see voting as "Vote R for Jesus" into the voting population.
Am I the only one who's thinking headcrab when hearing about Lamar?
A pre-emptive strike is needed.
Campaign Contributions should not only be public, but limited as being from citizen/residents of the level of office that is representing that district. Would-be representatives should only be allowed to accept funds coming from citizens from within that district and Senator from within the state. This will, in theory, make them more likely to honestly represent the area in question. I doubt Lamar Smith's own district in TX is clamoring for this shit.
Superpacs should not be allowed. I don't think anyone but citizens should be allowed in the campaign contribution. No groups like megacorps, superpacs, NRA, no unions, nothing. At best, special interest groups should be allowed to notify members in the specific area to give to candidate X or Y. That keeps freedom of association.
The way it works now, with the structure of the Congress, special interest groups like the MPAA/RIAA entertainment cartel just have to target a few special senators/representatives that head pertinent the committees and have seniority, like the Bidens/Lamars of the world for bribes campaign donations, and they can usually railroad what they want through unless the apathetic public makes a special effort to counter it.
The problem is that the general public has a life besides watching Congress like a hawk and protesting. These groups can just keep advancing their agendas patiently, like a person playing chess, despite any one-time setbacks.