A quick followup to my pompous piece on the power of the Internet. Techdirt has a post about how Google was late to the SOPA/PIPA fight and that it was mostly grassroots groups that pushed it back.
Techdirt has recently transformed into the go-to source for copy-fighting news. Superb work that is thoroughly referenced.
Compare Drang’s thought process to Niall’s. Everyone gets an opinion but not everyone should get a megaphone.
This year has demonstrated a new and unprecedented power in the world. A power that can define a social standard overnight. These social standards range from broad issues of personal destiny to expectations of accountability in business and journalism. The Internet has come into its own and is a force to be reckoned with.
The Arab Spring was mobilized around a unified expression of freedom. This expression was not defined in a committee or in back room dealings.
Could anyone even imagine an Occupy protest of this scale? If there were, I seriously doubt that our "Democracy" would behave as well as the corrupt Russian government is right now. We've developed the subtle art of turning non-lethal weapons against protestors in creative and lethal ways.
Congress is exempt from several federal laws
Here's a couple choice selections in case there was any delusion that they represent the people.
Having to train employees about workplace rights and legal remedies. Protections against retaliation for whistleblowers. The Freedom of Information Act. I guess when you get to make the laws, you also get to decide which ones apply to your unconscionable business.
By way of BostonGlobe.com
Remember that Whitehouse.gov petition to investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for bribery? Well, the White House responded.
"...the White House declines to comment on this petition because it requests a specific law enforcement action."
I have to ask then, what good is this petition system when the underlying system is fundamentally broken? Apparently asking for the current laws to be upheld exceeds the limits of the White House.
There’s this guy I know. He was caught dead to rights marketing illegal drugs. I mean they nailed him. They got detailed records that he knowingly helped to market illegal drugs. Funny thing though. He didn’t have to go to jail. In fact the whole thing barely interrupted his day to day life. He just paid a fine and moved on.
Google. No individual I know of gets an option to pay a fine for a federal narcotics guilty plea.
This is an old Supreme Court decision that came up in a discussion today. I know the Citizen's United decision generates all of the discourse around corporate personhood, but this case should tell everyone just how far the court is willing to push it. This grants further free speech rights to pharmaceutical companies and prevents the FDA from limiting that right. Let that sink in a bit.
Remember when news reporters actually did their job. Apparently there are still a couple around. Of course they are not in the US.
By way of BoingBoing.
Like Derek Lowe at the Pipeline, I was surprised that Rich Apodaca at Depth-First was in favor of the bill. But he does make some good points. What's the best way to kill an industry monopoly? Give them enough rope.
