Internet Censorship Affects Everybody-Wikipedia, Reddit to Shut Down Sites Wednesday to Protest

Wikipedia, Reddit to Shut Down Sites Wednesday to Protest Proposed Stop Online Piracy Act
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Internet Censorship Affects Everybody": Rebecca MacKinnon on the Global Struggle for Online Freedom
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Democracy Now! had in depth coverage of what is going on... highly recommend videos to understand in detail what is going on...
If Wikipedia, Reddit are Shutting Down To Protest this is a SERIOUS THREAT!
Censorship could affect permies, us, and Paul "Saving the World"

Links to Democracy Now!
http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/01/wikipedia-reddit-to-shut-down-sites.html

Regards to all,
Monte Hines

I have tried to read this stuff over and over and frankly I am baffled.

I saw a bunch of stuff on reddit about some guy in England who is being plucked out of england and hauled to the us to be proscecuted for copyright stuff. While there are lots of things about that that bother me, the thing that bothered me more was the reddit comments. Stuff like how all books and movies and everything has to be free - so that guy was helping the world.

I think that guy is doing criminal stuff so it does seem like there should be a reckoning. Although having the uk grab him and send him to the us strikes me as smelly.

I think the thing I'm most worried about with all this stuff is the idea that monsanto can make a list of 100,000 web sites and then file them as "bad guys" - then all the sites get taken down until the 100,000 sites can lawyer up and fight to get back online. It is sorta like guilty-until-lawyers-can-prove-your-innocence.

So, there is lots and lots of scary stuff in all this. And I suppose if permies.com was a company with a thousand employees, including ten lawyers, then, yeah, I suppose we could pick a clear path and make a clear stand. But it's me and a handful of part time volunteers. And I already feel way behind on making videos.

paul wheaton wrote:Stuff like how all books and movies and everything has to be free

I think those people should make a bunch of books and movies and things and then give them away for free. Nobody is stopping them from doing that.

Personally, I think most people who don't make stuff for a living don't have a clue about copyright.

Paul, I share your concerns about Monsatan deciding some, say, permaculture websites are bad and having them shut down.

I agree with your thoughts completely...

I don't think you should do anything but concentrate on what you are doing - damn good job promoting polyculture technolgy

I was just trying to foster knowledge of this complex issue, so we don't get hood winked by present ruling class (Companies and Politicians, some of which lack "Intrigrity", ie Monsanto)

This video provided me, the best - most concise - understanding http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/17/internet_censorship_affects_everybody_rebecca_mackinnon

I recommend it highly, if you don't understand issue completely and want to learn more.

Regards
Monte Hines

I tried to listen to Doctorow's talk on this, and what I came away with is that this legislation won't solve the problem...it's like 'burning down the house to kill the mice' there are much more effective, and fair, ways to kill the mice

But, if killing the mice is just an excuse to give 'somebody' the legal authority to burn down selected houses... hmmm. Fortunately, 'they' backed down and pushed off legislative hearings to Mar or Apr.

A leading group of 83 prominent Internet inventors and engineers sent an open letter to members of the United States Congress, stating their opposition to the SOPA and PIPA Internet blacklist bills that are under consideration in the House and Senate respectively.

If you would like to see what they said, other information links on subject, and/or make your position known to Congress see http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/01/open-letter-from-internet-engineers-to.html

Make your own informed decision based of the facts as you see them.

Regards to all,
Monte Hines

Here is a point I have not seen presented yet.

The problem that is attempted to being solved, is wicked people stealing the content of others and giving it away willy nilly. So they are trying to come up with legislation to make it easier to fix this. Unfortunately, their legislation kinda makes it possible to nuke the whole internet.

So, I propose that if all the wicked people stopped being wicked, then the problem would shrink to a tiny spec and then the industries that are trying to fix this would find that the amount of money it would cost to pay lobbiests to push for this stuff would have zero ROI.

So, i think the optimal solution here would be to crush these two bills, and then convince the pirates to stop so that we don't see new bills pop up two months from now.

Paul, You are right almost always!
AGREE... Capitolism with integrity by all!
No gouging. No stealing.
Masses need to keep demanding it, if we are going to achieve it.

Regards to all,
Monte Hines

PS
Kahn Academy has good video information - just posted 2:30 CDT 1-18-2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzqMoOk9NWc
"What SOPA and PIPA are at face value and what they could end up enabling"

Excellent short video explaining proposed bills and why those bills are such a problem.

Link to video: http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/01/understanding-pipa-sopa-why-you-should.html

Regards,
Monte Hines