20 replies to this topic

[Langley]

Copied from the offline notice:

CONTENT BLOCKED BY SOPA/PIPA
UNDER AUTHORITY GRANTED BY H.R.3261 AND S.968

All activity at NerfHaven has been temporarily suspended.

This forum will not be functional until January 19th, 2012 (depending on your timezone). This is an automated process and you do not need to do anything to expedite the unsuspension process.

Board Address: http://nerfhaven.com/forums/index.php

The US Congress is considering legislation that could bring an end to open discussion and user submitted content on the internet as we know it. If SOPA or PIPA are passed, your favorite websites may one day be gone for good. To protest these bills, and to simulate their possible outcome, a number of websites including Wikipedia are staging a 'blackout' for 24 hours. For more info on these issues, and to find out how you can help, visit Wikipedia's Blackout Page. Edit: Slashdot also has an excellent article explaining the issues.

The only way to preserve your right to free speech is to use it. If you are an American citizen*, call your congressperson and tell them that you are against SOPA and PIPA.

Thanks for your support,
Langley

tl;dr version courtesy of The Oatmeal

*Edit: If you're not an American citizen, you can still petition the State Department. SOPA/PIPA still effect you if you visit or are a member of any sites which, like NerfHaven, are hosted in the US. See this Canadian site for an example of someone outside the US protesting SOPA/PIPA

[Nsnerfing]

Now this just fucking sucks, but I doubt the stupid law will pass.

[evilbunnyo]

I know this has special meaning to some people (including me) so I am glad to see we could take part in this blackout. SOPA was canceled I believe so now its just PIPA.

[NerfMonkey]

I thought this was pretty informative so figured I'd share it here for anyone who hasn't seen it.

http://www.khanacade...American Civics

[Ozymandias]

I know this has special meaning to some people (including me) so I am glad to see we could take part in this blackout. SOPA was canceled I believe so now its just PIPA.

SOPA was not cancelled. Smith will likely attach it to HR 1981, “Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011". In other words, support SOPA or you're a pedophile.

This is exactly how they (and by they I mean assholes on both sides of the aisle) passed indefinite detention of American citizens in section 1021 of the NDAA.

Time to head north.

Edited by Ozymandias, 19 January 2012 - 02:34 AM.

[False]

No! If the USA pass this legislation then no doubt Australia will soon follow...

[MattTheSasquatch]

So, what they're saying is if this bill passes, websites go down for good. If these websites go down, people lose jobs (I can estimate thousands, possibly millions). If people lose jobs, people have less to spend on material and necessities. If people aren't buying, other non internet companies will go out. If other companies go out... In short terms, this is a death wish for the U.S. Economy.

[Daniel Beaver]

SOPA was not cancelled. Smith will likely attach it to HR 1981, "Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011". In other words, support SOPA or you're a pedophile.

^
|
This

Today it's "support this or you're a pirate". Tomorrow it will be "support this or you're a pedophile". And this is just the latest of many, many power grabs. SOPA/PIPA is a microcosm of a larger issue in America. There's no grand conspiracy behind it; it is simply the natural tendency of a person or organization with power to desire more power. The internet as it stands is relatively uncontrolled, and that scares the people who are used to having control. I'm glad the public finally seems to be relatively united on this particular issue - it's pretty unambiguously bad.

My normal inclination is try to bring a little bit of level-headedness into conversations, and avoid alarmism. But with what's happening lately... I think alarmism is appropriate.

So, what they're saying is if this bill passes, websites go down for good. If these websites go down, people lose jobs (I can estimate thousands, possibly millions). If people lose jobs, people have less to spend on material and necessities. If people aren't buying, other non internet companies will go out. If other companies go out... In short terms, this is a death wish for the U.S. Economy.

That's sort of the grand irony of it all. It's being touted as an economic boon, when reality it's about smashing mechanical looms. I don't think it's going to destroy the US economy, but it certainly does more harm than good.



On a more humorous note, politicians seems to apply the D.E.N.N.I.S. System to managing public opinion.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 19 January 2012 - 11:00 AM.

[Langley]

It's not over yet. Many congressional websites that went down yesterday from the strain are back up and their contact pages are once again available. Look up your senators are representatives and tell them what you think. You can still use wikipedia to look up your congressmen.

[hoongfu]

I wholeheartedly agree with this guy : Maddox's view.

[Ozymandias]

I wholeheartedly agree with this guy : Maddox's view.

Here is basically the problem with his idea: we've passed worse bills then this, with less fucks given.


The main thing that needs to happen is to convince normal people of all political viewpoints that this is a bad bill. Case in point, Glenn Beck has actually come out in opposition to SOPA, citing it as increased regulation (which, technically speaking, SOPA is).

Another option is getting rid of Smith himself. He has kept above 60% in his own district, but he might be forced out anyway. Texas is going to have to re- re-district after the DoJ told them they have to. Republicans hold the Texas house though, so Smith probably isn't going anywhere.

If this thing gos to the Supreme Court, we are truly fucked. They just ruled that Congress can take works out of Public Domain and put them back under copyright, so they probably would come down in favor of SOPA.

In it's current form, I think SOPA/PIPA would be vetoed, which means we need 34 Senators to be reliably against it to ensure it stays dead. We currently have 25 against, roughly 40 for it, and the rest are on the fence.

We're going into election season; make sure you and everybody you know gets registered, and find out where your representatives and senators stand on these bills.

[NeverWriteTwice]

I've voted in every election that has occurred since I turned 18 (minus a couple of state ones that I missed for various reasons), but it has always been because I know I'm supposed to as opposed to actually caring about it. I've always had a dim view of the various issues, and I admit to occasionally voting for someone because they had a funny name. This crap is the kick in the ass I've needed for a long time, so I guess there is a silver lining to all this. This year, I'm doing research before I enter the voter's booth.

Also, in case you didn't know the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is backing SOPA. A few gaming news sites are now boycotting E3 (which is run by the ESA) in protest. Here's the video: Screwattack boycotting E3

[Langley]

PAX does a much better job anyway, according to the people I know in the industry.

[ice]

Both bills have now been officially rejected. Hooray for the internet not changing!

[Ozymandias]

The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 has already made it through Committee. Fuck. Next up is a house vote.

It will require ISPs to keep a record of your internet usage for 18 months, the information can be accessed if you are suspected of any crime, and the police do not need probable cause.

I'm trying to track down the date it goes before a vote.

Edit: From CNET, "A last-minute rewrite of the bill expands the information that commercial Internet providers are required to store to include customers' names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and temporarily-assigned IP addresses, some committee members suggested. By a 7-16 vote, the panel rejected an amendment that would have clarified that only IP addresses must be stored."

Why is it the only time Congress can be bipartisan is when they're complete assholes?

Edited by Ozymandias, 21 January 2012 - 01:23 AM.

[VelveetaAvenger]

I haven't been following this super close, but I've heard a few places that the likely next step for SOPA/PIPA is to just attach them to that bill.

[spencerak]

I feel we, the general public, should be able to make our own bill, The SOPA Act: Shit On Political Assholes.

[Z64052187]

I feel we, the general public, should be able to make our own bill, The SOPA Act: Shit On Political Assholes.

Well, we can. Anyone can write a bill. You just need to get a congressional member to present it.

Good luck!

[Remag]

Well, we can. Anyone can write a bill. You just need to get a congressional member to present it.

Good luck!

Now there is a new one, CISPA.

I R (am) disappoint (disappointed in the society in which I live).

[Daniel Beaver]

Now there is a new one, CISPA.

Same shit, different day. It's actually a fairly different bill, but it's awful for a lot of the same reasons that SOPA was bad. In some ways it's actually worse, since the language is more broad. These shitty bills will keep coming, and every citizen who values free exchange on the internet ought to be calling or mailing their congressman/senator about it. They do listen - it's the reason SOPA was defeated.

I know it's annoying to see politics on Nerfing sites, but we are the Nerf Internet Community, and this shit affects us.

Edited by Daniel Beaver, 19 April 2012 - 08:25 AM.

[Buffdaddy]

Same shit, different day. It's actually a fairly different bill, but it's awful for a lot of the same reasons that SOPA was bad. In some ways it's actually worse, since the language is more broad. These shitty bills will keep coming, and every citizen who values free exchange on the internet ought to be calling or mailing their congressman/senator about it. They do listen - it's the reason SOPA was defeated.

I know it's annoying to see politics on Nerfing sites, but we are the Nerf Internet Community, and this shit affects us.

If I may, SOPA and all the other things are not the problem. There are A problem, but not THE problem.

If I may refer to our good friend Maddox...