Cleveland Tea Party : Obamacare for the Internet: Stop SOPA NOW!

Obamacare for the Internet!

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and its Senate cousin (PROTECT IP) are government solutions in search of a problem. Created under the false flag of piracy protection, this bill allows unelected bureaucrat US Attorney General (Eric Holder) to close down without due process, any site listed in a complaint. SOPA grants the federal government the right to restrict search engine results, freeze merchant accounts and force your internet provider to block any site branded in violation of SOPA. An unelected bureaucrat will decide which sites qualify.

What does this mean for you? Under SOPA, if a single complaint is filed against YouTube alleging pirated materiel, the entire website can be shut down while the claim is investigated. If a single complaint is registered against Google claiming they link to pirated materiel in search results, the entire site can be shut down during the investigation. If a single complaint is logged against Amazon.com claiming pirated goods are being sold, the entire site can be shut down and their online payment service frozen!

Who thought this was a good idea? SOPA is sponsored by Representative Lamar Smith, A Republican from Texas who has been in Congress for over 25 years. His biggest campaign donors are from the TV/Movie industry, giving him over $50,000 a year for at least the past 10 years. SOPA also has 31 co-sponsors and is currently moving through the House Judiciary Committee (chaired by Lamar Smith). Outside Washington D.C., bloggers and experts across the political spectrum have warned against this legislation. SOPA is sponsored by a Republican, PROTECT IP is sponsored by a Democrat. It’s becoming clear that this battle is not about partisan politics or liberal vs. conservatives. This is the Washington elite, using overblown piracy fears to control our internet.

What can you do?

Contact your congressman and let them know SOPA (H.R. 3261) has no place in America. This is not a bill that can be amended into something acceptable, it must die completely.

Contact members of the Judiciary Committee specifically and urge them to defeat SOPA by any means necessary.

If you or someone you know lives in Wisconsin, North Carolina, California, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, Pennsylvania or South Carolina, please forward this alert to them. These states have congressional members on the Judiciary Committee, see below for the complete list.

Judiciary Committee

GOP Members

Lamar Smith (R-TX) [Chairman]

D.C. PH#: 202-225-4236

D.C. FX#: 202-225-8628

Email: http://lamarsmith.house.gov/Contact/

F. James (Jim) Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI)

D.C. PH#: 202-225-5101

D.C. FX#: 202-225-3190

Email: http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/email_zip.htm

Howard Coble (R-NC)

DC PH#: 202-225-3065

DC FX#: 202-225-8611

Email: http://coble.house.gov/Contact/ZipCheck.htm

Elton Gallegly (R-CA)

DC PH#: 202-225-5811