Cleveland Tea Party : SOPA

Friday, January 20, 2012

SOPA & PIPA Only Delayed NOT STOPPED - Keep up the pressure!

Since our last Action Alert on SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and its Senate cousin PIPA (PROTECT IP).there has been a lot that has happened and much more to be done to stop these bills.

On the same day that thousands of websites had gone dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act; Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced he was withdrawing his name and support for the House and Senate bills and it's been a domino affect every since.

Senators Jim Inhofe, John Cornyn, Orrin Hatch, John Boozman, David Vitter, Kelly Ayotte, and Roy Blunt have dropped their support and on the House side so did , former co-sponsors Representatives Ben Quayle, Lee Terry, Dennis Ross, Steve Scalise, Tim Griffin and Tim Holden.

SOPA is currently in the House Judiciary Committee, and just today House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) said he will postpone consideration of his Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) until there is wider agreement on the controversial legislation.

On PIPA, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) calls to shelve the bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has rescheduled a procedural vote on the legislation that was set for Tuesday afternoon. Reid says he is confident some sort of compromise can be reached.

Trying to amend or fix SOPA & PIPA is like putting whip cream on crap - they might look more appealling, but underneath they are still crap and they must be flushed not fixed! SOPA & PIPA are not bills that can be amended into something acceptable, they must die completely.

What can you do?

Ohio has two Congressmen on the House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH), a co-sponsor of SOPA and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH).

Please contact Congressman Chabot and ask him to withdraw as a co-sponsor of SOPA and to drop his support.

Congressman Steve Chabot

Cincinnati Office

Phone: (513) 684-2723
Fax: (513) 421-8722

Washington DC Office
Phone: (202) 225-2216
Fax: (202) 225-3012

Email: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=9rxmyrdab&et=1109108093105&s=1117&e=001JB1HOv_G1JVQI4NjoCbIsbm8xy-2BN83SMyJ6vCPplesKYu2_NtIzZ6eOyfJRt3rpqVSktTRiepnNR8aBqNMxyrFc-M9lmcCGguHTgwVYrbbP4P5fROmHxra5M2BajXxu8fESd7fpOE=

Contact Congressman Jim Jordan and ask him to defeat SOPA by any means necessary.

Congressman Jim Jordan

Mansfield Office

Phone: (419) 522-5757

Fax: (419) 525-2805

Washington DC Office

DC PH#: 202-225-2676

DC Fax#: 202-226-0577

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

On PIPA contact Senate President Harry Reid and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and ask them to once in their careers do the right thing and to STOP any and all discussions on PIPA.

Senate President Harry Reid
DC Phone: (202)224-3542
DC Fax: (202)224-7327
Email: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Senator Patrick Leahy
DC Phone: (202)224-4242
Email: http://leahy.senate.gov/contact/

For a list of all the members on the Senate Judiciary Committee click here.

Friday, December 30, 2011

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