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John: <br>
<br>
<br>
What do you know about the House rules? Is it possible that
it could be voted out of committee and still come to a vote
tomorrow, Dec. 21? <br>
<br>
<br>
I also read several places that the committee recessed last
Friday without taking a vote. Logically, this would seem to reduce
the chances of it coming to a vote by Dec. 21. However, I don't
know the House rules, and it may not have much if any impact on the
schedule of a vote, especially if the committee approves it today.
<br>
<br>
<br>
Spencer<br>
<br>
<br>
On 12/20/2011 8:31 AM, John Thielking wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:1324398712.52344.YahooMailNeo@web111112.mail.gq1.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
<div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times
new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt">
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto">It is my
understanding that SOPA was still in committee being marked
up, according to yesterday's hard Knock radio at <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.kpfa.org">www.kpfa.org</a>
. They might have a vote in committee on Dec 21, but it is
unlikely that it is going to the house floor on the 21st.</span></div>
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto"></span> </div>
<div style="RIGHT: auto"><span style="RIGHT: auto">John
Thielking<var id="yui-ie-cursor"></var></span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times,
serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<div style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times,
serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><font face="Arial" size="2">
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</span></b>
Spencer Graves <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:spencer.graves@prodsyse.com"><spencer.graves@prodsyse.com></a><br>
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</span></b> GPSCC
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org"><sosfbay-discuss@cagreens.org></a> <br>
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</span></b>
Monday, December 19, 2011 11:27 PM<br>
<b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</span></b>
[GPSCC-chat] #SOPA?<br>
</font><br>
<div id="yiv1075644152">
<div>Hello, All: <br>
<br>
<br>
Owen in Occupy San Jose is organizing a protest
against the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA), which is
currently scheduled for a vote this Wednesday, Dec. 21.
For ignoramuses such as myself, I will summarize here my
understanding of the current status of this bill (mostly
taken from the Wikipedia article on it); if anything
below seems inappropriate, please let me know. <br>
<br>
<br>
WHAT IS SOPA? <br>
<br>
<br>
1. This is a House bill scheduled to come
to a vote this Wednesday, Dec. 21. The corresponding
Senate bill, the Protect IP Act, passed the Senate
Judiciary Committee but is not currently scheduled for a
vote. As of Dec. 17, there were 31 official sponsors,
and 4 known opponents in the House, including Nancy
Polosi, Zoe Lofgren, Darrell Issa, and Ron Paul. <br>
<br>
<br>
2. "The bill would authorize the U.S.
Department of Justice to seek court orders against
websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing
on copyrights... . After delivering a court order, the
U.S. Attorney-General could require US-directed Internet
service providers, ad networks such as Google and
payment processors such as PayPal or Visa to suspend
doing business with sites found to infringe... . The
Attorney-General could also bar search engines from
displaying links to the sites." <br>
<br>
<br>
3. However, most experts outside the US
media industry are opposed for several reasons. First,
its provisions could so disrupt the normal functioning
of the Internet that it seriously degrades its utility.
Second, civil libertarians say that it essentially
authorizes prior censorship in ways that could be
virtually beyond public scrutiny. In theory, the bill
gives web site owners unjustly accused of copyright
infringement the right to sue their accusers. In
practice, it's not realistic to expect that "<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://occupysj.org/"
target="_blank">occupysj.org</a>", for example, could
afford the attorney's fees required to challenge Disney
-- especially since most of the media industry supports
Disney's position and would happily see "occupysj.org"
destroyed if they could do so without a large public
outcry. <br>
<br>
<br>
CALL TO ACTION: <br>
<br>
<br>
1. Write (and perhaps call) your
representative in the US House. If that's Lofgren,
thank her for her strong opposition to this in order to
reinforce her resolve to sustain her position and to
give her ammunition in talking with other
representatives. For others, ask their position and
express your opposition. If you haven't done this
before, go to "<a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="yiv1075644152moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="http://www.house.gov/" rel="nofollow"
target="_blank">www.house.gov</a>" and enter your zip
code. This will identify your representative and
provide a link to how to communicate to him / her. <br>
<br>
<br>
2. Write your friends and acquaintances to
tell them what you did and encourage them to do
likewise. <br>
<br>
<br>
3. While you are at it, I encourage you to
also write your Senators. Boxer is fourth highest
recipient of money from the organizations pushing for
this legislation: $544,424 (according to "<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money</a>")
and include those when you write others. <br>
<br>
<br>
The following are what I'm writing. <br>
<br>
<br>
Spencer <br>
<br>
<br>
Representative Zoe Lofgren: Dear Representative
Lofgren: I wish to thank you for your strong opposition
to the "Stop Online Piracy Act". I oppose it because
(a) I'm convinced it presents serious technical problems
as discussed by many technical experts, (b) authorize
prior censorship in ways that are easily concealed in
part because the media have a conflict of interest that
would push them to avoid reporting on any such events
when they could do so without substantive loss of
audience, and (c) it's one more example of corporate
welfare and bribery at work in the halls of congress.
Thanks, Spencer Graves<br>
<br>
<br>
Senator Barbara Boxer: Subject: Protect IP Act<br>
Dear Senator Boxer: What is your position on the
Protect IP Act? From what I've read, it is (a) one more
example of corporate welfare and bribery at work in
congress that would (b) presents serious technical
problems as discussed by many technical experts and (c)
authorize prior censorship in ways that are easily
concealed in part because the media have a conflict of
interest that would push them to avoid reporting on any
such events when they could do so without substantive
loss of audience. According to "<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money"
rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/money</a>",
you've received $544,424 in contributions from the
industry pushing for this bill. Are you planning to
vote for the special interests and against the
constitution or for the general welfare of the public?
Sincerely, Spencer Graves<br>
<br>
<br>
Senator Diane Feinstain: General Topic: Civil
Liberties. <br>
Dear Senator Feinstein: What is your position on the
Protect IP Act? From what I've read, it is (a) one more
example of corporate welfare and bribery at work in
congress that would (b) presents serious technical
problems as discussed by many technical experts and (c)
authorize prior censorship in ways that are easily
concealed in part because the media have a conflict of
interest that would push them to avoid reporting on any
such events when they could do so without substantive
loss of audience. Sincerely, Spencer Graves<br>
<br>
<br>
On 12/19/2011 7:54 PM, Owen wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre>ALSO, I don't like that is an unofficial action, either. Came up with
the idea or this yesterday since #SOPA goes to vote on the 21st.
My apologies for this unorthodox (spontaneous) action.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
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</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph: 408-655-4567
web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.structuremonitoring.com">www.structuremonitoring.com</a>
</pre>
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