Even for those who are half awake, just this month president Obama signed the NDAA bill into law. Not only did he sign it into law he did so in a sneaky way. He signed the bill into law on December 31st 2011, a time when most people were distracted by the New Years holiday.
The NDAA bill is the "National Defense Authorization Act". Within the bill the government now has the right to arrest and detain foreigners as well as Americans believed to be terrorist. The bills allow them to be held indefinitely without a right to a trial. This action was a big blow to Americans everywhere. It signifies taking away rights that have always made America "the land of the free". A law such as this means that we are free as long as the government allows us freedom. It takes away the voice of Americans and their ability to defend themselves.
If that was not bad enough, a new bill SOPA is due to pass in February which will censor the web and allow the government to act like "Big Brother" by monitoring each website on the Internet. SOPA stands for "Stop Online Piracy Act". On the surface it would seem that this is a reasonable bill, but when you dig deeper into the provisions in the bill you see that it's simply another way for the government to control the flow of information in this country.
The SOPA bill allows the government to shut down any website if there is an accusation of piracy by blocking it from viewers and subscribers as well as eliminating it from search engines . The problem with this bill is that it allows a website to be blocked even if a commenter leaves a link leading to information that's believed to be pirated. Often times a website with thousands or even millions of viewers and subscribers might not be aware of this action. Leading to their being condemned unfairly.
Websites like Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and Tumbler claim they are at risk of being blocked if this bill passes. They claim they do not have the staff nor capacity to monitor the activity of it's millions of users.
This bill allows the government to "nit pick" at it's will. If a subscriber posts a video that the government does not like and has a copyrighted logo visible in the video the website can be blocked. Even if the subscriber or website owner is unaware of this infraction the government can choose to block the website.
Many believe the bill is largely aimed at sites like WikiLeaks and other sites that share government documents . Documents that reveal the truth about the strategies and goals being conducted that isn't shared with the public. Of course the bill extends to other websites also. If the government wanted to block a website that discusses a certain political figure unfavorably it can.
As the short video points out, it would be easy for a website to be infiltrated by an agent or paid person. All that is required is that the person leave a link on the website pointing to something considered copyrighted material, therefore indicating piracy.
These are the type of risks faced when the American people allow the government to become a "super power" that dictates all facets of our lives.
One of the main advocates of the bill besides many government officials is the Motion Picture Association as well as many major record companies. Both claim they are losing a great deal of revenue due to online piracy. That is the only section that I agree with in the bill. It is a fact that many people simply download songs, movies and shows for free without paying. However I think it's unreasonable to completely block people's ability to listen to music online through free websites like YouTube. Right now I have a long list of entertainers I will be supporting when I can truly afford to do so, many who I would not have discovered if it weren't for the Internet. Artist like "Kings of Convenience" are not major mainstream artist. I find it a blessing that I was able to look up their music online and listen to it. And not just 30 seconds but in its entirety.
The PIPA (Protect IP Act) bill targets mostly foreign websites that can be viewed in the United States. Websites accused of selling counterfeit and copyrighted items. Once again not only does the government have the right to block the website, but it can imposed fines and penalties to anyone who's linked to the website even if they're not aware it's a counterfeit site. Though the bills go hand in hand, the PIPA bill seems the most reasonable and understandable. Many people get sucked into buying drugs and items that are counterfeit without their knowledge.
However at the end of the day the American people are at the mercy of the government. The government will be the ones overseeing these acts and accusations. So it's easy for one to see how these powers can be abused and used to silence those the government want to silence.
There is such a demonic ENERGY to these bills. They have the ENERGY of wanting to stop the free flow of information between people. It's apparent to me that there's an attempt by the government to change the nation as we know it. As the days go by we are moving faster and closer to a dictatorship type of Society. A society where the government has complete control over the lives of the American people without the ability to protest their decisions.It's seems they want to control the type of information the American people have access to online.
To read an in-depth article about the SOPA and PIPA bill click here
Please sign the online petition that opposes PIPA and SOPA click here
