+ Don't Let Censorship Rule Our Lives +

Worst idea possible for the internet? The Stop Online Piracy Act.

What better way to stomp on the American Bill of Rights than this bill Congress hopes to pass? What better way to stifle Freedom of Speech? Censorship is never the answer for anything. Giving this kind of power to any government (organization, company, any person or people) is completely out of line! It's begging for the deconstruction of all the freedoms we partake in as American citizens. There is no way to regulate this kind of thing - there will be corruption for corruption's sake. There will be lies that spread to block websites "just because". We don't need parents on the internet. We don't need overlords. We don't need to be told what we can and cannot watch, listen to, read, or be informed of on the internet. We are not stupid - nor are we made up of children.

That is a perfect example of how to make the world a place that is much worse off. This is exactly the kind of thing that George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ayn Rand warn about in their amazing novels and stories. When you censor anything - you sweep it under the rug and deny its existence. Think about the entire civil rights movement of the Native Americans (or any other issue that is forced from the public eye)? How much do you know about it? WHY? You were never taught about it in the public educational system. The truth gets hidden, buried, and changed through the years. With the power to change, censor, and control content and information around the internet you lose so much information, freedom, conversations, and learning opportunities.

Making someone shut up is always the wrong path to choose.

Piracy is not the big issue here. It's the gaining of more power. The power to control the internet is too great for anyone to wield. Piracy costs nothing to organizations, companies, and certainly not to the Government. The availability to see videos or listen to music before purchasing only boosts the likelihood of purchasing after the fact. It brings in more money. Don't be stupid. It doesn't matter how many times I watch videos "for free" on amazon prime - I'm still going to buy the dvds.