Monday, November 14, 2011

Censorship proponents try to censor free speech advocates

I received the following from Demand Progress:

Don't Censor Censorship Opponents: Let Us Testify!

Irony Alert: The House is holding hearings on sweeping Internet censorship legislation this week -- and it's censoring the opposition! The bill is backed by Hollywood, Big Pharma, and the Chamber of Commerce, and all of them are going to get to testify at the hearing.

But the bill's opponents -- tech companies, free speech and human rights activists, and hundreds of thousands of Internet users -- won't have a voice.

As if you need a reminder: This is the most offensive Internet legislation we've seen in years. It will give the government and corporations new powers to block Americans' access to sites that are accused of copyright infringement, force sites like YouTube to go to new lengths to police users' contributions, and put people in prison for streaming certain content online.

This sham of a hearing represents everything that's broken about our political system. Will you sign the petition at right, demanding that opponents of the Blacklist Bill be allowed to testify this week? (It'll generate an email to them too.)

PETITION TO JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN LAMAR SMITH AND RANKING MEMBER JOHN CONYERS: The so-called "Stop Online Piracy Act" will kill innovation and undermine free speech rights. You need to give the hundreds of thousands of Americans who've spoken out against it a chance to make our case at this week's hearings.

Just fill out the form at right to send a message to the leadership of the Judiciary Committee.


This is sneaky and underhanded and we have to fight it. Sign that petition and tell Congress not trample on our rights.

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