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Rank: Advanced Member
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Quote:Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.
Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.
The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late From Google, to access a page on which you can sign a petition merely go to Google and click on the black rectangle where their name usually is. To send a letter to your individual representatives, click on this link this will only take 5 minutes of your time. This is really important folks, these bills will not accomplish what they are intended to, but will have a vastly negative effect on the WWW.
Question authority, before it questions you. How do you know, that you know, what you know?
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Valdarno
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With the help of The Free Dictionary you still can get info on Italian Wikipedia
Give a man a fish you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime - Chinese proverb
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: New Mexico, United States
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I am pleased that president Obama has spoken out against these two bills. These two bills would create uncertainty for every site I use on a regular basis. It's a bad, bad idea.
"He who never made a mistake never made a discovery." Samuel Smiles
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Helsinki, Finland
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English Wikipedia through TFD also. Only English Wikipedia pages are "blanked".
"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech proverb
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/18/2011
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Thanks for bringing the critical issue to our attention, Epiphileon. Yesterday I sent emails to members of the House and Senate opposing the bills.
Over the last few weeks I have received urgent calls to action against SOPA and PIPA from Wikipedia and a number of Internet Words of the Day organizations--but none from TFD or Farlex. Why? Aren't they and their users potentially injured by the legislation just like the other Internet groups? Why have they--unlike the other groups-- apparently decided to take a wait and see approach rather than proactively campaigning for Free Speech rights? Perhaps they have an explanation, something I don't know about, but after failing to defend their recent Censorship of Free Speech in the "White Supremacist" threads despite an invitation, I would be surprised if they do comment.
What do you think?
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Europe
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You can easily get to the English wikipedia pages (directly) by switching off javascript in your browser settings. It's rather unfair of them to discriminate against non-nerds but there you go.
The opposite of hatred is love; the opposite of tyranny is love; the opposite of censorship is love; the opposite of evil is love; the opposite of politics is love; the opposite of war is love; the opposite of god is love.–– Salman Rushdie
Broadly speaking, it is held that getting money is good and spending money is bad. Seeing that they are two sides of one transaction, this is absurd; one might as well maintain that keys are good, but keyholes are bad. Whatever merit there may be in the production of goods must be entirely derivative from the advantage to be obtained by consuming them. –Bertrand Russell
Never believe a liar. Papa, angry people burn our home.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Location: Helsinki, Finland
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The consequences of this bill would affect not only the Americans. Why were we other terrestrials not able to sign the petition?
"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." - Czech proverb
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 1/29/2011
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Location: India
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Dear Americans, don't let these bills pass. It will set a bad precedent.
Our government is trying to censor social netorking sites and I have a feeling that this is just the begining. Once these kind of bills are passed in America it will only be a matter of time before the Indian government follows suit. They are simply going to point at America to vindicate their stand and unlike in America we won't be able to register our protest here.
This is how they take our freedoms away, slowly chipping off the pieces untill we turn into a police state.
The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Jyrkkä Jätkä wrote:The consequences of this bill would affect not only the Americans. Why were we other terrestrials not able to sign the petition?
JJ, I believe it is because the legislature is only thought to be swayable by those who vote for them, but even that may be largely illusory.
Question authority, before it questions you. How do you know, that you know, what you know?
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Not quite the same, not quite different: Megaupload shut down by feds, seven charged, four arrestedAlso, on SOPA/PIPA: Explanation by Khan Academy
Exhortation by TED
The opposite of hatred is love; the opposite of tyranny is love; the opposite of censorship is love; the opposite of evil is love; the opposite of politics is love; the opposite of war is love; the opposite of god is love.–– Salman RushdieBroadly speaking, it is held that getting money is good and spending money is bad. Seeing that they are two sides of one transaction, this is absurd; one might as well maintain that keys are good, but keyholes are bad. Whatever merit there may be in the production of goods must be entirely derivative from the advantage to be obtained by consuming them. –Bertrand RussellNever believe a liar. Papa, angry people burn our home.
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Thank you for the link, uuaschbaer.
The "Explanation by Khan Academy" was very enlightening, and it fully explains the way in which this law, if passed, will impact on the use of the inter-net.
The explanation is spoken clearly, and, is easily understood, as the speaker writes on a diagram as he speaks.
It fully explains the widespread implications of this law, and it's draconian power.
No doubt the intention of the law was meant to be good, but, as in all laws, the writers are paranoid, and, see possible loopholes which they then rewrite to eliminate these 'imaginary' weaknesses, and the process keeps on repeating itself ad nauseum so that instead of creating realistic and workable limits, like putting a governor on an 'engine', [is there a pun there?]they effectively 'shut it down and stop it from restarting'.
I am sure that the majority of honest people would agree that we need some form of inter-net copyright protection and a crack down on piracy.
If your work is being sold with no respect to your financial benefit, then, ultimately we will have no one producing music, songs, literature, movies, etc.
I believe some form of law needs to be implemented, and, it will have nothing to do with 'freedom of speech'. It is needed to protect the theft of someones talent, similar to patent laws[and, yes, they are complicated enough, but do work].
RULES ARE FOR THE OBEYENCE OF FOOLS AND FOR THE GUIDENCE OF WISE MEN
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Rank: Advanced Member
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After listening to analysis of the laws on the links you provided, uuaschbaer, one wonders how TFD could not have joined in the outcry against proposed laws which so clearly trample on the rights to Free Speech on the Internet. Had these Draconian, entirely one-sided laws with no practical recourse to due process of law been enacted as worded, it is entirely possible that TFD which sometimes uses information provided by Wikipedia could itself have been shut down by spurious claims of copyright infringement, just as other forums could. Far from being in the vanguard on Free Speech issues,however, TFD appears to be in the backseat, or worse, in opposition.
I say "opposition" because thus far TFD has refused to explain why they unjustifiably censored (wiped out as if it never existed) a thread under "Site Features" that invited comment on Free Speech, Censorship and Hate Speech on the Internet. The group it would seem has said all it has to say on this related issue, or has at least has no stomach for further discussion. Nevertheless, it is a bedrock issue in a forum like The Free Dictionary which invites Free Speech and which could not exist without it.
Formally, here and now, I, like other posters who have made the same suggestion, am asking TFD for an explanation. If none is given, or if this post is censored, you will understand something about the philosophy of the people who own and manage TFD.
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I would like to think the the owner/managers of TFD are supportive of free speech, but recent events leave one to wonder.
Did they, perhaps, jump too quickly, and are now somewhat red-faced about it; unable to openly admit to having made such a mistake? Or did they truly feel justified in censoring?
It would now be extremely difficult, and seen as hypocritical to, at one and the same time, support free speech and be guilty of censorship also.
If it was a mistake, I would hope it would be admitted, and we could all move on from there. Absent that, it likely will leave something of a sour taste in the mouth for quite a few folks.
A great many people will think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. ~ William James ~
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 10/21/2009
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Location: Pakistan
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It's still, free speech there on TFD, isn't it?
The people who have experienced cencorship have the idea. That, you can protest, is far better than the total mutation.
*It's wonderful to know that all languages are Greek if not understood.*
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