SOPA

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

I am mentioned, and this Board is mentioned...in an article in my local newspaper concerning SOPA...and my opposition to it.

Here's a link
www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120118/NEWS/201180323&cid=sitesearch

Here's the excerpt where I am quoted, and this Board mentioned:

***From Pocono Record Article***
The online gaming world could also be affected.

Saylorsburg's Angela Bridgman, who runs an online, role-playing game discussion board, said many gaming enthusiasts design "fan games," to honor such role-playing games as "The Sims" and "Final Fantasy."

She said it's where the game developers of the future hone their craft, but such games would be shut down under this legislation.

"They're trying to kill a fly with an ax," she said. "I don't support Internet piracy. People should be adequately compensated for their work. But I don't support two sweeping legislations that could stop information."

[Vireo Gilvus]

Congratulations on your mention in the newspaper! I definitely agree with you about SOPA. Let's hope it goes down in flames.

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Well, I am happy to lend my name to the cause of justice and doing the right thing.
Quite frankly, there are far worse things going on - on the Internet - that our government should be doing more to address.

For example, stalking...Nigerian 409 scams, victimization of our youth...ah, but I forget...the monied interests who support this bill do not care about that stuff...all they care about is making more money.

I propose we should get a list of all the corporations who support and sponsor this crappy legislation...and make them PAY for their support of this - even if the bill DOES go down in flames. they need to be punished for even PROPOSING such horrible, self-serving legislation.

It's time for America to wake up and get mad!!

And let's not forget to support all those businesses who DID do the right thing, and opposed this legislation...including blacking out their sites today - which I would have done, too, if I could have figured out HOW!! I had the code, but could not get at the source code for this page.

Google...Wikipedia....Mozilla....Craigslist...are but a few of the large businesses in this country who did the right thing, and have opposed this legislation...and done so publicly - and they deserve our support!

The only things these big greedy bastards understand are money...and bad publicity. so we need to give the supporters of this legislation all the bad publicity we can - and we need to couple THAT effort...with a nationwide boycott against those who supported the legislation.

Hit them in the pocketbook and in the press until they straighten up and fly right...and keep their clammy hands off OUR internet!!

[Warlock]

SOPA and its' cousin, PIPA, both seem to be dying- the sponsors of both are pulling out. Personally, I'm glad to see it.

I think the ultimate aim of this bill was to kill the Pirate Bay, and make it hard for similar torrenting sites to set up offshore. I'm a lot less sympathetic to the Pirate Bay than your average anti-corporate thirtysomething is supposed to be, but this bill was far too riddled with potential for abuse.

Unfortunately, I suspect that the Balkanized internet- with most internet traffic blocked at national borders- is in some ways inevitable (we're already seeing this in China and the middle east), I think it behooves us all to fight it as long as we can.

- HC

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

It's NOT inevitable. We must keep fighting to keep the Internet free and open. It is the one and only thing that might save us when all our other freedoms and rights have been leached away!

The Internet offers the ability for rapid information transfer - and is often the only source for news the corporate and government interests do not want us to know.

Hence, SOPA and PIPA...their attempt to use the issue of "piracy" to serve their much-larger agenda. Do not be fooled...the crafters of this bill knew EXACTLY what they were trying to do.

They must be severely punished by WE THE PEOPLE...in the press...and in their pocketbooks...and at the voting booths! we can never let down our guard, not even for a minute, because, when this thing finally dies...it will be like the Phoenix...another rotten piece of legislation will rise from its ashes.

[shokushuko]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmQN93NqqDM

You have ACTA to worry about too~~
Yay for all these anti-internet things...

[Warlock]

"Never attribute to malice that which is explained equally well by stupidity" - Hanlon's Razor

Honestly, I don't really buy the SOPA conspiracy theory- I think it was more the result of runaway lobbyists trying to legislate a system they didn't understand. We saw the same thing with the DMCA, which was also a piece of bad legislation that was going to destroy the internet... While it is a bad law which doesn't actually achieve its goals and has certainly been abused (it seems a story about a someone using an illegitimate DMCA takedown to silence critics or remove embarrasing content from websites makes its way across Slashdot at least every couple months), it was hardly the Internet Armageddon that critics claimed it was going to be.

None of this, however, makes SOPA and PIPA less bad- they're bad legislation and I'm glad they're dead. I'm sure we're also going to see parts of them crop up again- thanks to those same lobbyists who authored round 1- and we definitely have to keep an eye on those and be ready to raise a big stink about them when they come up.

- HC

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

My opinion remains that these bills are born of MALICE and not of stupidity. These people know EXACTLY what they are trying to do.

[shokushuko]

I think it's more born of greed and backed by stupidity. I don't think there's really that much malice involved...

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Jan 26, 2012 13:09:28 GMT -5 @shokushuko said:

I think it's more born of greed and backed by stupidity. I don't think there's really that much malice involved...

Greed...Malice....what's the difference? They are both intended to serve a small, selfish stupid minority...no matter who it hurts. I consider that malice. Malice by lack of concern.

Active malice...maybe not...but certainly passive malice.

[shokushuko]

I think passive malice is an oxymoron... Malice is about a desire and intent to hurt and punish someone. It's about anger, hate or jealousy directed at someone or a group.

Greed is more akin to selfish apathy. Megacoporations fuck things up because they want more money and power, not because they want to hate the world or a group.

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Jan 27, 2012 1:49:20 GMT -5 @shokushuko said:

I think passive malice is an oxymoron... Malice is about a desire and intent to hurt and punish someone. It's about anger, hate or jealousy directed at someone or a group.

Greed is more akin to selfish apathy. Megacoporations fuck things up because they want more money and power, not because they want to hate the world or a group.

And they care not who they hurt in the process. Even when it is pointed out to them who their policies would hurt and WHY...they continue to press for those policies. That, to me, is malice.

I will never believe otherwise. I believe corporations of that size exist in order to do evil.

[shokushuko]

Apathy isn't Malice. Apathy is apathy.

There's no such thing as evil and no such thing as good. They are just words people make up to describe things they agree with and things that they don't. It might be influenced by others or it might be something they decide for themselves but any kind of judgement is flawed to some degree.

And it's especially untrue to say that someone exists for good or evil. People exist for themselves or for things they care about. You can't blame other people for not having the same convictions.

[Kalisiin Kumaki]

Jan 27, 2012 13:32:06 GMT -5 @shokushuko said:

Apathy isn't Malice. Apathy is apathy.

There's no such thing as evil and no such thing as good. They are just words people make up to describe things they agree with and things that they don't. It might be influenced by others or it might be something they decide for themselves but any kind of judgement is flawed to some degree.

And it's especially untrue to say that someone exists for good or evil. People exist for themselves or for things they care about. You can't blame other people for not having the same convictions.

The definition of a parasite...is one who exists and thrives...AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS.

As far as I am concerned, that is evil and that is malice.

They serve THEIR GOOD....AT THE EXPENSE...of everyone else's freedom on the Internet. This is malicious, and it is the actions of a parasite...and I will not back down, they are evil. I call 'em like I see 'em. Agree with me or disagree with me, my opinion remains unchanged.

Of COURSE...because it's YOU, Shuko...I already know you'll disagree with me...you live to do so.

You're on your last legs here. I have privately warned you about your activities.

[shokushuko]

</snip inflammatory content> I don't want to cause trouble I just want to discuss RPGs peacefully.