A Politics Post.

One of the reasons I struggled with starting a blog is that I don't know which topic to stick to. I've got some thoughts, some recipes, some craft ideas - a mix of things, really. I want to write something that people will enjoy reading, but I also want it to be me. Unapologetically. So that's why, in a row, we had a post about how suicide sucks, a muffin recipe, and then some politics. It doesn't necessarily all mesh together, but it's me.

These SOPA/PIPA bills have me feeling a little miffed for two main reasons:

1. My work is done completely and 100% on the internet, and it stands to be majorly affected if these bills pass. Ya'll want me to get paid, right?

2. I love Pinterest. I'll probably have to kiss my pins goodbye, and that will not be okay.

By now, everyone has probably heard about why SOPA is a bad idea. And if not, there is no shortage of articles on the web that lay out all the facts for you, whether you're a really techy person or really confused about the internet in general.

Here are some quick, bullet-pointed facts about why the bill gets me riled up on a personal level.

• I'm not really a fan of censorship.
• I have this personal blog and a handful of other websites in the making. If anyone posts a copyright infringement link on my website or blog, my site could be shut down immediately, and my IP address and domain blocked. Without even giving me a chance to defend myself. I'm technically a small business owner, and I just don't have the money so shell out for an attorney to get through all the red tape if that ever happened to me.
• This bill could be abused and give competitors in the online advertising world a chance to wipe each other out. 
• Giving the government too much control over something is not a good idea. And I don't hate the government, just the abuse of it.
• A lot of my work opportunities could be out the window. There are a lot of websites that are likely to close up shop, just because it's not worth the hassle of waiting around to get in trouble. That means that some of my clients could drop me.
• I could be out of business permanently for using a photo or video that I thought was copyright free, but wasn't. Mistakes happen and this bill doesn't allow for them.

I agree that we need something to help prevent piracy, but this isn't it.

I signed Google's petition and used the Wikipedia zip code look-up form to find the contact forms of the representatives and senators in my state (they also provide you with phone numbers, Facebook pages and Twitter handles). I sent them all the following form email that I found online:

"I am writing to you to let you know that the SOPA and PIPA bills are, in my opinion, against our First Amendment rights as citizens of the United States of America.

The internet is a vehicle of free speech and the wording of these laws, while it does restrict piracy, also opens the gates to censorship.

Shutting down sites on the internet that provide valuable services because of a congressional action should seem morally wrong to you. That being the case, the vast majority of your voters likely believe this to be the case as well, but they don't know how to voice their opinions. This could also cost jobs to many people in the technology sector (my area of expertise actually).

My final point regarding piracy is that maybe the current mechanisms for content delivery are the problem here. Maybe delivering music and movies needs to be made easier to help people get to the content faster and pay the content providers in a streamlined way. Take for example services like Hulu or Spotify - they provide the content makers with funds based on viewership and in turn increase legitimate sales of content. More backing behind these sorts of enablements should decrease piracy and increase legitimate sales.

Please don't vote in favor of either of these two laws as it will make our country more like China, and I frankly love the United States, and dislike the way China handles their censorship policies."

Please consider using some method to make your voice heard about this.

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