
Tweet temporarily derails SOPA debate - boredguy8
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57343951/sopa-tweet-triggers-political-explosion-delays-vote/
======
jen_h
If you aren't already depressed enough following these SOPA hearings, check
out this interview with Mr. King:

[http://www.rightsidenews.com/2010120612252/us/politics-
and-e...](http://www.rightsidenews.com/2010120612252/us/politics-and-
economics/rsn-exclusive-a-conversation-with-congressman-steve-king-taking-
back-congress.html)

Choice bit:

 _RSN: Cliff Kincaid recently had a National Press Club conference where he
called for resurrection of the Congressional internal security committees
along the lines of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Would you
support recreation of such committees?

King: I would. Something similar. If we called it the House Un-American
Activities Committee, that would be lighting up the history of McCarthy in a
way that wouldn't be necessary, although I am often quoted as saying "McCarthy
was a hero for America." He was. He was right far more times than he was
wrong. It is a historical fact. But I would submit a different committee name
so that we don't have to deal with the history, and move forward. I think that
is a good process and I would support it._

My inner cynic isn't surprised by this, but that little hopeful light that
typically keeps the cynic in check is flickering out.

(Nota bene: Under SOPA, RSN could take down Hacker News for this comment, no?)

------
jsherry
The irony is that if SOPA passes, Rep. Steve King's experience "surfing the
internet" to "kill time" would likely be significantly less interesting with
less content available to view/read.

------
angersock
So, does anyone here honestly believe we owe these clowns anything?

How many of you in meetings with a VC tweet about being bored and surfing for
cats with cheeseburgers?

How many of you would keep an employee who did this during an engineering
meeting?

How many of you would keep working at a job when your boss ignores you so they
can check their fantasy football teams?

The only funny (morbidly, blackly funny) part of this is that that wasn't what
stopped the debate--it was a finicky rule about choice of language, some
pieces of which date back over a century and a half.

Folks, these are the people running the US. These are the people who have a
monopoly on force, and who claim the moral highground to do with you what they
will for the nation.

Why the fuck aren't you doing something?

~~~
rabidsnail
What do you propose?

~~~
tibbon
The French had an interesting way of taking care of corrupt government:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine>

This is being downvoted, but I do really intend a real point that isn't in
jest. Politicians have zero potential of repercussion. Even in cases of
corruption, fraud, etc... jailtime is minimal at best. Seizing assets or
punishing those funding and conspiring with them never happens. Once you're a
politician, you have free reign for corruption. Much of the US and much of the
world even believes that our last President and his cabinet were likely guilty
of wrongdoing on several occasions.

We do need to have some method of holding stringent accountability. These men
fear nothing, and respect no one. If they get voted out of office, they'll
just go work for a lobbyist for 4x the salary. I don't think we have to go as
far as the guillotine, but let's face it, the French Revolution was a lot more
effective than the Occupy Movement at reshaping France and influencing a great
deal of Europe. Find something to add weight to their decisions. Don't let
them do wrong with no repercussion.

~~~
angersock
I do not support violence, but you raise an interesting point in your
explanation.

So, allow me to offer a condensed set of your listed problems there, and
please correct me if I miss/misrepresent something:

1\. No mechanism for holding politicians accountable exists. 2\. In the event
where a politician is found accountable, no meaningful mechanism for
punishment exists.

~~~
grandalf
I'd argue that it's not just about holding politicians accountable but laws
accountable. What percentage of laws accomplish what they claim to? But rather
than admitting this and going back to the drawing board, people dedicate their
lives to blindly supporting or opposing specific laws, placing loyalty above
problem solving.

That our political system (in general) rewards loyalty over problem solving is
strong evidence of corruption.

~~~
tibbon
I agree with you completely, but that seems to be another issue overall.

------
zht
For those Americans on HN born before the 90s, have American politicians
always been this petty and ignorant?

It seems like for since Obama elected the entire opposition party has tried to
do everything in their power to oppose anything that the party in power has
come up with. And when Democrats and GOP do agree on something, it's bills
like SOPA and NDAA.

~~~
CWuestefeld
_It seems like for since Obama elected the entire opposition party has tried
to do everything in their power to oppose anything_

It hasn't been forever, but certainly much longer than Obama's term. I believe
that it was under GWB that the stonewalling through threatened filibusters,
and refusal to fill judicial appointments, really heated up. Obviously that
was spearheaded by the Democrats, by which we can see that both parties can be
petulant and petty.

~~~
masklinn
> I believe that it was under GWB that the stonewalling through threatened
> filibusters, and refusal to fill judicial appointments, really heated up.

The Clinton presidency was full of pettiness, the Republican congress
following their 1994 popularity wave were intent on destroying his two terms
utterly, just because.

~~~
CWuestefeld
I was ready to listen to your argument, except that (A) you haven't provided
any concrete examples of this pettiness, and (B) your "just because" comment
shows me that your mind isn't open to the possibility that there could be
rational policy objections that really need to be debated.

~~~
philwelch
For one example, the House Republicans impeached President Clinton over a
blowjob after a years-long fishing expedition that failed to turn up any
actual misconduct.

------
dglassan
"Rep. Lamar Smith, a SOPA-loving Texas Republican who's the chairman of the
committee"

Didn't Lamar Smith _write_ SOPA? And he's the chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee overhearing this debate? How is this ok?

~~~
abeppu
I think Smith was the leading _sponsor_ of the bill, but that most of the text
was actually written by staffers who have since become lobbyists. That aside,
I think it would be kind of unreasonable to ask that committee chairs not
introduce bills in the areas covered by their committees -- after all, they're
supposed to be come policy experts in those topics, right? ;)

Are you aware of particular things that Smith has done using the powers of his
chair which seemed inappropriate? Listening to the coverage yesterday, it
seemed like he wasn't suppressing debate or anything; there's little need
given the overwhelming support the bill has on the committee. However, Lofgren
and others repeatedly argued that hearings were required to get the opinions
of technical experts ... and I might guess the chair has authority in
convening such hearings?

------
sunchild
The premise that a tweet set off the parliamentary rule enforcers is fun.

Also, is there anything more boring than a tweet declaring boredom?

------
sclera
This brings up an interesting idea, however. Now that twitter is such a big
part of election campaigning, etc, couldn't twitter give an example of the
perils of blocking free speech by blocking the twitter accounts of any
Representatives that vote pro-SOPA?

It could send a message: "Politicians, if you are so eager to block and censor
internet activity, we are happy to show you first hand what it can do,
starting with your re-election bid".

------
timjahn
Is this kindergarten play time or are we shaping laws for an entire country?

I'm lucky to be an American. But lately, our government is a real
embarrassment.

------
abeppu
In fairness, the break for the parliamentarian to be consulted was shorter
than the forced complete reading of the manager's amendment at the beginning
of the session. And I think both sides had already acknowledged that the
markup session would likely last days, and quite possibly need to be resumed
in January.

------
tatsuke95
The American political machine blows my mind. There are some big problems on
the horizon, and these problems will require cooperation (or at least a little
capitulation). Let's hope they figure it out.

~~~
mladenkovacevic
I apologize in advance for the emotional and vague speech but the American
democracy is an apparatus built to aimlessly move some rusty wheels and
clatter about just nosily enough to give off the appearance of some kind of
work being done. I believe there are people in politics genuinely interested
in solving problems and making the country better for the majority of its
citizens, but these people are helplessly stuck in this perpetual, over-
complicated, irrelevant machine designed to fool the eye and distract us just
long enough for someone, somewhere to shovel as much money and power into the
right pile.

The most dreadful thing is that this is a system we are selling all over the
world, and more often than not forcing it on people quite literally at
gunpoint. But as long as enough Americans are more or less content with their
lives and happy enough with their social/economic status the machine will keep
on working.

------
ck2
_interrupted the steady flow of amendments that critics were offering to SOPA,
which were being merrily defeated one after another by the pro-SOPA majority
on the committee._

Does anyone have a complete list of these "pro-SOPA majority" handy?

------
jaysonelliot
What happened to the proposed blanking of Wikipedia in protest? I haven't
heard anything since the original voting.

------
darrikmazey
Am I the only one that thinks someone bored by debate and process behind the
passage of a bill (and childishly bragging about it) should be allowed (nay,
encouraged) to spend their time elsewhere. Preferrably as far from Congress as
possible?

------
jacoblyles
We need to build a lobbyist presence for liberty. A large enough number of
people have their livelihood depend on it. We ought to be able to build it.

Google - put your best brains on hacking the lobbying system. The world needs
you.

------
jennyjitters
Anyone else think it's interesting that Rep. Steve King complained about being
bored by using the very thing that this debate is trying to restrict? These
guys kill me.

------
nextparadigms
This happened yesterday. The hearing seems to be in recess now:

<http://www.keepthewebopen.com/sopa>

------
lurker17
If SOPA were law, we could use it to shut down Congress for posting content to
Twitter that disrupted Congress.

------
hastur
HOW IS THIS NEWS?

And who are the retards that vote it up?

Please, make sure you also vote, when Fox reports that a Congressman farted
with his mic on.

