

Congressman blacks out his official .gov website - sethbannon
http://blumenauer.house.gov/

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jsdalton
That's Earl Blumenauer, who represents Oregon's 3rd congressional district,
which encompasses the east side of Portland (where I live):
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0oD5oF4...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0oD5oF4kAiMJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Blumenauer+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)
(link to Google cache since Wikipeida is down of course)

I say this mostly facetiously, but being represented by Mr. Blumenauer and Ron
Wyden in the Senate almost makes me feel left out of the protest -- I can't
really write an angry letter to my representatives because they're both on the
right side of this issue!

EDIT: Thanks all for the prodding. I just sent a note to both Blumenauer and
Wyden and thanked them for their stance on this issue.

~~~
rmc
Contact them and tell that you're a voter in their area, and you are damn
proud of what they are doing. After all, they took a risk, and if they think
no-one noticed it then they are unlikely to do it again.

One should criticise when politicians do things you don't like, but complement
them when they do something you approve of.

~~~
smokinn
Seconded.

Showing your appreciation makes them much more likely to stick up for you in
the future. If these bills do get shot down, they'll inevitably return in a
different form in the future.

~~~
SteveArmstrong
Yes, I agree. I've 'protested' my two senator's stance for PIPA, but I made
sure to call and thank my House rep for opposing SOPA.

~~~
metajack
I did the exact same. I wasn't aware before calling that my representative
opposed both bills, but I made sure his staff knew I appreciated it when they
told me.

------
mbrubeck
Rep. Anna Eshoo (of California's 14th District, which includes much of Silicon
Valley) also blacked out her home page: <http://eshoo.house.gov/>

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brador
They're starting to see "internet people" as a significant voting block.

To solidify the deal, I suggest all who can vote, do so at the next
opportunity. The long term gains for rewarding this "internet aware" behavior
will be massive for us all.

~~~
kgo
I saw a presentation at RailsConf two years ago where they took it to the next
level. It was the Spanish Internet Party. If they got members in parlament,
you could actually vote yourself online, and the MP would just vote based on
the constituent votes. You could even delegate your voting power to causes you
care about (for example, the EFF or PETA) so that you could have your views
represented without having to spend hours or days researching every single
issue.

~~~
enjo
That sounds terrifying really. You'd undoubtedly end up with people only
bothering to vote for things they feel really passionately about, which
usually falls on the wrong side of rationale.

~~~
davekinkead
What's more terrifying - Having no control over what your representatives vote
on (except to vote them in or out) or having binding veto power?

Too many people confuse direct democracy with majoritarianism. The same checks
and balances that exists with representative democracy can also exist with the
direct kind. The constitution & the courts can still limit popular will.

One thing is for sure, there is no way SOPA like bills could pass with direct
democracy or popular veto.

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srl
I was just watching Blumenauer on C-SPAN (deficit debates) - out of the 10 or
so people I saw speak over the past hour, he was the sane one. (My own rep.
was an embarrassment.) Same district Sen. Wyden came from, too. Apparently,
Oregon's third district knows how to elect competent people.

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zecho
I'm pretty sure most members of Congress blacked out their sites today whether
they meant to or not. My friends working in the Senate tell me that today's
been a pretty long day for them.

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untog
It's a great statement, but it does make me laugh a little to think that on a
day when everyone is being urged to contact their senators... he has blacked
out his contact details.

No need to call him as he's already on side, of course. But still.

~~~
Anechoic
_he has blacked out his contact details._

His DC and OR phone numbers are still shown on the site (at the bottom in case
you didn't scroll down far enough)

~~~
untog
Ah, I hadn't seen that. I take back my little laugh.

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jdp23
It's Earl Blumenauer, from Oregon's 3rd Congressional District.

He's also blacked out <http://www.earlblumenauer.com>

~~~
eurleif
A good deal of PIPA opposition is from Oregon Senator Ron Wyden. Makes me glad
to live in Oregon!

~~~
srl
Wyden was originally from the same district, in fact. You guys are good.

------
duvander
It's no longer blacked out, but you can see his post about it (with a
screenshot) here:
[http://blumenauer.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&...](http://blumenauer.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1974:rep-
earl-blumenauer-to-black-out-website-in-solidarity-against-pipasopa-
censorship&catid=62:2011-press-releases)

------
toyg
From <http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/> , it looks like the PIPA majority
in Senate is still huge: 41-13. Unless it can get to something 30-24 today,
it's a done deal. Here's hope that PIPA will never make it through the House.

------
ayu
Best link I've read all day, what a winner.

This guy needs to be invited to come hang out with us in the Valley.

~~~
user911302966
Leave Portland for Smug-n-Con Alley? Why on Earth would he want to do that?

~~~
ja2ke
Given that there's no smugness in Portland, that makes sense.

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ldayley
I'm happy that he opposes SOPA, and happy that he darkened his site. But isn't
it gratuitous for a congressman to act like some internet activist when he
possesses REAL influence on the law in Washington?

Rather than blacking out his site, I'd love to see one of his staffers post
activities that the congressman is engaged in to convince his peers to block
or vote against measures like SOPA.

~~~
djackson
At least one of those activities is blacking out his website on SOPA blackout
day.

~~~
ldayley
Sure, but let's hear about the meetings he's holding with contributors,
committees, or industry. Blacking out your site tells us where you stand on an
issue but telling people what you are doing with your elected position to move
that stance forward is even more powerful.

In any event, I applaud the congressman for his position.

