

Lamar Smith trying to quietly revive SOPA - MRonney
http://boingboing.net/2012/07/10/sopa-is-back-lamar-smith-tryi.html

======
sounds
Pedantic --

This link to boingboing is a re-post of techdirt [1] who did the research
after reading it on politico [2]

[1]
[http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120709/12574819634/lamar-...](http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120709/12574819634/lamar-
smith-looking-to-sneak-through-sopa-bits-pieces-starting-with-expanding-
hollywoods-global-police-force.shtml)

[2] <http://www.politico.com/morningtech/0712/morningtech506.html>

~~~
crisnoble
And the full text of the bill:
[http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/Markups%202012/PDF/Mark%...](http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/Markups%202012/PDF/Mark%2007102012/SMITTX_084_xml.pdf)

------
blottsie
I read this bill earlier today, and it most certainly is NOT an attempt to
"revive SOPA." Both BoingBoing and TechDirt sensationalize what this is.

Rep. Smith's new bill is basically an agency shuffle of the already-
established IP attache program, which is currently under the US Patent and
Trademark office. Smith's bill would move this office to the Department of
Commerce, and turn it into a full agency. That likely means beefing up efforts
to expand the promotion of US IP laws around the world. But it is not even
close to establishing DNS blocking, or any of the other truly problematic
parts of SOPA.

------
bstpierre
This was my prediction [1] back around the time that SOPA died. Not that it
isn't obvious or anything.

All the pieces of SOPA/PIPA/whatever will turn up somewhere. They know they
can't cram the whole thing through at once, so it's fairly likely that the
bits will just turn up in other bills -- I can see last-minute amendments to
big spending bills as a great way to get this stuff pushed through before
there can be much outcry. Once they're passed, they'll be _really_ hard to
undo.

[1] <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3884959>

~~~
mtgx
It's almost impossible to undo them later, because people care a lot less for
some reason, after it's already passed, and because even the new politicians
that replaced the old ones won't bother to look into it.

Basically, we already have a "SOPA" that was passed in 2008. It's called the
Pro-IP ACT, and they use it to take down hundreds of .com, .org or .net sites.
SOPA was just the foreign version of Pro-IP Act, meaning it targeted foreign
domains as well.

Still, you don't see many people talking about the Pro IP Act. Heck, we can't
even undo the Patriot Act, and that one has been a lot more controversial, let
alone "Internet bills" like these that don't interest that many people outside
outside the online tech communities.

~~~
pyre
The Patriot Act didn't need to get 'undone.' It came with a time limit, and
Congress has been basically hitting the snooze button every time it comes up
for renewal.

------
pvnick
I wish we could vote this guy out of office. Unfortunately, with his big money
backers, I doubt he'll be leaving anytime soon.

~~~
saraid216
It might be kind of interesting to form an internet hit squad. Identify
politicians we want voted out of office, and analyze their constituency and
potential people to replace them, and then descend upon their district en
masse to convince the voters to back someone else.

I don't know if it's feasible, but I think it would be interesting to at least
see what it would take.

~~~
pvnick
I would donate money to the "anti-Lamar-Smith" fund. Perhaps we could fund a
couple billboards in his area.

Would be very nice as a way to send a clear message to other politicians
stupid enough to pull these stunts.

~~~
mtgx
It's been already done by <http://www.reddit.com/r/rpac>. They still lost. A
couple of billboards are not enough to change the minds of the people who have
been voting for him term after term. Plus, most probably weren't even aware of
what he did/or didn't care.

~~~
crisnoble
>They still lost.

FWIW it was only the primary.

------
DaNmarner
Instead of encouraging folks write to their congressmen, let's write write to
the constituents living in his district (Texas's 21st congressional district).
Or better, let's crowd fund a campaign against him there. Congress needs a
good example of what happens if the internet gets crossed.

I'm just an idea guy.

~~~
thebigshane

       When I first started getting involved with [grass roots 
       politics], I didn't understand the concept of no leaders. 
       I thought I did; but I didn't. And I'd go up to the 
       nearest alpha male or alpha female and say, "Here's what 
       you should do - Why don't you do this - It'd be great if 
       you all did this - And when are you going to do this?" 
       And they'd give you this look, that I never understood, 
       which was kind of ...
    
       I think, "Weird". And I'd go up to the next alpha, "When 
       are you going to do this - It'd be great if you did this 
       - Why haven't you done this yet - Why don't you do this 
       - It'd be wonderful if you did this?" And again, they'd 
       give me this look, like ...
    
       And after a year, the penny dropped, and I finally 
       realised what that look meant, because they won't tell 
       you, because that would be hierarchical, right? What this 
       look meant was, "Yes, good Idea, why don't you do it 
       yourself? You print the leaflets, I'll distribute them; 
       you call a meeting, I'll attend; you organise an action, 
       we'll come along".
    
       And from that moment, I realised that, my whole 
       philosophical outlook changed. And from then on, instead 
       of suggesting things other people could do, I stopped 
       suggesting things all-together, in-case they expected me 
       to do them..." - Robert Newman 
    

[<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5267640865741878159> and
[http://www.peakprosperity.com/forum/robert-newmans-
history-o...](http://www.peakprosperity.com/forum/robert-newmans-history-
oil/15804)]

~~~
accountswu
I love Robert Newman's History of Oil! It is a brilliant stand-up
mockumentary! "An American plan for democracy in the middle east..."

------
iamdann
Unfortunately, this is only a larger symptom of the role money plays in
congress. I don't see bills like this stopping any time soon. _sigh_

~~~
crusso
The role money plays in congress is only a larger symptom of the overreaching
power of the Federal Government, which in turn is a larger symptom of an
apathetic, uninformed, and not-too-bright population of voters.

------
DanielBMarkham
I'll all for punishing politicians that do stupid things. I believe the best
punishment is booting them out during their primaries, but let's not split
hairs.

And I'm hell on wheels about personal freedoms and liberty. We live in a
terrible security state. We need to stand up and take action.

But at times I start feeling like I'm having my chain yanked -- that in my
obedience to and love of freedom, other people use my passion as a way to
manipulate me. BoingBoing is stepping over the line between simply trying to
inform me and actively trying to manipulate me. Perhaps they're doing that for
good reasons instead of ratings. I don't mean to smear them in any way. I just
think you can tell me Congressman X is working on Bill Y without making it
sound like Nazis building death camps in downtown Washington, DC. Sounds like
a modern witch hunt. Jiminy Cricket, folks, politicians come up with ideas for
bills all of the time. It's a healthy thing to have a Congress with all kinds
of diverse personalities and opinions proposing all kinds of things. We don't
need to start chasing them down the street with torches and pitchforks.

If he starts getting co-signers? If the bill looks likely to move out of
committee? Much different story.

It's starting to feel more like "Lamar Smith is the devil! Let's all attack!"
and less like "A bill was introduced that could dramatically change internet
freedoms...."

I don't like that. People do things I disagree with all of the time. That does
not make them my enemy. We are not all 15-year-olds and having to determine
which person is part of the cool group or not. We do not have to make people
into our enemies who just have a different opinion than we do, even if that
opinion is heinous.

Not only is most of this material lifted, it doesn't cross my personal
threshold as being important. Certainly not as important as the cell phone
carriers saying they're getting over a million requests from law enforcement
for tracking/surveillance data (A follow-up on that story would have been
great). There's a great deal of hand-waving and vitriol here and very little
reporting or providing unique value. Simply, it's lazy and manipulative.

This is the second time this week a BoingBoing story has hit the front of HN
and it's been, well, sub-optimal. Here's hoping their luck changes.

ADD: And, if other commenters here are to believed, the freaking story isn't
even accurate. Geesh.

~~~
crisnoble
I guess you started feeling manipulated with this line:

>Lamar Smith, the powerful committee chairman and corporatist archvillain who
tried to ram through SOPA last year is now bent on reviving his slain monster
and unleash it upon the earth.

Keep in mind that Cory is a novelist after all.

~~~
AceJohnny2
I've been reading BoingBoing for years, and i really appreciate the battles
Cory Doctorow fights... but I'm not fond of his hyperbolic reporting style,
which diminishes his credibility.

I suppose he considers to be preaching to the choir and is trying to whip us
up into action.

------
chris_wot
China, Russia, India and _Canada_ are going to be _thrilled_ to have more U.S.
influence thust upon them, I'm sure. These are all on the U.S. "watchlist" of
countries who have Problematic Intellectual Property. [1]

The axis of IP awesome actually. A pity that Australia's not on it.

1\. _2011 Special 301 Report_. Section II, Country Reports; pp.19-43. URL:
<http://www.washingtontradereport.com/Special301-2011.pdf>

------
Jazear
After the rejection of ACTA, SOPA, and the Uber amendment reversal, the
internet has done a good job tracking and stoping bad political decisions. I
expect politicians will be on a short leash going forward.

------
pxlpshr
It really upsets me that this guy is from Texas, which the media generally
makes sure to highlight (fortunately this article does not).

I assure you, he does not represent the majority.

