[SGVLUG] Lessig and SOPA / PIPA / ACTA, the root solution

[Thomas Moore]

Hi all,

I definitely do not think this is OT. Here is an email I
received from a friend in Dec which may be of interest.

*********************

Y'all,

Check out the link below if you think corporations are not people.
Bernie Sanders thinks we should adopt a Constitutional amendment to
correct the erroneous outcome of the "Citizens United" supreme court
decision.  This is a big part of what is wrong with our government.

http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=f1c2660f-54b9-4193-86a4-ec2c39342c6c

*********************

Tom





On 01/28/2012 08:38 PM, matti wrote:
> HI,
>
>
> So I was doing a bit more reading, and from here
> http://tucowsinc.com/news/2012/01/why-we-dont-like-sopa/
>
>
> I was lead to presentations by Lessig
> ( super short version )
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT6CXwqzucY
>
>
> ( longer version, on Google campus somewhere )
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1AK56FtVc
>
>
> Summary:
>
> SOPA / PIPA are the branches of the tree ( problem ), we
> need to get to the root of the problem:
>
> Congress is corrupt due to the way fund raising and lobbying happens.
>
> SOPA / PIPA / ACTA and numerous other bills which are
> overall bad for America will continue to be brought up
> by Congress due to this..
> ( same reason why the bubble happened.. )
>
> THE WAY TO FIX this is to change the way fund raising occurs.
> Lessig proposes solutions, A Convention to amend the
> Constitution so that elections are publicly funded, and
> limits of $100 for contributions per individual.
> ( there's more, but that's a short summary )
>
> This should give us a more responsible Government,
> which would do what is good for America.
> ( vs. what is good for the highest bidders )
>
> Lessig is btw asking for help naming his new book:
> http://lessig.mornin.org/book-title-2/
>
>
> Normally I think politics isabsolutely OT, but the more I think about
> this the more I think this particular issue is perhaps very
> much on topic for us. Without a significant change, it probably
> will be just a matter of time before something like SOPA / PIPA / ACTA
> makes it as LAW and screws up the Internet in the US.
>
> thanks
> matti
>
>
>