Bit Bucket

I live in the District of Columbia, which means that we have neither Representative in the House, nor Senators in the Senate. That means when big legislation like SOPA and PIPA happen, I can’t call up these offices and let them know “Hey! You there! You’re breaking the Internet with this SOPA/PIPA nonsense!” 

It’s a pretty crappy situation, and it’s the only thing I regret about moving into the District.

But, fortunately, because I do have the Internet, and because you people are awesome, I’m hoping you can help me fix this. 

I want you to do something today. It’s something easy. I want you to call up your Congressperson, and your Senators, and tell them you don’t want them to vote for SOPA or PIPA, because they’re overreacting to piracy, and putting liberty at risk. Freedom of access is freedom of speech, and the kind of site that this is, well, it just couldn’t exist in a world of SOPA or PIPA. That means no more tweetups. That means no more lolcats, that means no more Burjitisms, that means no more favorite parts.

That’s not okay.

So, for those of you who do have congresspeople, give ‘em a call today. You don’t have to get all worked up, all you have to do is call them up, and say this:

“Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is [insert name here], and I live at [address], which is in your district/state. I don’t want you to pass SOPA or PIPA, they’re dangerous bills, that could change the Internet in unintended ways. This is using a sledgehammer to kill a fly, and frankly that’s not okay with me. I understand that piracy can be bad, but this bill isn’t about piracy as much as it’s about control. Please do not vote for this bill.  Thank you.” 

Then the person on the other end, who is likely a volunteer, and not getting paid, so be really, really nice to them, is going to tell you that your message has been received, and your input counts. Thank them for their service, and tell them to have a good day. Then pick up the phone and call your senators, because you have two.

There are a lot of people on this wonderful community who don’t have Senators or Congresspeople either, they live outside the US, or they live in its territories, which means that a subset of the Internet is working hard to wreck it for everyone.

Don’t let them wreck it.

This is far too important a place to let the MPAA and RIAA clamp down on everything.