Texas Congressman Lamar Smith is clearly a man of principle. He authored the Stop Online Piracy Act because he believes that copyright violators must be punished, whether they're individual citizens or websites that have copyrighted content or link to such content.
As dozens of other congressmen have revoked their support of SOPA in response to the mass protests against the bill, Smith has held steady. In his view, every website containing copyright infringement must be shut down as quickly as possible.
Up until very recently, this is how texansforlamarsmith.com, Smith's campaign website, looked:
This is the background image on that page:
Vice journalist Jamie Taete traced that image to photographer DJ Schulte. Taete asked Schulte if he had given Smith permission to use the image, and Schulte responded that he had never done so.
Apparently the SOPA author is not a man of principle after all. According to SOPA, legal action must be taken against its own author.
"I do not see anywhere on the screen capture that you have provided that the image was attributed to the source (me)," DJ Schulte said. "So my conclusion would be that Lamar Smith's organization did improperly use my image. So according to the SOPA bill, should it pass, maybe I could petition the court to take action against www.texansforlamarsmith.com."
Congressman Smith is a hypocrite who is championing SOPA because he is bought out by the corporate interests that would benefit from the bill, not because he is against copyright violation.
That is the sad state of politics today. Smith's own violation is the latest example of how the insane broadness of SOPA's provisions would immediately end Internet freedom.
If only we could immediately end the constant shame Smith and his fellow Texas Republicans bring upon our state.
Below are the stated positions of every member of the Texas Congressional delegation with links to their websites so you can voice your disapproval with this dangerous legislation.
Supporting SOPA/PIPA
Lamar Smith - Yes, the driving force behind SOPA is not backing off of his support for this legislation.
John Cornyn - Cornyn was a co-sponsor of PIPA, but thanks to the overwhelming backlash against the bill, urged Congress to take more time to consider the bill, and seemed to back off from his earlier support.
John Carter - Carter is one of the co-sponsors of SOPA.
Please contact your representatives and senators and tell them to vote no on these terrible bills. If their positions have changed, please note it in the comments.
El Paso's congressman has it right. Here's his statement:
REYES STATEMENT ON THE STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) today released the following statement regarding his position on the Stop Online Piracy Act, SOPA:
"The Internet is a powerful tool that has changed the way we communicate. As with every powerful tool, it has the potential for good and bad. As your federal representative, I will continue to work to ensure that our community has both access to the Internet and the security tools needed to safeguard our communities, especially children, from inappropriate and unsuitable material.
"Any legislation that aims to curtail online piracy and enhance security must take a balanced and fine-tuned approach. The current version of SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, does not take a balanced approach. For that reason, I cannot support SOPA and will oppose it in its current form."
Texans should remember that Texas Republican Congressman Lamar Smith is the primary supporter of SOPA. He's fighting tooth and nail to protect big business and end Internet freedom. We must prevent this atrocious bill (and Texas embarrassment) from becoming law.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett issued this statement to Burnt Orange Report in opposition to SOPA:
"Lamar Smith's self-styled 'Stop Online Piracy Act' (SOPA) threatens freedom of expression, cybersecurity and technological innovation. I have joined colleagues to offer a more focused alternative, which addresses legitimate piracy concerns without mandating censorship or blocking websites. Our 'Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade' (OPEN) Act, as the name indicates, seeks to maintain an internet that is as open and free as possible. The reasonable goal of fighting copyright infringement must be pursued in a way that does not impair the web as an important engine for economic growth in Central Texas."
Doggett's Austin-based district includes many technology firms, Internet entrepreneurs, and new media companies whose very livelihood could be threatened by the misleadingly named "Stop Online Piracy Act."
Doggett is instead a sponsor of the OPEN Act, an alternative to SOPA that won't end the Internet as we know it. OPEN is the work of Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a vocal critic of SOPA since Lamar Smith introduced it. While OPEN is far from perfect, it presents a solid beginning framework with which to address the issue of international piracy of copyrighted content without shutting down the Internet as we know, enjoy, and love it.
Over on Ars Technica, Eric Goldman has a solid explanation of why OPEN is a better starting point than SOPA:
Unlike SOPA's disgustingly blatant rent-seeking, which was such an over-the-top abuse of the legislative process that it did not (and could not) support a principled or even intelligent conversations about it, OPEN provides a useful starting point for a sensible conversation that could actually lead to acceptable compromises.
(snip)
OPEN is a comparatively svelte 18 pages focused mostly on one core concept, compared to SOPA's 78-page monstrosity that advanced about a dozen different substantive proposals. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen very smart people stymied to keep all of SOPA's moving parts separate, and the failure to do so meant that they were conflating different parts of the statute in ways that prevented productive discussion.
Go read the rest here, and thanks again to Congressman Doggett for opposing SOPA.
As you likely know by now, you can't look up Lamar Smith on Wikipedia today. Some of the biggest websites on the Internet are making themselves unavailable today, and it's Lamar Smith's fault.
That's right. Texas's Republican Lamar Smith. The same Lamar Smith who represents part of this technologically-inclined city we know as Austin (including, according to the maps of the last decade, the University of Texas at Austin). You may be tired of the embarrassment that Rick Perry and Ron Paul bring to Texas. You may be looking forward to the reprieve after South Carolina, when Mitt Romney may lock up the Republicans' presidential nomination.
But Lamar Smith is stepping up to the plate to bear the standard of embarrassing Texans on a national level. In October, he filed the Stop Online Piracy Act. This actually builds on a Senate bill filed by a Democratic Senator, however, called the Protect-IP Act.
But you don't see uproar over PIPA on the Interwebs nearly as much as SOPA. SOPA is on everyone's lips, and that's because Lamar Smith chose not only to ignore his constituents by filing the entertainment industry's anti-Internet bill, but by championing it at every turn.
He already wrote a national editorial weeks ago, attacking protectors of the Internet, especially Google:
Since there is no basis for their complaints, one wonders what the bill's critics are really worried about. Perhaps they don't want to be held accountable for directing consumers to illegal websites. We know that's the case with Google.
The search engine giant recently paid $500 million to settle a criminal case because of the company's active promotion of foreign rogue pharmacies that sold counterfeit and illegal drugs to U.S. patients. Their opposition to this legislation is self-serving since they profit from doing business with rogue sites that steal and sell America's intellectual property.
Google got in trouble, by the way for accepting advertisements for illegal activities. But it's pretty obvious that no one is complaining that a bill might stop them from taking money about illegal activities. Perhaps you should listen to a constituent or two, Mr. Chairman.)
Even yesterday, after President Obama's Statement stalled Lamar Smith's censorship plans, Rep. Smith called his colleagues out: "Due to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February."
Retreats? At least other politicians started listening to voters. But being a tone-deaf hypocrite is apparently much more fitting to Lamar Seeligson Smith, who is actually a copyright violator, himself.
Today, major websites from Wikipedia to Craigslist to Reddit to icanhazcheezeburger will go dark, in protest of SOPA, the misleadingly named "Stop Online Piracy Act." SOPA is championed by Texas Republican Lamar Smith, and if it passes it would end the Internet as we know it. Burnt Orange Report isn't blacking out completely -- rather, we're "graying out" and posting only SOPA-related content all day to help our readers understand how these bills threaten the Internet we know and love.
While the laws are written with the intent to prevent overseas piracy of copyrighted goods and materials, as written they are an unprecedented power grab that will force Internet service providers to block domains linked to URLS accused of piracy. The laws as written do not allow accused sites due process, and impose burdensome costs and rules that would destroy the Internet as we know it. The bills were apparently written by lobbyists for the music and movie industry, who have grown frustrated with the inability to go after international sites full of pirated copyrighted American content. That's an understandable and laudable concern, as it hurts the artists, but SOPA and PIPA are not the answer.
If these bills are passed, the ensuing laws will give media companies and Internet service providers too much power to block websites that are merely accused of abusing copyrights. The bill makes social media sites that have user-generated content responsible for all of that content, and open to lawsuits for anything posted on said sites. It also makes payment processors and ad networks liable to be sued by content providers directly if they knowingly or unknowingly promote copyright-infringed copyright without due process. It's a wonky issue, but essentially the bills as written are so poorly defined that they could bring down any website or Internet service provider for merely being accused of infringement. To learn more, click here to watch a video from Tech Crunch with Brad Burnham of Union Square Ventures, who provides an accessible explanation of how these bills will break the Internet.
What should you do? First, learn more about these bills. While the English-laguage Wikipedia has joined the Blackout, they have left two pages up for public view -- SOPA and PIPA. Second, do something. Speak up. There's a host of links at the bottom of this post with which to educate yourselves and take action.
For many of us that depend on the Internet for our lives and our work, this is a deeply personal and troubling issue. The Internet is the medium of our time. SOPA threatens its essential vitality. This unprecedented power-grab imperils the way in which our society has managed to develop interpersonal bonds in a world that otherwise leaves us increasingly fragmented and alone. This bill will wreak havoc on the social media networks, websites, and Internet service providers that give us access to one another.
The notion that any site at any time could be pulled down for being merely accused of piracy is deeply threatening, especially for those of us who engage in web-based organizing, advocacy, and journalism. The freewheeling free speech and flow of ideas on the Internet is what we rely on to do our jobs. Without the Internet, there would be no Burnt Orange Report, or any other progressive blog determined to bring you the stories of the day from an aggressively progressive perspective. If they become law, SOPA and PIPA will destroy the Internet as we know and love it.
Please take action below and join BOR in opposing SOPA and PIPA. I've also linked to a bunch of great resources that explain this nuanced issue in more depth.
Black Out Your Site. PCCC has a handy chunk of code you can use to black out your site and add yourself to the list of websites fighting SOPA. Click here.
Sign Google's Petition. The search giant has an amazing infographic and a petition you can sign to voice your opposition. Click here.
Throughout the day, BOR will be bringing you more information on SOPA. We hope you will join us in opposing this legislation, and blocking legislation that will end the Internet as we know it.
(If you have thoughts on whether John Courage should run against Lamar Smith please let him know by responding to his one question survey in the post. John has previously challenged Smith in 2002 and 2006 under three different sets of redistricted lines. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
I'm sure most of you, like me, are fed up with Congress and the stalemate going on there. Money is the big 300 pound gorilla on the backs of just about every member.
Sure the Republicans pledged no new taxes to Norquist. Why wouldn't they break their pledge? Not because of any idealism about being real conservatives, but more about the realism of the money they would lose. They know Norquist and the deep pocket backers of his and the other groups that are aligned with the Conservative/Tea Party'ers would cut off their life blood for reelection campaign funding, or run someone against them.
Many Democrats aren't much better they cow tow to many Wall Street and other Special Interest groups when they serve on committees and water down legislation or behind closed doors in the Democratic caucus and refuse to back the Presidents plans and don't show any backbone.
It's all about the money and getting reelected and not about what is best for 'We The People'!
That's why I am seriously considering making another run for Congress in the 21st Congressional District.I would like you to seriously consider my candidacy and let me know if you really think I should run again or should I step aside and see if anyone else steps up to the plate. Please complete the survey attached.
This week, it's the 104th anniversary of Ellis Island's one-day peak - the day when more immigrants were welcomed than any other in American history. On April 17, 1907, 11,747 immigrants became Americans - and that was just at Ellis Island.
Today, 104 years later, America is stuck in the mud with a broken immigration system. Americans want reform that unites families, promotes fair employment practices, and restores America's place as a nation that welcomes those seeking freedom from persecution and a better way of life.
This week, Immigrants' List -- a bipartisan political action committee dedicated to electing pro-immigration lawmakers - unveiled the 2011 inductees into the Immigration Hall of Shame. Texas Congressman Lamar Smith, now chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is #2 on the list.
Lamar Smith, undistinguished Representative from not-very-close to where I live, supports racial profiling by supporting the new Arizona immigration law which requires persons to present proof of their citizenship upon request, and requires law enforcement offices to ask for it upon "reasonable suspicion".
Is Mr. Smith ready to put himself in the shoes of thousands of legal darker-skinned citizens in this country and carry around his own citizenship papers and surrender them upon request?
Some time after his failed 2006 independent gubernatorial bid, Kinky Friedman decided he wanted to run for statewide office again ... this time as a Democrat. That journey ended with a loss in last month's Agriculture Commissioner primary to Hank Gilbert (and, we can only assume, a marked increase in book and salsa sales).
As he campaigned for Ag Commissioner (and before Bill White entered the race, Governor), Friedman attempted to sell himself as a proud Democrat. Of course, there were some inherent problems with Kinky's attempted conversion. Not only had he voted for George W. Bush at least once and run for office in Kerr County as a Republican back in the 1980s , but we should not forget he also played a role in helping Rick Perry to re-election with a mere plurality of the vote.
Still, despite pretty much all the evidence pointing in the other direction, quite a few Texas Democrats decided that Kinky deserved another chance; that he really was a good Democrat.
Now, in less than two months since he appeared on the Democratic primary ballot, Kinky is helping raise money for Republican U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith's Longhorn PAC. From an invitation obtained by BOR:
Please join Congressman Lamar Smith Republican, 21st Congressional District of Texas
with special guest Congressman Greg Walden
And breakfast with Texas Songwriter and Author Kinky Friedman
benefitting Longhorn PAC
For the 8thAnnual Weekend with Lamar
Four Seasons Hotel Austin , TX Friday, May 14 - Sunday, May 16, 2010
Join us for Texas food, skeet shooting, horseback riding and relaxation in the state’s capitol!
This should finally put to rest the argument that Kinky is a Democrat or a progressive. The money Lamar Smith raises will likely be spent to help Republican congressional candidates all across the country. And Kinky Friedman is part of the sales pitch to potential contributors.
This would be more disappointing if it was more surprising. Has anyone heard of Kinky raising money for Democrats since he lost the primary? I am not saying he hasn't -- just that I sure haven't heard about it. The sad truth is that Kinky Friedman has a nearly three decade pattern of political behavior, and this latest episode fits right into it.
