SOPA “shelved,” Congress turns attention to PIPA

Source: Liberty Confidential

SOPA, the horrific “Stop Online Piracy Act,” has been shelved for the time being. While this is a good thing, the fight isn’t over. The politicians have been inconvenienced, but remain undeterred.

• SOPA isn’t dead, and it could be taken up again at any time.
• Congress has moved on to a similarly offensive PIPA, “the PROTECT IP Act.”

After weeks of dodging constituents, warnings fromconsumers against companies who support SOPA, threats from websites planning to “go dark” in protest of SOPA, Congress has returned from recess and decided to shelve the legislation.

RELATED: Web Heavies Consider ‘Internet Blackouts’ to Protest SOPA

There are a gazillion reasons SOPA would be very bad for America, and for the world. This has been talked about on many blogs, websites, op-ed columns, and other forums. So I won’t get into that here, as others explain this far better than I could.

I’ll just say I am glad that it’s been shelved. (Not killed, as has been reported elsewhere.) I’d be far happier if it was dead, though.

It’s been baffling how elected politicians have been publicly boasting about how they don’t have the slightest clue what they are doing, and refusing to listen to exerts who warn against the weighty legislation.

It might have helped that the Obama White House has decided to make a statement in opposition to the legislation. I wonder if the White House knew that SOPA was going to be shelved before they issued that statement? (Yes, I’m taking the administration’s statement a great big shaker of salt.)

So now there are other fish to fry. According to Digital Trends: “Greater focus on PIPA follows an announcement from House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA), a vocal opponent of SOPA, who said that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) “assured” him that SOPA will not be brought up for a full House vote until consensus on the bill is achieved.”

Because PIPA is an “extremely similar” Senate version of the House’s SOPA — a legislative “evil twin” — it’s not over. Congress is hardly giving this a rest.

And regardless of what he says, Obama would sign it. (Or he’ll friggin’ let his robotdo it for him.) So don’t think everything is ok just because the president says he opposes it.

Obama has made similar overtures against unpopular legislation recently.

RELATED: He Signed It! National Defense Authorization Act of 2012

Original post at Liberty Confidential