The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet

Techdirt ^ | 11/19/10

[Libloather]

The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet
from the free-speech-isn't-free dept

This is hardly a surprise but, this morning (as previously announced), the lame duck Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to move forward with censoring the internet via the COICA bill -- despite a bunch of law professors explaining to them how this law is a clear violation of the First Amendment. What's really amazing is that many of the same Senators have been speaking out against internet censorship in other countries, yet they happily vote to approve it here because it's seen as a way to make many of their largest campaign contributors happy. There's very little chance that the bill will actually get passed by the end of the term but, in the meantime, we figured it might be useful to highlight the 19 Senators who voted to censor the internet this morning:

Patrick J. Leahy -- Vermont
Herb Kohl -- Wisconsin
Jeff Sessions -- Alabama
Dianne Feinstein -- California
Orrin G. Hatch -- Utah
Russ Feingold -- Wisconsin
Chuck Grassley -- Iowa
Arlen Specter -- Pennsylvania
Jon Kyl -- Arizona
Chuck Schumer -- New York
Lindsey Graham -- South Carolina
Dick Durbin -- Illinois
John Cornyn -- Texas
Benjamin L. Cardin -- Maryland
Tom Coburn -- Oklahoma
Sheldon Whitehouse -- Rhode Island
Amy Klobuchar -- Minnesota
Al Franken -- Minnesota
Chris Coons -- Delaware

This should be a list of shame. You would think that our own elected officials would understand the First Amendment but, apparently, they have no problem turning the US into one of the small list of authoritarian countries that censors internet content it does not like (in this case, content some of its largest campaign contributors do not like). We already have laws in place to deal with infringing content, so don't buy the excuse that this law is about stopping infringement. This law takes down entire websites based on the government's say-so. First Amendment protections make clear that if you are going to stop any specific speech, it has to be extremely specific speech. This law has no such restrictions. It's really quite unfortunate that these 19 US Senators are the first American politicians to publicly vote in favor of censoring speech in America.

[chickadee]

Herb Kohl is up in 2012. We are hoping that he joins Russ Feingold in retirement.

[stormer]

I’d rather not.

[Sudetenland]

Surprised by Sessions and Kyl. Disappointed by Cornyn, Hatch, and Coburn, but not surprised.

[brushcop]

OUT with you Cornyn!! Out with all these elitists who wish to rule over us. We’ve caught on to their game but a bit late IMO—not TOO late however, but close...

[shalom aleichem]

Yea, there are at least 7 Republicans on there. Shades of the “Gang of 14”. I’m sure McCain would vote with them if they needed him.

[BillM]

Wow, another really open minded liberal navel gazer!

[FourPeas]

WHAT was Coburn thinking??

[Cheetahcat]

Go ahead and TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Outlaw Woman]

Can you name any bill that is used strictly for it's intended purposes? It always morphs into something that works against the people. Always. It is always a stepping stone; always that "crack in the doorway". Summary? Please...all the "congressional oversight" type bodies have been corrupted. Now, if Heritage or Hillsdale came out and stated that something was innocuous....I might believe it...might. It's a guarantee there is something in this bill that will be used to stifle free speech. What you have to ask yourself is: just how bad is the problem they are claiming to solve?

[UCANSEE2]

Not a single name that surprised me.

And THAT is what surprised me.

I know practically every name on the list. WHY IS THAT? None of them are from my state.

Then I remember....

It's because there names have been in the headlines associated with corruption in office, voting corruption, and lack of moral standards.

[stormer]

Whatever.

[Sudetenland]

You're joking, right? How is giving Attorney General Holder the right to shutdown any website he deems in violation of copyright protection a good idea.

Post an article from a website, Holder deems FreeRepublic to be in violation and shuts it down. No problem. /rolleyes

Giving more power over anything to Holder doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

[Logical me]

Damn communists, all of them expecially Orrin G. Hatch. What a nitwit.

[okie01]

Why do these law and order liberals and Rinos feel as though they need to “protect” us?

They're not protecting us. They're protecting people whose copyrighted material is being shared on the web -- journalists, publishers, music producers, etc.

It's a case of interests who don't want to adjust to the reality of the internet and legislators who have no clue what they're doing.

[The Great RJ]

What the heck is wrong with Chuck Grassley? Minnesota’s dumb and dumber I can understand.

[stormer]

Have you read the bill?

[shield]

There is more to this than we are seeing....with this vote...I see Senators on this list that are truth worthy...Sessions for one...so what is going on here?

[Red6]

Yup-

[pallis]

Liberals and their RINO puppets will always be sniveling cowards at heart. We are probably limited in what we can do with liberals, but the RINO infestation is a problem that can be solved.

[Outlaw Woman]

Have you?