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The 19 Senators Who Voted To Censor The Internet
Techdirt ^ | 11/19/10

Posted on 11/20/2010 10:46:57 AM PST by 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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: censor; internet; senators; voted
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To: Jane Long

>Which one’s are up in ‘12? The primaries start now.

2016 Patrick J. Leahy — Vermont
2016 Herb Kohl — Wisconsin
2014 Jeff Sessions — Alabama
*2012 Dianne Feinstein — California
*2012 Orrin G. Hatch — Utah
Gone! Russ Feingold — Wisconsin
2016 Chuck Grassley — Iowa
Gone!! Arlen Specter — Pennsylvania
*2012 Jon Kyl — Arizona
2016 Chuck Schumer — New York
2014 Lindsey Graham — South Carolina
2014 Dick Durbin — Illinois
2014 John Cornyn — Texas
*2012 Benjamin L. Cardin — Maryland
2016 Tom Coburn — Oklahoma
2016 Sheldon Whitehouse — Rhode Island
2016 Amy Klobuchar — Minnesota
2014 Al Franken — Minnesota
2016 Chris Coons — Delaware


41 posted on 11/20/2010 11:15:24 AM PST by Kent C
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To: UCANSEE2

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

Exactly. The dregs.


42 posted on 11/20/2010 11:15:25 AM PST by jessduntno (In the news: Arab assassins. Pirates. Dengue. Cholera. Typhoid. Hookworm. Bedbugs. Cripes ...)
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To: Libloather
They all deserve to get the boot.

Yes, they truly do.


Runaway Slave

Apostle Claver tells the world how the real party of racism is the Democrats

43 posted on 11/20/2010 11:17:00 AM PST by rdb3 (The mouth is the exhaust pipe of the heart.)
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To: Sudetenland; stormer

Now expect him/her to ask if you’ve read the bill. You know because we’re just a bunch of rubes because we are against Congress implementing another law on the premise that it’s ‘for’ something; ‘for’ protection of something; ‘for’ resolving an imaginary problem. We are to go along like good little sheeple.


44 posted on 11/20/2010 11:18:28 AM PST by Outlaw Woman (Lock & Load-Coming to a Neighborhood near you)
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To: Libloather
Since when did the US government get the notion inside their collective pea brains that they own the internet? I never saw the US government in my neighborhood laying cable for it. I don't pay my internet bill to the US government.

The US government didn't invent or manufacture or install any of the routers, cable, or computers that make the internet function. And they certainly don't maintain any of it except their own government equipment.

So what makes them think they can tell anybody what they can say on the internet?

45 posted on 11/20/2010 11:19:45 AM PST by StormEye
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To: Sudetenland

They don’t “shutdown any website”, they seek injunctions against sites that have been foreclosed on, offer goods or services in violating intellectual property laws, or are selling counterfeit goods. Sarah Palin’s publisher just filed suit against Gawker.com - what for you may ask? Look it up.


46 posted on 11/20/2010 11:19:47 AM PST by stormer
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To: Libloather

I am in awe that the two idiots from New Jersey did not appear on this list. Menedez and Lautenberg. Menedez was probably out of the office and LBerg entranced in a senile coma.


47 posted on 11/20/2010 11:21:16 AM PST by Titus-Maximus (Light from Light)
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To: BillM

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/palins-publisher-files-suit-over-leaked-excerpts-from-new-book/


48 posted on 11/20/2010 11:23:38 AM PST by stormer
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To: Outlaw Woman

Yep


49 posted on 11/20/2010 11:24:08 AM PST by stormer
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To: Libloather

Jeff Sessions? JEFF SESSIONS???

WTH?!?!


50 posted on 11/20/2010 11:24:08 AM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: Outlaw Woman

Read it and learn to think for yourself. And violations of intellectual property rights are not an “imaginary problem”.


51 posted on 11/20/2010 11:26:41 AM PST by stormer
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To: stormer

COICA completely abridges 4th Amendment and 1st Amendment Rights, do you want some moonbat like AG Jerry BRown or AG Andrew Coumo or AG Blumenthal to be able to immediately and permanently completely shut down any and every website that any and any guest user posts a link to illegal activity?

That is the main point of COICA.

This entire COICA law is unconstitutional in the strict constructionist and living document interpretations. The McCainlaw in 1998, Child Pornography Prevention Act , wqas overruled in 2005.

If this COICA law is implemented, simulated child pornography will be given higher Constitutional First Amendment protections than political religious and unpopular speech found offensive by any of the State AGs in the country at any time for any reason with no 4th Amendment protections and no legal grounds to litigate the arbitrary and capricious decisions to ban domain names at the DNS level.


52 posted on 11/20/2010 11:27:19 AM PST by JerseyHighlander (p.s. The word 'bloggers' is not in the freerepublic spellcheck dictionary?!)
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To: stormer

What is the significance of this reply?


53 posted on 11/20/2010 11:27:32 AM PST by BillM (Don)
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To: SE Mom

Jeff Sessions???

Amazing. He must have been on drugs when he voted.


54 posted on 11/20/2010 11:27:40 AM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain & proud of it: Truly Supporting the Troops means praying for their Victory!)
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To: bigbob
Chuck Grassley? Someone should poke him and see if he was even awake when he voted.

Tell Bawney Fwank. I'm sure he'd love to F&@k Chuck to poke GrASSley.

55 posted on 11/20/2010 11:31:26 AM PST by mountn man (The pleasure you get from life, is equal to the attitude you put into it.)
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To: JerseyHighlander
Try to understand this phrase: "dedicated to infringing activities".
56 posted on 11/20/2010 11:31:59 AM PST by stormer
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To: fwdude

You betcha we will!


57 posted on 11/20/2010 11:36:34 AM PST by TribalPrincess2U (demonicRATS= Obama's Mosque, taxes, painful death. Is this what you want?)
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To: stormer
I see protection of intellectual property rights.

Right, if only that were it. These people start with small steps like this that eventually take over all our freedoms. Just like gun control. Give them an inch and they take... your freedom.

58 posted on 11/20/2010 11:41:41 AM PST by TribalPrincess2U (demonicRATS= Obama's Mosque, taxes, painful death. Is this what you want?)
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To: stormer

Really? Just exactly how many intellectual property crimes are being commited? I’m sure this is just a huge problem. You say you read the bill what are it’s origins? What prompted this bill to being with? And there are no existing laws on the books to address this? Please.

Yes intellectual property crimes are just absolutely rampant. Hell, the debt, terrorism, TSA, the food safety bill S510, the dream act ALL pale in comparison.

If there is a problem at all, it is so minimal that it does not warrant an entire bill handing over MORE power to the government.

Wake up.


59 posted on 11/20/2010 11:42:27 AM PST by Outlaw Woman (Lock & Load-Coming to a Neighborhood near you)
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bttt


60 posted on 11/20/2010 11:45:22 AM PST by Matchett-PI ( Sarah Palin / Marco Rubio - a "can't lose" ticket for 2012..)
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