CBrajkovich Ramblings

Update: I know that you’ve seen this already, but I wanted to talk about it in some more detail since our Congress has been out of control with creating legislation that is distinctly tunnel-visioned and dangerous. So here’s the details behind CISPA for your information, as there is still time to contact your Senator with your comments. Thanks.

Honestly, this is getting old. The US Congress has got to be the single biggest threat to the safety and security of the US.

If you disagree with your representative, then it’s up to you to vote them out! How many times have you heard this statement? And how many times have you gone to vote, and well, everything is exactly as it was the very next day, month, and year. Perhaps this should be our ultimate wake up call. Because if you’re like me, well, you’re sick and tired of people telling you that you shouldn’t get your panties in a twist since nothing will ever change. You think? Maybe it’s because we keep doing the same stupid actions waiting for something different to happen.

Which leads us back to this: Again, we have to protest the dangerous and narrow-minded reactions of another Congressman who is determined to get CISPA back through…with no changes from the first time that we protested it. As a matter of fact, all of the good amendments that could have provided protection and privacy for the people were refused during the House Committee session.

People want transparency, but CISPA will do nothing to protect them as it will be busy protecting those organizations that assist in data collection.  Here’s just a few of the gems that the House voted as appropriate:

• Information gathered can be used for a broad and unclear “cybersecurity purpose”
• Companies can use countermeasures against perceived security threats (and you think hackers are dangerous?)
• But companies will be sharing your private information with impunity and little oversight
• The information collection can be done without a warrant and without you knowing about it

Learn more about the CISPA bill from one of the voices for the Internet that steps into the fray for the People: EFF

Contact your Congress today. The House has already overwhelmingly passed this bill (after a visit from IBM lobbyists), so we need to contact the Senate. They are planning to debate on Thursday (4/26) and vote on Friday. And don’t assume that the White House will veto this bill just because they said so. That track record has not been too stellar. We’ve had too many outrageous legislations chip away at the foundations of our civil liberties.

Here are a few links to use:

• Learn how House members voted through GovTrack (voting chart here) and the House clerk
• EFF – contact Congress through EFF’s app
• Free Press Action Fund – contact Congress through Free Press’ app
• Fight For The Future – great info and app in one place
• Read about the voices who oppose CISPA (EFF)
• Join the international community’s petition, Save the Internet from the US, on Avaaz

And BTW, the opposition isn’t just a bunch of 14 year olds in their parent’s basements!

We need to do more than re-actively protest every time a dangerous piece of legislation passes. Our representatives aren’t listening to us, partly because they have too many people talking at them. It’s time to start being proactive and get involved, not in campaigning (talk about wasted money that could go for better uses), but actual governing. If this country really is By The People, For The People, then we need to take this phrase more seriously.

http://vimeo.com/62839607

Andy Baio gives us another perspective on the war in copyright that is literally splitting our world in two. For those creatives who love the system, thinking that it is protecting their personal creations from those ugly pirates, they will see anyone speaking against copyright as thieves and law-breakers. Then you hear from many other people, of whom all are creative (not just those who claim it in their work as though it’s their own personal badge) who just want to share their own creations with others with no intent to break any law.

Perhaps we all need to revisit the law, which continually gets ramped up to “protect” creators with seemingly little thought to protect their actual ability to create. Now, it’s all about what we can make from all those creations…a business model.

“It’s my own personal creation, and I deserve to profit from it (forever, if I can). If you’re using it for yourself without asking, then you’re stealing from me!”

I don’t know about you, but my muse is screaming inside me right now. Is this really what we now see creativity as – profit centers? That is a really pathetic statement about our world today. But we can only really understand the truth about copyright today when we hear from someone who has been impacted by the industry (because it really is an industry now and not a limited protection as it was originally intended). Like Andy Baio. Take a listen to his story in this video called The New Prohibition to hear just how frightening copyright has become at the hands of institutions which have vested interests in protecting their own kingdoms. This really is an important talk that Andy does beautifully and with heartfelt sincerity.

I also consider myself to be a creative. And take a stance that sharing just continues the path that creativity has always followed. All ideas can trace a path to another idea – but with a personal tweak. That’s what makes it unique, because it’s built off of my own personal growth. And your personal growth. And that guy sitting on the street corner strumming his guitar. And that girl making that pendant. And on and on and on.

Because we all build off of one another. And we need one another to be inspired. And we don’t need institutions putting up nets that stop our sharing movement. Especially since those institutions also acquire their own stable of innovations from predecessors. No one truly owns anything. We all helped build it.

That’s why we need to re-imagine copyright for the 21st century.  Because we’re living in a huge period of inspirational growth that is being developed by each and every one of us. And no one person or place should have the right to claim ownership on anything that we’ve all had a hand in creating.

How many new prohibitions do we have to live through because of misguided laws? Laws can be beneficial if they are really protecting the greater good. When the benefits become more focused for small groups of rewardees, then there’s a problem.

And while we’re thinking about this, perhaps we need to focus more on where the free trade agreements of today are taking us. They’re going to have a huge impact on the creativity of tomorrow. It’s a pretty scary world that comes pretty close to the V of Vendetta and Faranheit 451 worlds. Why are we just quietly letting this happen? We really aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.

– thanks to Techdirt for the share and perspective