On the LAKE Front

Free the Internet: stop SOPA and PIPA

If you don't know what SOPA and PIPA are, Google, Wikipedia, reddit, and many other websites will tell you today that those are bills in Congress to censor the Internet.

If you like blogs, YouTube, facebook, and other social media, you won't like SOPA and PIPA if they become law, because they will enable big copyright holders such as movie studios to force websites to remove links to entire domains on suspicion of copyright violation.

What you can do: contact your members of Congress today. You can do that through one of the many online tools Or call, email, or send a paper letter directly. Free the Internet!

-jsq

You like blogs, facebook, twitter, etc.? Oppose the "PROTECT IP" Act

If you like facebook, twitter, eBay, blogs, other social media, or even Google or Yahoo, you won't like the so-called "PROTECT IP" Act, which is coming up to a vote in the Senate any day now. It would let big corporate copyright holders impose monitoring, take down websites, and cut off funding, all without need for a court order. There's still time to oppose it.

Parker Higgins wrote for EFF Monday, The PROTECT IP Act Is Very Real and Very Bad — Call Now to Block It

The PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) is the evil step-sister of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the much-criticized Internet blacklist bill introduced in the House last month. They’ve got a lot in common — both bills would allow the government and private rightsholders to censor the Internet for Americans, and both bills have faced strong opposition from regular citizens, business leaders, and public interest groups.

In one way, though, PIPA is much worse: while SOPA is still in the House committee stage and has been the target of extraordinary public opposition, PIPA is already out of committee and poised for consideration of the full Senate. That means PIPA is a few dangerous steps further along in the process of becoming law. And with only a few weeks to go in this legislative session, the Senate may try to rush the bill through before the public has a chance to respond.

Here's one way to contact your elected representatives. Or call them on the telephone. See also LAKE's contact information for national elected officials.

-jsq

Videos of entire Lowndes County Board of Education meeting of 30 August 2011

Here's a playlist of the entire 30 August 2011 Lowndes County Board of Education meeting of 30 August 2011. As you can see, it really was almost all about approving a resolution against school consolidation. We've already posted that resolution and the unanimous vote.

The actual resolution is a model of such things: simple and easy to read, yet complete enough to cover the territory, and leaving no doubts as to the board's position. Congratulations to LCBOE on that resolution!

Playlist, called meeting, Lowndes County Board of Education (LCBOE),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 30 August 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman and John S. Quarterman
for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Let me also take a moment to thank some LCBOE staff.

"Olive branch or smokescreen?" --Patrick Davis

Patrick Davis wonders from Macon:

Is this Brad Lofton-led 'solar' groundbreaking event by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority an olive branch or a smokescreen.for the community Or an example of 'compassionate consevratism'?

The solar plant has been part of the plan from the beginning, which of course doesn't quite answer Patrick Davis' question. VLCIA knows it can increase the size of the solar plant, and they seem to think that could be a good idea. They could also choose to forget the biomass plant, but they refuse to do that. Much more about Wiregrass Solar Power LLC.

Also please note that this blog is On the LAKE Front, where LAKE is an acronym for the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange, which is about citizen dialog for transparent process for all of Lowndes County and the general area, not just Valdosta.

-jsq