We’re Striking!

Three topics never belong in a blog.  Politics, religion, and sports.  Unless you’re running a blog dedicated to politics, religion, or sports you need to STAY CLEAR of those issues.  That is something I firmly believe and a belief I have tried to adhere to (except the sports bit…I mean c’mon its the Boston Bruins).

I’m running a gaming blog and a gaming podcast.  That other stuff doesn’t belong.  This time, however, it is different.  The United States Congress is looking at two bills, which it wants to pass.  The bills are commonly abbreviated as SOPA and PIPA.

Below is a video I want you to watch.  It is 4 minutes long and explains what will actually happen if SOPA and/or PIPA are passed into law.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31100268[/vimeo] On Wednesday, January 18 many websites are going on strike in protest of SOPA and PIPA.  Mozilla, Reddit, WordPress, MoveOn, TwitPic, the entire I Can Has Cheesburger? network are just a few of the websites that will be striking.  We are joining their ranks.

What does this mean?  On Wednesday all participating websites will go black.  Participating websites will turn themselves off, display informative pictures, and other messages opposing SOPA and PIPA.

While this is happening you will NOT be able to access ANYTHING on this blog.  Most participants are striking for 150 seconds.  We are striking ALL DAY.

You may wonder why gamers should care if SOPA and PIPA pass.  If the bills pass websites can be responsible for anything their users post/share.  Gaming blogs, message boards, and podcasts can be shut down if anyone posts anything the government thinks MIGHT be inappropriate.  It will become almost impossible to discuss, review, and promote games, companies, and products.

Do you want the gaming sites you love to die?  We can all agree that piracy is wrong.  Nobody should illegally obtain material.  It is important to protect the trademarks, copyrights, and intellectual property that hard-working entities have created.  But, SOPA and PIPA DO NOT do this the right way.

One last thing for you to look at.  Please read The Internet Goes On Strike from Stop American Censorship.