Oklahoma for Internet Freedom

StopSOPA-HQ

Top Priority for OK: Set up Meetings

There aren't any public events yet, so the most important thing is to get meetings with Senators. Here's what you need to do:

• Call 918-581-7651 to meet with Senator Coburn, who has no public position on PIPA yet.
  
• Call (918) 748-5111 to meet with Senator Inhofe, who has no public position on PIPA yet.

Be polite and professional, and request a meeting on behalf of Oklahoma for Internet Freedom (the folks in this forum) to discuss the PROTECT IP Act and SOPA.  Make it clear that you want to meet with the Senator during the January recess, and that you'll be bringing others from your group.  Have your calendar open when you call, so you can pick a time that works for you.  When finished, post a report-back. 

For example: "Hi, my name is ________, I'm with Oklahoma for Internet freedom, and I'm calling to request a meeting with Senator _______ during the January recess.  The PROTECT IP vote is happening on January 24th, and I wanted the Senator to understand my concerns before the vote happens."

Report back by posting a comment below

IMPORTANT: If you do get a meeting, post another message. That way others can join you in your meeting.  If there's any other specific information we should include in this post, message us and we can add it. 

amngibson

I called and left a message with both of them today. I will update once I have more information.

AllyWinslow

This is something I have never done before, but I would be willing to join the meeting! 

Spyce

Tell me when called left messages

EclipseGc

Called both, Senator Coburn's people will forward you to speak with Craig Smith if you're in Oklahoma City (405) 231-4941 (save you some non-essential dialing if you like). Craig was not in when I called but I left a message with Jerry (I believe) who answered the phone and was quite helpful. I'm waiting for a call back on that one. It sounded possible that this might go somewhere.

Talking to Senator Inhofe's people I was told that the Senator actually wouldn't be in Oklahoma during the recess but there are proxies to whom you can speak. I was told one would call me before the vote on the 24th. I guess we'll see what happens there.

StopSOPA-HQ

@EclipseGc @amngibson Bravo - that's excellent! Make sure to follow up if you don't hear back soon. Everyone else, keep on submitting requests: the more requests the offices get, the more attention they'll have to give to this issue.

seeclouds

I have written Inhofe and Coburn and my representative and am willing to be included in meeting any of them.

jemberling

I have an email from Coburn about PIPA and he is FOR PIPA.

Bernard

We need to have a better grasp of why we're opposed.  I just read the PIPA law and it looks like there are aspects of it that are designed to oppose sites that are intended to profit from the products and services provided by others.  Such sites are not intended to add any informational or intellectual value or provide any important educational resource or make new artistic works possible.  Fuck those sites.  What must be protected are sites that do not have a commercial interest.  More needs to be said so people can speak coherently to their Senators here in Oklahoma, where there's little understanding of the complexity of this issue.  Coburn and Inhofe need to read the documents with our concerns in mind.

Greg_G

Bernard, basically there's just no way to break dns gently -- it's either all in or all out. Which means if some infringing site (badsite.cx) registers badsite.foo and someone links to it on a public site that allows user-submitted content, then that latter site would basically be open to getting branded a 'rogue' website, subject to whatever anti-circumvention nightmares they've dreamed up.

Here's a few articles on this:

• SOPA/PIPA Copyright Bills Also Target American Sites
• How SOPA Can Kill Reddit and Many Other US Sites

Once we give the power to censor to corporations and state, we're never getting our freedom of speech back.

The text is very deceptive:

the Attorney General may bring an action for injunctive relief ... against any entity that knowingly and willfully provides or offers to provide a product or service designed or marketed by such entity or by another in concert with such entity for the circumvention or bypassing of measures described in paragraph (2) and taken in response to a court order issued under this subsection, to enjoin such entity from interfering with the order by continuing to provide or offer to provide such product or service.

But consider that a public forum itself could be branded "such [a] product or service" in just the perfect storm of interpretive insanity. This gives them pretext to basically force any site they want to shut down. Even if they target specific posts and particular pieces of content, this legislation throws the DMCA's already far too liberal restrictions on what corporation can do out the window. They can just flood public websites like Youtube with take-down demands, until they can no longer keep up.

Make no mistake, this is the first step to do what they've been trying to do for twenty years: turn the internet into a home shopping network.

mbwalden

I have dealt with Sen. Coburn before. He is extremely incooperative with his constituents. The non-profit i was working with had his voicemail entirely full for an entire month, and not one of us got a call back. We eventually had a 2 week protest sleeping outside his OKC office when we finally got a phone call. It was another three weeks before we got a meeting. He also ridiculed us as "uninformed public" on national television. He is not a representative of the people.

lauranorlyt

We come from a REALLY RED state but I don't get why we can't have different opinions. If our senators believe that we should pass these bills without listening to us then WHY SHOULD WE VOTE FOR THEM for a 2nd term?..AS A SENATOR, YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE and its not fair that we cant voice our opinion about how we feel. I read some articles about how they got upset that we sell our items on craigslist or amazon bc we either don't use them or don't need them. WHY should we keep our items around if we don't need them?.Wouldn't it be a waste of money for them to get more material to make something thats already made? We are soo big on "GOING GREEN" and using less, using less would mean less production...Our voters need to be educated instead of just voting from their ass..I am a HS graduate and a semester away from Graduating with my degree. I am also a working student and Registered Democrat but I do have some Republican views. I don't think that it's fair that our "state leaders" are leaders at all until they listen to their people...*breaths* ok im done venting lol

DEN

WOW!!! I just heard about this tonight! I was browsing around C/List and seen the link. After doing 60 minute worth of research, this is unbelieveable what our gov't is getting ready to vote on. In my searching, I wanted to see what the 1st amendent says, and the way it is worded.

U.S. Constitution - Amendment 1: Quote

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."  (unquote)

The way I see it, and please people, let me know you agree or not with me, In the qoute above, the word "press"  would be  printed material .   The internet is full of printed material.

Now, my question is,  How can Congress make a law against the 1st amendent?

If this passes, might as well turn my internet ISP off.

I usually dont get involved in this kind of stuff, but this one is worth it, its worth

it to everyone this time around.

Thanks for reading

 

 

 

oylpann

Coburn signed a letter along with 5 other Senators to holding off on the PIPA.

You can see it on Scribd.com : http://www.scribd.com/doc/78185937/Letter-from-6-Senators-Telling-Reid-NOT-to-Schedule-a-Vote-on-Internet-Blacklist-Bill-aka-PIPA

steveo

lauranorlyt,
by circumventing "the people" and stealthily  leave it on the record for a while - at which time it is too late to effectively remove it! That is why I would first of all say thanks for reacting to this obvious attempt to usurp more power and further the government's control of "the people". Secondly, please don't give up! The Internet belongs to everyone who is using it. Besides, this is an issue as you correctly pointed out, that is directly protected by our 1. Amendment. an amendment that has been under siege going back to the late 1800's  Were it not for Word Press and people like you and all the ones that have made their outrage public, this would most likely pass into law. I am conservative in my views, believe in traditional values and certainly believe in abiding by the laws of this land.I am also a staunch supporter of choice for everyone - I mean everyone! So when someone is breaking the law, they should be punished for this trespass. however, this bill seems to say that if someone breaks the law and they cannot be found "we will grab whoever we can find" and take their rights away, It looks to me very much like "default" justice due to the ineptitude of the lawmakers. It is a defective reasoning and it floors me to think that the bills' originators and cosponsors believe that the American people does not get the point! I am not a supporter of Huntsman as a presidential candidate, but there is one point he consistently keeps making; trust needs to be restored between the government and "the people" in order for this country to start functioning again. As far as I'm concerned it's like an employer/employee relationship, the "people" being the employer. If we the people do not trust our "employee" any longer, we fire them! For the people, by the people, of the people is what this country was founded on, Our freedoms are being "curbed" and lowly taken away. Don't quit fighting for your freedoms or it will surely be taken away from you! 
"Le's roll!"     

WOsborn

One more step towards a dictatorship

amngibson

I got a call from Craig at Sen Couborns office today. He has asked me for a 1 pager on my issues and will probably grant me a meeting in the next few days. I am going to work on the 1 page document this evening. Please send me any bullet items/etc. I could sure use the help.

amngibson

Anybody heard anything from Inhofe?

fragro

amngibson send me an email at fragro [at] gmail [dot] com

We should work together on that document, I am a CS student at TU and familiar with the technical flaws in this bill. 

RJB

This was just posted by Senator Inhofe on Facebook:

I appreciate everyone who has posted or called my office to register their opposition to SOPA and PIPA. I am opposed to this legislation and will be releasing the following statement:

“While I believe that the intellectual property rights of American companies deserve substantial protection under the law, S. 968, the PROTECT IP Act, is not the answer to the problem of online counterfeiting and... piracy. I share the concerns of America’s technology companies, industry leaders, and the many citizens who have voiced their concerns to my office. It is clear to me that this bill will inflict too heavy a burden on third-party non-infringing entities and could do serious harm to one of the last vestiges that is relatively free from government regulation, the Internet. When addressing intellectual property rights, Congress must be careful to also protect the freedom of speech and flow of information that the Internet provides. Additionally, I have concerns with creating yet another private right of action, which will be used by plaintiffs to stifle Internet innovation, and with requirements in the bill that could negatively impact the Internet’s reliability and performance.”

StopSOPA-HQ

@RJB Thanks for the update! We're making a huge impact, but we can't let up now. So please keep calling, writing, coming in to offices, and setting up formal meetings and informal gatherings!

Hairfxrmom

I called but the mailboxes are full. I will keep trying.

Anniemae

Senator Coburn has requested that bill be delayed and there be public discussion , see the comment by olypann above which provides a link to the actual letter. Senator  Inhofe has also come out as not in favor of the bill as written, see RJB comment above . Personally I suspect there are already sufficient laws to punish those who are guilty of intellectual property theft. The proposed bill is much too broad. It looks to be a combination of reward for those who don't want to pursue a legal avenue for recovery of damages because it's just too difficult and costly, with an underlying method for the government to shut down those who would expose government fraud, waste, abuse and attacks on the Constitution. I fully understand and support of prosecution of thieves, but this bill goes much, much too far and unless I want to believe the drafters are stupid I have to think they have deliberatly tried to limit our freedom of expression under the guise of stopping theft. For shame and thank goodness we have the internet to expose such an overreach for power.