January 18, 2012 - The entire reason why SOPA's authors and supporters have the money, influence, and power to put draconian bills like it forward in the first place is because of our daily patronizing of their corporations and the goods and services they provide.
SOPA supporters include the US Chamber of Commerce, the MPAA, and many of the mega-corporations Americans, and indeed people around the world, support on a daily basis. The key to stopping SOPA and the watered down feigned "concession" that will surely follow it is to undermine the unwarranted power and influence of the corporations and financiers backing it in the first place. If Americans withdrew their support from these corporations, if theaters were left empty, if Pepsi and Coke were left collecting dust on the shelves of an empty Walmart, bills like SOPA would not exist, let alone have a chance to be passed into law.
Below is just one letter signed by just one group of these corporations and organizations. Boycott, put out of business, and replace these corporations with local alternatives.
Sponsors of this letter in support of "rougue sites legislation" include:
3M
Alliance of Automobile Manufactures
American Apparel and Footwear Associations
Autodesk Inc.
Bose Corporation
Broadcast Music Inc (BMI)
Caterpillar
CBS
Council of Fashion Designers of America
Electronic Arts (EA)
Ford Motor Company
GlaxoSmith Kline
Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Johnson & Johnson
L'Oreal
Macmillian
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
National Football League (NFL)
NBC Universal
News Corporation (Fox News)
NHL
Nike
Nintendo of America
Oakley
Pfizer
PGA of America
Philip Morris International
Reebok
Rite Aid
Rolex
Rosetta Stone
Software & Information Industry Association
Sony
Dow Chemical
McGraw-Hill
Timberland
Walt Disney
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner
Toshiba
US Chamber of Commerce
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Universal Music Group
Viacom
Wal-Mart
Warner Music Group
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Xerox Corporation
Zippo Manufacturing
If you can't live without the endless crass torrent of "bread and circus" as well as trinkets provided by the above mentioned supporters of this corporate-fascist agenda - the literal crafting and backing of legislation of, by, and for corporations -you don't deserve the freedom you believe yourself entitled to.
There is not one corporation listed above that society could not live without and in many cases replace with decentralized, superior local alternatives. Freedom is not simply voicing your opposition or choosing representatives to do so on your behalf. Freedom is also about the responsibility to keep in check the creation of unwarranted power and influence garnered from your daily payments in attention, money, time, and energy to corporations that would seek to impose their will upon society using the very mechanisms of governance designed solely for the people's benefit.
Identify the source of power behind bills like SOPA, and indeed many of the government policies wrecking our society, miring us in endless war, and leaving us in economic destitution. Boycott them, and replace them. We cannot be blamed for the greed and depravity of the global corporate-financier elite, but we can be blamed for fueling their megalomania on a daily basis.
