Friday, December 2, 2011

11-12-03 Posse Comitatus Act (1878) and current martial law in the United States - Wikipedia as a Propaganda Tool // Ley marcial en los Estados Unidos, y la propaganda en Wikipedia // 美国,戒严和Wikipedia上的宣传

Recent changes in this entry in Wikipedia provide a unique perspective on the progression of martial law in the United States in recent years, which culminated this past week with the approval by the US Senate of a bill, authorizing indefinite detentions of US citizens on US soil by the US military.  The history of the Act also provides unique perspective on events that initiated the Robber Baron Era in the wake of the Civil War (1861-5), and are eerily reminiscent of this day and age:  corporate deregulation, stolen presidential elections, and corruption of the justice system. The US is in the midst of a constitutional crisis, and at the dawn of a Medieval-Digital Era; the People are deprived of life, liberty, and property, with no due process of law.  
[]  []         []

Los Angeles, December 2 - review of the editing changes in Wikipedia’s entry for Posse Comitatus Act (1878) [[i]] provides a unique perspective on the progress in implementation of martial law in the United States in recent years, which culminated this past week with the approval by the US Senate of a bill, authorizing indefinite detentions of US citizens on US soil by the US military. [[ii]]

The same editing changes also provides further evidence of the role of Wikipedia as a propaganda tool of the Corporate-Government Complex in the United States. [[iii]]

Some of the notable editing changes are detailed below.

1)     Over the last couple of years, the definition of the Act was almost turned upside down.
            Version of September 2009:

The '''Posse Comitatus Act''' is a United States federal law (usc|18|1385) passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction era of the United States, with the intention (in concert with the Insurrection Act of 1807) of substantially '''limiting the powers of the federal government to use the military for law enforcement'''. The Act prohibits most members of the Uniformed services of the United States (today the United States Army, United States Air Force, and National Guard of the United States when such are called into federal service from exercising nominally state Law enforcement agency powers, police, or Law enforcement officer powers that maintain "Law and order (politics) " on non-federal property (states and their counties and municipal divisions) within the United States.
            
Version of December 2011:
The '''Posse Comitatus Act''' is the United States federal law (usc|18|1385) that was passed on June 18, 1878, after the end of Reconstruction era of the United States. Its intent (in concert with the Insurrection Act of 1807) was to limit the powers of local governments and law enforcement agencies from using federal military personnel to enforce the laws of the land. Contrary to popular belief, the Act does not prohibit members of the United States Army from exercising state Law enforcement agency powers, police, or Law enforcement officer powers that maintain "Law and order (politics) "; it simply requires that any orders to do so must originate with the United States Constitution or Act of Congress.
2)     A notable deletion from the September 2009 version, is consistent with the general aversion of Wikipedia for detailed discussion of what took place during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
      Version of September 2009:

On September 26, 2006, George W. Bush urged Congress to consider revising federal laws so that U.S. armed forces could restore public order and enforce laws in the aftermath of a natural disaster, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
3)      The discussion of the permanent deployment of the 3rd Infantry Division of the US Army inside the United States, under the Department of Homeland Security, through NORTHCOM was also deleted.
Version of September 2009:

Homeland security
On October 1, 2008, the US Army announced that the 3rd Infantry Division (United States) 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT) will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM), as an on-call federal response force for natural or man-made emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.
This marks the first time an active U.S. Army unit will be given a dedicated assignment to NORTHCOM, where it is stated they may be 'called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive (CBRNE) attack. These soldiers will also learn how to use non-lethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them, and also includes equipment to stand up a hasty road block; spike strips for slowing, stopping or controlling traffic; shields and batons; and Flexible baton round. however, the ''"non-lethal crowd control package [...] is intended for use on deployments to the war zone, not in the U.S.
The US military will have around 20,000 uniformed personnel in this role in the United States by 2011, specifically trained and equipped to assist state and local government, respond to major disasters, terrorist attack, other major public emergencies. This shift in strategy is a result of recommendations by Congress and outside experts. This response capability is not new, but now accompanies a permanent assignment of forces to NORTHCOM.
This formalizes a role for the use of federal troops within the United States during major public emergencies and disasters, as was the case in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, federal military forces have a long history of domestic roles, including the occupation of sovereign Southern states during Reconstruction and the confiscation of private firearms in the Katrina aftermath. The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of federal military forces to "execute the laws"; however, there is disagreement over whether this language may apply to troops used in an advisory, support, disaster response, or other homeland defense role, as opposed to conventional law enforcement.
The Wikipedia entry for the Posse Comitatus Act (1878) also provides a unique historic perspective on events that initiated the Robber Baron Era in the wake of the Civil War (1861-5), eerily reminiscent of this day and age:  corporate deregulation, stolen presidential elections, [[iv]] and corruption of the justice system. [[v]]

The US is in the midst of a constitutional crisis [[vi]] and at the dawn of a Medieval-Digital Era: [[vii]] the People are deprived of life, liberty, and property, with no due process of law. 
LINKS[i] 11-12-02 Wikipedia as a Propaganda Tool – Posse Comitatus Act (1878)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/74572860/[ii] 11-11-29 US Senate Approves Military Detentions in the United States
http://www.scribd.com/doc/74571953/
[iii] 11-11-24 Wikipedia on 1) Barack Obama, and 2) #Occupy – a propaganda tool of the corporate-government complex
http://www.scribd.com/doc/73681805/
[iv] 11-11-11 The ongoing Sheriff Joe/Obama's Birth Certificate saga - and legitimacy of the 2012 US Presidential Election
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72501135/  
[v] 11-12-01 #Occupy the Corrupt Courts – Citizens United and Corporate “Personhood
http://www.scribd.com/doc/74385957/
[vi] [1] 11-06-14 Corruption of the Courts and Failing Banking Regulation in the United States: Dred Scott redux?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/57707808/
[2] 11-06-24 Time Magazine - 4th of July Issue: Does the Constitution Still Matter?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/58665806/
[3] 11-10-03 Execution of US Citizens by Presidential Directives With No Due Process of Law
http://www.scribd.com/doc/67408506/
[4] 11-11-22 Habeas Corpus in the United States - Medieval-Digital Era…
http://www.scribd.com/doc/73637132/
[vii] 11-09-09 The Medieval-Digital Era / Robber Baron Revival Era - User_InproperinLA - Wikipedia - soon to be deleted
http://www.scribd.com/doc/64354868/
____
Joseph Zernik, PhD
Human Rights Alert (NGO)[]  
The 2010 submission of Human Rights Alert to the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations was reviewed by the HRC professional staff and incorporated in the official HRC Professional Staff Report with a note referring to “corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California.”
_______ 
Locations of visitors to this page  
Flag Counter: 128http://inproperinla.blogspot.com/ 
http://inproperinla.wordpress.com/ 
http://human-rights-alert.blogspot.com/ Total Reads: 654,060Followers: 1,168http://www.scribd.com/Human_Rights_Alerthttp://twitter.com/inproperinla
http://www.liveleak.com/user/jz12345 
Total Item Views: 585,338
http://www.examiner.com/x-38742-LA-Business-Headlines-Examiner_____________________________WHAT DID THE EXPERT SAY ABOUT THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CRISIS?
Foreclosure fraud: The homeowner nightmares continueCNN (April 7, 2011)
About 3 million homes have been repossessed since the housing boom ended in 2006… That number could balloon to about 6 million by 2013 Bloomberg (January 2011)
"...a system in which only the little people have to obey the law, while the rich, and bankers especially, can cheat and defraud without consequences." http://www.scribd.com/doc/50753639/Prof Paul Krugman, MIT (2011)
_____________________________
WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA?
"...judges tried and sentenced a staggering number of people for crimes they did not commit." Prof David Burcham, Dean, Loyola Law School, LA (2001)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/29043589/
"This is conduct associated with the most repressive dictators and police states... and judges must share responsibility when innocent people are convicted."     Prof Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Irvine Law School (2001) http://www.scribd.com/doc/27433920/"Innocent people remain in prison""...the LA Superior Court and the DA office, the two other parts of the justice system that the Blue Panel Report recommends must be investigated relative to the integrity of the system, have not produced any response that we know of..."LAPD Blue Ribbon Review Panel Report (2006)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24902306 /_____________________________
WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN CALIFORNIA?
"...corruption of the courts and the legal profession and discrimination by law enforcement in California." United Nations Human Rights Council Staff Report (2010)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38566837/_____________________________
WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE STATE COURTS IN THE UNITED STATES?
"On July 26, 2010, Laurence Tribe, Senior Counsel for the United States Department of Justice, Access to Justice Initiative, delivered an important speech to the Conference of Chief Justices, challenging them to halt the disintegration of our state justice systems before they become indistinguishable from courts of third world nations."Prof Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School (2010), per National Defender Leadership Institute (2010)
http://www.nlada.net/library/article/national_dojspeechto%20chiefjustice07-26-2010_gideonalert
_____________________________
WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE CONDITIONS IN THE PRISON IN MONROE COUNTY, TENESSEE?
"What goes on there is more like gulags of centuries ago."ACLUhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/72546279/_____________________________
WHAT DID THE EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES?
"More than 100 law professors have signed on to a letter released today that proposes congressional hearings and legislation aimed at fashioning "mandatory and enforceable" ethics rules for Supreme Court justices for the first time. The effort, coordinated by the liberal Alliance for Justice, was triggered by "recent media reports," the letter said, apparently referring to stories of meetings and other potential conflicts of interest involving Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas among others."More than 100 law professors, as reported by the Blog of the Legal Times (February 2011) http://www.scribd.com/doc/49586436/_____________________________
WHAT DID CHIEF JUDGE OF THE US COURT OF APPEALS, 5TH CIRCUIT, SAY ABOUT THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM?
"The American legal system has been corrupted almost beyond recognition..."
Chief Judge, US Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, Edith Jones, speaking before the Federalist Society of Harvard Law School (February 2003)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/50137887/_____________________________
WHAT DID THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE SAY ABOUT THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM?
* In a speech in Georgetown University, Senator Leahy, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for a "Truth and Reconciliation Commission" on the US Department of Justice.Transcript of Senator Leahy speech (2009)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/38472251/

_____ Human rights, freedom of the speech, government corruption, and more, will be discussed in:
[]



Jerusalem-AlQuds 2012

Love, Peace, Justice

empowering the People through
a dance/music/art/study/pray
Celebration

date to be scheduled

To join our email list send subscribe message to Joseph Zernik, PhD:
jz12345@earhlink.net  or 123456xyz@gmail.com

READ MORE:[1] http://josephsdream2012.wordpress.com/

WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS:[1] From Jerusalem to the Wall Street Protesters: we must bring this Robber Baron Era to an end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3r7XUtoguk[2] Guantanamera: From Jerusalem to Guantanamo Bay -- the US has lost all credibility as a Civil Society
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dcp63ry_es[3] Boris announcing dream party Jerusalem al-Quds 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lOxo-ae7ys
[4] "Come to Jerusalem," says Mr Take It Easy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otkPe4UAZTs 

11-12-03 Welcome China! // La bienvenida a China! // 欢迎中国!

Last New Visitor

China 
Visited December 3, 2011

Thursday, December 1, 2011

11-12-01 #Occupy the Corrupt Courts -end corporate "personhood" // # Ocupar los tribunales corruptos // #占据舞弊法院

Home

If We End Corporate Personhood We Can Define the Terms of a New Economy

by: Thom Hartmann, Berrett-Koehler Publishers | Book Excerpt

The prevalence of the corporation in America has led men of this generation to act, at times, as if the privilege of doing business in corporate form were inherent in the citizen; and has led them to accept the evils attendant upon the free and unrestricted use of the corporate mechanism as if these evils were the inescapable price of civilized life, and, hence, to be borne with resignation.
Throughout the greater part of our history a different view prevailed.
Although the value of this instrumentality in commerce and industry was fully recognized, incorporation for business was commonly denied long after it had been freely granted for religious, educational, and charitable purposes.
It was denied because of fear. Fear of encroachment upon the liberties and opportunities of the individual. Fear of the subjection of labor to capital. Fear of monopoly. Fear that the absorption of capital by corporations, and their perpetual life, might bring evils similar to those which attended mortmain [immortality]. There was a sense of some insidious menace inherent in large aggregations of capital, particularly when held by corporations.

— U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, 19331 

READ MORE:

The Fascinating History of How Corporations Became "People" -- Thanks to Corrupt Courts Working for the 1%

Occupiers could direct their energy not only at Wall Street, but also at its enablers, in Congress, and ultimately, at the high court.
November 23, 2011  
The Supreme Court, with a right-wing majority under Chief Justice John Roberts, has become a body that leans too far toward the “1 percent” to be considered a neutral arbiter. So whether they know all the ins and outs of the court's profound rightward shift or not, those protesting across the country as part of the Occupy movement are motivated by its corruption as well.

READ MORE:
And more on the bizarre history of Citizen United:
[1] 10-01-21 Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010) at the Supreme Court of the United States - opinion of Prof Chemerinsky and Wikipedia overview
[2] 11-03-16 The Riddle of Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (08-205) in the Supreme Court of the United States - Review and Compiled Online Records-s
[3] 10-01-21 Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 S.Ct. 876 (2010) at the Supreme Court of the United States - opinion of Prof Chemerinsky and Wikipedia overview-s
[4] 11-03-25 PRESS RELEASE: the Riddle of Citizens United v Federal Election Commission... the Missing February 22, 2010 Judgment...
[5] 11-04-22 PRESS RELEASE: US Supreme Court Mystery – the Missing Judgment of Citizens United
[6] 11-05-10 Reply on FEC Response on FEC Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request, No. 2011-46, in re: February 22, 2010 Judgment in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (08-805) -s
[7] 11-05-10 Citizens United v Federal Election Commission - Simulated Litigation in the US Supreme Court…
[8] 11-05-17 Repeat Request for a Signed FEC FOIA Response No 2011-46, in re: valid February 22, 2010 Judgment record from the US Supreme Court
[9] 11-05-17 PRESS RELEASE: Citizens United v Federal Election Commission in the US Supreme Court - so far only a simulated Judgment record has been discovered…
[10] 11-05-23    RE: Citizens United v Federal Elections Commission, FEC FOIA No. 2011-46:2nd Zernik’s Reply on FEC’s 2nd FOIA Response
[11] 11-05-23 Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (1-07-cv-2240) in the US District Court, DC – invalid court records in a Simulated Litigation
[12] 11-05-23 PRESS RELEASE: Citizens United v Federal Election Commission in the US District Court, DC – invalid court records in a Simulated Litigation
[13] 11-05-24 RE Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (FEC) - Request for Policy Statement by FEC s
[14] 11-05-24 PRESS RELEASE: Federal Election Commission (FEC) is asked to disregard Citizens United v Federal Election Commission as Simulated Litigation
[15] 11-06-01 In re: Citizens United v FEC - Dustin Ensinger - Judge Rules Corporations Can Contribute Directly to Candidates_Economy in Crisis

11-12-01 Welcome Malaysia! // Bienvenido Malasia! // 欢迎马来西亚!

Last New Visitor

Malaysia 
Visited December 1, 2011

11-12-01 Bradley Manning // Bradley Manning // 布拉德利曼宁



Feds Withholding Evidence Favorable to Bradley Manning, Lawyer Charges

The civilian lawyer for Bradley Manning, the Army private who allegedly leaked tens of thousands of classified U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks, is seeking to question the severity of the leak by requesting the government’s own internal damage assessments that reportedly contradict statements that Manning irreparably damaged national security.
Manning’s defense attorney, David E. Coombs, is attempting to get evidence from the government to defend Manning in his upcoming pre-trial hearing on Dec. 16, but says the government is stonewalling him.
READ MORE:


In Letter to Obama Dozens of European Parliamentarians Condemn Abusive Treatment of Bradley Manning

Over 50 members of the European Parliament have signed an open letter to the President Obama and U.S. military officials expressing concerns about the treatment of Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army intelligence analyst accused of leaking secret government documents to the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks
READ MORE:

11-11-29 US Senate Approves Military Detentions in the United States // Senado de EE.UU. aprueba detenciones militares en los Estados Unidos // 美國參議院批准在美國的軍事拘留

  • In 2009 Obama promised to close the GITMO detention center and got the Nobel Prize for that promise.
  • GITMO was never closed to this date.  
  • In 2010 the United Nations called upon the United States to restore Habeas Corpus in the United States.
  • Now it remains to be seen if Obama will veto the new bill
ACLU Blog of Rights - Official Blog of the ACLU National Office
Senate Rejects Amendment Banning Indefinite Detention
Today, the Senate voted 38-60 to reject an important amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have removed harmful provisions authorizing the U.S. military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians, including American citizens, anywhere in the world. The amendment offered by Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), would have replaced those provisions with a requirement for an orderly congressional review of detention power.
READ MORE:
http://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/National%20Defense%20Authorization%20Act

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

11-12-01 Welcome Australia! // Bienvenido Australia! // 欢迎澳大利亚!

Last New Visitor

Australia 
Visited December 1, 2011

11-11-30 #Occupy Philly, LA Evicted by Hundreds of Police // Ocupan Filadelfia, Los Angeles desalojado por cientos de policías// 占据费城,洛杉矶数百名警察驱逐

You can't evict an idea!




Breaking: Occupy Philly Cleared By 100s of Police. Occupy LA Cleared by 1200 Police











Update: 200 arrested at Occupy LA, 40-50 arrested in Philly. 
No serious injuries or violence was reported in either city. In Philly the arrests occurred off the Occupy Philly site, when protesters marched to another location and refused to move when ordered by police.

11-11-30 Welcome Switzerland! // La bienvenida a Suiza! // 欢迎瑞士!

Last New Visitor

Switzerland 
Visited November 30, 2011

11-11-30 Welcome India! // Bienvenido India! // 欢迎印度

Last New Visitor

India 
Visited November 30, 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

11-11-30 California Foreclosure Crisis //California crisis de ejecuciones hipotecarias // 加州止赎危机

header-logo1.jpg   header_ca.jpg 

The Note--News From California

November 29, 2011
Trouble viewing this email? View in browser.
Got this message from a friend? Connect with us to stay informed.

The Foreclosure Crisis: California's Is Only Halfway Over

Nearly 9 percent of California homes are at immediate risk of foreclosure according to Lost Ground, the latest research from CRL. Additionally, seriously delinquent California homeowners and those currently in the foreclosure process are about half the foreclosures the state could expect to see. Lost Ground examined loans made from 2004-2008 and found that even though white families make up the majority of the foreclosed, African-American and Latino homeowners are most likely to lose their homes. Check out detailed state and metro-area data and an interactive state map. 

Bay Area Cities Lead the Way on Payday Lending

The East Palo Alto City Council voted 4-1 last month to consider limiting payday lending in the city. Several members of the community turned out to support the initiative, led by Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto. The city joins neighbors Pacifica, San Jose and San Mateo County in demonstrating an opposition to predatory payday lending. Additionally, CRL conducted a survey last year that found that nearly two-thirds of voters in San Jose support payday lending restrictions, even including a moratorium on new stores.
right-spacer.jpg 


Move Your Money 

Self-Help Federal Credit Union Continues Growth and Innovation

SHFCU, a CRL affiliate, continues to expand in California's working-class communities. This year, it merged with Mission SF Credit Union and 1st Pacific Credit Union­gaining a presence in San Francisco, Vallejo, Napa, Fairfield, American Canyon, and Vacaville. It's a great time to be a responsible credit union, with 650,000 new accounts opening up across the country in October alone. If you're looking for a good place to move your money, take a look at Self-Help Federal!

And if you’re not familiar with our innovative MicroBranch in San Jose, take a look at this video from The Economist on the refreshing way we meet the needs of the community.

Payday Lending Legislation: Stay Tuned

AB 1158, a bill that would raise the maximum payday loan limit from $300 to $500 passed the California Assembly, but didn’t make it to the Senate floor last year. But the delay is temporary and the bill definitely will resurface in 2012. There has been a flurry of critical news coverage of payday lending, including extensive investigative pieces in San Josetelevision reports in Los Angeles, and editorials across the state. It’s never too late to call your legislator to oppose any expansion of payday lending!

News Clips

 Payday loans are harmful predatory lending
Fresno Bee

 Mainstream banks also make payday-style loans
San Jose Mercury News
 A vicious cycle in the used-car business
Los Angeles Timesright-spacer.jpg 
holiday debt  

What Do You Want for Christmas?

No matter what’s on your list, stay away from payday loans this holiday season. If they were just expensive, that would be one thing. But payday loans are traps that get borrowers stuck in debt they can’t escape. Check out our updated video, “ All I Want for Christmas is Inescapable Debt” to see how payday loans end up being a debt trap and how much they ultimately cost.

Watch the Video

sidebar-divider.jpg
btn_about-us.jpg 
Follow CRL-California

11-11-30 Save the Internet! // Save the Internet! // 保存的互联网!

From: "Luis Morago - Avaaz.org" <avaaz@avaaz.org>
Subject: Save the Internet  - the pressure is working!
X-BINDING: avaaz3
To: "jz12345@earthlink.net" <jz12345@earthlink.net>
X-ELNK-AV: 0
X-ELNK-Info: sbv=0; sbrc=.0; sbf=00; sbw=000;

Incredible -- 800,000 signers in days, Congress is hesitating, and one Senator will block the vote by reading out our petition for hours!! Let's get to 1 million - sign below and forward this email to everyone --

[] 

Right now, the US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even Avaaz! Free speech champions in Congress say our outcry will help, and one Senator is even going to block the vote by reading out our petition names for hours! Click here to build an unprecedented global petition for a free and open Internet:

Send a message now!  
Dear Friends,

Right now, Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz!

Under the new law, the US could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us.

The vote could happen at any time now, but we can help stop this -- champions in Congress want to preserve free speech and tell us that a global outcry would strengthen their hand, and one of them -- Senator Wyden -- says he will "filibuster" or block any vote on the bill by reading out our petition names until the clock runs out! Let's urgently raise our voices from every corner of the world to build an unprecedented global petition. Click below to sign and then forward to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl

For years, the US has condemned countries like China and Iran for their clampdown on Internet use. But now, the impact of these new censorship laws could be far worse -- effectively blocking sites to every Internet user across the globe.

Last year, a similar Internet censorship bill was killed before reaching the US Senate floor, but it's now back in a different form. Copyright laws already exist and are enforced by courts. But this new law goes much further -- granting the US government and big corporations enormous powers to force service providers and search engines to block websites based just on allegations of violations -- without a trial or being found guilty of any crime!

Free speech advocates have already raised the alarm, and some key senators are trying to gather enough support to stop this dangerous bill. We have no time to lose. Let's stand with them to ensure that American lawmakers preserve the right to a free and open Internet as an essential way for people around the world to exchange ideas, share communication and work collectively to build the world we want. Sign below to stop censorship, and save the Internet as we know it:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl

In the past months, from the Arab Spring to the global Occupy Movement, we've seen first hand how the Internet can galvanize, unify and change society. Now, if we stand together, we can stop this new attack on Internet freedom. We've done it before -- in Brazil and Italy, Avaaz members have won major victories in the fight for a free Internet. Let's galvanize our global web community to crush the most powerful censorship threat that the Internet has ever seen.

With hope,

Luis, Dalia, Diego, Emma, Ricken, Aaron, Antonia, Benjamin and the rest of the Avaaz team

Sources Op-Ed: Blacklist Bill allows Feds to remove websites from Internet (Digital Journal)
http://digitaljournal.com/article/313463

Disastrous IP Legislation Is Back – And It's Worse than Ever (EFF)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/disastrous-ip-legislation-back-%E2%80%93-and-it%E2%80%99s-worse-ever 

Silicon Valley legislators oppose online piracy act (SFGate)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/15/BUO81LV0KI.DTL 

House Hearing on Stop Online Piracy Act Scheduled (PC World)
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/243659/house_hearing_on_stop_online_piracy_act_scheduled.html

Growing Chorus of Opposition to "Stop Online Piracy Act"
https://www.cdt.org/report/growing-chorus-opposition-stop-online-piracy-act

The stop online piracy act: summary, problems, and implications
https://www.cdt.org/files/pdfs/SOPA%202-pager%20final.pdf

Why Is Justin Bieber So Pissed Off?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/why-is-justin-bieber-so-p_b_1071055.html

Stop Online Piracy Act
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr3261ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr3261ih.pdf 

PROTECT IP Act
http://leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BillText-PROTECTIPAct.pdf 

[]
Support the Avaaz Community! 
We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way.