Well, it worked. That’s the clear conclusion of yesterday’s all-over-the-web-but-who-are-we-kidding-mostly-Wikipedia protest against SOPA and PIPA. 26 US Senators came out against PIPA, many of whom were officially in favor of it before. In fact, seven of the bill’s co-sponsors. This is much more significant than anything having to do with the SOPA bill in the house because PIPA is scheduled for a vote on the 24th, although I can’t imagine the bill happens now. Was it frustration with not being able to get on WIkipedia and find out when the corn dog was invented? Doubt it. More likely it was the enormous response to the call to contact one’s representative that swayed the lawmaker/sideswitchers. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said the bill “was simply not ready for prime time”, the implication being that it could still be re-worked and marked up and brought back. So presumably it goes back to mark-up purgatory, the same nether region where SOPA now dwells. Will they again rise to roam the surface of the earth? Why have I chosen a quasi-hell analogy here? Questions, questions
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