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Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

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Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#2
Debate on CISPA is happening on the floor right now, you can watch online here: http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/

But most importantly, take 2 minutes and call your House Rep and tell them what you think about CISPA: https://eff.org/r.5bPw

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#3
As Senator Mark Hanna said in 1895 (118 years ago!): "There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can't remember what the second one is."[1] If you want to understand why Representative Mike Rogers is mocking CISPA opponents as "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement," just ask, who finances his political campaigns?

I hate to be cynical, but calling your Representative may not be enough. Judging by Hanna's 118-year-old quote, it's never been enough. In the long run the solution might be campaign finance reform, but in the short run we may also want organizations like the EFF to raise money so they can finance political campaigns aligned with their values, gaining more influence over the political process.

--

[1] http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/405598-there-are-two-things-...

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#4
post #2

Debate on CISPA is happening on the floor right now, you can watch online here: http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/ But most importantly, take 2 minutes and call your House Rep and tell them what you think about CISPA: https://eff.org/r.5bPw

I called my reps last week, but it also might not be a bad idea to drop Rogers a line on twitter, explaining who and what you are, and telling him that you oppose the bill.

I found it quite cathartic.

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#7
Anytime someone's argument is the moral equivalent of 'my opponents are doodie-heads' I pretty much start ignoring them. It is a shame that an elected official, ostensibly 'leading' our country, is making such idiotic arguments and isn't more embarrassed about doing so.

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#8
In some aspect he is exactly right - our CISPA fight needs support not only from tweeters, but from people like founders of Twitter who can speak in the language of money and campaign funds.

The tech industry is so much bigger and more important to USA economy than the content industry that allowing them to dominate the lobbying discussion is just a 'tail wagging the dog' situation.

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#9

Anytime someone's argument is the moral equivalent of 'my opponents are doodie-heads' I pretty much start ignoring them. It is a shame that an elected official, ostensibly 'leading' our country, is making such idiotic arguments and isn't more embarrassed about doing so.

The problem with ignoring politicians is that it just encourages them...

Re: Rep. Mike Rogers Calls CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeters in Their Basement"

#10
Mike Rogers is making it very hard to defend CISPA by saying things like this, but I'll point out that what Mike Rogers thinks about CISPA opponents is probably the least important thing to know about the bill.

Something you might want to know is that "Fight For The Future" feels comfortable riling you up without telling you the full story about the bill. CISPA, according to FFTF, "lets the government spy on you without a warrant". In actual fact, CISPA is an opt-in measure that allows a company like Yahoo to share information about ongoing attacks --- which find a specific definition in the bill, more specific than any other cyber bill proposed --- with security providers and with law enforcement.

It's been my experience that most people who oppose CISPA are not familiar with what the bill actually says, even though CISPA is a very short bill. There are principled opponents of CISPA with very strong arguments, but sites like FFTF are unprincipled in their opposition to the bill.

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