Wikipedia Revolt: MO Politicians Sound Off on Web Law

For procrastinators, Wednesday was especially difficult.

That’s because seemingly essential websites, such as Wikipedia, were blacked out to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act. The House bill, commonly known as SOPA, and the Senate legislation, known as PIPA, are attempts at curbing piracy of popular media, such as movies and music.

But many opponents say the bills could have a much further-reaching impact that could shut down sites, such as the aforementioned free online encyclopedia. Thus, Wednesday became the day where many sites opposed to the measures spoke out and urged people to contact lawmakers.

For this writer, Wednesday’s protest meant a pause in searching for factoids about Pakistani independence or the meaning behind Alice in Chains’ Man in the Box. But it also served as a prompt for lawmakers and potential legislators to sound off on the issue.

For instance, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican who initially cosponsored PIPA, announced on Wednesday afternoon he opposed the bill. He joined several other Republicans cosponsors, such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) who had abandoned support for the measure.

“While I believed the bill still needed much work, I cosponsored the Senate version of the Protect IP Act because I support the original intent of this bill—to protect against the piracy of lawful content,” Blunt said in a statement. “Upon passage of this bill through committee, Senate Judiciary Republicans strongly stated that there were substantive issues in this legislation that had to be addressed before it moved forward. I agree with that sentiment.”

Blunt went on to say that he believes Congress “can come to a solution that will cut off the revenue sources for foreign websites dedicated to counterfeiting and piracy that steal American jobs, hurt the economy and harm consumers.”

“But the Protect IP Act is flawed as it stands today, and I cannot support it moving forward,” he saidd.

Ed Martin, an attorney running for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional House seat, has also spent some time over the last few days advocating against both SOPA and PIPA.

In a statement on his campaign website, Martin said one of the “greatest blessings of the Internet age is the ability for anyone anywhere to share their beliefs and their opinions in and open and free manner.”

“The U.S. House’s Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the U.S. Senate’s version of the bill, the Protect IP Act (PIPA) are being sold to Americans as a means of protecting intellectual property rights,” Martin said. “Like any other federal power grab, the law is written so broadly that any website could be shut down for the thinnest of reasons.”

By the way, all three U.S. Senate candidates—former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), and Frontenac businessman John Brunner—released statements Wednesday announcing opposition to both measures.