Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senate counterpart, the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). I do not support either of these bills because they are overbroad in scope and could lead to unintended consequences for an open Internet, freedom of expression and commerce.

Let me be clear, however: piracy and intellectual property theft are serious problems that threaten American-made products and the American economy. The jobs and ingenuity that go into producing American movies, for example – from large studios down to small independent ventures – are directly undercut when the products of those efforts are illegally pirated, copied and sold or downloaded over the Internet. Similarly, workers at American businesses doing their part to manufacture products here at home for sale around the world are hurt when China or other countries copy their products wholesale for their own gain.

Clearly, Internet growth continues to fuel piracy and IP infringement, and courts are struggling to keep pace with the legal ramifications of this dynamic technology. The Internet will always come with promise and pitfalls as it drives economic innovation, and I agree that we must preserve a careful balance between an open Internet, intellectual property rights and law enforcement. However, I also believe it is necessary and in the national interest to come up with acceptable laws to combat Internet piracy and IP theft. SOPA and PIPA do not strike the right balance – the steps that web-based companies would be required to take in order to meet these bills’ broad provisions and avoid liability could force many of them to alter core ways in which they function, jeopardizing their business structure and the jobs they create. Nevertheless, those concerns are cause for passing better legislation.

To that end, I have cosponsored the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act, which takes an alternative and less burdensome approach to this problem with broad support from industry and consumer groups. The OPEN Act targets foreign online piracy and counterfeiting sites without inflicting collateral damage on legitimate, law-abiding U.S. Internet companies. Instead of relying on district courts, the bill uses the International Trade Commission, which has decades of experience dealing with similar issues, to review whether a website is deemed “dedicated to infringing activities.”

I believe that it is in our nation’s best interest to have legal tools in place that protect the products and ideas of American citizens without threatening a free and open Internet. I support implementing laws to protect American products and innovation, but I do not support the breadth of the provisions in SOPA and PIPA, which would limit American advancement in the information economy of the 21st century.

Thank you again for taking the time to write me about this important issue. I value the messages I receive from my constituents and use them to better inform my decision making process. I hope you will continue to contact my office in the future on any matters important to you.

All the best,

Jackie Speier, Member of Congress

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/awwww-read-seven-old-heart-melting-letter-kyle-214810120.html

update: oh, and how can i forget this kid…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgfyTN6k-E

http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/niners-talk/post/Sleepless-in-San-Francisco?blockID=636900&feedID=8306&awid=5584680249258992289-765

PS…Happy Year of the Dragon!

like any other year, 2011 had its share of ups and downs. though, i have to say, it was a pretty darn good year. after two long years of heartache, my career is finally in a good spot, and it gives me a lot of hope and optimism for 2012. now, i can’t get back all that lost time, but trust me, i’m extremely thankful and actually ready for more. i’m psyched to see what’s in store next.

obviously, that has overshadowed my year in a good way…well, at least the last half of the year. knowing that my career is in a better place has really given me a boost in confidence (yet, i’m still a bit cautious). it also has opened up more doors to attend events, build network connections and meet new people. plus, it’s absolutely great to finally have some sort of income and not be such a tightwad all the time; go to Giants and Sharks games, grab a drink or lunch at a nice restaurant, treat my family to lunch/dinner, not worry about price when i bring food over to someone’s house, giving to my church and charity.

speaking of which, i completed year one of my three-year term on the church’s leadership team. that, in itself, had ups and downs, and i felt a bit burnt out the past couple of months, but next year’s team is in place with a new chair. i really like my church, the people there (including the home group i attend during the week) and its sense of community.

on the family front, one of my relatives passed away from breast cancer over the summer. she’s missed. my cousins are almost done with college, including one here at SFSU. if she moves back to Sac, she’ll be missed. friend-wise, i was able to reconnect with a good friend. we were pretty close, but had an argument, and then lost touch afterwards. she was a big part of my life a couple of years ago, so it’s great to not only reconnect, but be just as close as we used to be.

cheers to 2011, another one for 2012!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Holiday-gift-ideas-from-your-friends-the?urn=nhl-wp19760 two things: the ’09 video was still the best, and Marleau is a horrible actor

with that said, there are still people less fortunate and are still suffering the lingering effects of the recession even now years later. on Nov 6th, i happened to work the Bay Area Science Festival at AT&T Park and donated my earnings from that day to charity. of course, i can do a lot more and with another month left in the year, i’ll see if i can.

i came across this link last week, and it kind of made me think of all the people i know that are…how do i say…freakin’ CHEAP! haven’t people learned anything from the occupy movement (besides everything i mentioned previously); you don’t have to be in the 1% to make a difference. i’m no Mother Teresa, but money is just one option, donate your time. here’s the link…

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/113766/smart-ways-spend-dollar-businessinsider

update: check this other link courtesy of SFGate…

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/18/BUT41MCVKM.DTL

i’m all for the core ideas of the movement; the vast socio-economic difference between the 99% and 1%. the downsides: unfortunately, some people use this as an opportunity to wreak havoc and be hooligans, the idiotic idea of protesting to shut down the Port of Oakland on November 2 where blue-collar workers such as truck drivers and dock workers are trying to make their living (which is completely hypocritical of the movement itself), the police brutality of its own citizens including military veterans, and the lack of direction and (competent) leadership both in the movement itself (what’s the end result of camping out somewhere?) and the city of Oakland (Mayor Jean Quan is thankfully not my mayor).

however, the movement is truly inspiring too. the lack of voice, the lack of empowerment, the feelings of helplessness given their specific lose-lose situations, and battling the sheer emphasis on capitalism, greed and the sense of leverage, power and control. to the politicians at every level (even Jackie Speier who i strongly support is out experimenting by living off of food stamps, but how will that translate into action and legislation, and possibly benefit people affected by this movement), to the C-level executives of oil companies like Chevron, banks like BofA, recently the UC and CSU board of regents (who are raising tuition AGAIN! hence, the occupy berkeley), and yes, PG&E…passing down costs to its users partially for their lack of budget management skills and poor decision-making ability. for me, this movement is about everyday people being nameless and faceless (and yes, more about dollar signs) to those that are in positions of power and authority. whew…that gets me a little fired up.

whereas this movement is about action, the Penn St child sex abuse case is about the lack thereof; people in positions of power and authority that could have done something more and didn’t. the complete and utter failure in judgement, to simply do the right thing and more about “okay, i told my superior,” and then wiping their hands and shrugging their shoulders (thinking they’ve done enough or that their specific superior will handle it) and go back to their regular lives conscience/guilt-free. these folks, over the alleged charges, deserve to lose their jobs (including Joe Paterno, who repeatedly shown even before this saga he completely lost touch with reality) and yes, be charged too. and obviously, the fact that Penn St students, or whoever the rioters are, aren’t exactly deserving/intelligent enough to be attending a four-year university…get with the program!…when everybody else around the country is saying what a fucked up situation this is.

goodness…let’s just start our own utopia, or as another friend put it, bomb the crap out of everyone and start over. my response: i guess we can let Canadians re-populate the Earth; if they only riot over hockey, then that’s a pretty good sign.

http://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2011/10/06/american-men-are-in-trouble-what-can-parents-do/