SOPA Blackout Day

Because life shouldn't be censored.

Hi folks,

I’m afraid I have to go and get all political on you. I’m truly sorry. You know how desperately I try not to be informed about, well, anything (for proof, please note the time I got Greenwich and North Greenwich mixed up. Or when I claimed that leprechauns were from Scotland.)

But this SOPA and PIPA business has me sincerely freaked out. If either of these bills pass, the implications for bloggers, website owners, small businesses, and internet start-ups are severe and scary. Sites can be taken down for merely linking to other sites that violate the terms of SOPA and PIPA. And there’s no opportunity for appeal.

So if I link to a site that’s selling really awful Louis Vuitton knock-offs (because I find it HILARIOUS) or I link to a clip of The Goonies that’s horrifically dubbed in Italian, I could get shutdown. Even if I’m not hosting the stuff. Even if I link to something else on those sites, something that itself has nothing to do with copyright infringement, I’m still at risk. I could lose my site just like that. It’s a scary thought.

Because the thing is, as much as I try to play it cool, I really like having a blog. And I’ve always had a little thing for the First Amendment.

And god knows how much I love bootleg clips of SNL’s Celebrity Jeopardy skits (sorry – I had to link to a legitimate site there, but you get my point).

So, because of my genuine belief that Congress shall make no law infringing on my right to link to whatever the hell I want, I am participating in the SOPA blackout (hence the messaging that you will see on the site on January 18th and 23rd). That means I won’t be posting on Wednesday.

Instead, I’ll be staring out my window at the falling snow, contemplating the importance of freedom and liberty in our ever-changing world, and coming up with twice as many fart jokes to tell you on Thursday.

It’s for a good cause. I hope you understand.