Friday, December 21, 2012

Open Letter to Sen Chambliss on the FISA Amendments Act.

The following is an open letter to Senator Saxby Chambliss, who recently noted that an important spying bill reauthorization was not worth a debate and should just be passed.

Dear Senator Chamblis,

We have just one question for you.

Why do you hate America, and the Constitution?

Your recent statement to just ‘pass the FISA Amendments bill reauthorisation’ was a complete slap to the Constitution, your oath of office, and to what America stands for. So, can we expect you to start undertaking your responsibilities of office, or will you step down, and stop pocketing the money for a job you clearly only have so that you can destroy this country.

In case you were unaware, that little thing you can’t be bothered reading about (despite being paid $174,000/year to do it) is about a special power given to the Government supposedly to deal with terrorism. In reality it’s been very rarely used, and is part of a wider series of bills that were passed in a blind panic of fear over the last 10 years. Let’s face facts; terrorism is a very minor problem, that has been manufactured into an issue far beyond its real impact.

Over the last 15 years there have been twice as many deaths due to the weather as due to terrorism involving a US citizen worldwide; funding for NOAA hasn’t been increased but we’ve had a whole new government agency – the TSA – come in to destroy the basic tenets of the Constitution and massively intrude on the citizens of this country, all with your approval. There were more people killed on US roads in September 2001, than were killed on 9/11; and similar numbers every month since, yet there has been no massive influx of spending on improving US roads, or requiring a stricter driving test.

Over the last 10 years there have been 3 actual ‘attacks’, all stopped by citizens, while 50+ other ones, stopped by the TSA and FBI has to be mainly underwritten by these same agencies to begin with.

There was strong evidence that the NSA broke the law in several cases, along with telecom companies. It led to the FISA Amendments Act in 2008, where you gave retroactive immunity to those companies that spied on Americans, illegally. That was wrong. You did it anyway. You showed your disregard for the American people by eliminating checks and balances, and by denying anyone redress against the Government, in violation of the Constitution.

There is no provision in law that says ‘you can break the law, but if you say you did it for the public good, it’s ok and you’re forgiven’. The law is the law. By placing agencies of the government above the law, where they cannot be challenged by the citizens, then you have not only failed in your sworn duty to your Constituents of Georgia, you’ve actively conspired against it, and there’s a word for that; Treason.

You know all this, because you’re Vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. If you don’t know all this, then you’re not just anti-American, you’re flat-out incompetent as well.

Over the last week, there has been Plenty of talk about gun control, and I’m sure you’re champing at the bit to oppose it on the grounds of ‘the second amendment’, especially when the NRA is (falsely) suggesting a link between video games and movies, and suggesting curbing that (1st Amendment issue) and putting armed guards in schools (4th Amendment risk) to keep their 2nd amendment going, despite the lack of evidence that this would do anything as proposed.

Now we come to this FISA Amendment re-authorisation, which you want to punt on, rather than deal with through proper factual debate. That's not good, not is it keeping to what is expected of you in your job description or oath of office.. In case you’d forgotten your oath of office, here it is.

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

This act defecates on it. It makes a mockery of the 4th Amendment, by allowing a search without probable cause. It makes a mockery of the 6th amendment, by not allowing confrontation of witnesses, or a speedy public trial, because of claims of ‘state secrets’. With these provisions, it makes any case brought under these laws at BEST questionable under, and at worst in violation of, the 5th Amendment. All the while, it also violates the 14th Amendment, by denying equal protection. When people are free to break the law, and given retroactive immunity, or prevented from taking a case to court to enforce their constitutional rights, then that’s not equal protection under the law.

So by all means, support the re-authorisation, or deem it unimportant. But realise that when a Senator shows such little regard for a law that violates four different constitutional protections, then your fitness to be considered American is in question, much less your status as Senator. So if you feel you can’t abide by the terms of your oath, and by the Constitution, I invite you to step-down, and leave the job to someone who will serve the people of Georgia, and America as a whole, in a manner they would expect.

In short, it’s time to decide where your loyalties lay, Senator Chambliss. Do they lie with the American people, or do they lie with those mandarins in the civil service who your oath of office would show to be a domestic enemy. The time to choose is now, and we await your decision forthwith.

The Pirate Party of Georgia.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

2012 Voting Dates

In the coming months we will have two more elections:
The State Primary:Tuesday, July 31st

The General Election:Tuesday, November 6th

Visit ga.electionland.com, votesmart.org and rockthevote.com to find out more about the upcoming elections and to make sure that you are prepaired to vote!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Looking for active members

I am currently in the process of looking for people to help with the party, you can contact me via email or on facebook.

To get an idea of the type of things needed please review the following links:
For more information on the USPP please review the following links About the USPP and USPP

    Tuesday, September 25, 2012

    Monday, July 2, 2012

    Rep. Scott (R-GA8) Lies to Promote Partisanship

    The Affordable Healthcare Act (more commonly known in the vernacular as ‘ObamaCare’, although ‘Romneycare’ would be more accurate, but hereafter ‘AHA’) has been the source of great contention over the last two years. This boiled over yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled that it was Constitutional, ruling against the many (mainly republican controlled) states that sought to challenge it.

    Wednesday, June 20, 2012

    Response from Senator Saxby Chambliss about the Cybersecurity Act of 2012


    Dear Mr. Smith:

    Thank you for contacting me regarding cybersecurity legislation. Your taking time to contact me is appreciated.

    S. 2105, the "Cybersecurity Act of 2012," was introduced on February 14, 2012.  This legislation would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with owners and operators of critical infrastructure, the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council, and other federal agencies and private sector entities, to conduct a top-level assessment of cybersecurity risks to determine which sectors face the greatest immediate risk.  In addition, DHS would be required to identify or develop risk-based cybersecurity performance requirements as well as implement cyber response and restoration plans.

    Today there are increasing threats of espionage and attacks over the internet that threaten our national security.  However, I understand your concerns regarding increased government regulation of the internet.  Therefore, I recently joined several of my colleagues to introduce S. 2151, the "Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology (SECURE IT) Act of 2012."  This legislation would improve our cybersecurity without increasing the size of the federal government, creating burdensome regulations that hamper the private sector, or adding to the enormous national debt.

    Furthermore, on April 26, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3523, the "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act."  This legislation currently resides in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

    I am hopeful that the Senate will recognize the importance of enhancing our cybersecurity in a responsible manner by supporting the SECURE IT Act.   As the Senate considers future cybersecurity legislation, including S. 2105, S. 2151, or H.R. 3523, I will keep your comments in mind.

    Wednesday, May 9, 2012

    Response from Johnny Isakson about the TPP

    Dear Mr. Smith:
     
    Thank you for contacting me about the Trans-Pacific Partnership.  I appreciate hearing from you and am grateful for the opportunity to respond. 
     
    As you may know, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is an agreement between the United States and Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.  Combined, these eight countries make up the fourth largest export market for the United States.  There have been several issues raised in the nine rounds of negotiations, including intellectual property rights and regulatory coherence.
     
    Even though the United States has signed onto this agreement, Congress still must approve it as well as any implementing legislation.  I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that legislation related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership is crafted openly in a way that will be advantageous to both American industries and American consumers. 
     
    Reducing barriers to trade with other countries not only allows for greater diversity within the American marketplace, but opens up new and bigger markets for American goods and services.  I believe that we must work to grow the U.S. economy at home as well as abroad.  As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I am keenly aware of the need for the United States to be politically and economically engaged with other nations as we grow our economy, bolster national security, and maintain and increase our influence. We cannot afford to waste any time in this increasingly competitive, interconnected, and global economy.  Rest assured, I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate works on issues related to U.S. trade relations. 
     
    Thank you again for contacting me.  Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov/ for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter.

    Sincerely,
    Johnny Isakson
    United States Senator

    Wednesday, April 18, 2012

    Drew Curtis: How I beat a patent troll

    Patent trolls are a huge problem these days, they are one of the many reasons the patent system needs a change.
    This TED.com video pretty well covers patent troll problem and how he dealt with it.

    Tuesday, April 10, 2012

    Online meet and greet via IRC

    This Thursday (4/12/2012) at 9 PM EST we are going to have an online meet and greet, please RSVP via facebook or friday you can log into the IRC via this link or the following if you have an IRC client:
    irc.pirateirc.net
    port 6667 (clear) and 6697 (SSL)
    Channel – #uspp

    Monday, March 19, 2012

    Rob Reid: The $8 billion iPod

    http://www.ted.com/ Comic author Rob Reid unveils Copyright Math (TM), a remarkable new field of study based on actual numbers from entertainment industry lawyers and lobbyists.

    Tuesday, February 28, 2012

    The REAL Voter Fraud

    If you ask people about voter fraud, most will admit it's a serious issue, and it IS. People casting votes they're not entitled to is a serious problem around the country, and something needs to be done about it. What's currently being done is NOT the solution though. Current Voter Fraud proposals don't address the issue, they just disenfranchise people, and that's not only bad, that's utterly unacceptable.

    ACTA Infographic

    Click on the following infographic to find out more about why the ACTA is pretty well a bad idea!

    Wednesday, February 15, 2012

    Various copyright laws passed over the past 36 years

    Here are various copyright laws passed over the past 36 years. SOPA and PIPA were almost added to this list, and now the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (PPA) are both being worked on in secret. Has our goverment (working with the media) already gone too far? Does it make any sense with all the laws on the books that we need even more?

    Friday, January 27, 2012

    SOPA and The Film Industry infographic

    This infographic shows the history of the film industry and the various things they have attempted to stop over the years. SOPA is their way of stopping the internet...

    Thursday, January 26, 2012

    No Safe Harbor, get it now!

    If you do not know already the book No Safe Harbor is out, their are free digital editions and a hard copy as well!

    Normally I would just tell you to go to the website, but currently due to demand a temporary site had to be put up (the main server was knocked offline from everyone trying to get a copy, wow!!!) .

    Here's a list of links for the book while you're waiting.

    BUY IT AT AMAZON.COM - Price $9.99

    Torrent - http://bit.ly/x5gtHe (or as a Magnet)
    TXT - http://bit.ly/xrPGl5
    ODT - http://bit.ly/zC6TE1
    RTF - http://bit.ly/xHI7MO
    PDF - http://bit.ly/xVI0t1
    MOBI - http://bit.ly/wtYRQQ
    EPUB - http://bit.ly/zt99zw

    Here is the contact info if you need it!!
    press@nosafeharbor.com
    +1 352-658-3824
    Or on Twitter @nosafeharbor

    Friday, January 20, 2012

    TED.COM Clay Shirky: Why SOPA is a bad idea

    Clay Shirky is a writer, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of Internet technologies.
    To find out more about his work check out shirky.comtwitter.com/cshirky and his other Ted.com videos.

    This video pretty well discusses SOPA and PIPA and how important it is that they do not get passed, and just how things have changed from an innocent until proven guilty stance to the total opposite!

    Wednesday, January 18, 2012

    An open letter to Washington from Artists and Creators

    Some of my favorite people in the entertainment industry have gotten together and written a letter, please read the below!

    We, the undersigned, are musicians, actors, directors, authors, and producers. We make our livelihoods with the artistic works we create. We are also Internet users.

    We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

    As creative professionals, we experience copyright infringement on a very personal level. Commercial piracy is deeply unfair and pervasive leaks of unreleased films and music regularly interfere with the integrity of our creations. We are grateful for the measures policymakers have enacted to protect our works.

    We, along with the rest of society, have benefited immensely from a free and open Internet. It allows us to connect with our fans and reach new audiences. Using social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we can communicate directly with millions of fans and interact with them in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

    We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services - artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.

    We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA's impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.

    We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure that the free and open Internet, upon which so many artists rely to promote and distribute their work, does not become collateral damage in the process.
    Respectfully,
    • Aziz Ansari
    • Kevin Devine, Musician
    • Barry Eisler, Author
    • Neil Gaiman, Author
    • Lloyd Kaufman, Filmmaker
    • Zoë Keating, Musician
    • The Lonely Island
    • Daniel Lorca, Musician (Nada Surf)
    • Erin McKeown, Musician
    • Benjamin Goldwasser, MGMT
    • Andrew VanWyngarden, MGMT
    • Samantha Murphy, Musician
    • OK Go
    • Amanda Palmer, Musician (The Dresden Dolls)
    • Quiet Company
    • Trent Reznor
    • Adam Savage, Special Effects Artist (MythBusters)
    • Hank Shocklee, Music Producer (Public Enemy, The Bomb Squad)
    • Johnny Stimson, Musician
    To help protect Internet innovation please visit: stopthewall.us

    Tuesday, January 17, 2012

    A Press Release on the Pirate Blackout.

    SOPA & PIPA: The Internet Goes On Strike, Pirates Join

    On January 18, many websites will voluntarily go on strike [1] to demonstrate against the threat of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT-IP Act (PIPA) bills, pending US legislation that would restrict freedom of speech, negatively impact economies, and degrade internet security. Participation in the strike has been confirmed by Wikipedia [2], Reddit, Mozilla, and Free Software Foundation, among others. Many organizations, including Google, Facebook, and Twitter, have expressed grave concerns over the bills [3].

    Regardless of whether its purpose is legitimate or whether it will work; the legislation is not compatible with democratic values. It promotes censorship by giving the US Government and corporations the power to block access to - and take down - websites that they consider to be infringing on their copyright monopoly, including search engines or blogs which link to such sites. This would be done by ordering Internet Service Providers to censor access to the Internet and by cutting funds to the infringing websites by forcing the advertisers and payment services to cancel their accounts [4].

    These laws would make social networks, search engines, and all websites providing space for discussion and information exchange impossible to run without massive surveillance of all users and the censorship of everything they publish. A link placed by a user in the comment section of an article in a regular Internet magazine could result in the magazine going bankrupt and the owners being charged with a crime. This would not only cripple innovation and entrepreneurship, it would be a flagrant violation of the fundamental human right to free speech. The bill's supporters refuse to acknowledge the anti-democratic aspects of the bill as a problem; instead pointing-out that the proposed filtering mechanisms have been proven to work in countries like China, Iran, and Syria [5] - nations infamous for their official suppression of free speech and expression.

    Pirate Parties are joining the protest and oppose these bills on the grounds that they will erode the rights of every internet user around the world. Pirate Parties object generally to any legislation that would toughen intellectual property law, but these acts go beyond file-sharing - they harm everyone's ability to participate and interact online, both personally and commercially.

    Pirate Parties urge other websites to join the strike on the 18th.

    Pirate Parties who will black out on the 18th:

    The following Pirate Parties support it:

    • Australia
    • Belgium
    • Catalonia
    • Czech Republic
    • Canada
    • France
    • Germany and Young Pirates Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Kazakhstan
    • Luxembourg
    • Massachusetts and Georgia
    • Russia
    • Slovakia
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • The Netherlands
    • Turkey 
    • Ukraine
    • United Kingdom
    • Pirate Parties International

    Fight SOPA and PIPA

    The laws SOPA (HR3261) and PIPA (S968) may soon be passed, they will give corporations the ability to take down ANY WEBSITE that could affect affect their profits. They say it's to stop online piracy but in reality it will be giving control of the internet to businesses and people that only wants your hard earned dollars!

    The supporters of SOPA are: RIAA, MPAA, News Corp, TimeWarner, Walmart, Nike, Tiffany, Chanel, Rolex, Sony, Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, VISA, Mastercard, Comcast, ABC, Dow Chemical, Monster Cable, Teamsters, Rupert Murdoch, Lamar Smith (R-TX), John Conyers (D-MI)

    Here are 8 ways you can fight SOPA and PIPA:
    Find out more about SOPA and PIPA here:
    I would like to thank Craigslist for getting all of these links!

    Friday, January 6, 2012

    SOPA/PIPA response from Austin Scott [Georgia-8]

    A week or two back, an email was sent to Rep. Austin Scott, who represents Georgia's 8th District in the United States Congress.

    The letter you can read here, but finally we got a response.

    Wednesday, January 4, 2012

    SOPA/PIPA response from Johnny Isakson United States Senator

    A few weeks ago I sent a letter to a couple of my senators in regards to SOPA and PIPA, I finally received a response from one of them!

    Dear Mr. Smith:

    Thank you for contacting me regarding intellectual property theft. I appreciate hearing from you and I appreciate the opportunity to respond.

    S.968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property (PROTECT IP) Act of 2011, was introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) on May 12, 2011, and was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. On May 26, 2011, it was reported out of Committee and is currently pending in the Senate. The bill targets websites, particularly those registered outside of the United States, which are "dedicated to infringing activities." These rogue websites typically offer unauthorized downloading or streaming of copyrighted content or the sale of counterfeit goods including music, movies, and pharmaceutical drugs.

    Websites targeted by this bill are foreign owned and outside the reach of U.S. laws despite the fact U.S. intellectual property is being infringed upon and U.S. consumers are the targets. Rogue websites cost American workers jobs and cost businesses millions of dollars in lost revenue. As online technology and commerce advances, we must see to it that injured parties have the ability to stop infringers from profiting from counterfeit products. For example, a victim of infringement will have the authority to file a civil action against the owner or registrant of a rogue site. If an order is granted by the court, third parties will be required to stop processing payments from the infringing sites, therefore, preventing infringers from collecting payments. I will work to ensure that our laws our modernized to protect intellectual property, and will keep your thoughts on this bill in mind should it come before the Senate for a vote.

    Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov/ for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter.

    Sincerely,

    Johnny Isakson
    United States Senator

    Frugal Dad's infographic on the patent industry

    Frugal Dad has created an infographic that discusses some of the facts behind the patent industry and how it’s changed as software, technology, and the Internet have developed at an incredible pace. If you want to view it please click the link below, just as most infographics are it is very long but quite informative!