Force Visa & Mastercard to cease SOPA support

VISA and Mastercard support "SOPA". I've just applied for a new American Express card. While I'm not going to cut up my Visa and Mastercard, I am going to use Amex in their stead with all companies that accept Amex. I advise all of you to do the same right after you sign this petition.

In case you are not already aware, Congressional bill "SOPA" threatens to shut down most online blog sites such as Facebook, Google+ and others, perhaps not intentionally, but in effect. If passed, this bill will have a very destructive effect on individual Internet use and primarily upon blogging sites and support forums.

I considered listing a number of links supporting this argument, but to do so is rather like going to a forest to look for trees. Just Google "SOPA".

The following link is to a list of companies supporting SOPA. Nearly all are recording companies, movie studios, and publishers of music and movies. Some, like VISA and Mastercard, are large corporations which stand to benefit from our consumerism as we try to drown our tears from being locked out of our blogs and social support circles.

http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/Rogue%20Websites/List%20of%20SOPA%20Supporters.pdf

Not all companies listed actually favor this legislation. Recently Gibson, the famed guitar manufacturer, took legal action to have their support removed, claiming they have no idea how they came to be listed. There are probably others on that list who need only be notified that they are so illegitimately listed.

GoDaddy originally supported the bill until such Internet giants as Wikipedia abandoned them. GoDaddy suddenly realized that supporting a bill was not in their best interest if it caused them to lose their customer base.

http://www.neowin.net/news/sopa-supporters-list-updated-godaddy-not-included

As you will soon be witness, three Internet giants, Amazon, Facebook and Google+ are taking a particularly aggressive stance regarding this short-sighted bill, but it is up to all of us to make everyone aware of its implications and to knock out its support by petitioning its supporters as I am currently doing with Visa and Mastercard.

Please sign this petition. After doing so, please review the list of other supporters, pick one, and create your own petition. It's easier than you might think. For example the next time someone tells me they are looking to buy a Sony product I'll be all like, "Don't Buy SONY! They supported SOPA!" No self-respecting company would wish to associate itself with this legislation.

In addition to the implications I've already listed, this legislation also gives the US Gov unfettered control of what the American Public is permitted to see. During the Iraq War, I often linked to British newspapers for a different perspective of the war. If SOPA passes, the next time we have a war we can expect the government to control what news we see.

Almost forgot! Please share this petition on your own blog!