PIPA

2 posts
Civil Rights

Saxby Chambliss Retiring

US Senator Saxby Chambliss has announced that he won’t be running for re-election in 2014. I can’t say I’ll miss him all that much.

Chambliss has been an ardent supporter of the 2nd Amendment, but that’s not enough. Single-issue voting is a willing set of blinders that causes its proponents to miss other important issues. I haven’t forgotten Chambliss’ blind co-sponsorship of S. 968, which would have had a chilling effect on internet speech. Nor am I willing to forgive his support for civilian detainment in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, a stance he refused to change even while many Democrats voted to excise the offensive provisions.

I’m also reluctant to let history overlook his reprehensible tactics in the 2002 election, or his unwavering support for the PATRIOT Act despite many obvious 4th Amendment and due-process concerns. Given that he’s got nothing to lose at this point, there’s also a chance he may decide to give ground on his support for gun rights as well.

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Civil Rights

After the Blackout

1 comment

I’m uncertain how effective the Wikipedia blackout truly was. Most people who’ve mentioned it to me saw it as a massive inconvenience and little more. That’s a shame, because a some lessons are being lost there.

  1. SOPA is a bad bill, and one with potentially dire consequences for the entire internet.
  2. At least one major pillar of the online community was willing to step up to protest it.
  3. Most people don’t care and would rather not be bothered. They had to endure 24 hours being deprived of a resource for which they pay nothing, and for which there are alternatives.

I hope just a small fraction of those folks will actually follow up and research the bill. If even some people choose to get active about it, all the better.

Speaking of which, those of us in Georgia really need to reconsider our choices in representation. Both Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss are cosponsors of the Senate version.

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