Free Speech Alive And Well In NYC

Protesters--a crowd of them covering a block long swath of street in front of the Manhattan offices of New York's Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer--made themselves heard yesterday.  They were protesting the SOPA and PIPA bills now before Congress which they claim will, if passed, have a chilling effect on innovation.  They are concerned that both pieces of proposed legislation are too broad in the powers they give to the feds to swoop in and shut down sites that are suspected of using pirated material. 

The crowd--which called itself New York Tech Meetup--was acting in concert with Google and Wikipedia and other sites that either went dark completely or, in the case of Google, merely blacked out their name.  The one day protest was to call attention to the importance of ensuring.

Apparently as a result of Google and other website boycotts and also the New York Tech Meet up action, some Senators originally backing the SOPA and PIPA legislation have backed away from it.  Impressive, no?  Free speech is dearly valued in this country and events like  this remind us of the power of peaceful persuasion.

I can't help but contrast this with recent events in China involving Google, long a target of the Chinese government which doesn't like Google's efforts at making public information on issues the Chinese government chooses to censor (such as, among other things, information on the Dalai Lama). 

America has its problems, especially right now, but let's not lose sight of the value of our right of free speech.  Long may it flourish.

What we can't be is apathetic about issues like this.  People need to continue to speak up.  And, apparently, enough people care about this issue to say something--and get heard.  Bravo for New York Tech Meetup.