Rep. Lamar Smith Decides Lying About, Insulting And Dismissing Opposition To SOPA Is A Winning Strategy
from the we-shall-see dept
It appears that SOPA sponsor Rep. Lamar Smith has decided that his best strategy continues to be to ignore any and all criticism of SOPA and pretend that none of it “is legitimate.” That’s kinda funny since we’ve shown, in great detail, where many of the problems in the bill are (see here, here and here for example — all of which cite specific language from the bill). And yet, according to Smith:
“The criticism of this bill is completely hypothetical; none of it is based in reality,” Smith said in a statement to Roll Call. “Not one of the critics was able to point to any language in the bill that would in any way harm the Internet. Their accusations are simply not supported by any facts.”
We’ve done exactly what he’s claimed we haven’t — as have numerous other parties, including famed Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe, who also cited specific language in the bill. Ditto with former DHS Assistant Secretary, Stewart Baker, who also cited language from the bill about how SOPA will cause significant security problems for the internet.
It makes you wonder: just who does Lamar Smith think he’s fooling?
Does he really think that if he just keeps on repeating these blatant lies someone, somewhere, will believe them?
From there, he goes from the ridiculous to the absurd by claiming that the widespread outcry over SOPA is just a “vocal minority,” rather than any legitimate movement against the bill:
“It?s a vocal minority, he said. “Because they?re strident doesn?t mean they?re either legitimate or large in number. One, they need to read the language. Show me the language. There?s nothing they can point to that does what they say it does do. I think their fears are unfounded.”
Hundreds of thousands of letters sent? Nearly 90,000 calls in a single day? This is not a “vocal minority.” This is a large and growing segment of the population who is very, very concerned. And, they have shown him the language, contrary to his blatantly false claims. Dismissing the concerns of pretty much the entire tech sector and their users (not to mention the folks over at Reddit…) doesn’t seem wise. It seems like someone who doesn’t understand the internet, not just in trying to regulate it, but in how the internet can be used to rally support against those who seek to damage it.
Filed Under: facts, lamar smith, legitimate concerns, opposition, sopa
Comments on “Rep. Lamar Smith Decides Lying About, Insulting And Dismissing Opposition To SOPA Is A Winning Strategy”
Theoretically...
If a million people were to cry out at how horrible some proposed legislation was, they’re only 0.325725949% of the US population.
A “vocal minority”, as it were.
Of course, if you factor out those people who never go online, and those people who do not understand how the internet works, then one may find that same vocal group likely represents a high percentage of those people who use and understand the internet.
Re: Theoretically...
Actually, I would guess that if we’re just looking at those who use and understand the internet, the so called minority would be 100%.
How about we look at people who know what this bill is about and have commented on it? Those opposing the bill will still be a large majority, but at least we’re counting those who support the bill.
Re: Theoretically...
I sense a disturbance in the force, as if a million people were to cry out at how horrible some proposed legislation was and were promptly ignored…
Re: Theoretically...
the scary problem is that if you factor out those who dont go online, those who dont understand how the internet works and those who dont understand how this legislation actually works, you have also just factored out an alarmingly high percentage of elected officials.
Re: Theoretically...
Ah but you are ignoring the “representative” function of these communications. If one person writes a letter, does that individual “represent” a portion of all of the constituents? I submit that they do, at some percentage that is probably highly variable. Would it not be safe to assume that a member of congress applies a percentage of “representation” to that communication?
Let just conservatively say that for each person that goes through the trouble of communicating with congress, there are 100 people that hold the same opinion but did not communicate. So if you extrapolate that out, the 1 million letters actually “represent” the opinion of 100 million people.
Re: Re: Theoretically...
the 1 million letters actually “represent” the opinion of 100 million people.
Which is still an amusingly small percentage of the US population.
Re: Re: Re: Theoretically...
Actually it’s nearly a third of the entire US population.
Now let’s run some numbers (from the US Census Bureau, 2010):
US population: 308,745,538
Age 18 and over: 76%
US population 18+: 234,646,608
One hundred million people = 42.6% of the adult population
Small percentage indeed…
Re: Re: Re:2 Theoretically...
It’s all in how you define phrases such as “tiny percentage” or “vocal minority” or, for that matter, “silent majority”.
If it’s less than 50% it qualifies as the two former while the people who aren’t counted in are the majority. Right?
See, that makes purrrfect sense!
The only problem with that is if you or I decide to factor in the notion that that representative 30% as far more likely to vote than the “silent majority” of 70%. Given the dismal turnout in elections held in all western democracies these days that would be more for Lamar Smith to lose his job, not to mention a few others.
Not only is he lying, he’s in denial about this.
Re: Theoretically...
One could also argue that those that are in favor are a vocal minority, if that is the logic.
Re: Re: Theoretically...
…they don’t seem very vocal, except maybe this Smith fellow.
Re: Theoretically...
Thanks Captain Obvious.
Re: Theoretically...
That’s also not how statistical sample sizes work. There are also only 209 million adults in the US. A million people is way more than enough of a sample size to accurately represent the US population.
But...but...but of course he's right...
…since none of us have any idea how the Internet works, whereas Lamar Smith is internationally renowned for his technical prowess and keen understanding of the Internet’s architecture.
Re: But...but...but of course he's right...
He probably learned how the internet works directly from its inventor: Al Gore!
Re: Re: But...but...but of course he's right...
What Al Gore actually said is quite accurate (per, among other people, Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn); what was misquoted in the press is wrong. Please see: How a journalist invented that Al Gore invented the Internet, which links to Seth Finkelstein’s page describing how this story spread.
Re: Re: Re: But...but...but of course he's right...
?During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.?
He did exaggerate to toot his own horn and sound important. He created legislation to assist those creating the internet. That sentence does make it sound like he is trying to take ownership of the internet’s creation.
But yes he did get railroaded with bad coverage that no one ever bothered to correct. Tinfoil ensues.
Moral of the story, don’t try to take credit for shit you didn’t do. Or more credit than you deserve for shit you had a small role in
Re: Re: But...but...but of course he's right...
Al gore is its inventor just for being in the room when it was first used? Then I invented the iphone.
Sorry mike, i cant hear you in the pile of money i’m swimming in. There is nothing wrong with the bill. Stop complaining. 😀
Re: Re:
He’s just trolling us. Except that it seems the rest of the Congress actually believes it.
And he’s from Texas. That’s where all the copyright insanity goes.
I think Lamar Smith has allowed himself to be captured by his staff. From things that he said in the SOPA hearings it sounded like he rarely if ever goes online himself. Therefore he is probably relying entirely on his staff to tell him what he needs to know. Of course, several members of that same staff probably already have promises of cushy jobs at various SOPA supporters companies to be awarded the moment that SOPA passes.
Lamar Smith is nothing but a corrupt sack of dog poop that will get what is coming to him in 2012.His own Constituents will probably never Vote for him again.He is a prick and I would hope he is investigated for Ethics Violations or at the very least the Donations he received should all be made public.
FRAK YOU LAMAR SMITH !!!
I am not a Pirate or a Thief.I am a US Citizen born and bred and you will not stop our free speech.Thing is you do not even care about this fact you just care about money from Hollywood.
And your Industry support is slowly crumbling.No one in their right mind would ever want to allow any kind of Censorship in our free Country.Shut off the NET and you corrupted politicians will rue the day you do this to us US Citizens.
SOPA/PIPA = WAR !!!
Re: Re:
The problem with Smith is that TX21 is so gerrymandered, he’s in a safe district. It’s hard to vote out someone that has so many defenses built in around the system.
Re: Re:
Off your meds again Gorehound?
Re: Re: Re:
You must be new here, he calls himself gorehound for a reason.
Re: Re:
Unfortunately he is probably going to get re-elected because he is from Texas and a republican.
Re: gorehound
Actually Lamar Smith doesn’t have anyone running against him in his district (which I live in) at the moment. I have been a proponent of getting his ass out of office for the past few years, and considering what his constituents are like (typically old white republicans), I seriously doubt SOPA is going to be the thing that gets him booted out.
Re: Re: gorehound
As another inhabitant of Lamar Smith’s district, I agree that the people who voted him into office are unlikely to get very excited about SOPA. The only good feature is that the general area has been tending purple for a while, so maybe someday…
I’m not sure how we can get politicians to actual listen to their constituents when their money and their blowjobs come from narrow rich and powerful interests.
Perhaps we could crowdsource blowjobs for politicians? Then we just have to worry about getting the money out.
Re: Re:
If there will be crowdsourced blowjobs then I’m running for congress this year.
Actually, what’s the lowest level of government employee eligible for said blowjobs? That’s the position I’m running/applying for. I don’t even want the damned money.
Re: betrayal by career politicians
The politicians in the senate and congress know they will be voted out. They are afraid to face the fact that they deserve to be voted out.
They ignore the truth hoping that the same thugs who bought the elections for McCain, Pelosi and Reid will buy re-elections for them and this is why they chose to ignore we the people.
Re: betrayal by career politicians
The politicians in the senate and congress know they will be voted out. They are afraid to face the fact that they deserve to be voted out.
They ignore the truth hoping that the same thugs who bought the elections for McCain, Pelosi and Reid will buy re-elections for them and this is why they chose to ignore we the people.
Re: betrayal by career politicians
The politicians in the senate and congress know they will be voted out. They are afraid to face the fact that they deserve to be voted out.
They ignore the truth hoping that the same thugs who bought the elections for McCain, Pelosi and Reid will buy re-elections for them and this is why they chose to ignore we the people.
Re: betrayal by career politicians
The politicians in the senate and congress know they will be voted out. They are afraid to face the fact that they deserve to be voted out.
They ignore the truth hoping that the same thugs who bought the elections for McCain, Pelosi and Reid will buy re-elections for them and this is why they chose to ignore we the people.
Looks like the ostrich method of legislating is alive and well in Washington. Except, instead of burying his head in the sand he is burying it deep in his anus. Great going there Smith.
Shut it down then
Beat them to it, shut down the Internet and be done with it.
But don’t DARE buy ANYTHING from corporations. Instead go to local placed where music is playing, ensure they are not on major labels, ensure the establishments are not paying royalties to SOCAN/ASCAP/et. al. Just avoid anything corporate.
Write letters (the US Post Office will thank you given they are broke) to senators and members of congress and parliament. Thank them for freeing you from information overload by their own stupidity and acceptance of bribes from corporations.
Drop your cable television/satellite subscription. Watch the movies you already have, don’t buy more unless from indie folks.
Don’t purchase a single newspaper (RMurdoch will be happy you dropped the ‘Net but pissed you’re not reading his horeshit “news”).
Talk to your neighbours and learn about them. Go to parks. Spend time with your family.
Write more to your political “representatives” explaining how if things don’t change and real proof and real transparency are not a reality (budgets, receipts, etc…) then they are out the door.
Given the financial “crisis” the greedy corps will face, they won’t have much left for bribing politicians.
Develop our own, completely open, Internet after corps have plummeted.
Maybe then society will be better off. Clearly too many people are asleep at the wheel, taking away the web and TV and news might help them to learn to think for themselves.
Re: Shut it down then
If you DO buy movies/tv shows on dvd/BluRay, buy used or remaindered.
There are several sites that handle still-sealed dvds/blurays at really low prices, like $4.99 for a $29.99 (retail) disc.
It’ll be stuff that’s been out 6 months or longer, but what’s your hurry? 😉
Re: Re: Shut it down then
Your words are ones I have used before. I buy all my music, movies and games second hand. I just got Assains Creed 3 for xbox for $2.50.
Re: Re: Re: Shut it down then
I highly doubt that, as Assassin’s Creed 3 releases November 15th of this year. Or maybe you’re a time traveler?
Re: Re: Re:2 Shut it down then
No revelations will be 4.
Ass Creed
Ass Creed 2
Ass Creed Brotherhood (3)
Ass Creed Rev (4)
If you are going to mock people at least have your facts straight.
He should have chastised you people for pretending this bill will get abused, too.
Warrantless wiretapping?
Fraudulent DCMA takedown notices?
Bogus domain seizures?
It’ll neverrrrrr happen.
The vocal minority is the copyright industry
More specifically it is the gatekeepers to the copyright industry. Most likely Lamar has been promised a very well paid job after he leaves the government and is frothing at the mouth that he may not get that job if this bill fails.
Told you so.
Lies
‘Does he really think that if he just keeps on repeating these blatant lies someone, somewhere, will believe them?’
Of course he does. Remember he belongs to a group whose members make *careers* of lying to people in order to get elected, get rich and keep their jobs. There is a skill to this that you are simply underestimating. Never, never underestimate a smiling sociopath.
Support for internet blocking: 16%
Survey Shows Piracy Common and Widely Accepted
(H/T Slashdot)
Re: Support for internet blocking: 16%
Survey Shows Piracy Common and Widely Accepted… (H/T Slashdot)
Heh. Good thing we ran that story two months ago, huh?
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111115/00240216771/new-study-shows-majority-americans-against-sopa-believe-extreme-copyright-enforcement-is-unreasonable.shtml
🙂
Re: Re: Support for internet blocking: 16%
Uh oh. The Internet is starting to feedback!
By my calculations, the feedback loop will soon cause a chain reaction that will destroy the Earth in less than a year (around December 21 this year, give or take)!
Clearly we need laws like SOPA to pass, to be able to take down rogue sites that continue to feed this loop.
This isn’t just for the children any more. What we are doing here is preventing the apocalypse!
Re: Re: Support for internet blocking: 16%
Well I was probably busy that day.
So, November 15th. Hmmm… I’ll have to check the invoices. Maybe I had some real work to do then.
Re: Support for internet blocking: 16%
The 16% number actually refers to support for disconnecting households from the internet.
Going to the PDF itself, rather than relying on the summary at the activepolitic.com site:
Copyright Infringement and Enforcement in the US, Nov 2011:
“Does he really think that if he just keeps on repeating these blatant lies someone, somewhere, will believe them?”
In short, Yes, he does.
He’s been reduced to a puppet parroting whatever his corporate puppetmasters tell him to say.
In other words, he’s a member of Congress.
That’s a Texan for you if you argue with them. They shoot you in the face, then make you apologize to them for getting shot:)
Re: Re:
Hey come on now. I’m from Texas, I don’t think or act like Lamar Smith. In fact, you’d find a large majority (or better said “minority” as Lamar Smith would say) don’t.
Re: Re: Re:
Hey come on now. I’m from Texas, I think I look a little like Lamar Smith. In fact, you’d find a large majority here do look like him.
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Your all Mormons and related?!
This explains all the look alikes…
Re: Re: Re:
Hear, hear.
Re: Re:
I wish there was a way to kick him out of office sooner so that he stops being Rep. Lamar Smith from Texas, and is instead just Lamar Smith the madman.
In my classes (in Texas), the only people I’ve seen that aren’t against SOPA are the ones who haven’t heard of it at all.
It makes you wonder: just who does Lamar Smith think he's fooling?
He’s fooling all of the other representatives who argue in a vacuum and live under a rock.
But it’s much easier to be happy when you’ve got so many responsibilities like Lamar Smith when you become delusional and ignore reality!
Do you want poor Lamar Smith to die from stress by waking up and realizing the numerous horrors and acts of evil he’s inflicted upon the world just doing day to day business in congress that inevitably ruins so many people’s lives because of the size and power of the US government?
Re: Re:
“Do you want poor Lamar Smith to die from stress by waking up and realizing the numerous horrors and acts of evil he’s inflicted upon the world just doing day to day business in congress that inevitably ruins so many people’s lives because of the size and power of the US government?”
Yes!
Oh, Lord!
YES!
Re: Re: Re:
Sadly, no. I know it’s just the GIFT rule, but don’t say that. You’re giving the SOPA supporters more evidence (evidence that rely on fallacies, at least) to scrape from the grounds to “prove” their claims.
Re: Re:
“But it’s much easier to be happy when you’ve got so many responsibilities like Lamar Smith when you become delusional and ignore reality!”
You mean delusions like Friday lunches with Wills and Kate in London discussing copyright and technology while simultaneously sitting in the House of Representatives?
Not saying he has those but anything is possible when you’re delusional! 😉
” I think their fears are unfounded.”
Translation – I don’t know anything about how this stuff works, but I’m sure those that do must be wrong.
I've heard a story like this before...
It goes like this:
“the principle & which is quite true in itself is that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily,”
Dr. Joseph Goebbels
This thought is often simplified down to “The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed.”
Re: I've heard a story like this before...
poop … I didn’t see this … That Mike Godwin guy is pretty smart … altho since this is an appropriate analogy … perhaps it’s not an example of godwins law …
Can we do something to get this PIG out of office?
Out of office, and make sure no-one will will hire him as a lobbyist. Or even listen to him in ANY venue.
Please?
let the dreamers DREAM, just put them in a padded room
Companies and corps ran VERY WELL, without copyrights..
Copyrights were created to HELP/protect the individual…NOT THE CORPS.
This is PURE protectionism. but the corps arnt in this country anymore. only the HEAD of the beast is here. most of the company is NOT in the USA.
what are we protecting? not much.
All the claims that are SAID, tend to be INTERNATIONAL Statistics, not national. so why are they trying to Affect our nation.
If you look into the past, you find that TONS of corps STOLE their ideas. What would of happened if the Wright Brothers had the ONLY copy for airplanes? the way copyrights and regulations are NOW, they could contest anything that left the ground with wings.
Re: let the dreamers DREAM, just put them in a padded room
Actually, copyrights were created to protect the publishers and the government from printers. See Statute of Anne.
let’s be honest. it has already been stated how ‘internet ignorant’ Smith is. he doesn’t understand squat and is therefore doing what politicians do best. spreading B/S! and let’s face it, if you haven’t got room, you cant put sense in, can you?
Proving Godwins Law
Not to suggest that Lamar Smith is a Nazi or anything but
Adolf Hitler, promulgated the idea of the big lie … about the use of a lie so “colossal” that no one would believe that someone “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.”
I wonder if Smith is operating under the assumption that the big lie still works? The problem is, he might be right.
Who are you going to believe?
As the punchline to an old joke goes…
“Who are you going to believe, your lying eyes, or me?”
Mr Smith (R-Texas) has little choice but to lie and distort the truth because the actual truth does not do him any favors.
He can’t back down and he is heading towards an increasingly uphill battle. His only hope is to maintain a brave face and push forward with the bill. He has been bought and paid for. The MPAA and RIAA paid for the champagne room and so he has to dance. Even if the music sucks, he has to dance.
So, dance, Mr. Smith, dance.
the wrong people get the message
Does he really think that if he just keeps on repeating these blatant lies someone, somewhere, will believe them?
Well yeah, he does believe that. Sadly, he’s right. The people who believe him and do not challenge him are the media. They believe him and in turn they are the ones controlling the information that gets to the public at large. As long as he can keep them fooled (and apparently that’s not hard) he has the public fooled.
To put what he is doing into teh interwebs context…
He has said “Pix or it didn’t happen!” and then had himself declared legally blind.
That or the tiny pile of cash they gave him, and the promise of future rewards is enough for someone from TX.
What I think Lamar Smith thinks the internet is: It’s just a few hundred people who get on these little whirring machines and clickity clack in numbers and download gallons (Not
-bytes). This is what he thinks “The RIAA tells me the internet is bad and that the only thing people on the internet do is download stuff illegally, so the WHOLE thing must be shut down!”
Have you seen Lamar Smith’s Facebook wall? Most of the hundreds of comments to his posts and photos are unrelated to his posts and are opposition to either SOPA or keeping cannabis illegal. It’s really not a surprise that he does not get the internet. How soon will it be until some Redditors personally harass him?
^ Truth.
His latest status update has nearly 500 comments on it, and I have only read one that had nothing to do with SOPA (it was instead about medical marijuana).
confuzzled
The lobbyists are the vocal minority…. with deep pockets.
Fooling
Unfortunately, Smith doesn’t have to fool everybody, or even most. He only has to fool his peers in DC (and lets face it, that is just as easily done as said). And only has to fool them long enough for a hasty vote.
How many in Congress see Smith as an expert on this bill, and will take him on his word that the criticism is unfounded? How many will seek out or even ask for a second opinion?
The Only Answer
There’s only one way to stop all of this BS in Congress: Shut down ALL technology in DC and congressional offices. Only when the congresscritters can demonstrate competency in their use will they be allowed to reinstate it. The folks providing the technical services should be easily capable of shutting them down.
Re: The Only Answer
Most of them will be perfectly happy to deal with 19th century tech and will proceed to be even more clueless.
Burn
When he goes to hell (since he believes in it), he’ll sit in the fires that burn but do not consume for all eternity.
why is it that we keep electing them, we complain online, but how many us are ready to go and do something about it in real life. No wonder Lamar Smith keeps getting re-elected.
POST/TWEET/BLOG about the harm of SOPA, let your friends and family know, create awareness, that’s the only way.
Leave it to a guy from Texas, where copyright trolling reigns king, to claim he’s his opinion on the matter is worth more than what I did in the bathroom this morning.
is it illegal to threaten a member of congress?
I bet you anything that there’s a spot in the ninth circle of hell with his name on it.
Techically incompetent.
From my UK viewpoint, I don’t have a clue who this guy is, but I sure know WHAT he is, if this report is to be believed. Comes across as a totally incompetent, arrogant, non-technical ignoramus. Typical politician, really. Scary that you have these sort of people allegedly representing the people and supposedly working for them….oh wait….we have much the same this side of the pond!
well...
“Does he really think that if he just keeps on repeating these blatant lies someone, somewhere, will believe them?”
it’s been working for politicians for years, why would they think otherwise now?
Lamar is a fucking asshole and where the fuck does a corrupt toupee owner with no spine get to call the contributing inventors of the internet, a vocal minority. Know what a vocal minority is you mother fucker, your synapses. I hope Lamar gets voted off next year like a little twirp. Fucking simpletons like Lamar are the reason America is going down the drain, now he wants to cut down the internet because he got some payola… mother fucker.
Statist politician
Lamar Smith is a big-government Republican. He repeatedly blocks any attempts to reform the war on cannabis, possibly due to his ties to the Alcohol and Tobacco lobbies. As a person who prefers less government intervention, I fully oppose Lamar Smith. His sponsoring of the notorious SOPA (internet censorship) bill should mark him as a prime target for small-government conservatives in Texas looking to change the status quo.
Cock-a-Roaches!
Everyone in in the legislative, judical, and executive branches of the government are soulless gut eating parasites. They know nothing except the color of money and the darkness of greed.
Voting people like this Hedley Lamar out isn’t going to help, he’ll be replace by another old white guy with the same gerbil sized brain, in the pockets of the same corporations.
Vocal minority?! Has he even seen what we all did these last few days?
If we were minority I doubt the senators would have denounced PIPA…
I guess he thinks we are all stupid, but the truth is on the contrary.. and yeah not only Americans fight this world war web! I am not an American as many others! We want our internet freedom and if he thinks that he will take it from us, he is seriously wrong..
Anonymous, bring SOPA down!!
Lamar Smith
Will no patriotic, freedom-living American step up to challenge him for the Republican nomination in the 21st CD of Texas?