THE POTENTIAL FOR LOSS OF INTERNET FREEDOM

OKAY I realize you  may hear me shouting a bit during this rampage today, but in all honesty at first I was going to dismiss it and keep my BIG mouth shut, but after reading and thinking on all I have read so far, my hackles rose considerably, so much so, that I decided this would be todays' topic!
As a blogger I am constantly surfing the web and reading what my peers are saying!  Many times I am also into using other social media sites in an effort to keep up with what is going on with the latest technology and the current events which may or may not have a direct effect on me and how I live, work and play.  This morning I received a Notice in my mail box and effectively it states to me that the Internet is on Strike!!!  YOU MAY read all about it here or here and here! 

Image from Michael Sheridans' Article at NY Daily News

I believe no matter which country your living in you will find an article such as the above written in your language and understand what all this fuss is being made over.
IT seems that the Congress of the United States of America is once again puttering in a direction it should not be moving in and the World Wide Web is its latest target!
While I realize sites on the web are being pirated and in many instances the contents are copyrighted material being infringed upon,  and even though the internet is constantly evolving and has places which are totally unacceptable to a sane thinking caring human being which I as a person would never consider visiting, that choice is mine to make under the specific RIGHTS that I have as a citizen of this world.
I do not agree with censorship in any form, even though I agree there are sites out there in cyberspace that are categorized as despicable in many forms of content and if possible should be shut down but not by governments, but by the people who use the internet, we make those decisions, however, if we stoop to censoring those sites we leave ourselves open to being censored and that to me in unacceptable. 
How widespread this Censorship Notion is within the U.S. Congress I simply do not know, but, in my heart of hearts I have a feeling this is a HUGE MISSTEP and is also a bit of a RED HERRING, while we are all being engaged in combating this so called possible move to censor, what is it that these people are really attempting to divert our attention from?
THERE are so many URGENT economic and world matters which it should be donating their attention to I simply cannot fathom why it would be concerned with the World Wide Web, now especially with our world in the topsy turvy condition it is in.  My goodness they couldn't even come to a solution on their own finances and they want to tackle the World Wide Web?  Does not compute to my simplistic thought process. 
OUR FREEDOM is what has been a catalyst to other nations currently struggling and dying for and Congress wants to censor the content of each web site out there, GOOD LUCK UNCLE SAM I believe your on the wrong track and should be paying close and better attention to the REAL PROBLEMS being inflicted upon your constituents instead of concerning yourself by sticking your nose into something you shouldn't.  THE INTERNET is the INTERNET connecting people from the ENTIRE WORLD population together and those of us with minds of our own can certainly chose which sites are healthy or unhealthy and make our own decisions as to whether or not we wish to interact with it or not.  IF governments and I do not mean just the United States Congress, but all governments would stick to ruling their countries and treating their bank accounts as those belonging to the people and not their own personal PIGGY BANKS and deal with TRANSPARENCY we, the people of this world might, and I say might just stand a chance of getting rid of the ills that are currently plaguing us all.  CENSORSHIP is not the responsibility of any government, that in and of itself leads us into dictatorships, and we have all seen what many dictatorships have done!  
IF we as citizens of the world are to believe that the current members of the United States Congress 

can waste their precious resources of time and money on censoring the web, then the POTENTIAL for the LOSS of our FREEDOM is at stake, and once the United States gets on board, you can believe other country's governments will also sit up and take notice.
OKAY I have made one or two minor points I suppose, here is what CNN is saying today about all of this? This is quite a concise article with other well know experts quoted on their thoughts about the whole issue. Do you think Anderson Cooper might address it on "Keeping Them Honest" tonight? 
In thinking about this very possible loss of my freedom has me totally enraged.  WHAT about YOU?  WHERE do you stand?  CAN we combat this insane notion of but a few misguided individuals?  I believe we can if we open a truthful dialogue and pass it all around, but as can be evidenced by the ever growing and undeniable number of web sites currently listed at SOPASTRIKE we should all finds ways and means to get involved.


"The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over it's government." Franklin Roosevelt (1938)


What are your thoughts about all of this, should we be concerned? I agree on some of those copyright issues, but not to the extent that this bill would infringe upon. 
Did you get shut out of any of your favorite sites?  IS your Internet Provider on that Petition List?  
Should we be concerned about this, or, is this just another way of stirring the pot for something which may never happen?
I am so interested in what your thoughts are, not the political rhetoric, but the intent behind the process.
Thanks for stopping by this afternoon, and, if your still with me at this point, possibly you will accept my apologies for forgetting my web etiquette and manners and forgive me for shouting.