BILL HICKS' 50TH BIRTHDAY

Yesterday one could watch the House Judiciary Committee arguing about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), more specifically about whether or not due process would be needed before shutting down a website accused of copyright infringement and whether or not the accusers would receive immunity.. Several if not all attempts to rein in the unilateral power granted by the bill were shot down, and while the hearing was inconclusive and postponed to an unspecified time in 2012*, it was still terrifying to watch Darrell Issa, Zoe Lofgren and Jared Polis offering sensible arguments against SOPA and receiving ignorant answers from Lamar Smith, Bob Goodlatte, Howard Berman and David Scott, all unshakeable in their determination to pass the bill as it is. In Smith's case, this article offers a good explanation as to why.

Furthermore, a few days ago, President Obama announced that he will sign into law a bill that makes it legal to imprison any civilian accused of terrorism or of supporting it -- be this civilian American or not and located anywhere in the world -- indefinitely and without trial.

Of all the presidential candidates who have risen in opposition to a president who has proven himself unworthy of the hopes his country had for him, only Ron Paul comes off as even mildly sincere/not a dumbass, and that's about the highest praise I can muster for him in my pessimism regarding American politics.

Also -- one can't reiterate the absurdity of this enough -- pizza is a fucking vegetable now.

I always miss the presence of Bill Hicks in the world. Today more than ever.

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* (update) Goddamnit.