I never, ever take to my blog to rant, but this whole SOPA/PIPA thing is bugging me. Bear with me. Regular programming will return tomorrow.

This will be short and sweet. Why? Because I’m not an expert about the entire SOPA/PIPA debate or the complexity of the issues at hand. I am, however, a literate adult and don’t at all care for what I’ve read about the proposed changes the government is interested in employing. Frankly, the idea of my internet being censored and my content being reviewed is absolutely disturbing. I mean, c’mon. Seriously? If we allow this to pass, where will be draw future lines? Where will we be able to draw future lines? The answer is disturbing in its simplicity: we’ll draw those lines wherever we’re told we can draw them.

I’m a huge proponent of free speech. Granted, not everyone makes the most of this First Amendment right without ending up looking like a real dumbass. But that’s alright. We’re a fair and equitable country and we allow our citizens the choice to be either knowledgeable or ignorant and to rant with enthusiasm on either side of that fence. (Thank you, YouTube, for verifying that more and more people are idiots — and filmed — than ever before. Anyway…) We allow people to say what they think under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. This is one of the first planks in our nation’s platform. To see our current elected officials getting in there and chiseling at the floor with glee is beyond my paltry comprehension skills. I mean, what the hell? Do they not realize they’re exercising their own First Amendment right to bitch and moan about the lack of censorship across the web? Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure they do. The problem is, we’ve empowered these people to make, and amend, laws. If my dad was involved in this conversation, this is where he’d pipe up and say, “Looks like someone’s gotten too big for their britches.”

He’s right.

We’ve created a sense of near indifference to Washington because their actions are so ludicrous half the time, their verbal promises not worth the cost of the toilet seat covers in the Congressional bathrooms, and their pandering to the masses so commonplace that we…well…we’re numb. We know that whatever they’re promising, whether it’s healthcare for everyone or ponies for all children or rainbows on alternate Fridays if your income range is between A and B, it’s all crap. They don’t mean it. Unless it directly affects them, they don’t care. By “directly affects,” I mean to say it doesn’t take money out of their pockets. But if it takes it out of ours? Well, we’re the cost of doing business, or we’re the unfortunate byproducts of a balanced whatever, or…or…or…

I’m disillusioned. I’m indifferent. I’m also building toward indignant. The First Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791. I would triple-dog dare any modern day politician to go up against one of the Founding Fathers in a debate, because those men knew what it was they were talking about. They knew what the purpose of the laws were. Today? Clearly I need to be censored.