For the past few months we have tried and tried to explain to the MPAA and their fellow SOPA supporters that there are serious, legitimate, First Amendment concerns associated with the policies they are pushing.

The message is not getting through.

Only days after the White House and chief sponsors of the legislation responded to the major concern expressed by opponents and then called for all parties to work cooperatively together, some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.

It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

A so-called “blackout” is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this “blackout” to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.

Get a clue Chris.

I've followed Internet policy issues closely since the early 1990's. I participated in the first web blackout in 1996. That was not a gimmick, and neither is this.

There were over 1,800 people involved in the discussion regarding the Wikipedia blackout. There are some 7,000 plus websites participating tomorrow. Over 30,000 people have changed their twitter Avatars to StopSopa. Over 50,000 people signed anti-Sopa petitions on the Whitehouse website.

All of these people are very angry with you.

We're not stupid. We're not misinformed, and surely you don't really think that sites like Wikipedia and MemeStreams are "in it for the money."

This is not about money. This is about right and wrong.

We know what these bills will do and we are taking a stand.

Chris Dodd's despicable statement on the SOPA Blackout