Patrick Leahy says he has no idea why tens of thousands of people are so upset about SOPA that they are protesting tomorrow! Tomorrow, some U.S.-based websites that will not be affected by the PROTECT IP Act have announced that they will self-censor their content... We should have an open debate on the PROTECT IP Act. Hiding behind the black box of self-censorship does not resolve the problem that is plaguing American business and hurting American consumers. “Much of what has been claimed about the Senate’s PROTECT IP Act is flatly wrong and seems intended more to stoke fear and concern than to shed light or foster workable solutions. The PROTECT IP Act will not affect Wikipedia, will not affect Reddit, and will not affect any website that has any legitimate use. A foreign rogue website is clearly defined as one that has no real purpose other than infringement. Theft and fraud on this scale undermines consumer trust in online transactions. Perhaps if these companies would participate constructively, they could point to what in the actual legislation they contend threatens their websites, and then we could dispel their misunderstandings. That is what debate on legislation is intended to do, to fine-tune the bill to confront the problem of stealing while protecting against unintended consequences.
It has been explained, over, and over, and over again what the problems are with these bills. Perhaps if the sponsors of these bills would actually start addressing the detailed concerns that have been raised by opponents instead of sticking their fingers in their ears and pretending they have no idea what people are angry about, we could, in fact, make some progress. Leahy needs to go. Patrick Leahy's despicable statement on the SOPA blackout | 
