Can you imagine a world without Facebook, Twitter and blogs as we know them?

Social media sites and blogs are making history. As Jane Wells at WordPress put it, we’re part of nothing less than “the democratization of publishing.”

Wow. I feel that every time I hit the Publish button to make a new post available to you.

Many websites, everyday epistle included, are participating in a blackout to protest proposed U.S. legislation that threatens internet freedom: Senate Bill 968, the Protect IP Act, aka SOPA.

SOPA is supposed to combat internet piracy. My friend Corey of I Like My Bike fame also runs an IT management services company. I’ll quote him:

“Combating piracy is a good idea, doing it without due process and with poor methodology is not.”

That’s this legislation in a nutshell. It needs to be reworked before it’s enacted.

To learn more about the legislation, click on How SOPA Works. It’s a factual, non-political article about the issues.

If you like, you can also click on Stop American Censorship here or in the ribbon at the top right corner of this blog. It will redirect you to a site where you can click and communicate directly with Congress.

The blackout will end after 8 p.m. tonight, but the ribbon will remain on my site until January 24, 2012, the day the legislation is scheduled for a vote in the Senate.

Thank you for supporting this little blog with your readership. Let’s work to keep it that way.

U.S. Bill of Rights, Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.