Flawed "Anti-Piracy" Laws and the Senators Who Love Them: Sen. Leahy Still Supports SOPA Even When The Evidence Suggests It's Not Necessary

On Wednesday May 9th, 2012, White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria Espinel, testified that voluntary efforts to stop online "piracy" (such as pledges by credit card companies to shun offenders) were working well - even in the absence of new legislation (like SOPA and PIPA).

But that was not enough for Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D -VT), who said: "Voluntary efforts are wonderful and I'm hoping voluntary efforts give us some confidence for the legislation we need, because ultimately we still need legislation."

Coincidentally (?), Senator Leahy has received over $900,000 in donations from organizations supporting SOPA.

Here is a link to a January 12, 2012 statement by Senator Leahy where he advocates for passage of SOPA immediately - followed by hearings on the issues of DNS blocking and the threat to cyber-security posed by SOPA. This Alice in Wonderland approach (punishment first - then trial) to changing the fundamental structure of the internet is apparently what you can buy for $900,000.