The T-Shirt pictured above quotes the Italian Coast Guard's profane command to the Captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia - "Get Back Onboard." This T-Shirt has become very popular among the 99% in Europe almost overnight.
Apparently this angry demand has struck a chord - representing a general frustration with leaders.
In Europe, "Vada a bordo, Cazzo!" distills into a few words a broad-based conviction that the people in charge have abandoned their responsibilities to the rest of us.
For me, the parallels between the way the Captain of the Costa Concordia handled his ship and the way Congress has handled the proposed internet "piracy" legislation known as SOPA are striking.
Apparently both the Congress and the Captain were navigating waters and running systems that they didn't really understand.
Both were focused on what was best for them - while ignoring the dangers to others.
And, now that SOPA and the Costa Concordia have both hit the rocks, Congress and the Captain are distancing themselves from their disasters.
In January 2012, Congressional supporters of SOPA began to leap overboard - perhaps out of political expediency or maybe because of the gaping hole in internet security that SOPA's DNS-blocking would have created.
As of January 18th, 2012, Captain Schettino is claiming he "tripped" and inadvertently found himself in a lifeboat alongside the Costa Concordia while passengers were dying onboard.
If you listen to them, neither the Congressional supporters of SOPA nor the Captain intended any harm. And they say it only seems like they snuck away into the night.
How long will it be until Congress and the Captain start blaming others for their lack of competence and courage?
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