Rep. Mike Rogers Dismisses CISPA Opponents "14 Year Old Tweeter On the Internet" 222
gale the simple writes "Mike Rodgers made a minor splash Tuesday when he decided to liken CISPA opponents to 14-year-old basement dwellers. The EFF, naturally, picked up on this generalization and asked everyone to let the representative know that it is not just the 14-year-olds that care about privacy."
Re:50 something (Score:4, Interesting)
But even the motto of the state he was elected to serve spells it out...."Audemus jura nostra defendere" - We Dare Defend Our Rights, and here he is wanting to surrender everyones to the corporate overlords.
Re:Who do you trust more? (Score:5, Interesting)
I find it humorous that the politician can't even insult us properly.
It's either 14 year olds, OR dudes living in their parent's basement.
Nonetheless, privacy is important to me because I'm in a better position to protect my children online as they begin to use the Internet more and more.
Stereotypes and Vacuums (Score:4, Interesting)
Unfortunately, the man has something of a point. There are a lot of 14-year-old basement dwellers in the anti-CISPA crowd, and a lot of people who just want to get their entertainment without paying for it. In short, a significant number of the people who oppose CISPA are doing it for the wrong reasons. CISPA is wrong, but so are they.
Those of us who care about the real issues might do well to disassociate ourselves from the creepers and the pirates. Even they need protection, but let's not kid ourselves, that's more a matter of logistics than principle: protection is meaningless if it doesn't protect everyone, and so they get a pass in order to make it work at all. Their voices in this debate only harm the side they fight for. But this presents a problem: how the heck would a community like this disassociate itself from its less savory members?
Re:50 something (Score:2, Interesting)
Ditto. 50 years old and more conservative than this statist f**k-tard will ever be.
The GOP should be the natural party of individual (and states') rights, but they keep nominating fascistic shits like this.
I wonder why they're called the stupid party?
Re:Hey... (Score:2, Interesting)
Not sure. I haven't poured through the draft of CISPA to know really how good or bad it is, but I have to have heaps of respect for a congressman with enough knowledge of pop culture, memes, and the internet in general to string that one liner together.
Seriously, watch the video, this is the first government representative who seems to have any clue what the internet is, internet subculture, and communication in general. He makes up the comment off the cuff and then follows with a clarification in "grandma speak" of saying the bill isn't about reading e-mails.
As I said, I don't know if what he is saying is true, or if CISPA is bad, but you have to give this Mike Rogers some credit for at least knowing enough to be able to bullshit.
Re:Time for a Super PAC (Score:2, Interesting)
As capture theory reveals: The decision-making process is controlled by small dedicated interests. Any large group has split loyalties that prevents them matching the influence of the fanatic/paid faction. US congress itself is an example of this. It also occurs after the common enemy has been defeated in a civil war or political revolution.
You've just described Green Peace, and possibly Wiki-leaks. How many donate to those organisations?
Re:Rogers Whines Like a 14 Year Old (Score:4, Interesting)
Watch the video. His 14 year old nephew was obviously very aware of the dangers of the bill, even tried talking sense into him.
It's kinda ironic. A 14 year old understand more about privacy and the ramifications of a bill than an elected politician. What's even more ironic is that said politician is the one that tells us about it.