Bob Goodlatte's One of SOPA's Biggest Advocates

With all the talk about SOPA that's been generated by the blackout of websites like Wikipedia, Virginians would probably be interested in knowing that a member of our state's Congressional delegation (Bob Goodlatte) is actually one of the bill's biggest supporters. He even has a statement up on his website that brags about how he "joined Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) in introducing the bipartisan Stop Online Piracy Act."

Now Goodlatte claims he only wants to go after "rogue sites," but most people outside of the entertainment industry realize that the legislation could have a devastating impact on websites that are designed to legally bring information to the general public. A prime example of this is that sites like twitter, youtube, and other social media sites could be significantly harmed by SOPA. While some people use these sites to post funny videos of their cats, we've seen social media play a huge role in protests both domestically and abroad in recent months. As a result, SOPA would ultimately have an extremely negative impact on free speech and take away a major way we hold our government accountable for its actions.

The more people become aware of SOPA's impact on free speech, the more opposition to the bill seems to grow. I even had a friend who works for the entertainment industry tell me via facebook "Sopa and Pipa have me really damned concerned. And I *work* in the entertainment industry." What this tells me is that even folks who have an extremely personal interest in seeing the intellectual property of the entertainment industry realize that this law goes way too far. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, however, doesn't appear to really care about this because he's still out there leading SOPA's defense.

In an article that points out how Goodlatte had a lot of influence in how the bill was shaped due to his position as the Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet, the Roanoke Times pointed out that his opposition "has gone viral."

[He's gone viral] because he's taken a strong position on one side of a raging debate over a bill that some claim could reshape the Internet.

Goodlatte is a co-sponsor and outspoken defender of the Stop Online Piracy Act, which has sparked an extensive online opposition campaign.

While Goodlatte is busy leading the charge for SOPA despite its consequences, it looks like his constituents are paying attention. This is making Goodlatte's claims that hes standing up for jobs and businesses because a lot of business leaders from Virginia are rather outspoken in their opposition to the bill. Venveo, for instance, is a company based in Virginia that has been victim of online piracy in the past. But even that company's creative director is talking about how the legislation over steps the stated goal and he told the Roanoke Times that it could end up "stifling" creativity instead of protecting businesses.

"The idea behind it [SOPA] is good, but the issue is I don't think Congress is really consulting a lot of the entities and organizations this would affect the most," said Zach Williams, creative director for the Blacksburg-based digital marketing firm Venveo. "They're obviously trying to cut down on pirated software and music, but it opens up the door for a lot more regulation that I think could be stifling. That's the big fear."

What this all means is that Bob Goodlatte is not only supporting an extremely controversial bill, but he's doing it despite the apprehension from the Virginia businesses he claims SOPA will protect. Fortunately, voters will have an opportunity to remind Goodlatte of their opposition to the bill. That's because both his opponent in the GOP primary (Karen Kwiatkowski) and his potential Democratic opponent in the general election (Andy Schmookler) have expressed opposition to the bill.