Pirates and politicians, send 'em all overboard

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a topic of large debate in Congress, as issues of economic vitality, intellectual freedom, and corporate greed continue to loom in the minds of many. Unfortunately, the ever-shakable and weakening moral fiber of our public officials and the hypocrisy of our government's bureaucratic structures must once again be reexamined.

SOPA, known prevalently as a piece of internet censorship legislation, is a highly controversial bill for many. For some, it is an attack on the piracy industry, and for others, it is a threat to the Internet and intellectual freedom. The bill would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to target companies that are participating in online trafficking and piracy. While I'm sure that this bill, if passed, would have wide-ranging implications for many across the country (and even internationally, as small internet businesses seek to relocate overseas), Congress should look to clean its own house before everyone else's.

It has been discovered through researching IP addresses that over 800 computers registered to the U.S. House of Representatives have been used to acquire illegal, pirated material in the last few months. While there is no way of knowing whether any of these addresses belong to specific representatives, and while these may be the innocent slips of the common staffer or smartphone-wielding enthusiast, this still presents a window into the entrenched hypocrisy that is posing an existential crises to our society. Regardless of whether or not these acts have been committed by specific members of congress, the issue still persists – public officials are vastly unaware of the reality of inequality and corruption that plague all echelons of governance.

Regardless of whether or not these acts have been committed by specific members of Congress, the issue still persists – public officials have grown vastly accustomed to special treatment, and are not sued to following the rules they so strongly set.

Double standards are not a new aspect of our governmental affairs, and many are aware of this. With the passage of SOPA having the potential to greatly alter how we use the Internet, the stakes seem pretty high for members of Congress. The fact that piracy exists under the noses of our leaders and that it likely may even be committed by some of them should ring our alarm bells.

While SOPA is a controversial bill, it is more importantly a representation of a larger issue. The moral, political and economic foundations of the United States have been stained by those we have entrusted leadership to. Americans deserve trustworthy leadership, and we haven't seen much of it this year. Many events of 2011 served as a point of insight and understanding, and SOPA serves as but a recent addition to the list of abuses of power in our country.

Pirates and politicians, what's the difference these days? Especially with the onset of an election year, it is urgent that American citizens and voters become engaged in the critical conversations of our generation. In determining the future of our communities, we hold great responsibility and great power. The scandal revealed through the SOPA debate should urge us to challenge these dominant narratives of greed, and should inspire us to move beyond familiar bouts of angst and rage and into effective efforts of change.