It’s not just about pirates…

Self-expression must pass into communication for its fulfillment.

~ Pearl S. Buck ~

I don’t usually get into politics here.  Or anywhere, for that matter.  This SOPA thing, though?  It has me really concerned.

The Stop Online Piracy Act would stop a whole lot more than piracy – and we all know how clever pirates are, so who knows if it would fulfill it’s intended purpose?  I’m all for fair play, of course – and hope legislators are able to find a way to protect what needs protecting.  As written, though, SOPA and PIPA would, at worst,  literally stop the internet in its tracks.  At best, it would make it impossible for me and many bloggers to continue this incredible form of self expression.

In the year plus since I started Carry It Forward, I have met some of the most gifted, talented, generous people I know.  Bloggers, like any subset of the species, are all over the map and yet there are so many artists out there, sharing their interpretations of beauty freely.  In my case, and in many others, there is no monetary compensation.  It’s truly a way to share what we perceive in the world and to, well… carry it forward to you.

Today, I hope you will go to my main page and take a few minutes to view the winter slideshow, debuting this morning.  It’s just bits and pieces of the season – little things that appeal to me, and it might bring you a moment or two of peace.

And then, I hope, too, that you will think about taking thirty seconds to protest this bill.  I’d hate to see so much good disappear…