WordPress leaders fight for our rights to consume mass quantities!
I am a scab, and I’m sorry.
Yesterday was supposed to be a total internet blackout in support of an issue that is vital to all of us. Google, Wikipedia, WordPress and many other sites, big and small, blacked out their normal content and dedicated themselves to spreading awareness and spurring action on this topic.
For those who are still as uninformed as I was a mere 24 hours ago, here’s the issue before us: SOPAPILLAS.
I’m not ashamed to say I didn’t know what that word meant. Because it is only through ignorance that true knowing can come forward as a result of de-ignorancing.
I first went to Wikipedia for some information on SOPAPILLAS. But they were blacked out. Duh!
I next went to Merriam-Webster . This is my go-to, online source for definitions because they are first-rate, and not just because my husband’s family is cousins with Noah Webster somewhere back on the family tree.
Merriam-Webster was not blacked out so I was able to get this definition:
Sopapilla: (Spanish spelling Sopaipilla) a usually puffy piece of deep-fried dough often sweetened with honey.
Sounds yummy, right? Who could be opposed to these?
And yet, some people are.
I’m a little fuzzy on the details because I’m too busy for exhaustive research. As near as I can tell, the controversy revolves around one of the following issues:
- Non-union workers are producing these pillows of puffy delight
- The sweet morsels are being unfairly taxed without representation
- There is blatant food discrimination against Our Southern Brothers Who May Or May Not Be In The Country Without Technically Official Permission But Still Deserve To Eat Fried Breads
- Evil politicians (Republicans, all, in bed with Halliburton) are trying to limit our access to elephant ears with Latin flair, because Americans are getting too fat and they can’t figure out how to tax all that blubber – yet.
Although Merriam-Webster wasn’t blacked out, I noticed from the ads that pop-up there like dandelions after a spring rain (as they do everywhere on the web), that Netflix is firmly behind the movement. They limited their ads to really, really serious movies featuring evil politicians played by Robert Redford, Sean Penn and other committed actors who are seriously and firmly opposed to evil, Republican, Halliburton-mother-lovin’ politicians.
All I can say in my defense is that I did not know anything about this. I was clueless until yesterday when I read blogs by my more “politically aware” fellow-bloggers. Lots of them used their blogs as powerful forums to highlight the importance of this issue using tools supplied by WordPress: a black armband across their blogs, or a total blackout that referenced information on the topic.
I feel just awful about crossing a bloggy picket line, something I would NEVER do in real life. So that is why I am taking the opportunity today to add my 2-cents-worth to help such a worthy cause.
You must believe me when I say I would never have posted such a frivolous piece of fluff as I did yesterday had I known beforehand about this important event.
I wouldn’t have wasted bloggy gold like my What’s In a Name? A Case For Hoarders post (Just click on the link to check it out, in case you missed it), if I knew that none of the Freshly Pressed gurus were going to read it. They were all out of the office, down at the capitol marching around carrying signs and eating fried, honey-dipped goodness right in the faces of the evil conservative politicians who want to stop them from exercising their 5th commandment right to civil disobedience. Frankly, Hoarders is just too good of a post to waste like that.
This also explains why my reader stats yesterday were more abysmally stinky than a toddler’s Pampers after a committed grunt-fest.
I urge you to contact your elected person who goes to Washington and tell them you are opposed to whatever they are doing about this issue. Or in favor of it. I’m not sure which is the correct position. It’s like those questions on standardized tests where they ask “Should Johnny have not gone on the train traveling 60 miles per hour…“ where you know the material but the double negative has you wasting 10 minutes trying to figure out EXACTLY what they’re asking.
Just click on this link ourelectedpersonsinwashington.org. Well, I’m not sure exactly where you go, but I think the address is something like that. All I know is that the “.org” part is very important. If you use “.com”, you may end up at a filthy porn site involving farm animals that some sickos set up because they think tricking freedom-loving people who are concerned with important topics is funny.
In conclusion, let me go on record as being passionately opposed to any effort by a tyrannical government to limit our access to these delicious bits of fried freedom.
Viva Sopapillas!
Obligatory serious disclaimer: I know that SOPA/PIPA is a serious subject. I am not in favor of censorship of the internet. I am, however, in favor of censoring what children can see, and am in favor of limiting what can be accessed online at libraries and other public and publicly funded places.
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
Here I thought work and the 2-hour late cable guy kicking my behind and keeping me from WordPress yesterday was a bad thing!! I think my next post will be about how noble I am without even knowing it. Thanks, Peg!
I’m so reading this Hoarder post now.
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Did you break out in a cold sweat without the interwebz all day? I know I would. I’ve become an addict – love is the drug for me.
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I think I’ll continue to live in ignorance, I just don’t quite get it, why should a place like Wikipedia be shut down if they accidently link an infringement site? My head hurts just trying to understand it 😦
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Gotta admit it’s pretty confusing to me. I see valid points on both sides of the argument, but generally less regulation is best to my way of thinking.
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I have no idea what’s going on and must have missed it. Story of my life.
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I don’t feel quite so alone out here in the “huh??” lands.
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I can SO relate to “She’s a Maineiac” – I had to laugh outloud when I read her reply!!
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Maybe the internet today is like the Old West. Maybe SOPA is akin to when the military moved in to make things easier for law abiding settlers. Maybe that is a good thing, and maybe it isn’t.
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That’s a good analogy. There are typically 2 sides to every debate, aren’t there?
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I love how you break through and get to the crux of it. Bravo!
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THese are complicated issues, so I’m doing my best to help. 😉
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Do you mean, “to the CRUST of it”????
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Mmmmm doughy goodness….. I hope there wasn’t a huge point I missed in your post, Peg; because, I have doughy goodness stuck in my brain.
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Nope. That about covers it.
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I myelf just learned of the issue last night, when doing research – I went to Wikipedia, and it was blacked out. I must admit, I lovethat sort of thing 😀 And I agree, in part, with Margie: the internet has been the Wild West since it started up. And I’d like to see as much protection of children against the skanky slop some morons shove in all of our faces and spam our blogs with; as a great senator once said, “Your rights end where my rights begin”. But I am against the govt. regulating our blogging and writing, but deregulating poluting businesses and money-hoardering banks and investment firms who get lucrative bailouts. Most of us make no money at all writing, I want them to keep their faces out of our creative business – insert angry face here.
Now I want the band on my blog. And to read your Hoard post 😀
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I’m with you on governmental regulation, except when I’m in favor of it. Where IS that angry face insert key? My computer is defective!
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Ah, if our only battle was the bulge.
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Yeah, that’s ENOUGH of a burden to bear.
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Apparently we’ll be living an Orwellian nightmare if the bill comes off. I’ve always thought that would be kinda cool though, working for the resistance underground, would add a bit of excitement to my life.
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You’d look great in a beret and scarf!
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And the bridesmaid dress
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Funny, I don’t remember any of the Resistance fighters in bridesmaid’s dresses in those old movies, but it was France, so….
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Generally I avoid getting political, but (no matter what the intention / supposed intention), it seems like any/everything D.C. messes with gets royally CENSORED up.
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That’s so true. I really, REALLY don’t like a “panel of experts” deciding what we can say and not say. Except in some cases – this really is a tricky issue.
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Your disclaimer position is the same as most people’s, which is why Congress has shelved SOPA and the White House has said it will not allow it go to through. Both those things happened before yesterday, so the chances of SOPA happening are almost nil, but PIPA is still alive in the House.
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Thanks for the update. It’s rather moving to see people taking part in the national discussion to make their views known. Kind of like how the system is supposed to work, isn’t it?
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Well, I didn’t observe the blackout, but I did finally convince Rick Perry to step down. Does that count for anything? Now I will start working on the others.
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You’re a human dynamo – go get ’em!
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You read my mind! I looked at SOPA/PIPA and thought, “Huh? Is Government trying to ban online ordering of Mexican desserts?” I guess it’s something a little more serious than that.
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Great minds think about dessert.
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Fun post here and I enjoyed it. 🙂 I didn’t post yesterday, but it was more because I just didn’t feel like writing than anything else. I was aware of what was going on with the sort of blackout on the web, and I’m no fan of censorship, because of the wrong headed directions it can lead to when in the wrong hands, like the morality police who want to ban “Catcher in the Rye” from your local library. Now I’m going to read your post from yesterday, because I just don’t want to miss it. It might make me smile or even laugh, and I’ll take a dose of good humor any day.
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Censorship is bad; protecting innocents is good. Sometimes these things depend on how we phrase them. But I think we can all agree that a little humor is good!
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Not having Wikipedia was a freaking nightmare! Though I figured out a way around it! 😛
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Dusted off the complete set of World Book Encyclopedias that are mouldering in everyone’s basement, right?
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I’m dieting, so not eating sopapillas yesterday was extremely difficult (although I did look at and comment about the tasty treat). Nonetheless, giving up my beloved sopapillas for a day ultimately was the right thing to do, because I do not want the goverment taking away my sopapillas permanently (I’d rather give them my gun, I mean gum). However, I do think that healthy foods should be served in schools, and parents should monitor what their children put into their mouths.
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If only all citizens would research important topics like this, then take a stand based on logic, this would be a better place to live. I salute you.
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Well, better a bloggy scab than a scabby blog.
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Eeeeeewwww.
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Well…you posted yesterday, and I read it. I too tried to get information from Wikipedia several times before I figured out what was happening. I’m still scratching my head trying to wade through the issues. I think you’re on the right track, though. If we’re participating in civil disobedience, there should be sopapillas and beer. Order another round, and while we Occupy your Blog.
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Yeah, I reflexively went there several times. I guess it shows us how much we come to rely on certain online references, hmm?
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Phooey. Delete the “and” in the last sentence. Guess I’d better lay of the sopapillas.
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No, Barb, I think you’d better lay off the beer.
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I read your post yesterday and it was a hoot. I hope WordPress forgives you. I do. I didn’t know how to join the protest, so I just didn’t post. I read other blogs and quilted. But I listened to NPR and learned more about the SOPA act. Then I emailed my Congressional Peeps, only to find out that they were the ones who sponsored the bill. I bet my request to vote no won’t do much…
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Good for you for getting involved! I often wonder if it really does any good to write my congressmen, or if their minds are all made up no matter what I say.
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I was scab-free yesterday, and even signed an online petition at dickmorris.com! Because I too love Sopapillas…and freedom…
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Ooops…I mean I HATE Sopapillas..
Still love freedom…
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Good for you for loving freedom and avoiding scabs. But how could you not love sopapillas – they’re yummy?
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Peg, I just posted two replies to others’ replies, and I have not seen your reply to my replies of the replies yet… and about 1 minute has passed!!! What gives… are you actually working today?? 😉
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Hardy, hardy, har. I was actually at an important lunch meeting with a client, where I was sweating bullets that I was going to get in big trouble because I spend so much time haunting this darn blog and not sucking up to her. I’m resolving to turn over a new leaf because I know for a fact that they don’t have Wifi at our local homeless shelter.
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