EndOfTheAmericanDream.com | Right now, there are two pieces of legislation in Congress that would change the Internet forever if they are enacted.  The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) would give the federal government the ability to potentially shut down millions of websites.  SOPA (the version being considered in the U.S. House of Representatives) is the more dangerous of the two.  It would essentially be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb being dropped on the Internet.  It would give government officials unlimited power to very rapidly shut down any website that is found to "engage in, enable or facilitate" copyright infringement.  That language is very broad and very vague.

Infowars.com | Infowars has discovered new FEMA documents that confirm information received from DoD sources that show military involvement in a FEMA-led takeover within the United States under partially-classified Continuity of Government (COG) plans. It involves not only operations for the relocation of COG personnel and key officials, population management, emergency communications and alerts but the designation of the American people as ‘enemies’ under a live military tracking system known as Blue Force Situational Awareness (BFSA).

FOX News | Legendary computer scientist Vint Cerf -- widely hailed as one of the founders of the Internet itself -- came out against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on Thursday, joining a coalition of most of the Internet's major sites that are attempting to foil the bill. SOPA was proposed to help end online copyright infringement, an issue the Motion Picture Association of America and the recording industry have long complained about. The House on Friday continued to debate the bill, which would require service providers to take action against "foreign infringing websites" that post stolen content. Cerf argued that it would put harsh demands on most websites -- and could lead to massive Internet censorship.

Daily Beast | Nestled amid plains so flat the locals joke you can watch your dog run away for miles, Fargo treasures its placid lifestyle, seldom pierced by the mayhem and violence common in other urban communities. North Dakota’s largest city has averaged fewer than two homicides a year since 2005, and there’s not been a single international terrorism prosecution in the last decade. But that hasn’t stopped authorities in Fargo and its surrounding county from going on an $8 million buying spree to arm police officers with the sort of gear once reserved only for soldiers fighting foreign wars.

Salon | The Obama administration and The New York Times are teaming up to expose and combat the grave threat posed by a Twitter account, purportedly operated by the Somali group Shabab, and in doing so, are highlighting the simultaneous absurdity and perniciousness of the War on Terror. This latest tale of Dark Terrorist Evil began on December 14 when the NYT‘s Jeffrey Gettleman directed intrepid journalistic light on the Twitter account maintained under the name “HSMPress,” which claims to be the press office of Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahedeen, the Shabab’s full name. Gettleman’s article included this passage early on in its account:

Activist Post | The irony cannot be escaped that a country that issued a document codifying independence for free citizens, should turn into one that declares outright war on all that signifies independent living and prosperity. It is not a king this time who is exerting ownership over the land and its people, but it is a similar top-down tyrannical system that employs police state enforcers in much the same manner. In America, this tyranny has remained largely disguised behind pleasantries and a growing bureaucracy centered around Orwellian safety measures, but those days are over; the king (the tyranny) has returned to make its move from the shadows out into the open square for public view.  Its kid gloves have transformed to an iron fist, which always seems to herald the final phase.

Activist Post | Just when you thought the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) couldn't possibly be more dangerous than has already been exposed with its declaration of global war, Martial Law, legalized bestiality, indefinite detention of Americans, and the $662 billion more spent; it has now been revealed that it also serves as a declaration of offensive cyber war.

Wired | The ancient art of war is coming to the internet. The House and Senate agreed to give the U.S. military the power to conduct “offensive” strikes online — including clandestine attacks, via a little-noticed provision in the military’s 2012 funding bill. The power, which was included in the House version but not the Senate version, was included in the final “reconciled” bill that is all but guaranteed to pass into law.

Alantic | A couple of Goldblog readers alerted me to a Max Blumenthal story in which Karen Greenberg,  the director of the Fordham School of Law's Center on National Security, is quoted accusing Israel of teaching American interrogators the dark art of torture:

Infowars.com | Congressman condemns “bold, arrogant, dangerous” move to intern Americans without trial. Top tier presidential candidate Ron Paul has decried the ‘indefinite detention’ provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, warning that it represents an arrogant, bold and dangerous attempt to establish martial law in America.

RawStory.com | Over the weekend, struggling Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson reminded MSNBC viewers that GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich had once to called to punish some drug offenders with death. “Newt Gingrich, in 1997, proposed the death penalty for marijuana — for possession of marijuana above a certain quantity of marijuana,” Johnson explained. “And yet, he is among 100 million Americans who’ve smoked marijuana.”

Offgridsurvival.com | Over the last year we have detailed many examples of how preppers are being targeted and demonized by this administration as potential terrorists. From the FBI demanding military Surplus stores spy on and keep records of those who purchase bulk goods, to Rand Paul warning preppers that the government considers them to be a target of the new military detention bill things are certainly getting scary out there for people who want to be prepared.

Natural News | The definition of “rape” was expanded this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI)Criminal Justice Advisory Policy Board, following a barrage of emails from feminist activists who demanded change. The old definition was too narrow, many women argued, and needed to be updated. For one thing, it didn’t cover rape by women against women, or men against men, and we’ve all seen just how much of that goes on these days thanks to organizations like Penn State and the Catholic Church.

Gizmodo | The Department of Homeland Security has spent billions since 9/11 trying to keep dangerous people and dangerous explosives off airplanes, and treating us all air travelers like potential terrorists in the process. But according to a former security adviser to a leading airline, the terrorists have changed the game-and the government hasn't yet caught on.