Excellent panel. Sestack 2016.

Chris, it was great to see you hold Jack A. to account, but wasn't Jack essentially saying he is helping others learn how to game the system? How does that differ from Gingrich accepting payment from F.M. & F.M? Also, is it provable that corporate contributions are obtained thru their employees the same way union members give to unions, or is that a disingenuous assumption? Additionally, do not union members vote within their organization for which candidates they will endorse? Call me a cynic, but I highly doubt that is how corporations select the candidates they choose to endorse.

Great show! I record it every weekend because you're on way too early here in the West.

Chris, thanks again for another great show. I was particularly interested in the topic of SOPA. I never really understood this idea of stolen content on wholesale websites until I came to Australia to study abroad. Although I have to admit I disagree with SOPA but do agree that something needs to be done about piracy, I do feel there is a far simpler solution than legislation. I never was one of those people that really looked for free movies or shows online. However, I also never really understood that most countries get US content weeks to months after it has been released in the US. This is still something that I don't quiet understand. The whole notion of regions on DVDs for example. I understand it is to ensure one region doesn't order from another. But if rampant file sharing already exist, wouldn't it be of benefit to movie companies to just release a movie at the same time all over the world? That would immediately end a large segment of people that download content in other countries rather than buy it. While internet in Australia is limited in the amount of content you can download in a month (as their own form to combat online piracy), it still doesn't stop people from downloading and sharing. Moreover, while your show is available once posted online all over the world, most television series in the US aren't because they don't premier at the same time in other counties. I do feel that if companies like NBC had better agreements with companies in other countries to ensure content came out around the same time, then a large portion of this piracy would stop immediately. Not to mention those US companies would benefit from advertisement from their site rather than a third party, illegal site getting to advertise and make a profit from content that is already free online but not viewable abroad. This legislation is going about the problem backwards and does nothing to tackle the real issue. While a country like Australia does do a good job of preventing copyright issues or release of content before it is on sale in the country, there are websites they just can't block or control and the US will have the same problem.

Politicians' comprehension around digital media is often rudimentary at best.

SOPA is generating some deadly serious rage on the Interwebs - it looks as if the mass-media industry & the state are trying to pick a fight.

The proposed law stinks of panic, perhaps because its last chance of having any signifigant lasting effect was circa 2002. If it passes, I'd wager that the means to completely neutralize it will be uploaded in the form of freeware all over places like Pastebin & the Chans within 30 seconds. Whether the law is moral is moot: it is demonstrably futile.