First, NetFlix had to back down in the face of a rebellion from their customers, then Bank of America had to drop their debit card surcharge; now, Verizon ‘s new fee has been rescinded in a matter of a day or so and GoDaddy is feeling the heat. The ability of individuals to come together via the internet & pressure corporations is something new. I think the SOPA thing may be the first real case where the phenomenon has really struck a nerve re. the unholy alliance between the pols and their corporate paymasters – something that should have happened along time ago. The encouraging thing is that this is not one of the traditional left vs. right issues. Both conservatives and liberals have come out against it.

If SOPA is killed (and not replaced by the same thing in different clothing), people may feel empowered – and then who knows what might happen. OTOH, they could just go back to sleep as they usually do. Google et al may be temporary allies but they will gladly buy votes on equally distasteful legislation that suits them. It would be far too big a stretch to compare the anti SOPA revolt to the ‘Arab Spring,’ etc. but maybe, just maybe people are starting to awaken to the fact that they can change the way things have always been, beyond just sitting back or accepting the illusion of democracy inherent in a system where both parties are beholden to moneyed interests.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken