Obama: Don’t appoint SOPA architect as next Secretary of State!

Howard Berman, unrepentant architect and supporter of the infamous SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), legislation that would have granted ISP’s enormous unchecked power to restrict Internet freedom and allowed big companies to elbow out competitors, is among the people apparently being considered by Obama to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.  The appointment of Berman, who is so known for his protectionism of the entertainment industry and copyright interests that he has earned the moniker as the “representative from Hollywood,” though his congressional district (26) included cities along the San Gabriel foothills from La Canada Flintridge to as far East as Rancho Cucamonga when he served in Congress should be opposed.

In addition, another huge concern is his record on trade, which, though not uniform, has been mostly supportive of “free trade” agreements, voting for NAFTA and for supporting the World Trade Organization and would indicate that he may likely push for the passage of the nefarious Trans-Pacific Partnership, an agreement that would enable corporate interests to subvert governments on a global scale.  He also voted for the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 and sponsored the Anti-Boycott Act in the House, which would have prohibited Americans from boycotting Israeli goods in order to protest the occupation of Palestine.  There is a theme here that causes us to conclude that he would not be a good pick for Secretary of State as he has favored government control over civil liberties and protecting corporate interests over the freedom of citizens.

If you agree, sign the letter from Demand Progress at: http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/sos_berman/