# Giving to Senator Ron Wyden and Defeating COICA

By [Continuations](https://continuations.com) · 2010-11-22

senator wyden, coica, donating

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Yesterday, I gave $1,000 to Senator [Ron Wyden](http://wyden.senate.gov/) of Oregon.  With this post I want to convince you to [do the same](https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=32567) (or at least give something to him).  

Why? Because Ron Wyden [has taken a stand](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/oregon-senator-vows-block-internet-censorship-bill/) against the awful proposed law known as COICA.  If you don’t know what COICA is or why it is a terrible idea, [please read my previous post about it](http://continuations.com/post/1204011129/we-need-an-internet-bill-of-rights-and-fast).  In that post, I provide a link to the page on the amazing Maplight.org that shows [who has contributed to which Senator](http://maplight.org/us-congress/bill/111-s-3804/874681/total-contributions).

First, interest groups that support COICA have given 32x as much as interest groups that oppose ($5.3 million versus $167 thousand).  Second, some of the key Senators on the Judiciary Committee, which disappointingly [voted 19:0 to approve COICA](http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101118/10291211924/the-19-senators-who-voted-to-censor-the-internet.shtml), are among the biggest recipients of donations from interest groups that support COICA.  Sadly, that includes Senator [Chuck Schumer](http://schumer.senate.gov) from New York (whom I have given to and voted for), [Senator Patrick Leahy](http://leahy.senate.gov/) from Vermont (whom I know personally), and [Al Franken](http://franken.senate.gov/) (who received almost half a million from organizations that support COICA), which helps explain this [apropos tweet](http://twitter.com/#!/jeffjarvis/status/6048030243430400) by Jeff Jarvis.

So please join me in [giving to Senator Ron Wyden](https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=32567).  And please help spread this message.  We can use the Internet to help defend the Internet and freedom of speech by defeating COICA.  It will take only a few hundred donations of $1,000 or a few thousand of $100 to demonstrate to law makers that with the Internet, individuals are more powerful than lobbying groups.  So donate and show the entertainment industry that they cannot buy a law that would fail miserably at its stated purpose and instead would undermine the foundations of the Internet (and our ability to credibly argue against Internet censorship around the world).

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*Originally published on [Continuations](https://continuations.com/giving-to-senator-ron-wyden-and-defeating-coica)*