Should the U.S. government censor the Internet?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It’s been a Wednesday without Wikipedia and other major websites. As they go dark to protest two anti-piracy bills in Congress, critics say these bills amount to censorship of the Internet.
While Google hasn't shut down, a black rectangle covers its famous logo urging people to "Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web!"
The web-wide protest is in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, in the U.S. House and the Protect IP Act, or PIPA, now pending before the full Senate.
The battle lines are drawn with Hollywood and major media companies, including CNN's parent company, Time Warner, on one side and Silicon Valley on the other.
If the bill passes, copyright holders could seek a court order to force search engines such as Google to remove links to sites that are offering illegal movies, TV shows, songs, etc. The main targets are foreign websites.
But Internet companies worry they could be punished for users' actions. Google says YouTube would have to go dark immediately if the bill passes, saying "it couldn't function."
On the other side, supporters say that online piracy leads to job losses in the U.S. since content creators lose income. They dismiss accusations of censorship, saying that the bills are meant to fix a broken system that doesn't prevent piracy.
Supporters say this bill won't hurt the average Internet user.
Many in the tech world agree that piracy is a real problem, but they worry about the implications of this legislation, fearing that it's a foot in the door that could lead to further government controls.
Meanwhile the bills that were once expected to sail through Congress have hit rough waters. One Senate aide tells CNN that because of the growing protests, the bill might not even make it to a vote.
Here’s my question to you: Should the U.S. government censor the internet?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Why can't the U.S. make any progress in the fight against obesity?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Americans aren't getting any fatter, but they're not getting any thinner either.
New government reports show that nearly 36% of U.S adults and 17% of children and teens are obese.
When you add in overweight Americans, more than 2/3 of adults and about 1/3 of children are either overweight or obese.
Although these rates are up dramatically from a decade ago, they have leveled off in the past few years.
However certain racial and ethnic groups are still seeing increases in obesity rates.
For example, 59% of black women and 45% of Mexican-American women are obese. Also - for children and teens - obesity rates are higher among Hispanics and blacks.
Health experts say that while overall obesity rates have stopped climbing, the best way to lower rates is to stop people from getting fat in the first place.
Obesity is a national epidemic contributing to a range of illnesses from joint damage to certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes.
Speaking of diabetes, we learned this week that cooking icon Paula Deen has Type 2 diabetes.
Deen is a well-known TV personality who is overweight herself and whose Southern recipes are full of fatty ingredients.
And isn't it interesting that after being diagnosed with the diabetes three years ago, Deen chose to tell the public about it only after making a deal with a Danish pharmaceutical company that makes an injectable diabetes medication?
Here’s my question to you: Why can't the U.S. make any progress in the fight against obesity?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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