The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) -- a censorship bill -- and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) -- which contains provisions allowing Americans to be detained without trial, and even transferred to foreign prisons -- near ever closer to becoming reality in the United States.

I've promised not to post any more commentary on this subject. So, instead, I'll provide a link round-up to the newest stories about NDAA and SOPA; stories you can't miss. The cable networks continue to ignore these bills, in favor of covering holiday shopping lists and the manufactured outrage surrounding the payroll tax cut. This means that online media is the only place where information about this can be found.

One noteworthy exception: Judge Napolitano on FOX Business Network (which I don't even get on basic cable) is the only American news anchor giving this issue the serious and dire coverage it probably deserves.

1) Some Occupy L.A. protesters may get a lesson in free speech -- Los Angeles Times -- Prosecutors say the non-violent protesters, who exercised their freedom of speech rights, can avoid court trials and jail time by paying $355 to a private company for a re-educational program about the freedom of speech. I'm sure the founding fathers would be proud.

2) Americans will be transferred to foreign prisons under Indefinite Detention act -- RT -- "If you’re upset that congressional approval of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 can send you away to military prisons and be tortured in America, don’t worry — it could be worse. The US could send you somewhere else. No, really. They could. And they can. Anywhere else, too. Really. While the bill that left Capitol Hill last week and awaits authorization from US President Barack Obama allows for the United States to indefinitely detain and torture American citizens suspected of aiding enemy forces, one provision in the bill specifies that that detention doesn’t necessarily have to occur domestically — nor does it have to be in a foreign prison run by the US."

3) EXCLUSIVE: Twitter Censorship Firestorm Rages on as New Accusations, Denials Emerge -- International Business Times -- Other users are alleging censorship of their tweets related to NDAA, SOPA, and the Occupy movement.

We all have freedom of speech until the minute we try to use it, apparently. Stay thirsty, my friends.

I don't write articles every day, but when I do, they are on subjects you should know about. You can follow me on Google+ or on Twitter to see my newest posts and keep in touch.

