I know many of us are feeling good, and I hate to be a Debbie-Downer, but I think it's important that we all recognize that SOPA's undoing is not the victory we think is. While I must admit watching Congress back off of ANYTHING that its corporate masters tell it to do is somewhat exciting, let's not kid ourselves that this was a triumph of the populace over corporations. This was a triumph of some corporations over other corporations.

Before you come at me with pitchforks, let me be clear that I don't support these bills. SOPA and PIPA are obviously garbage, for all the reasons that have been enumerated and more. Most obviously they are clear corporatism, where we give special powers to big corporations to make their lives easier. Oh, and of course the part where they won't work against infringers and will be abused for other purposes.

When we look at what actually made Congress back down (in so far as they have) on the issue, more than anything it was probably Google pushing the debate into the public conversation. The public outcry over SOPA was a symptom of corporate displeasure (Google's), not a manifestation of public displeasure. If it hadn't threatened the interest of some giants, it never would have made it into the public consciousness. How does SOPA get so much resistance, while the NDAA sails through congress? Because there are no giants who's interests are threatened by NDAA in the same way they are by SOPA.

And let's not kid ourselves that this turn of events will keep lobbyists from making new versions of SOPA. They will keep at it until they can come up with language that Google and other new media will deem acceptable. Then it will sail through Congress before anyone even knows it happened. The new draft of SOPA won't be looking for more public acceptance, it will be looking for more corporate acceptance. Google will be deciding when SOPA becomes okay, not you and I.