Recent weeks have shown increased unrest in reaction to the bills SOPA and PIPA sitting in Congress. We believe that both bills set dangerous precedents in regards to Internet censorship and free speech, all in the name of copyright protection.

This unrest peaked last Wednesday when Wikipedia and many other popular websites blacked out their services in protest. By the end of the next day, a significant number of representatives and senators had switched sides or renewed their opposition to the bills, turning the tides of votes heavily against the passage of the bills. For once, our representative government actually acted as representatives of the people.

SOPA and PIPA are injured, but they are not dead. We encourage students and everyone else to keep a finger on the news pulse.

While we can savor the success of free speech in this instance, another lesson we think should be taken from the Great Internet Blackout of 2012 is the importance of continued involvement with the direction of our country.

The most effective government is one that listens to its people, but the first step is for the people to speak up and be counted. Last Wednesday, we all spoke up and were counted.