No, this is like sears fighting shoplifting by sending assassins after shoplifters.

Yes, the pirates are breaking the law, but that doesn't mean the **AAs get to respond by breaking it in kind.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

^^this

they realize that thanks to the internet, anyone with talent, a decent set of equipment, and a distribution source can be a successful musician, and are responding by trying to stick the internet genie back in its bottle and make themselves the only legal distributor of content in the U.S.

even if congress passes this, it will only delay their inevitable irrelevance.

Exactly. No more user uploaded content is exactly what the RIAA (and MPAA) is aiming for. They want to be the sole controller of all entertainment in the U.S.

They realize that their job can now be done by anyone with talent, a decent microphone, and somewhere to distribute their content and are responding by making sure they will be the only ones who can distribute anything.

They are trying to stick the internet genie back in the bottle before it makes them completely irrelevant.

They will never succeed, but they'll certainly try...