Thursday, June 21, 2007
House says "yes" to regime change in Cuba, Venezuela
The House voted today to increase the money being spent to "promote democracy," otherwise known as intervening in the internal affairs of other countries in the hope of "regime change," in Cuba and Venezuela. It's interesting to note the role of Democrats in this process. In the case of Cuba, liberal Democrats made a big point of resisting a huge increase in the money being spent on Cuba, but primarily on the grounds reminiscent of their "opposition" to the war in Iraq - that the existing program has been "ill-managed" (and basically a boondoggle for right-wing Cubans in Miami), not because they object in principle to interfering in other countries. Committee Chair Rep. Nita Lowey of New York led the fight to keep the money at its current level, but enough Democrats voted with the Republicans that the big increase passed.
But then when it came to creating a new program just for Venezuela, where a range of broadcast and print media far broader than that available in the United States (speaking of mass market media, not small left-wing publications) isn't "democratic" enough for the Democrats (or the Republicans), the very same Nita Lowey immediately endorsed the proposal, and a voice vote was all that was needed for passage.
Hey, I've suddenly had an idea. I think I'll start a new television network and ask Venezuela for $10 million to get it started. Oh yeah, that won't work. Because, just as with the fate of Al Jazeera International, that great "freedom of the press" available in the United States won't actually result in it being shown. When it comes to TV, anyway, that old "freedom of the press belongs to those who own the press" isn't good enough. Now you have to own the cable company as well.
