Look, I’m not going to use my blog as any type of news punditry platform, commenting on comments of comments or reports about the news. For one thing, I’m not really interested, especially when I know there are zillions doing it far better. For another thing, I’m simply not qualified, typically limiting my news digestion to five minutes of BBC News reporting every day or three. Still. . .
You said it sister!
I must say that today’s BBC News headlines caused a serious Good Grief Moment in me. First I read the headline, “Ministers ‘using fear of terror,’” with the subhead of “A former head of MI5 accuses the government of exploiting the fear of terrorism to restrict civil liberties.” That made me think of my post yesterday about how fear had been used to pass the democracy-terrorizing Patriot Act in the United States.
Of COURSE governments are using fear of terror to gain great political control. Good Grief!
Then, to my shock, I read another headline: “US welcomes Venezuela’s term vote.” The subhead for this one is: “The US cautiously welcomes Venezuela’s vote to scrap term limits, allowing President Chavez to seek re-election.” HOLY GOOD GRIEF! Or, more important, WHAT THE FUCK?
This Animal Farm Pig sure knows how to make his animals happy!
Well frankly, I don’t know what the fuck. The news items says: “State Department spokesman Noel Clay praised ‘the civic spirit’ of the referendum on Sunday” HOLY HUH? But then I read: “But he said it was important that elected officials in Venezuela focused ‘on governing democratically.’”
I was right about to lay into Mr. Clay — basically at fault for openly supporting a rapidly developing, unstoppable tyranny — when I remembered something I wrote to you, My Dedicated Readers, a mere 24 hours ago:
“I hope that Obama’s vision includes becoming much, much closer to Venezuela and Chávez, and not try to further distance the nutcase, as Bush was so apt to do. I say this because the United States’ bad international behavior has done much to give Chávez the power that he should not have.”
So hey, maybe my reactionary “Good Grief!” should really be an “Or not?” Maybe this Clay guy and this new president guy are way ahead of me, realizing that although appeasing an enemy and embracing him to gain the upper hand are two very different things.
I still tend to think Chávez will be in power when I find myself on my own death bed, but hey, maybe not?