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July 22, 2005

Whoa !! Had Me a Radio Free Europe Flashback There

On Wednesday the US Congress passed an amendment that allows the administration to broadcast television and radio programmes into Venezuela.

The amendment, introduced by Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, is aimed at offsetting the perceived "anti-American" influence of Telesur, a nascent satellite television channel that is majority funded by the Chávez government.

It is unclear whether the Bush administration has firm plans to beam into Venezuela a stream of what the amendment describes as an "objective and comprehensive" news. It has triggered a sharp reaction. "This is just another desperate attack by the imperialists,*" said Mr Chávez. Telesur, whose creation was funded by Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay, bills itself as a Latin American alternative to the "US-centric" programming of such commercial channels as CNN.


Chavez says he'll be using jamming equipment like his close buddy in Cuba does.
Time to break out the .
*Yup. That's us.

Posted by tree hugging sister at July 22, 2005 10:50 AM

Comments

Connie Mack? Isn't he getting a little old for this kind of stuff?

Posted by: Ken Summers at July 22, 2005 11:15 AM

Honestly, I thought he was dead. Ask Dave ~ he knows all these people.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at July 22, 2005 11:21 AM

Mr. Mack is either the grandson or great-grandson of the former Philadelphia A's owner and manager.

I'm still giggling about the "desperate attack of the imperialists" quote. Who's the imperialist - the one who offers more choices, or the one who cooks up some jamming gear to deny those choices to his people without their say-so?

Posted by: Nightfly at July 22, 2005 11:42 AM

This is Congressman Connie Mack IV, the former though not "late") Senator's son in addition to what Nightfly said. He was a state rep my first two years withe the Florida House, representing possibly the most gerrymandered district therein: the one designed to actually elect a Republican from Broward County. He had to move to the Southwest to run for his Congressional seat: he is a serious step down from Porter Goss, who as you knew left Congress to run the CIA.

Posted by: Dave J at July 22, 2005 12:26 PM

[ignoring last two comments in search of a clever line]

Wow. He looks pretty good for 144 years old.

Question, Floridians: Is his name (and that of his father) really Mack? The bio referenced for the original gives his name as "Cornelius Alexander Mack", which it was not - it was McGillicuddy, though he may have legally changed it.

Posted by: Ken Summers at July 22, 2005 12:38 PM

(Well, wouldn't you?)

Posted by: tree hugging sister at July 22, 2005 12:45 PM

As far as I know, they're still all legally "Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy." Is that not possibly the most WASP name for an Irishman EVER?

Posted by: Dave J at July 22, 2005 12:46 PM

My problem with the name is that, despite the great Connie Mack, I will always associate the name McGillicuddy with Lucy Ricardo.

Posted by: Ken Summers at July 22, 2005 01:39 PM

And yeah, Sis, after Lucy I definitely would have changed it.

Posted by: Ken Summers at July 22, 2005 01:41 PM

Whoa, talk about weird - Mack went up to Jimmie Foxx after he struck out in the World's Series and said "Ju got some 'splaining to do!"

Posted by: Nightfly at July 22, 2005 01:51 PM