A friend passed along a copy the latest copy of NUVO, an Indianapolis-based alternative newspaper, to me. Thumbing through, an article caught my eye so I started reading. Steve Hammer’s “Celebration and Vengeance” article had me nodding my head through his pro-Obama and anti-Bush diatribe, touching on things like how Obama is bringing a lot of positive energy and enough excitement that companies are capitalizing on his popularity by selling commemorative trinkets.

Then Hammer wrote something that just amazed me. Similar comments always amaze me when I read such things from self-proclaimed progressive writers in so-called progressive papers that are essentially supported by their end-of-issue prostitution advertising.

What exactly did the Funky Headhunter (cheap reference to the other guy named Hammer) write, you ask? While commenting on the Wall Street bailout, he says, “I want there to be a revolution similar to that in Cuba, where the corrupt political leaders are jailed for years without trial.”

Are you fucking kidding me?

Let’s keep something in mind here that NUVO is an ALTERNATIVE newspaper, a paper that relies on freedom of speech – emphasizing the word FREEDOM. There is no fear of backlash from the government for bashing the president, governor or city council. Hammer and his pals won’t be lined up and shot for calling for the impeachment of Bush, or maybe Obama if Barack somehow pisses him off down the line.

It simply blows me away when an “alternative” writer gives praise to Cuba or Castro, or the governments of Venezuela, North Korea or Iran as liberators of their people, when they are suppressors of their countrymen. Do Cubans have the right to vote, protest or travel outside their country? Could Mr. Hammer, if he were Cuban, protest in public over a government policy or suggest in writing a member of their government be jailed? No and no. What if Mr. Hammer were gay and wanted to express this in public in say, Iran? Can you spell j-a-i-l?

While we as a country may be far from perfect, The Hammer can still bash Bush and praise Obama, or bash Obama if things don’t go to his liking in the coming years - and I can write these comments and opinions because our constitution says I can.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.