Babalu Blog: Day 10

January 17, 2006

Day 10

Ramon Saul Sanchez is still on hunger strike protesting the wet-foot/dry-foot policy. Governor Jeb Bush has contacted his brother in the White House and requested that the wet foot/dry foot issue be addressed with himself, members of the religious community and Congressmen Diaz-Balart and Ros Lehtinen, among others.

Ive seen no word on this issue in the national media. A google news search yields no attention from CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Ap, ABC, CBS, NBC or any other national news network or media source.

Apparently the MSM is sitting back and waiting. Waiting for perhaps Ramon to die or suffer irreparable damage to his health and the subsequent uproar from the Cuban-American community against the Bush Administration. Then the MSM will have a story more to its liking. The headlines would probably read something like:

"Cuban-American Community Betrayed by Bush and GOP!"

Because the MSM in this country isnt content with just giving us the news. They prefer to set policy by swaying public opinion. The wet foot/dry foot policy means nothing to them now. If anything, it is something they prefer to ignore because it was set by a Democratic administration. This story only has value to the MSM in the fact that it can lead to pointing a finger at the evil, war mongering Bush administration.

So Ramon starves himself for a just cause and the national press sits on the fence. Waiting. Why cover a small story about Cuban refugees when you can make a huge hullabaloo about the Bush administration screwing one of it's biggest supporters?

We can continue to email the government all we want. But if we really want to make a difference, we need the real policy makers: the mainstream media.

And, unfortunately, right now, being that we are the Cuban-American community, our issues are not needed and not "newsworthy." At least until we join the MSM's bandwagon and bash Bush. And by then, Ramon may very well be dead and the Cubans seeking freedom, as usual, will still be screwed.

Triste, pero cierto.

Posted by Val Prieto at January 17, 2006 01:55 PM

Comments

"Cuban-American Community Betrayed by Bush and GOP!"
Val,
While I agree that the MSM is our enemy I would have to ask if the proposed headline mentioned above would be incorrect? Its been almost 6 years of having one of "our" guys in office and what has changed? The GOP could care less about Cuban-Americans. We are quickly becoming a non-factor to them as many Cuban-Americans are forgetting who they are and crossing over to the liberal camp.
I'm sitting here blue in the face over the question "What can we do?". Cuba will have another martyr in a few days and the the MSM as well as the GOP will blow him off.

Posted by: pototo at January 17, 2006 10:26 AM

I've been searching since yesterday, everywhere from google news to local papers to no avail. Pototo, whether or not the headline would be correct is not the issue. The issue is that they are ignoring the "news" until it is a story that benefits them period. In other words they are as willing as anyone else to let this guy die, instead of helping. I do hold the MSM accountable for this. If Cindy Sheehan was the one with the strike she would be all over.

Posted by: La Ventanita at January 17, 2006 10:31 AM

Ventanita,
Agreed

Posted by: pototo at January 17, 2006 10:33 AM

The MSM gave all that useless coverage to Cindy Sheehan and her whining, but not a peep to this story. The liberal bias is so sickening... the silence is deafening.

Posted by: mike at January 17, 2006 10:45 AM

We need to make what is happening so compelling that we cannot be ignored. The MSM will always twist and distort the real story to favor their agenda.

Posted by: George L. Moneo at January 17, 2006 10:47 AM

Maybe we need to start bombarding the MSM with our take on their whole, hypocritical business, and ask them, while we're at it, why they are not reporting on kaSStro's mistreatment of Dr. Oscar Biscet?? Who betrayed him?? Let's let the MSM boys and girls know that, no matter how hard they try, they are not going to get a lot of us to join their Pharisee-bandwagon.

Posted by: Alberto Quiroga at January 17, 2006 11:42 AM

All of these are great comments ... and this is a just cause ... most websites for (MSM) media outlets have a section requesting news tips ... maybe if we all keep sending them the same news tip regarding wet-foot/dry-foot policy and Ramon Sanchez hunger strike ... one of them will cover it ... and it takes just one of "them" to cover it, for the others to follow... :) /melek
++++
"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do."-- H.K.

Posted by: melek at January 17, 2006 11:46 AM

I personally have written to every media outlet several times. I received one, uno auto repsonse from ABC. They know exactly what's going on here, it's exactly like Val said. Why should one Cuban in Little Havana dying bother them, after all they've ignored the other hundreds of thousands without remorse. Better to wait for the Bush bashing story. If we all took to the streets screaming down with Bush that would be all over CNN, but you still wouldn't hear anything about Ramon Sanchez or why he died. Damn them to hell.

Posted by: ziva at January 17, 2006 11:50 AM

I will tell you that I have searched all the major press outlets out here in the West and nothing about Mr. S�nchez. But there was plenty of press when the murderer Tookie Williams was up for execution, to spare his life.

Posted by: Orlando at January 17, 2006 11:52 AM

As a working member of the MSM, I'm not sure I have an explanation for why this story is not getting more play, considering the similarities to other stories like, as Mike noted, Cindy Sheehan. I think the MSM's blackout is just symptomatic of its overall see-nothing, do-nothing approach towards Cuba � unless, of course, there is a chance to portray the U.S. as the villain. They don't see Castro as a villain, so I guess there is no story to tell � even if someone dies as part of a protest.

Posted by: Marc Masferrer at January 17, 2006 12:08 PM

My humble opinion is that the Administration thinks that should they lift the wet foot/dry foot policy they would see a mass exodus of Cubans setting off to sea. This may be true but their logic of thinking that keeping the policy will keep that from happening is in error. Due to their blind eye turned to Cuba and its influence in Venezuela, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru,Mexico, etc. they will be soon experiencing more politcal refugees than ever before. They need to deal with the root of the problem and that rotten root is fidel. We are going to be putting ticker signs across Latin America before long. Band-Aids like the sign won't work, surgery is necessary!

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