Once more, I watch the unabated erosion of public rights in the States; this time, parody is under attack. Heaven forbid someone use the form to ask awkward questions about a second-rate romance, sorry, Great American Novel. Copyright has become an absurdly over-broad control mechanism which less resembles a social contract to encourage and reward creativity than it does a modern feudalism. And in a delicious piece of doublethink, the foundation set up to cream money from a long-dead author’s work claims the suppression of a piece by a currently-living writer represents a win for authors’ rights.
Also in the “doublethink till you hurt” section of the news is the latest blather from so-called free-trade talks in Canada. Free trade in this case does not, apparently, include the United States lessening subsidies or protection on anything Latin American nations want to export (agricultural products being one example).
And then there’s the delightful irony of Cuba being banned because it’s not democratic enough. As opposed, presumably, to Fujimori’s Peru, or any of the nastier right-wing regimes of Central America which receive US backing. Of course, as the Canadian Prime Minister points out, democracy doesn’t include a right to protest, and, given the structure of the talks, it apparently doesn’t involve any representatives who aren’t wildly in favour of the whole idea; of course, the only non-governmental organisations present are large companies looking for cheap Latin American labour, not anyone who might ask awkward questions about human rights, and the like. Oh, and light of a desire to conduct the talks in an environment of democratic freedom being supported, best to make sure the conference is held in 18th century walled fort manned by riot police with bullets and gas.
Still, as George Bush points out, trade brings freedom. After all, look at the glorious history of the southern US cotton trade, or how wonderfully peaceful and democratic China has become since gaing WTO backing from the US. Handed those pilots back and stopped killing or enslaving political dissidents right away!
