Vivanco says that "If the shareholders of this company belong to a government like Cuba where they have no basic concept of free speech and zero tolerance for independent views, God help us." -- While no doubt we have a greater ability to verbalize or write our independent views here in the U.S., is the executive branch of the United States government have any less disdain for independent media? I think we all know the answer is 'no.'

Rather than having government agents knocking on our door (more often than they already do, that is), independent journalists are simply shunned by government officials at all levels of government, and often discredited or ignored by Commercial Media outlets. To think of just one example, the magazine Adbusters more frequently than not has its advertising requests for Buy Nothing Day and other activist events rejected by the TV networks -- the networks refuse the group's money, which amazingly is less important to them than smashing Adbusters' challenge to our sick consumer society.

The White House is only less involved than Cuba in harassing independent writers and journalists, as private-sector self-censorship -- either out of doctrinal or party obedience or simply out of fear of pissing off those in power -- accomplishes the desired task.