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This morning, the french ambassador to the U.S., Jean-David Levitte, spoke at the CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) forum aired on C-SPAN 2. American media coverage portrayed the events that occurred in Parisian suburbs as a rupture in an already contentious relationship between French government and France-based people of Islamic faith. Levitte emphatically stated that the unrest was not related to Islam and that the violence was not a riot. His reasons were that the group was not organized, no indirect or direct link to al-Qaida, and not only Muslims were a part of the violence. He also stated that the second largest city in France also has the highest Muslim population and no violence took place there. He seemed to believe that the reason for the chaos was a class issue and that the struggle is about those who want to be accepted as full French citizens "fighting for more liberty, equality, and fraternity." He went on to layout a plan to address this population's concerns. In light of his perspective, more than ever, I am at loss as to why the peaceful protests in Argentina and Venezuela and Venezuela's President Chavez's statements did not gain a larger spotlight in american coverage. In these South American countries the fundamental principles of capitalist democratic ideology are in question, U.S. practice is being challenged. I think this is huge news with potentially profound implications for the U.S. and its citizens. So was there less coverage because the pictures did not protray dissent as barbarism?--I focus on America because most American media sources follow the White House. White House makes an announcement to a press corp and then the news is reported, details are explored or spun or hushed. Journalist and assistant secretary of state for public affairs during the Carter administration, Hodding Carter said "If given three days without serious challenge, the government will have set the context for an event and can control public perception of that event." Although I understand that info may be witheld for national security, I am still unnerved by the possibility.