Tom Coburn Will Destroy These Iranian Collaborators
Senator Coburn (R-Crazy Land) has written a very important letter to the president about a very serious situation in Iran.
As the White House is about to obliterate Iran for its own mad reasons -- which will probably lead to a nuclear war and the complete destruction of the USA, which is totally asking for it -- it's important that Iranians get the best pro-U.S. propaganda before they're blown up. But Coburn has discovered a wicked source of somewhat objective U.S. news and analysis reaching everyday Iranians.
The tragic part? The source is the Voice of America, which is run by the U.S. government, which means Coburn (probably) can't bomb it. Read the dirty details, after the jump.
On Coburn's Senate website, you'll find this bone-chilling summary -- try not to be distracted by how he calls himself "Dr." in every fucking reference:
Dr. Coburn sent a letter to the President regarding Voice of America (VOA) Persian Service, U.S. broadcasting to Iran. Referencing the English transcript of VOA coverage of the President's State of the Union address, Dr. Coburn illustrates how VOA failed to provide Iranians a clear and effective presentation of U.S. foreign policy but provided another platform for its critics. In a July 2006 hearing on U.S. Iran policy chaired by Dr. Coburn, a leading Iranian student leader who had recently escaped imprisonment in Iran testified that U.S. broadcasts do more to undermine U.S. interests than help it. As Dr. Coburn investigated the content of U.S. international broadcasting, he found evidence that broadcasts to Iran give a significant amount of airtime to guests and content that undermine U.S. policy, often even supporting the propaganda of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The solution? Coburn wants Bush to throw out the VOA board of governors and just turn VOA into a straight-up Nazi propaganda broadcaster. That'll learn 'em about our precious freedoms!
So what, exactly, is the evil Persian-language VOA newsroom doing to undermine our magic kingdom? Here are some actual translated examples provided by Coburn, from the VOA's coverage of the State of the Union address:
Anchor: This year, President Bush finds himself in an entirely different set of circumstances. True?
MF: Yes entirely. This year the US Congress is controlled by the Democrats. They are in the majority and Mr. Bush will be addressing them this year.
Anchor: What about Iran? Do you think he will talk about Iran, Dr. Hekmat?
HH: He will very likely speak about Iran because - along with Iraq, which appears to be Mr. Bush's area of weakness - Iran and the possibilities it presents in terms of U.S. foreign policy are of keen interest to the American people and Congressional Democrats.
Yikes! Surely there are more damning examples than this impossibly mild exchange that would even make a dedicated CSPAN viewer feel sleepy. Right?
* "If we expect those who opposed the policies that have brought us to this point to have a solution that will address the underlying concerns, no. But this is a problem for the American political system. In the end, Democrats are faced with this crisis just as much as Mr. Bush is."
* "The President will be discussing domestic policies, as well. I have heard that President Bush is at his lowest point of popularity, according to the latest polls in the Washington Post. After September 11, in 2002, he was at 82% and now he is at 33%. Something to know about Ms. Pelosi is that she is the third in line to the Presidency."
* "Contrary to what was expected and what I think is important to your Farsi speaking audience, especially our compatriots in Iran, is that he mentioned Iran perhaps more often than Iraq. If I am not mistaken, he mentioned Iran six or seven times, each time in a context that was not very positive."
* "Certainly, the speech is geared for national consumption as well, but the U.S. is a country whose decisions have global ramifications. Therefore, when President Bush analyzes American and world issues and announces the US government's positions, the effects are widespread on the world community."
* "The truth is if a big and important country like the U.S. makes a mistake, just as Hamilton and Baker explained, it must admit its mistake and search for wise solutions."
* "Both parties are divided internally when it comes to immigration concerns. It is very interesting that in regards to immigration and immigration reform, there is common ground between Mr. Bush and liberal Democrats. While parts of the Democratic and Republican parties share the same views on this issue."
* "I am sorry that I interrupted you when you were speaking on the immigration issue, Dr. Farhang. But let's please talk about the Democratic response."
Now we see the true threat to America: Iranian commentators apparently speak politely to each other , which could destroy our national principles as seen on Hardball. The bombing begins in five minutes.
Evidence U.S. International Broadcasting "harming American interests rather than helping" [Regime Change Iran]
Dr. Coburn's letter to President [Senate.Gov]