Are Farsi-language broadcasts helping?

I have the evidence which I have been seeking for a while. I've known about this, but I did not want to write about it until I could verify it. Remember, bloggers try to verify and double-check the 'news' we write about, because we know how important our credibility actually is. We do not take our readers for granted like, say, the NY Times does. (Sorry. Just had to get that jab in there. lol)

This article deals with our handling of Iran and how we should be trying to truly help the Iranian people whose souls are crying out for freedom and peace. Please read it, write about it, help.

Washington Times

TODAY'S EDITORIAL

Today, as Washington grapples with the threats posed by Iranian support for terrorism and efforts to develop nuclear weapons, it appears that American policy-makers are being forced to choose between very bad options: 1) taking military action against Iranian nuclear sites and other regime targets, or 2) continuing to push for passage of largely unenforceable U.N. resolutions and hoping that if the regime develops nuclear weapons, we would somehow be able to use some form of "containment" to deal with the problem.

We find ourselves in this untenable position today due in part to our neglect of alternatives such as the development of radio stations oriented towards taking the American message directly to the Iranian people. In his position as ranking member on the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Government Information, Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, has made it his mission to reform what he views as a largely dysfunctional system of broadcasting to Iran. In a letter to President Bush last month, Mr. Coburn made a powerful case that Radio Farda, which broadcasts music and other entertainment programs to Iran, and the Voice of America's Farsi-language service "may actually be harming American interests rather than helping." [Read the whole article.]

If we truly desire to find a peaceful outcome to the end of the nuclear weapons problem and human rights violations, then I suggest we listen, for a change, to what the people have been saying for years.

If the link provided is no longer accessible, try this one.

Update: Nathan is having an open-trackback weekend, and you MUST add this URL to your post. It is only proper! He is a very nice Christian man who I met quite a while ago (through the net, not face to face). He has very good articles, and he likes to stay on top the news as we do. You may want to add him to your blogroll, because I guarantee you will read news you may have missed. Thanks, and have a great day.