ALL that’s missing is the ani mal act.
The government of Iran is not only dangerously volatile, the nuke-loving regime has developed a twisted sense of humor.
For the last two days, I’ve been watching PressTV, Iran’s brand-new, state-run foray into 24-hour broadcast news. As if the world needed any more anti-Western propaganda than what’s already generated by CNN and the BBC.
Since it started beaming itself – in English – to the world via satellite on Monday, PressTV has been the news freak’s antidote to reality, streaming a nonstop flow of news abuse, Arab-world victimhood, sports and the weather report in Tehran and New York.
“America Planning a Coup on Saudi Arabia!” warned one of the interchangeable, and humorless, women concealed by a lifeless gray or brown Arabic headscarf.
“Israeli Tank Kills Family!” declares a man with a distinct American accent.
Accessing the station on the Internet, I was assaulted by PressTV’s far-flung correspondents and purely accidental acquaintance with the truth.
People recognizable on the other side of the pond for conspiracy theories – such as journalist Kevin Cahill, who believes the British government and CIA teamed up to assassinate a Conservative member of Parliament in 1979 – give the broadcast an air of pseudo-authority.
When it was launched Monday by Iran prez Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the station presented itself as an alternative to Western-biased news. But all it does is promote the insanity of Iran: Hamas is good, Fatah bad. Hezbollah good. And America might as well cease to exist.
I watched a feature story titled “Iran, Land of Religion,” promoting the country as being good to its Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, as the camera stopped, for a long time, on a picture of yarmulke-wearing, praying Jews. See, we won’t kill you!
During the many times I was knocked off the channel – this is one busy network – I read PressTV’s Web site. In case you missed the message on the TV channel, the site tells you who the bad guys are.
About the terror plots in Britain, “Is it really the al Qaeda who launched this attack or is it another interested party framing the Muslim nation by pointing the finger of blame at a terrorist group shunned by the Muslims?” read an unsigned report.
Another article blames the United States and Israel for stirring up violence between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza.
“Washington’s fingerprints are all over the chaos that has hit Palestinians and the last thing they need now is an envoy called Blair.”
Wait a minute. That piece came out of The Guardian newspaper – in Britain.
PressTV is in good company.