Beaming Revolution Into Iran
Michael Chaney sends along a good link for following the developing situation in Iran:
National Iranian TV, which serves up a list of links to news coverage that's not your ordinary AP-Reuters-CNN-NYT fare. Things like this story, Iran's hardliners see threat in Net, from The Indian Express. Chaney also sends a link to this CBS News story about NITV, and has this to say:

Let me sum it up. These guys are broadcasting pro-American goodness from LA (there are over half a million Iranians in the LA area who fled when the idiots took over) via satellite to Iran and the rest of the world. They are short on cash and the Bush administration won't talk to them.

As an example of their power, they persuaded 6,000 people in Tehran to hold a candlelight vigil after the September 11 attack. I believe that the mullahs are blaming NITV for the current uprising.

We need to get the word out. These are pro-American, pro-democracy Iranians already broadcasting into Iran with a huge following. They devote the prime time hours (in Iran) to political call-in shows. The US government needs to fund their station, bottom line. It would cost us little, certainly less than setting up a competing station.

The good part is: I get NITV on satellite here. But I don't speak Farsi.

One other note: keep in mind that pro-democracy muslims are not happy with (what they perceive as) us propping up Musharraf in Pakistan, the Saud family in Saudi Arabia, or the dictator in Kuwait. The Egyptian government isn't real open these days, either, and we're propping them up with $3.5B/year. It hurts our case when we push for democracy for Iran and Iraq. Oddly, other people want it, too.

Well said. Mike. You should get a blog.

UPDATE: Here's a story questioning whether the Iranian regime is beaming out potentianlly dangerous microwave signals to interfere with NITV and other foreign Persian-language services. Well, it wouldn't be the first time an Islamofacist regime put its own people in harm's way.

UPDATE: This story describes NITV as "pro-monarchist" which, if true, is a good explanation of why the Bush administration hasn't coughed up the federal bucks to help NITV. We don't want a monarchy in Iran - we want a democracy.

UPDATE: This story from Arab Times is a few days old, but also refers to NITV as "pro-monarchist." The story goes on to say the U.S. government is considering setting up Farsi-language Web sites to promote democracy in Iran.

If it went forward, the idea could be funded out of $100 million that the United States has set aside this year for its Middle East Partnership Initiative, a plan to promote the rule of law and democratic and economic reform in the region. "Something that we are looking at now (is) to what extent some of the $100 million could be used to do things like set up web sites, for example, that would be in Farsi that would help to support democratic change in Iran," the official said. The official, who asked not to be named, said the web sites could provide Iranians with access to manuals on running political campaigns and other election-related organizational skills, saying similar projects have been carried in Asia.

Perhaps they should first learn more about Iranian blogging craze.Iranians are already teaching themselves and others about freedom. In Iran, at least, the revolution will be blogged. Pejman has more on that.

UPDATE: Stephen Green, a/k/a the VodkaPundit, on Iran:

Expect bloodshed. The '78-'79 Islamic revolution was, as such things go, relatively blood-free. For all his faults and tyranny, the old Shah turned out to be a decent man. When push came to shove, he left his country rather than fight to the bitter end. I hold no such hope for the mullahs. The Shah fought for worldly power and a modern Iran. The mullahs fight for worldly power and a medieval Iran. And, ominously, for godly power. Scared men will often cut and run. Scared men who think god and/or history is on their side are capable of most anything. If you want the gory historical details, just think about the Crusades, the Inquisition, Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot for a moment. Iran's mullahs have the zeal of Crusaders, the dungeons of the Inquisition, and the methods and madness of fascist or communist brutes. If I were a man who prays, I'd pray for the people of Iran right now - they're going to need it.