Music And Pictures

October 3, 2005 article entitled Nuclear Tunes Blast on to Iran's Airwaves :

"Nuclear science may not be considered ideal subject matter for a popular song, but the musical boffins in Iran's state media apparatus think differently.

"In recent days, Iran's airwaves have been buzzing with two new tunes apparently designed to rally public support for the clerical regime's increasingly tense stand-off with the West over its nuclear ambitions.

"The first song is entitled 'Oriental Sun, Nuclear Science', and sung to a backdrop of military-style marching music by Ali Tafreshi. The second similarly catchy tune is 'Nuclear Know-How"'by Reza Shirazi.

"Both extol the wonders of a 'great and powerful Iran' which has destroyed 'the arrogance of the oppressors' and 'defends its independence by using science'.

"Despite the heavyweight nationalist lyricism, Iran insists its nuclear programme it strictly peaceful. But the West in unconvinced, and the European Union and United States want Iran to abandon its works on the potentially dual use nuclear fuel cycle and are threatening UN Security Council action.

"The songs, produced by Iran's state television and radio apparatus, have therefore been getting good airplay -- and are also accompanying TV clips of atomic facilities used to praise the 'young engineers who have succeeded, without the help of foreigners, to develop the Iranian nuclear programme'."

Compare the above item with An Insertion Meant for Deletion, which appeared in the October 3, 2005 edition of the Washington Post:

"And now, reason No. 1,446 that Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes is having a hard time working the crowd in the Muslim world.

"An ad listing Boeing, Bell Helicopter and other companies making the troubled Osprey CV-22 attack helicopter appeared in the National Journal last week. It shows soldiers rappelling from the chopper onto the roof of a building, which says in Arabic on the side, 'Muhammad Mosque.'

"'It descends from the heavens. Ironically it unleashes hell,' the ad touts. 'The CV-22 delivers Special Forces to insertion points never thought possible.'

"Like a mosque?

"The folks at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), naturally, were furious and protested. Within hours, the companies and the National Journal responded. 'We consider the ad offensive, regret its publication and apologize to those who like us are dismayed with its contents,' Boeing said.

"The companies said they had tried to pull the ad several weeks ago. It ran, National Journal Executive Vice President Elizabeth Baker Keffer told CAIR in an e-mail, 'as the result of a clerical error on our part. We had received specific direction from the agency representing Boeing/Bell to not run the ad. We have apologized to Boeing, their partner Bell and their advertising agency [in Irving, Tex.] for this mistake. We accept full responsibility for the error.'"

Two different governments, with differing perceptions as to what is offensive or dangerous.

Karen Hughes has her work cut out for her--as in the labors of Sisyphus.