Ramin Tork

Call-for-action by NIAC

NIAC usually sends an email about an upcoming issue that pertains to the Iranian-American community and they will argue points about the issue.  Then, they will ask you to go to a NIAC site that has a form letter to send to a congressman in your district, a senator in your district or the white house.  You either agree with the points in the letter or change it the way you want and click send.  NIAC then sends you a thank you note for responding to a call for action.  I then receive a thank you note from the congressman or the senator for my opinion and then we hope that the government will act on the issue “partly” based on what the constituents desire.  I hope that answers your question.  It may not be perfect, but it works and NIAC has gained respect, certainly a lot more that 2002; I tell you. 

PS, no one has to convince me that I do or do not want to see nukes exploding in Iran.

Leadership in NIAC - Global Human Rights Organization

Ever since I joined NIAC Trita Parsi has been at the helm.  We do not have elections to depose Trita Parsi. I agree with their policies and I would never want to be in his shoes doing this 24/7.  I do not know of anyone else who has his credentials to replace him either.  I certainly have my own job and besides an occasional blog or comment, I cannot do much else.  If I disagree with NIAC's policies, all I gotta do is ignore their calls for action and concentrate on a different organization, but NIAC has had good people like John Limbert, who is the undersecretary for the Iranian Affairs in the State department.  John Limbert advised NIAC before he went to work for the government.

I am not sure what the difference is in the organization you are advocating versus the Human Rights Organization that exists right now.  Or even the current calls by NIAC for observing the human rights issues in Iran.  We may want to join the main WRO faction or NIAC's calls instead of diluting the efforts by forming an even third organization, but I do not know much about it so I will reserve judgment.

sargord Pirouz

Fair criticism not tanks, reinforced anti-riot vehicles that easily run over people and soon chinese anti-riot vehicles equipped with cannons that shoot boiling water, burning chemical etc.

Huh?

Ramin, there have been no tanks rolling into Tehran during the post-election unrest. When you throw out outlandish statements such as these, you lose all sense of credibility. I advise you write with greater discipline to be taken more seriously.

(Just a bit of constructive criticism.) 

MM

This is not an attack, it is open debate and despite my skepticism I'll try to be fair. You have made a lot of good points I think if I was living in U.S. and had to face a very hostile environment I might have joined such an organization. Europe is more multi-cultural some might even say too multi-cultural!, and crazy political factions like the neocons equivs. are powerless here, actually according to Noam Chomsky (perilous Power) they are not as powerful as people think they are anyway!

I am opening this debate because we need unity and we need to bring such issues into the open. I know you have followed some of my Blogs so I think you know what it is I'm trying to acheive here. In fact if you recall I also mentioned the Cuban model. By the way how is the NIAC leadership decided?

Like you I don't want to see a War in Iran,

Don't want crippling sanctions etc.

I still have an issue with Mr Parsi's association with IRI figures. Also all those points that you made are very good for the community but none seem to challenge IRI in a positive way. Now if NIAC was running a call for ban on chinese goods in U.S. on the basis of them selling oppressive technology, or did the petition I am running like looking for legistlative change to stop EU companies selling oppressive technology to Iran that would be a move which would be credible. I know NIAC has asked for disarming of Basij, but what muscle power do they want to show to Iran if they don't listen?

As someone with strong NIAC loyalties, do you think we should form a seperate Global organization for Human rights issues?

If there was such an organization would someone like you join?

For one thing I'm not sure if NIAC manifesto covers all the aspects of what we need, certainly at a Global level.

BTW, we are united on American issues, but not IRI

BTW,

I think that most Iranian-Americans are pretty much united on issues that affect our daily lives here in the US.  I never heard anyone complain about NIAC before Trita's comment on let's talk first or targeted vs. broad sanctions.  No Iranian-American is calling for beating us, having discriminatory laws against us or deporting us.

The difference is more pronounced on how to handle the Un-Islamic regime of Iran.  I welcome all Iranian-Americans with opposing views on bombing Iran, Nuking Iran, broad sanctions, etc. to form a lobbying group to represent them in the Congress or the White House, or we can also debate them here in a forum dedicated to specific issues, after which we form a united front.  Yes, the idiot John Bolton (a neo-con, an American Enterprise Institute member and staunch AIPAC supporter) has even advocated nuking Iran.  EXCUSE ME, BUT THAT IS BLOODY EXPLODING ATOMIC BOMBS IN IRAN (UNEXCUSABLE AS A POLICY TO ME).  What is acceptable to us, the Iranian Diaspora?  How far do we want to push the foreign intervention button?

My only requirement is that we debate and not talk over each others’ head.  In many blogs, I see that the comments are totally ignored and instead, something completely different and unrelated is brought up, which turns me off and I just move on.

Niac must have  bought

Niac must have  bought influence in Washington through lobbying the right people. hobnobing in the right circle and getting/paying for  the legal advice of many in  foggy bottom much before launching the organization. This is not unique to NIAC. That is how things are done in the US. Money talks...

We as ordinary people don't have that kind of money.

OK Ramin

Thank you Ramin.  I am a NIAC member.  I am neither in the leadership position nor at the board of NIAC, but I feel that I have to write something about this issue.

Before 2001, I, like many educated Iranians here in the US and Europe, was working hard and thought that was just enough.  I joined NIAC in 2002 because after the horrible murderous acts of 9/11, and especially after the idiotic phrase by Busch "axis of evil" comment fomented by David Frum (need I say more), I realized that the Iranian-Americans needed strong representation in Washington D.C.  The model that comes to my mind is from the Cuban community where there are 3 distinctive categories 1. The poor people of Cuba, 2. The communist murderous leaders in Cuba and 3. The strong Cuban-American lobby who no one accuses of being a Castro agent.  Could we have said the same about Iranians?  The answer was a resounding NO.  As the Iranian expression said so well; “They were beating all of us with the same stick”.  But, right now, things are a lot more different, thanks to the efforts of NIAC.  

While, we, as the Iranian Diaspora, are mainly against the government of Iran, we really could not do much in 2002.  So, the main objectives of NIAC, in my opinion, were to protect our rights here in the US, e.g.

* Prevent discriminatory laws from passing in the congress.  For example, Trita called me in 2003 and asked me to join in a writing campaign to my congressman who was drafting an amendment to expel all Iranian visitors and students and deny visas to ALL persons of Iranian origin.  Well, Iranians still come here.  Since then, NIAC has been talking to the congress and the white house about Iranian-American issues, and that is good.

* Prevent celebrities and government officers from derogatory comments bordering prejudice.  Through our writing campaigns, e.g., we have gotten apologies from congressman Harman, MSNBC and its former famous announcer, Imus in the Morning.

* Protect Iranian Treasures: NIAC and Iranian lawyers (IABA) have been very active legally and in fund-raisers in protecting the Persepolis tablets from being the subject of a legal suite brought about by the victims of an Israeli bomb attack.  In our area, we raised a lot of $$$ for the Persepolis Tablets defense-fund.

* Others: Also see the blog by “Q” who lists many more actions such as registering Iranian-Americans, census, National Geographic’s Persian Gulf vs. Arabic Gulf, and movies portraying Iranians in honor killings.  

So, I am puzzled that all the sudden, people come out of everywhere attacking NIAC and its members, based on something that an MKO member has alleged or the neo-cons and the AIPAC lobby agents with talking-points in their pockets accuse us of being IRI agents, just because of one comment that “we should talk first before we make war/targeted strikes”.  HELLLO, does Iraq war mean anything.  You said it well that " so what that Trita has emailed the rep of Iran in UN" and as a result we are tied to the Alavi foundation,........ouch. 

BTW, as far as the sanctions, I certainly am not against sanctions.  I just want sanctions that target the agents of this Un-Islamic regime and not the people of Iran.  Right here in Iranian.com, we can have a rational debate (and not talk over each others heads) about what is acceptable to the Iranian Diaspora and what is not.  For example, sanctions on airplane parts for Iran Air suck, for obvious reason that it kills Iranian people in Iran Air crashes.  Others…., well, let’s debate them and come to conclusions.  As my boss used to say: “Either you tell us what you want to do or else we will tell you what you should do”.   

I welcome this but do They ? ;0)

To my knowledge NIAC has always avoided debate with it's contradictors.

Most of their public speaches or interviews on TV have been with likeminds and not with those who opposed their views.

My humble opinion,

DK

Thanks eroonman

I don't recall saying 'NIAC is a perfect organization'. I am a secularist myself so I take some of your points. Now to keep this debate clean, we need to come up with constructive points, another words if this was a court of law what would you put forward as the case for or against NIAC.

NIAC is a perfect Iranian Organization...

... if by perfect you mean a dictatorship. They follow the unfortunate historical pattern.

Thanks for your post and raising this important issue. 

Don't assume the majority population of Iranian-Americans was ever asked, "Do we want or need a National Council?", they weren't. NIAC and it's not-surprisingly secret founders merely wished to be this.

Don't get me wrong, they have worked hard to become a Council for us. But as usual, the "build it and they will coma" (spelled corrrectly) approach is at play here. They have tried to build something hoping we all get behind them, but that's not democratic. That's dictatorship, in all it's ridiculous glory. No surprise why the thinking within the NIAC box is so funny and sad to watch. They don't ask members before acting, the membership is just one of the fund raising arms.

NIAC is the train wreck that keeps hitting the same wall over and over and over again.

Sadly, we are a damaged people, who can't stop orgs like this from stepping up to the CNN mike, or visit the White House and blather a bunch of nonsense in our name. AND we are too apathetic to do anything better by our own hand.

Until we take responsibility for being Iranian, and stand for something right and just, rather than "Let's wait and see what happpens, don't say anything for now, and in the meantime let me buy a new Mercedes and visit my well to do relatives in Tehran for the summer...", nothing will change.

You are looking for unity? To get there, Iranians around the globe must stand for this:

We must demand that the current government of Iran abdicate, having demonstrated for 30 years it's gross incompetence with the treasure, and ill-intentions and contempt towards it's own people. No more discussion, no transition, simply stop, and leave.

We must demand the right to freely, speak, write, read, and think.

We must demand the right to fairly and safely choose a non-religious government of our choice. No more experimentation, debate, or discussion on running things with religion.

We must reject any form of forced rule, forced opinion, and forced ideology.

When we choose these, collectively, you will have your unity. Until then, we are merely seeds in the wind, who cannot grow in the soil, until they stop blowing about aimlessly.

By the way

This is not a trial by Blog either I know how fallible such debates can be, I am not intersted in defending or accusing NIAC but want to see removal of obstacles from unity within our diasporic community.

It seems like asking for a miracle, but it was done before back in 1979 if you forgot! I do not see why given the peril our country is in all factions can not find a neutral zone in the form of symbolic leader (as in the case of former CSSR) and join in opposition.