Stiffing the Revolutionaries
The Daily Beast / Reza Aslan
28-Oct-2009 (2 comments)

Obama may be cutting off money for groups that promote democracy for Iran, but Reza Aslan says he and most other young Iranians struggling for a change there are glad the U.S. is keeping its measly $85 million.

In 2006, after Secreatary of State Condoleezza Rice asked Congress to transfer $85 million into the Iran Demcracy Fund to, as she put it, "promote political change inside Iran" (translation: bring down the Iranian regime), I made a visit to the plush offices of National Iranian Television (NITV) in Los Angeles to find out how some of the tens of millions of dollars the U.S. had been giving to various Iranian dissident and human-rights groups was being spent.

>>>
recommended by Artemisia

Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
Darius Kadivar

FYI/ KRSI interview of Farah Pahlavi (26th october 2009)

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Oct 28, 2009 07:31 AM PDT

As if KRSI represented a Danger to Democratic behavior :  

//www.parazyt.com/shahbanou.mp3

KRSI also could have benefited from such aid all the more that its programs are of quality like on VOA Persian and have nothing to do with the mediocre NITV ...

Best,

DK

 


  •  
Darius Kadivar

Debateable ...and wasn't it " 75 Million $" ?

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Oct 28, 2009 07:50 AM PDT

Who said that the $85 million was to just go to these LA based Media Outlets ?

Have you bothered looking at all the Pro IRI propaganda that has been around through the numerous articles in favor of the IRI foreign and domestic policies over the years ? Be it through the likes of people like the IRI Intelligenstia Think Tank like  Kaveh afrasiabi, Kam Zarabi or Hamid Dabashi ( who seems to have suddenly discovered that the Iranian people want Change through the Green Movement but who has recurrently  hailed the likes of George Galloway, the latter who hosts a weekly show on Press TV claiming that the elections in Iran were fair), Who is Paying Them ? or organizations like CAMII who have been hostile to the comendable efforts of such useful organizations like STOP CHILD EXECUTION CAMPAIGN spearheaded by Nazanin Afshin Jam.

The PRo Democracy Fund was aimed at financing SERIOUS Medias like VOA PERSIAN or Radio Farda which have proved to be not only professional in their approach but also proved to be quite in touch with the brutal reality of the Iranian Regime. Unlike the comfortable Neutrality of BBC Persian which masks a total ignorance of the reality of both the Iranian Exiled Community's struggles and concerns for their loved ones back home, VOA Persian has been around long enough and in direct communication with Iranians back home and who have truly made a MAJOR difference by giving VOICE to the VOICELESS Iranians in Iran who have been subject only to IRI Propaganda and religious bigotry for the past 30 years.

I don't watch nor like the LA based TV's but I have followed all the other medias and noticed the way so called "grass root" organizations such as NIAC ( which Mr. Aslan is a member and close advisor) or AIC claiming to represent IRanian Americans have been flirting with the Islamic Republic and defending its Foreign and Domestic Policies to the degree of selling us Ahmadinejad as our New Packaged Mossadegh !

Niether Mr. Aslan nor his Friend Mr. Trita Parsi were at the forefront of criticisms of Iran's clerical regime. On the contrary they have been extremely PASSIVE in denouncing it's manipulations in the past and belong to the category of Iranian Intellectuals who have favored Reform of hte Islamic Republic to some kind of Islamic Democracy ( Yet to be invented) rather than favoring Regime Change as advocated by most Opposition Groups ouside IRan. Not that it is not their right but their efforts have been more focused on slamings the Opposition than criticizing the IRI regime's own record not to say that of some of these fellow reformists whose past is not as innocent as they seem to want to project. Contrary to the IRanian opposition They all belong to the establishment including Mr. Ganji. As For Mrs. Ebadi well I leave Mr. Obama's assessment on his Nobel Peace Prize Colleage's credentials to himself. I am sure the Nobel Prize Commitee can help him on that since it's reputation for "Objective" choices needs no explanation ... LOL  

Now that the Green Movement has come into being thanks to the Iranian Youth back Home, all of a sudden they see themselves as the translators of this movement ?

I find that quite Ironic !

As for the LA TV's they are probably not the most efficient nor objective media outlets but to criticize their work while being neutral when it comes to ALL the PRO IRI Propaganda that is spread by such medias like Press TV or Mehr News and distributed widely through their websites and mailing lists is something that I find is plain right HYPOCRITICAL !

The Only thing I agree with the author is that the 85 million $ ( actually 75 Million $ initially ) Aid has been Wasted. Give it to me and I would show you how to use it efficiently ! ;0) 

Lastly ...

I WAS, AM AND WILL BE FOR REGIME CHANGE !

Do I need to remind Mr. Aslan or Mr. Parsi and their co horts Without Foreign Military Intervention ?

I THINK NOT !

Best,

Darius KADIVAR

An IRanian AMerican Who Supports REGIME CHANGE ! ;0)


  •