Originally Posted on: http://brucebahmani.blogspot.com/
Let me start by asking you to choose one of the following:
A- Would you prefer to have a free Democratic Iran with a limitless future?
Or
B- Would you prefer to have more successful Iranian professionals in the
US, added to a glut of selfish, self interested, almost wholly
American-raised, Iranians who act like Republicans, spoiled brats?
If you chose A), then me too. Afarin (Good Job). Keep reading.
If you chose B), then Click Off! Boro Gom Sho (Get Lost!). Because
you’re hopeless, lost, and you better go drink your Koolaid, no one can
help you, and you just won’t listen.
As we all know, NIAC, whether you love them or hate them, is the most
active, organized, well-spoken, well-run, richest, most influential, and
most successful community / political tool / weapon / service /
organization that we’ve got, here in the good old US of A.
I posit that NIAC should shift from this path and become an honest to
God opposition group, instead of wasting time defending my rights as an
Iranian-American. Rights that I can affordably hire any lawyer willing
to stop chasing ambulances for 5 minutes, to take my case. We could
probably even get it taken care of by Judge Judy.
NIAC argues that it has to follow the direction of it’s members. At last
500. Or that’s the number that NIAC claims are polled periodically in
order for NIAC to get it’s “direction”. Based on NIAC’s polls of usually
500 dues paying, or free NIAC members, NIAC asks it’s members what they
want NIAC to do on a variety of topics.
And I have absolutely no problem with that. Using 500 NIAC members to
represent the dreams wishes and aspirations of, going with Dr.
Holakouie’s recent estimate of 450,000 Iranians in the US, can be argued
as statistically valid, on some level.
I get that.
But what I don’t get and am having a bigger and bigger problem with, are
the questions being polled of these 500 NIAC members that represent us.
Because I think the question is as simple as the times we live in. The
same questions you were asked at the beginning of this piece.
We are rightfully, justifiably, and inherently too afraid to ask the real questions that we should be asking.
I get that too.
NIAC has made a mission out of this poll-driven approach, which although
it naturally shifts and changes periodically, can be digested into
generally helping to better the lives of Iranian-Americans in America.
For the most part that is the kind of question NIAC asks it’s 500
members.
But we don’t actually need any of that. I mean we seem to be doing just
fine here, aren’t we? I mean as citizens of the number one terrorist
sponsor in the world, living right in the heart of Iran’s number one
enemy in history, you’d think we’d have all been rounded up and I’d be
posting this from Guantanamo by now?
NIAC, on command by their mighty 500 members who respond to it’s polls,
seem to be over-occupied, and protecting rights that I actually already
have, just as any American citizen does.
Thanks to the Iranian student visa ban that NIAC has not been able to
lift, the perceived NIAC target market, or the Iranian youth, is in fact
actually shrinking in the US. Since no one young is getting in anymore,
the Iranian population in the US is aging. And shrinking.
So there isn’t really any sort of viable growing youth market, or never
mind a need for what NIAC seems to think about polling their 500
members, as to what NIAC should be working on. For Iranian Americans.
It’s like asking Iranians in the US, “Do you need to breathe?”, then run
off and claim that NIAC is going to set up meetings and hearings with
Senators and Rudi Bakhtiar in DC, to ensure that all Iranians (in the
US) are allowed to breathe, and that no law is passed that might
prohibit an Iranian (in the US) from breathing freely. (in the US)
This is ridiculous, and I think part of the reason why even the NIAC
staff and especially Trita Parsi can’t seem to resist attempting to
answer the real questions that I think everyone wants them to actually
delve into. Feet first, full force!
And that is to answer with some modicum of confidence and scientifically
verifiable data to back it up, the question on everyone’s mind Iranian
or American these days, namely, “What’s wrong with Iran?”
Every single speech or interview that Trita gives, and every book he has
written, and every press release he has issued, has at least a majority
of it focused on answering this question.
And he is very very very good at it! I love listening to him break it down.
Worse, because NIAC won’t be the opposition group we need, more than
anything else in the USA, these “kids” that NIAC thinks it needs to
“preserve” something for, (as well as the rest of us too! ) are being
deprived of the one thing that we all actually need even more than an
effectively organized opposition group. And that is Hope.
You see, NIAC can’t fool me. Because I’ve actually read the books, and
press releases, and interviews and speeches, they’ve ever given. I’ve
defended NIAC to the brainless attackers, and even lost a few friends in
the process. NIAC is not really about helping Iranians in the US. NIAC
is a stallion that is straining to be let loose. But from reading things
here, I think I’m the only one that really wants to let NIAC loose.
I know in my bones, NIAC can do it if they got off this ridiculous
“Advocacy of Iranian Americans in America” mission, and instead, from
the safety of here, pose repeated, relentless thoughtful point by point
objections to the sheer lunacy being forced in Iran.
Point by point objections, backed up by reason and fact.
And don’t even think to poll the 500 members first. They’ve already
drunk the “Advocate for us Here, forget about Iran” Koolaid. Even if we
all gave up hope we couldn’t delude ourselves into thinking that we
don’t care about what happens back home anymore.
I would actually be interested in the results of this polling question: (OK Fine, I’ll even accept Zogby doing it!)
“Which would you prefer:
1) NIAC shift it’s talents and focus and become a Peaceful Opposition
Group and directly challenges and points out each and every example of
the Iranian Government’s oppressive, illegitimate, non-standard,
policies that go against every sense of what a modern governance method
ought to be, and any other failures it finds. And then, on a weekly
basis, accompanied by well thought out recommendations for reforming
them, publish the findings widely, including sending them to the top 30
key leadership in Iran (and the US) by email, fax, CD, DVD, Satellite
TV, and regular mail.
Including a human courier, if you can find anyone brave
enough to sit on a plane for 14 hours and deliver the package(s) each
week.
Or
2) Continue doing what it has been doing, which is to waste time
focusing on problems Iranian-Americans don’t actually have, and subtly
and coyly pointing out minor foreign policy suggestions that the UN (not
the US) might consider considering to take to a committee, and if that
doesn’t outright bury it forever, consider to consider it after 6 months
of more study by another committee that charges $180 an hour and then
actually buries it for good this time, all while Iran blatantly
continues to ignore any overtures at negotiating, then laughs a maniacal
laugh, and continues to brutalize it’s citizens repeatedly. For fun and
prophet. Right in front of the kids and the family dog!”
I think you know (according to all of Trita’s and NIAC’s writings and speeches) which one they would choose.
Again, please understand, there is nothing wrong with what NIAC is doing
today. That’s why I defend NIAC. It’s ALL Good as they say, but it is
certainly the wrong thing to be doing, if you can choose what to do.
And if you prioritize what is more important to do, you cannot escape
that NIAC should be choosing to help find a way to create a free and
democratic Iran, out from under the thumb of oppressive religious rule.
Especially if you have the talent for it. Which again, I think, based on
NIAC’s writing and speeches, is obvious, that it does.
Poll that from the 500 NIAC members and see if they would still deny
Iran the freedom that it has more than paid for. If they do, a a minimum
you have a huge sampling error, but more than enough blood on your
hands.
