AIRPORT

persona non grata

I find it amusing that some readers leave comments without actually understanding the point of the post. The comments about airport security were surreal, missing the analogy entirely.

Mr. Derakhshan. In your "representative tale" of an innocent, non-suspecting traveler who gets caught in a nightmare at an airport, you allude that Iran has been innocently accused of working on nuclear weapons, based on fabricated documents and evidence.

While some or all of what the IPS report says may be true, you cannot deny Iran's role in bringing such lack of credibility and negative focus onto itself. Iran systematically omitted information and evaded filing reports of its nuclear activities for 17 years, a duty and requirement to which it was bound through its membership in NPT. By the time news of its very vigorous activities during these same years were published by outsiders, Iran had already become a pariah, a liar, and a suspect. Any scrutiny or pressure on Iran has come as a result of that omission. If Iran were not involved in anything illicit or out of the ordinary, why omit and lie about it? After all, Iran was entitled to peaceful use of nuclear technology, and lying about it was completely unnecessary.

Coming back to your airport analogy, do you know what an airport black list is? Do you know what persona non grata means? People in these categories are particularly scrutinized and harassed and not admitted at airports. Iran is no longer an ordinary guy passing through airport security. Iran's continued belligerant stance and behavior has made it a suspect in many circles in the world.

Your attempt at defending Iran through your cute story was valiant, but pointless, sir. You will have to find another way if you are determined to defend what is indefensible.

The Airport story is a

The Airport story is a metaphor, genius!

We didn't start the fire

Are Iranians being scrutinized because of being Iranians or because of looking Middle Eastern?

I have traveled to many

I have traveled to many countries for professional reasons. I received the most harassment from IRI, in my country of birth, than any other country when visiting a few years ago.

To All You Sissies and Whiners

Deal with it like every body else. Just count yourself lucky since most Iranians can not even afford to travel abroad and get a visa. It comes with the territory.

Iranians can NOT be trusted ...

They must be scrutinized at the airports and everywhere else.

Intelligence?

Every time the IRI detains and brutalizes Iranian citizens under the accusation of 'threat to national security' they are doing what the airport authorities or security of the hypotetical airport story, do.

On the other hand; it always sounded as very ludicrous that the MEK was behind the whole Iranian nuclear 'discovery'.  It's hard to believe that Western intelligence services didn't know about Iran's nuclear activities, civilian or even militaristic.

The 'laptop' issue is another of those pathetic stories. I don't think Israel would be behind such stupid story, as this has the traces of a redneck mind.

There seems to be a total confusion in the world regarding the Iranian nuclear issue. One day the intelligence reports say that Iran halted its militaristic development, another day some redneck in the white hose goes on about the laptop they found somewhere that contradicts what 17 intelligence agancies have said. Israel has its own intelligence (of course!) and then they all claim that the MEK were the first in finding out about this whole thing.

They are after the IRI and they won't stop until they get them. Does anyone still remember the mediocre and flimsy 'evidence' collin powell presented at the UN security council some 5 years ago? against Iraq? well; there were several slides of 'moving laboratories' on board of trucks. The sketches and the whole 'evedidence' was so pathetic that I think no even Powell himself believed it and it's known later that he had been forced to present that by others. The fact that Iraq and others protested against all that and despite the massive international movemnet against the war, Iraq was attacked and the rest is known. They want to attack Iran and chances are they will.

Kamangir

برو این دام بر مرغ دگر نه

You should change your allegory to make it more realistic

If this is a allegory for IRI leadership and the nuclear weapons you should change it to something like this to make it closer to the truth: -In this story, 1. You were caught shouting all over the airport that you want to destroy the coffee shop Israel2. You have a history of giving money to your troublemaker cousin Hezbollah, to jump across the barrier and harass the M.E. terminal passengers, in fact you call all your cousins to come and take over the airport3. Your wife and kids are fed up with you, and they have decided to leave you in the airport and take refuge in the office across the immigration barrier4. The gun is plastic but you wish to scare enough people and use it to bluff and highjack the Iranian airplane.

5. Everyone knows what a thug you are and you are not suppose to be the head of the otherwise respected Iranian family.

6. You are wanted by Interpol but in the past you could bribe the European immigration officer but now you can't

7. You try the Chinese and the Russian immigration officers but even they realize what kind of trouble you are, they just take your money!

8. You are easy to spot in the airport because you are wearing ragged clothing that are 1500 years old!

9. In the past every time you were caught making trouble, you would put on an innocent face and convince everone that you are just a regular family guy

10. Everone know you for what you are and your own family who were your first victims of your violence are the first to want to see you deported, so you have no where to hide.