Current Events

When NIAC speaks I listen

National Iranian American Council is one of the most effective Iranian American organization representing us here. Here is some of their achievements:

Some of NIAC's individual successes include:

-- In 2008, NIAC defeated a Congressional resolution that would have paved the way for a US-Iran war.

-- In 2009, NIAC launched a successful campaign seeking a retraction from California Representative Jane Harman, whose controversial statement regarding the "separation" of Iran's ethnic groups offended many.  In response to NIAC's efforts, Rep. Harman quickly retracted her comment and expressed regret for the concern it caused. 

-- NIAC successfully compelled the National Geographic Society to correct their 8th edition maps to read "Persian Gulf" instead of "Arabian Gulf."

-- NIAC successfully challenged Monster.com's discrimination against Iranian Americans, compelling the company to give Iranian Americans a fair chance to compete in the job market.

-- NIAC sought and obtained an apology from MSNBC's Don Imus for a derogatory comment he made in 2004 about an Iranian airliner crash that killed 43 passengers.

-- NIAC worked with writer/director Wayne Kramer and the Weinstein Company to make changes to the screenplay for Crossing Over (2007). The film originally depicted Iranian Americans committing an "honor killing." Had the script not changed, the movie would have had similar effects for the Iranian-American community as the film Not Without My Daughter (1991)

--NIAC has registered thousands of Iranian-American voters.

--NIAC published the first-ever IranCensus, showing the make-up of our community.  "

They need our help to continue their work, a much deserved help indeed.

Losing my patience with NIAC and "Reza Aslan"

I have not been following this thread closely. However, recently, two entities have been making postings that makes me think that they have either lost touch with reality or are on their way to. One is NIAC. Although I am still a member of NIAC, I am disappointed that as much as they write about necessity of preventing war, to the same degree, NIAC is not fighting human rights violations in Iran. Another entity is "Aslan Media Inc." belonging to "Reza aslan". Their recent posts on facebook shows that they don't really get it. They write as if they have a problem with making "burqa" illegal in France. Please, come on, Burqa is so fanatic and results in security hazards. "Reza Aslan" and his Aslan Media Inc. have made other postings that are really controversial, like claiming that because of US economic problems, now Americans are opposing muslims more. These two entities NIAC and "Reza aslan" and his Inc. are in danger of losing touch with some of their fans. There was a time that I actually cared for both and I ma starting to change my mind.

Please stay on topic

Stop the personal attacks.

kay adam mishin? az fohsh o tohmat khasteh nemishin? baghiyeh cheh gonaahi kardan keh baayad beh davaaye zeshteh shoma negaah konan?

Keep comments focused on the topics presented on the page, not individuals/other commenters.

Help me out.

Thanks

Q

Glad you see the funny side of it! Mind you we have been having a blast at your expense. How is your friend Moussavi these days? I must scald my Facebook buddies for removing his picture. He has become the butt of so many jokes such as 'Mir Hossein.....who?'.

You lefy wing losers. Honestly. Infact, you are are so ungracious. I read the book 'Letters to my Torturers' and it reminded me of one of those left wing failures like you who spent short spellsin prisons under the Shah and then when Khomeini came alongg not only was he iimprisoned indefinitely  but he executed hundreds of like mind-Leftynutters before dumping their bodies in a mass grave in 1988. 

You lied to the people of Iran. You conned them to believe that you could ever change the system and toyed with their hopes and aspirations. You are corrupt and morally bankrupt as the Mullahs and worse of all you still have the audacity to put Mousavi's dirty picture as your avatar. 

Go down on your knees and repent your stupidity and with a loud voice scream from the top of your lungs, 'Javid Shah'.

Pathetic left wing losers....honestly. 

LOL, like I said traitors,

Suffice to say, I've heard gooz with better reasoning skills

I really have to chuckle at your fantasy projections. 4 assumption, 5 of them wrong.
But I won't bother correcting you.

The "greatest catastrophe" still has one undeniable positive value that all Iranians are thankful for. Real losers like you and your various real/imaginary friends are out of Iran forever, reduced to running around the West with fake lives and emptying oghdeh on online forums thinking you are some "gooz"! The fact that you will take it to your grave before you're given "mahaleh sag" in Iran makes any catastrophe worth it!

You just said below you support bombing Iran. Obviously in any serious discussion you are all irrelevant as you have been. Who are you trying to fool?

You've been dreaming for 31 years crying yourself to sleep hoping somebody will hand the country back to you. You can go ahead and dream for another 40.... IF you make it that far.

Q

When you read Q's articles they are typical of the lefty 'oghdeyi' activist in the 1970s who listened to Dariush music and recited Shamlou poetry  and participated inthe revolution. He will always bear a grudge because of'Mossadeq' even though he was NEVER democratically elected and once he tasted it he wanted more. The trouble is the Shah was too lenient on these Lefty losers and they eventuall paved the way for the greatest catastrophe Iran has ever seen: his fellow Lefty comrades were either jailed or executed in 1988 while he lives in exile. Has he hearned from his lesson? Hell, no. He still dishes out stupid terms like 'Zionists' and 'imperialism' and reading lefty writers like Chomsky. All the while Q knows that he could say anything he liked during the time of the Shah with impunity. 

But Q, please can shine some light on one thing please? I thought you left wing people are suppose to be nice tempeed and peace loving. How do you account for your nasty aggression and intolerance of commonsense reasoning? Maybe you haven't been eating meet!

Do me a favour. Go to KFC and grap youself a chicken bucket; the lack of meat is making you go completely loooooooooooooopy. 

Israel knows where the

Israel knows where the nuclear facilities are inside Iran, but Iran doesn't know where their facilities are. So, Iran has no choice but to destroy all of Israel in order to get rid of their nuclear facilities and that can easily be done. Iran knows what to expect, but they don't. Once they are surprised by Iran, it will be too late for them to put in reverse and that will be THE END of Israel. 

Quintessential Islamist

Huh? Are you completely delusional? Enjoy the debate of Q versus Q and keep uncovering those Zionist loyalties. Cheers  :-)

Thanks for the confession, Amir

you better believe that I would support the democratic country of my residence and citizenship, the U.S., against thuggish Islamist and Arab terrorists.

Good, so you are "supporting" "your country" against Iran, advancing the classic zionist lie that will certainly provoke a war for the sake of Israel: that Iran is some kind of threat to America.

You see what I mean about your loyalties? At least you had the guts to admit it, this time.

Now back to work, those boots aren't going to shine themselves.

Quintessential Islamist

I called a spade, a spade: you better believe that I would support the democratic country of my residence and citizenship, the U.S., against thuggish Islamist and Arab terrorists. I also care deeply what supporters of the raping, murdering, thieving IRI think of me. Oh yeah, I do. Cheers  :-)

LOL Amir, you are what you are

your consistent "will to power" cheerleading of Israel and the West with a "might makes right" mentality and racism is trademark Zionist. You are what you are, and if you're too cowardly to admit (perhaps even to yourself) whose side you're really on, people can see right through you.

The rapists in Iran will pick up the phone, and Arab "malakh-khor" Islamists of various stripes will just answer the call like that. Imagine the mindset of a fool dumb enough to be willing to die for Khamenei--personally, I hope they all get issued plastic keys right before they step on a landmine--care to join them, No Fear? A lot of good these loser friends of the IRI did in the war against Saddam, a man who was one of the most indept military minds in recent history. Just imagine how much Syria, Hamas, and the rest of the Islamist cutthroats could do if faced with the U.S., which mangled Saddam's army in the blink of an eye (something the IRI couldn't do in 8 long and very bloody years)! I am still waiting for Syria to recover the Golan or just get back at Israel for all the humiliating military defeats inflicted on it. The highlight of Arab military glories is Hezbollah's ability to kill 120 Israeli soldiers in 2006. When that is your finest hour, you know the pickin's must be slim. The only thing Arab and Muslim militaries are good for is killing their own people.

//iranian.com/main/news/2010/03/07/peres-...

Now you've wasted enough time, get back to shinig the boots of whoever happens to have the biggest guns this week.

to the Bog, you can cry all you want. IN a typical blind rage of hypocrisy you expect people to "stop accusing you", as if you have ever afforded that to anybody you accuse on daily basis. Now that is delusional, almost as much as your pitiful psychological diagnoses!

Q, I'm repeating this

Q, I'm repeating this again.. Stop accusing me of having multiple accounts and posting under different ID's.  I'm not simorgh and never had posted under any other name or accounts. Please stop your hallucinations and get some professional help. Obviously you are driving a sadistic pleasure out of this silliness and I choose not to be part of this sick game anymore.

Initially, Quintessential

Initially, Quintessential Islamist says: "If I was a misguided Jew with short temper and a serious insecurities, you could call me AMIR1973...."

Shortly thereafter, Quintessential Islamist says: "Amir, Sorry, I meant "Zionist"! I will now get ready to laugh at your forthcoming denial."

Is there any doubt now whether the Quintessential Islamist is badly in need of some Haldol? Just this one time, I will satisfy this psychotic Islamist's curiosity and say that I favor a two state settlement for Israelis and Palestinians (with the latter in the West Bank and Gaza). If this makes me either a  Zionist or a Joo in the minds of a delusional Islamist, then so be it. Cheers  :-) 

Vildemose-e aziz,

Q, have you gone completely insane?? 

The IRI's West-residing propagandists have become even more psychotic than their usual crazy selves as the UN Security Council and Western democracies have imposed more stringent sanctions on the garbage regime. The "Sargord" has been pacing the hallways of Iranian.com in his underwear barking endlessly about Fred being 10 different people--a rough estimate  :-). The tactic of wild accusations and thinly veiled threats used by them is a perfect mirror image of the M.O. of Islamist goons in the IRI. But in the USA, they can't use their "chomaghs" against you, and are therefore reduced to nonstop barking. Regards.

JJ and /Q

Q, have you gone completely insane?? You are really off your rockers this time. You are such pathetic narcissit with an intellect of a snail.

You can ask JJ to verify this statement: I have never used any other name or ID to post any comments. In predictable fashion, whenever your puny intellect fails, you typically resort to lat bazi, and chagookeshi in the cyberspace?? Grow up. I won't waste more of my time talking to a massacre-loving loser like you.

JJ: Please tell this numskull to stop his groundless accusations against me.

loony exile fringe

This is the single issue that easily exposes the truly loony exile crowd. You just can't get any more anti-Iran than wishing for war (or even economic war) upon the Meehan.

So, loony exile fringe: sound off! 

Concerned now, not when the sanctions were signed into a bill?

I thought that Obama's signing Iran sactions into a law was the actual "green light" to attack. And as I recall he had offered a seat for a NIAC rep to be present when signing this bill (//iranian.com/main/2010/jul/forough-parvizian-yazdani) Ms. Yazdani was very happy to be invited, but didn't speak up against the bill. May be the "happiness" bit her tongue.

Now we are concerned about a possible war. I don't get it. Isn't NIAC a lobbyist (or something like it) for Iranians abroad? Should she have said something then in the white house? I don't understand NIAC's strategy or mission.

Q

Hello Q, glad to see you again. I must say, I haven't seen much of you lately. Perhaps you have been busy writing your much anticipated article about Iranians 'in diaspora'. 

But you know, Q, whether you like it or not, the day of reckoning when your spiritual leader Khamenei and your loser political idol Mousavi is going to be hanged is not far away. Iranians have seen the fraud your stupid Green movement has revealed itself to be. You committed the unforgiavble crime of conning the Iranian people to believe you could change the regime from within knowing full well you were doomed for failure and the regime was corrupt to the core. Unrepentent and stubbornly arrogant you continue to visit the pages of Iranian.com and feed Iranians false expectations of change because you cannot come to terms with the fact your entire political movement achieved nothing. However, Iranians are not gullible and your patheric Mousavi has become an irrelevance amonst the political establishment in Iran and even amonsgt the Greens who have disowned him. Indeed, you are no different from the other Schmoozers who promise a lot but cannot deliver the goods.  

You lost. You are the text book definition of a loser making a fool of yourself flogging a symbolic dead horse which is your tired out Green movement.

It pains you to know that Iranians have grown wiser and have are not 'bozdel' spineless tired has beens like yourself and your tired out ideas. Mousavi for President? Not likely. No one gives a toss anymore. 

hamsade ghadimi

generalization = BAD! why? Because I could say for the sake of argument:

"i have to admit that the most hardcore war supporters on this site are exiled MEK/Monarchist oppositions groups who are the most hardcore niac attackers. and anyone who defends niac must be an islamist regime, basiji, hezbollahi, anti-semite regime supporting anti-iranian. "

not everyone who defends niac is a regime supporter. not everyone who attacks niac is a warmonger. lets learn to stop throwing accusations at eachother. it poisons the discussion. i will start with myself. 

i have to admit that the

i have to admit that the most hardcore hezbollahis on this site are the most hardcore niac defenders.  and anyone who attacks niac must be a warmonger mossad aipaci cheney-loving anti-iranian. just as they would be if they're attacking the iri regime. hmmmm.....

i'm not a lawyer but if an organization asks for public money, then does a person have to become thier member to see who funds them.  is it a member-only privilige?

NO NIAC NO WAR. YES TO REGIME CHANGE BY THE PEOPLE

NIAC NOR WAR HAVE THE ANSWERS FOR THE IRANINAN PEOPLE.  ONLY SOLUTION IS A REGIME CHANGE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE.

 HOW COME NIAC WONT SUPPORT THAT?

NIAC has the right idea

we must push back against all the war talk! its not going to help anyone! 

What do Iran hawks do when they don't work for the government? They
write of course. They write and help shape the public narrative about
everything middle-east.  This has been the job of two influential
middle-east analysts and uber Iran hawks. Barry Rubin, a professor at
the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, has been working
overtime to convince his readers  - many of whom are political pundits,
news personalities, influential bloggers and even politicians -  that
Iranian threat is imminent and not to be underestimated. In his blog, he
tries to understand Iranian regime and people's behavior by quoting
another uber Iran hawk, Harold Rhode's work. Harold Rhode,
a close associate of Bernard Lewis, is a well known neoconservative
academic  who before the Iraq war went to serve in the Defense
Department. Him and his like minded neoconservatives made effort to
purge the department of career Defense Department officials whose
worldviews are not considered sufficiently compatible with the
neoconservative perspectives. 

Anyway, from Barry Rubin, summarizing a Harold Rhode paper, this is what makes Iranians tick:

* This analysis identifies patterns exhibited by the Iranian government
and the Iranian people since ancient times. Most importantly, it
identifies critical elements of Iranian culture that have been
systematically ignored by policymakers for decades. It is a precise
understanding of these cultural cues that should guide policy objectives
toward the Iranian government.

* Iranians expect a ruler to demonstrate resolve and strength, and do
whatever it takes to remain in power. The Western concept of demanding
that a leader subscribe to a moral and ethical code does not resonate
with Iranians. Telling Iranians that their ruler is cruel will not
convince the public that they need a new leader. To the contrary, this
will reinforce the idea that their ruler is strong. It is only when
Iranians become convinced that either their rulers lack the resolve to
do what is necessary to remain in power or that a stronger power will
protect them against their current tyrannical rulers, that they will
speak out and try to overthrow leaders.

* Compromise (as we in the West understand this concept) is seen as a
sign of submission and weakness. For Iranians, it actually brings shame
on those (and on the families of those) who concede. By contrast, one
who forces others to compromise increases his honor and stature, and is
likely to continue forcing others to submit in the future. Iranians do
not consider weakness a reason to engage an adversary in compromise, but
rather as an opportunity to destroy them. It is for this reason
that good-will and confidence-building measures should be avoided at all costs.

* What Iranians really believe, they usually keep to themselves.
Instead, they tell those with power what they think their leaders want
to hear. This is the concept of ketman, or dissimulation. Iranians do
not consider ketman (taqiyah in Arabic) to be lying. And they have
developed it into a fine art, which they view as a positive form of
self-protection.

* Western cultural biases regarding, and demanding, honesty make it easy
to misunderstand Iranians. Iranians have learned to cope with adverse
situations by being warm, gracious, polite, and obsequious. Westerners,
especially Americans who place a high value on candor,
straightforwardness, and honesty, are often bamboozled by Iranians who
know that those in the West are easily taken in by their effusively
friendly, kind, generous, and engaging behavior.

* Negotiations are opportunities to best others, to demonstrate power,
and to make sure opponents know who is the boss. In politics, Iranians
negotiate only after defeating their enemies. During these
negotiations, the victor magnanimously dictates to the vanquished how
things will be conducted thereafter. Signaling a desire to talk before
being victorious is, in Iranian eyes, a sign of weakness or lack of will
to win.

* When the West establishes itself as the most powerful force and shows
strength and resolve, Iranians will most likely come on board. They do
not want to be on the losing side. If military action is eventually
required, the targeting of national symbols and leadership strongholds
may be enough to demonstrate that the balance of power in Iran is
quickly shifting. By applying this principle, the West may not need to
bomb Iran's nuclear facilities or launch a large-scale invasion to bring
down Iran's rulers and stop the nuclear program.

* Iranians look around them and see that others in their neighborhood
such as Russia, Israel, Pakistan, India, and China all have the bomb. To
say that Iran shouldn't have the bomb is considered an affront to
Iranian patriotism. Using a little ingenuity, we could drive a wedge
between the Iranian government and the Iranian people. We should make
clear that we are not opposed to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. We are
only opposed to the current government having a nuclear arsenal because
it is the largest state-sponsor of terrorism in the world and does its
utmost to undermine its neighbors and remove U.S. influence in the
region. If the current government acquires nuclear weapons, it might
very well use them.

* If the West is to succeed, Iranians must be convinced, in terms they
understand, that America is prepared to establish itself as a powerful
force and help the Iranian population liberate themselves from the
tyranny under which they live.

***

I am very confident that some of our resident neocons will agree with
most of these bullet points, but rest assured, they are convincingly
making a case for war. Before it is too late and the airwaves are
saturated with a new batch of neoconservative talking points, we need to
push back.

//iranian.com/main/blog/moosirvapiaz/barry-ru...

Aghay Irani

yes, many ordinary Iranians, like me support NIAC.  Their balance sheet is also open for scrutiny.  I am sure if you become a member, you will have all the privilege to those info.

Mehrdad

And Simorgh jaan asks:

"How did you "fight the IR?"

I took arms against them, aimed at them but missed the "between the eye"

Oops, I guess this doesn't count as it did not hit them between the eye, right?

Oh well, then lets have the Americans and Israelis fight while I and Simorgh seat behind our laptops surfing IC.

However,

you know why I missed "the between the eye"? not due to my bad aim, rather due to the fact that it was empty. IRI does not have any thing between the eyes.

Mehrdad

P.S. But if we are going to come back to reality, it will be some thing very close to what MM described as the way event will unfold.

Simorgh5^5,

Chi migi baba? If I knew the future I would have been billionaire since now!

I don't know how exactly Iranians will overthrow this satanic regime nor when, but I, and even all those, who defected the regime know that this will happen.

So keep your warmongering for yourself, Iranians don't need it! NO THANKS - NIET - NADA - ZÉRO - ON EN VEUT PAS MERDE - baba be cheh zabooni begueem digeh?

NIAC/CASMII

The video asks for donations.  

As this is some kind of registered group(s) - they must publish their accounts.

1. Does anybody know who fund these two organizations?

2. And what kind of annual budgets do they have? 

Thanks NIAC for an informative video

Those who dream of surgical stikes against Iran assume that Iran and its bully elite will turn the other cheek saying "give me some more, Sir".  By many accounts, the US or Israel do not have the resources for an all out war and take over of Iran, so here is a more likely scenario that I see:

Surgical strikes on Iranian targets --->

Iranians will work agianst the US troops and Israel thru her proxies: Hezbollah / Hamas), and newly acquired BFFs: Taliban / Al Quaeda --->

More bombings in Iran / Naval blockade --->

Blockade of the straight of Hormuz --->

World economic meltdown --->

UN intervension --->

Peace treaty.

Now, meanwhile, thousands of Iranians will be killed, including many civilians, and forget about all opposition voices who will be rounded up and labeled as mohaareb, mofsed-ol-fel-arz and American/Isreali spies.

Does anyone have an alternative scenario that will lead to the demise of IRI?   The nuclear issue is just a distraction from our main goal which is freedom in Iran.  Once freedom is realized in Iran, western countries will line up from here to eternity to sell her the latest nuclear technologies.

One last thing - So far, no evidence of nuclear technology to make a nuclear bomb has been described in Iran.  If the western countries have the evidence (apparently in a laptop!), then commision IAEA to inspect this secret site(s) and warn Iran that this particular site(s) has to be inspected fully ASAP without delays, and let's take it from there.

Simorgh,

It's obvious you have no clue about war and peace. No true patriot is itching for a war and cheerleading gullible Americans into it like you're sorry ass is doing on daily basis.

You're just another traitor and a coward looking for a paycheck from a foreign government. Nothing more.

It doesn't matter what you think or how many other traitors and Israeli agents agree with you. The only thing that matters is the painful reality, that you and your ilk have been rejected by the Iranian people.

There's nothing you can do about that. You must know this well, which is why you are begging foreign governments to do the dirty work that you are too cowardly to do yourself.

Mardom

YAWN!You still haven't asnwered my question: How will "the people" change the government? 

These are the same politcally bankrupt you so-called Green Mousavi lovers have been saying for years! The demos of 2009 gave bad publicity to Iran but they have defied the world and continued executions and murder at an accelrated rate. Iran is still the largest executioner in the world after China.

I am ariad that those of your ilk are weak willed, disjointed, imept and utterly cowardly. Stick to poetry and never take up military service. 

To Simorgh5555

First and foremost when someone aims to attack my family the very first response and logical act is to defend them period.

Second, Roosevelt was not and isnot my leader nor he will ever be, You may be impressed by him not me. Third he didn`t gamble on attacking the USA (where his family lived) he gambled everything with other countries not to mention the enormous gain they achieved after the war. you don`t believe me just ask a british citizen and they will explain what went on behind closed doors.

My judgment is intact and trust it wholeheartedly to defend my family against anyone dared to attacking them. Now I have to defend yours as well, since your judgment is to let them be bombed for greater cause!!!