Speakers for Protest Against Ahmadinejad at UN

There are many reasons to protest against Ahmadinejad. Above is a sign I created and encourage all to print out and bring. It has not received an endorsement from WIMV-NY, but it adheres to their non-divisive guidelines.

Following is a press release from http://whereismyvoteny.org/

*UPDATED RALLY INFORMATION *

For those who would like to be there when Ahmadinejad is scheduled to
arrive at the United Nations, you will need to gather as early as
8:00-8:30AM to meet his motorcade.

The WIMV-NY program and rally will begin at 10:00 AM, when the United
Nations session is convened and during Ahmadinejad’s scheduled
address.

*The program information is as follows:*

*WHEN: *Monday, May 03, 2010 at 10:00 AM* *

*WHERE: *47th Street and 1st Avenue (Dag Hammarskjold Plaza)

*FEATURING*:

*Reza Aslan*, Best-selling Author, Scholar and
Commentator on the Middle East

"*Hadi Ghaemi*, Director of International Campaign for Human Rights in
Iran

"*Shirin Neshat*, Prominent Iranian Artist, Filmmaker, and Colleague of
Imprisoned Filmmaker Jafar Panahi

"*Faraz Sanei*, Researcher with the Middle East and North Africa
division of Human Rights Watch

"*Ali Akbar Mousavi-Khoeni*, Former Iranian Member of Parliament and
Political Prisoner

"We ask that you please refrain from bringing any national flags. We
all love our countries and their symbols but at this action we strive
for a united event with a message that doesn’t appear factional."

Israel, Iran, Hizbullah and the NPT

by Julie Jigsawnovich


I think Sepah (Iran's Revolutionary Guards) and Hizbullah probably do want nuclear weapons simply for the prestige and fear they generate--if nothing else. But Israel having nuclear weapons certainly feeds that desire. And Israel's nuclear threat is used by Iran's regime in their effort to rally support. 


Getting Israel to sign the non-proliferation treaty could erode what popular support remains in Iran for the brutality exhibited by Sepah and military Basij under Supreme Leader Khameini on behalf of alleged President Ahmadinejad.  And since support for them also entails financial support for Hizbollah, Israel should recognize that joining the NPT could help erode financial and popular support for Hizbullah. 


If this could also be explained to low income people in Iran who are benefiting from improvements and handouts from the Ahmadinejad administration, despite his mishandling of the economic issues--which has contributed to unemployment and inflation--and if the general public in Iran could see the Israeli bogeyman reduced so that less money seemed to be needed for defense, they might sigh a collective sigh of relief. Iranians have a lot of economic problems at home that need to be dealt with. Friends in Iran (including Muslims) have told me they would prefer that Iran's wealth benefit the citizens of Iran and their quality of life rather than be spent on Islamic hardline militants.

(I wrote this in response to Reza Aslan's "Stop Talking Down to Iran" in the Daily Beast.)