Talk:David Safavian

Lobbyist Info

I deleted information pertaining to Dr. Jamal Al-Barzinji (cited in the Lobbying accusations section) as the source cited (http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/148kcyrb.asp?pg=2) is rife with inaccuracies and should not be considered citation-worthy on wikipedia. The article, for example, names Dr. Al-Barzinji as the author of a book entitled "Working Principles for an Islamic Model in Mass Media Communication", when a cursory search reveals the author of that book is named "Suhaib Jamal Al-Barzinji". It names Dr. Al-Barzinji as "a Saudi" when, again, a cursory search reveals him to be of Iraqi descent and, not inconsequentially, a figure of considerable repute amongst Western academics and intellectuals. Such a haphazardly researched piece that seeks to cast Al-Barzinji in a negative light for the sole purpose of casting more suspicion on Safavian is unwarranted, biased, and nonfactual.

RumiNationZ (talk) 13:19, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Safavian's email

I deleted the following text:

Email's Safavian sent to conservative lobbyist Jack Abramoff indicated that all those on the trip to Scotland in 2002 knew it was being paid for by the lobbyist.

"I (along with [two] members of Congress and a few Congressional staff) have been invited by a friend and former colleague on a trip to Scotland to play golf for four days," Safavian wrote in an email to his government employer, seeking permission to go on the trip.

"The host of the trip is chartering a private jet to take the eight of us from BWI to Scottland [sic] and back. He is paying the cost of the aircraft regardless whether I go or not. In fact, none of the other guest [sic] will be paying a proportional share of the aircraft costs."

"The host is a lawyer and a lobbyist… he does all his work on Capitol Hill."

I removed it for the following reasons: according the affidavit (pdf file), the email wasn't sent to Abramoff, it was sent to an ethics officer at GSA; and the email doesn't indicate that all those on the flight knew it was paid for by Abramoff, only that it wasn't being paid for by the passengers. - Walkiped 01:38, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Safavian is not an Arab-American he is an Iranian-American. Belive it or not, there is a difference.

OMB's procurement budget

I removed the reference that said that OMB has a $300 billion purchasing budget. OMB oversees purchasing policy for the federal executive branch [1], but it doesn't make $300 billion in purchasing itself. - Walkiped 02:01, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Is Safavian Jewish?

I just reverted an edit by Jghitzert in which the article was changed to say that Savafian is Jewish. First, I'd like to see a source provide here - not in the article. Second, the explanation of why the editor decided Safavian was Jewish (the ending of his name) should NOT have been inserted into the article. Third, a quick google search turns up a "Mehrdad Safavian", a recent college graduate, who is Muslim, [2] so obviously having the surname of "Safavian" doesn't automatically make one Jewish. (And, I note, in the U.S., that one's parents or grandparents were Jewish does NOT automatically make a person Jewish - it's up to that person to decide what religion, if any, he/she will observe, and that's the religion - if any - that should be used to describe that person.) And fourth, the article describes Safavian being involved in lobbying for organizations opposing the existence of Israel. John Broughton 22:08, 15 April 2006 (UTC)

The name David is only used among Persian Jews. He is Jewish and should be referred to as Jewish-American not iranian-american. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.232.38.44 (talk • contribs)

From today's Washington Post: "Safavian, an Iranian American from Detroit..." [3]. From an older Wash Post article: "As a lobbyist, he represented the government of Pakistan on military sales matters and the Islamic Institute in an effort to promote a U.S. postage stamp commemorating Ramadan." [4] -- Sholom 16:37, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

The name David is used as a nickname among Muslim Persians as well. I myself am a Muslim and a Persian and I have a cousin (also a Muslim) who goes by the name David. Bahram 16:57, 20 June 2006. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 13.8.125.10 (talk • contribs)

Another interesting point regarding David's religion: His middle name is "Hossein" according to SourceWatch. Hossein is definitely a Muslim name, specifically Shia Islam which is the predominate sect of Islam in Iran. Bahram —Preceding unsigned comment added by 13.8.125.10 (talk • contribs)

pronunciation of last name

I removed the reference for the pronuciation of "Safavian" for two reaons: 1) it doesn't explicitly give the pronunciation of Safavian, and 2) regardless of what the correct pronunciation is, how do we know that David Safavian pronounces it that way? - Walkiped 00:33, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Lobbying accusations

In an attempt to clean up the lobbying accusations section I did research to try and find sources. I did find the minutes of his Senate Confirmation Hearing but I am unable to find any of the quotes in this section in a verifiable source. These quotes have found there way into several newspaper and magazine articles, but are not verifiable by a third party. I suggest deletion or at a minimum changes to the tone of this section. AbejaAbajo (talk) 22:01, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

WikiProject Criminal Biography

As twice-convicted criminal, I have added the appropriate WikiProject template to Mr. Safavian's article. Jusdafax 00:54, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

External links modified

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