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, 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, 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..." . 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."   -- 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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