Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز

Lawyer. Activist. via @UofT & @Harvard_Law. Of no party or clique. Tweets on the fight for liberal democracy in Iran, Canada, US, and globally

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

live not by lies

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

@TheAmer96874779 There was some armed resistance in Romania in the early years of Communism, but it wasn't a significant part of the fall of Ceausecu (defections were much more significant).
As for Syria: is that what you want for Iran?

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

برای سرنگونی جمهوری اسلامی و ساختن یک دموکراسی، هیچ راهی جز مبارزه و نافرمانی مدنیِ گسترده وجود ندارد. با توجه به اتفاقاتی که در دی‌ماه افتاد، شاید قبول کردن این حرف سخت باشد. اما هر کس که به شما می‌گوید مبارزه‌ی مسلحانه جواب می‌دهد، دارد یک خیال‌پردازی را به‌عنوان واقعیت به شما می‌فروشد.

۱. خشونت چیزی است که جمهوری اسلامی در آن تخصص دارد. واقع‌بینانه، هیچ مقدار سلاح و آموزش نظامی را نمی‌شود به‌صورت مخفیانه به مردم ایران رساند که بتوانند با آن سپاه پاسداران را از قدرت کنار بزنند. هر میزان خشونتی که علیه جمهوری اسلامی به کار بگیرید، آن‌ها همیشه می‌توانند خشونت بیشتری به کار ببرند.

۲. فرستادن سلاح به ایران عملاً راه را برای جنگ داخلی باز می‌کند. حتی اگر مردم مسلح بتوانند جمهوری اسلامی را از نظر نظامی شکست بدهند ــ که بعید است چنین اتفاقی بیفتد ــ آیا محتمل‌تر نیست که بعد از آن، شبه‌نظامیان سلاح‌هایشان را زمین نگذارند، بلکه هر کدام بخشی از کشور را در اختیار بگیرند و جنگ‌سالارهای مختلف شکل بگیرند؟

۳. کسانی که از مبارزه‌ی مسلحانه صحبت می‌کنند، آیا می‌توانند چند نمونه از کشورهایی را نام ببرند که در آن‌ها مردم مسلح یک دیکتاتوری خشن را سرنگون کرده‌اند و بعد از آن توانسته‌اند یک دموکراسی موفق و باثبات ایجاد کنند؟

۴. چرا طرفداران مبارزه‌ی مسلحانه فکر می‌کنند در صورت یک سرنگونی مسلحانه، جریان مورد علاقه‌ی خودشان برنده خواهد شد؟ آیا نتیجه‌ی محتمل‌تر این نیست که مجاهدین یا کردها ــ که هر دو تجربه و سابقه‌ی واقعی نظامی دارند ــ در چنین شرایطی دست بالا را پیدا کنند؟

[Amber Mac @ambermac]

#Toronto rant: I'm not one to get too sensational about the ongoing decline of public transit in Toronto, but anecdotally, here is a recap of my three subway rides just this week.

1. A woman on the subway at 11 p.m. after a concert is screaming racist comments and hurling threats at young passengers to the point that people are moving cars.

2. A man with his pants down is fondling himself outside Union Station in the early afternoon, trying to get close to women to get himself off.

3. A man is screaming homophobic slurs and hurling threats at two young men minding their own business.

My family and I take public transit in Toronto every week, and have done so for almost two decades. It is getting worse and worse. My friend was randomly punched in the face, many women I know will not ride the TTC alone, and my teen son has too many horror stories to retell.

I do not feel safe most of the time. Rarely do I see any transit police, even late at night, when subway cars are packed after special events in the city. If I did, I would be the first to ask for help.

Yet we've been having this distracting conversation about removing bike lanes (as if that will help the absolute 24-7 traffic disaster in our city). Also, side note, I would bike everywhere if I didn't think there was a good chance of getting hit by a car.

So, here's an idea. Make public transit cleaner, safer, and more reliable for everyone, including families, commuters, teens, seniors, etc.

I am not going to stop taking the TTC because I believe in the importance of public transportation to make our city better. However, we need to stop kidding ourselves about why public transportation is not a choice for so many of our residents.

Also, I understand that many people ride the TTC and have had no issues whatsoever, but that is absolutely not my experience. I understand that there are a growing number of people in our city who are battling addiction and struggling on the streets, so let's do everything we can to get them help.

As a voter in the upcoming municipal election, this is my number one issue. I will vote for the candidate who is honest about this situation, which I believe is at the root of so many of our issues and a growing embarrassment for a city that wants to compete on the world stage.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

Leopard, face, etc

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Renee Good's mom: "I am a registered Republican. I voted for President Trump under the impression that these agents were here to protect the citizens of the United States -- innocents like our family and the others here -- against terrorists. Certainly not to accuse those of us here of being terrorists and take precious lives. This is madness."

[Jarvis @jarvis_best]

The only way I’m happy about this is if it’s 500 hours long.

[Kyle Orton @KyleWOrton]

Trump has basically absorbed the Leftist vision of America, and just decided it's good, actually. Reminds me of his approach to antisemitism: accepting the essential tropes, but just admiring the Jews for being so cunning and powerful.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

@AdamZivo Bless you

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

+1
I now deliberately take em dashes out of my writing lest the reader think I'm relying on AI

[Billy Binion @billybinion]

I really can’t emphasize enough how mad I am at AI for stealing the em dash from me. I was an em dash guy long before ChatGPT, and now every time I use one I wince knowing someone will think I’m a hallucinating robot. This is actual cultural appropriation.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

You guys can all stop worrying now

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Trump tells the UN he is officially changing the name of Artificial Intelligence to "Super Intelligence" and says all US government documents will now be changed to refer to "SI"

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

@drsgholami Worth noting that this is the IranLobby's exact argument with respect to "death to America"

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

Pahlavists, at their big event in Toronto on the weekend, openly calling for the death of 4 groups: mullahs, leftists, MEK members, and separatists. ("Separatists" is a recent and awkward addition to their fav death chant.)

This is not how a democratic movement behaves.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

۱. روی شعارتون کمی کار کنید. فعلاً افتضاحه.

۲. حتی خمینی هم عقلش می‌رسید که توی نوفل‌لوشاتو نباید از اعدام مخالف‌ها حرف بزنه. اما اینا از همین الان دارن وعده‌ی اعدامِ چهار گروه رو می‌دن (البته قبلاً سه گروه بود). اگه فکر می‌کنی جنبشی که قبل از رسیدن به قدرت چنین وعده‌هایی می‌ده، بعد از به قدرت رسیدن همه‌ی مخالف‌هاش رو اعدام نمی‌کنه، با تاریخ آشنایی کافی نداری.

[Jen Gerson @jengerson]

I regret to inform the collective that everything is going to get much, much worse all around and the only antidote to any of it will be the scrupulous cultivation of friendship and love and laughter.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

Pure banana republic stuff.

My friend got this letter from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to alert her to money she's entitled to as part of an FTC settlement with Amazon.

But the FTC is now called "President Trump's FTC" (in one case "The President Trump's FTC").

[Terry Glavin 格立文 @TerryGlavin]

Sad trombone sound.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

نایاکی‌ها هم همیشه می‌گویند منظور از «مرگ بر آمریکا» کشتن آمریکایی‌ها نیست. شما باور می‌کنید؟

حالا اگر دوستان پهلوی‌پرست همیشه با مخالفانشان محترمانه رفتار می‌کردند، شاید می‌شد پذیرفت که منظورشان از «اعدام» واقعاً اعدام نیست. اما وقتی در جنبششان عده‌ای با لباس ساواک رژه می‌روند و روی مزار مخالفان ادرار می‌کنند، دیگر نمی‌شود چنین «benefit of the doubt»ای به آن‌ها داد.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

۱. روی شعارتون کمی کار کنید. فعلاً افتضاحه.

۲. حتی خمینی هم عقلش می‌رسید که توی نوفل‌لوشاتو نباید از اعدام مخالف‌ها حرف بزنه. اما اینا از همین الان دارن وعده‌ی اعدامِ چهار گروه رو می‌دن (البته قبلاً سه گروه بود). اگه فکر می‌کنی جنبشی که قبل از رسیدن به قدرت چنین وعده‌هایی می‌ده، بعد از به قدرت رسیدن همه‌ی مخالف‌هاش رو اعدام نمی‌کنه، با تاریخ آشنایی کافی نداری.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

I've seen this charitable reaction among many liberal writers and commentators, many of whom have not been charitably treated by NHJ. (I use 'liberal' not in the American sense, but as an antonym of 'illiberal').

This charitable attitude is a function of liberal beliefs, which prizes the search for truth over tribalism.

[Coleman Hughes @coldxman]

Most writers don't admit to mistakes, much less publicize them so that we can all benefit. Nikole Hannah-Jones (@nhannahjones) has done both of those things with this powerful essay. I do not agree with every word (or with some underlying assumptions), but she deserves nothing but praise for bringing her daughter's story to light. Read and share widely!

https://t.co/LrBr2RiFdM

[Tyler Austin Harper @Tyler_A_Harper]

It would have been easy for NHJ not to write that desperately sad article about New York City public schools and her decision to send her daughter to a troubled one. I respect her for writing it and for writing it honestly and in a way that wasn’t an exercise in self-flattery.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

@rolandebrown Took me a while to get a chance to watch. But was very impressed when I finally had the chance. Well done.

[Kaveh Shahrooz کاوه شهروز @kshahrooz]

My friend @rolandebrown has an in-depth conversation with author Joby Warrick, whose new book about Carlos the Jackal sounds fascinating. Well worth your time.

https://t.co/gpvHV1Ltqv