Lev7

does anyone here actually believe it will be passed this time? If yes, then you are all dreaming

Don't be fooled by this! another cheap plot to show the world that their society is changing and undermine our world efforts. I would not be surprised if the AKP party itself sponsored this.

wow I am suprised the Azeris did not start their crying hysteria over this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from...ent/7342869.stm Hundreds of writers have been prosecuted in Turkey for "insulting Turkishness", but Sarah Rainsford discovers that there are still some people willing to publish controversial books. It is a very difficult time to be a writer in Turkey. Books on a shelf (Photo:Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel prize for literature in 2006 Last year the prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, was murdered. This year, an ultra-nationalist gang allegedly had the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk on its hit list. Both men had been prosecuted for "insulting Turkishness". Today, many writers once known for their forthright views have fallen silent. But one man is still putting himself on the line in a fight for free speech. I found Ragip Zarakolu in one of the dimly-lit corridors of the Sultanahmet courthouse waiting to be called for his latest trial. A small man with grey curls and crinkled kindly eyes, Mr Zarakolu is a publisher on a mission to shatter every taboo in Turkey. Ragip Zarakolu Ragip Zarakolu: Time to confront the past As a result, he once admitted to me with characteristic chuckle he is now the most prosecuted publisher in the country. This time he is also accused of "insulting Turkishness" under article 301 of the penal code. The case was opened after he published the work of a British writer. It was the story of the writer's family in 1915, when hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Armenians were deported as traitors during World War I. Turkey's taboos Ragip Zarakolu is one of very few Turks to challenge the official line, but it comes at a cost. Shortly before his trial I visited his office just across the tram lines from Grand Bazaar. In a basement beneath McDonalds I discovered an Aladdin's cave of Turkey's taboos. Map of Turkey showing Ankara and Istanbul Crammed on to shelves and piled high on tables and on the floor were books on every controversial topic in Turkey, and an American ambassador's memoir of the Armenian massacres side by side with books on Kurdish nationalism. "My late wife and I began by publishing the history of the Turkish Communist Party. That was the first taboo," Ragip Zarakolu explained, a pretty unlikely looking subversive in his woollen overcoat and brown moccasins. The book came out in 1982, in the wake of a military coup. It was banned and later burned by the generals as a threat to social order and Ragip's wife was brought to trial. A decade later the pair shifted focus to the plight of Turkey's Kurds. It was the height of the separatist insurgency and the mainly Kurdish south-east was under martial law. Undaunted by yet another court case, they then published texts about the fate of the Ottoman Armenians. "We decided it was time to confront our past and discuss it," Ragip explained. But in 1993 that approach was not welcome. Ragip's wife was sentenced to two years in jail - under anti-terror legislation - for publishing the work of a French scholar about the Armenian massacres. EU accession efforts Turkey has changed enormously since then, working towards membership of the European Union. But the trials of writers and publishers continue. Ironically, the book Mr Zarakolu is currently being prosecuted for is among his least controversial. It tells how a Turkish official protected the author's Armenian grandmother in 1915 - a Turkish Oskar Schindler. Our society has traumas that we are avoiding Ragip Zarakolu But the insult charge was brought as nationalist feeling began to soar here, partly linked to Turkey's EU accession efforts. The Justice Ministry recently revealed that 1,700 people were tried under Article 301 in 2006 alone. The best-known cases have all involved comments on the Armenian massacres. "If you believe you are great, clean, and honest it is hard to face something like 1915," Ragip Zarakolu explained. "Our society has traumas that we are avoiding. "Really, we should see a therapist!" Fuelling discussion What Turkey has instead is Ragip Zarakolu relentlessly publishing books that delve into the darkest chapters of the past. And, despite the nationalist backlash, he is sure he is making a difference. His books are read mainly by students and academics, but they have helped fuel a cautious discussion on topics that were once utterly off-limits. And now the law may be changing too, to protect people's freedom to do just that. Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk The charges against Istanbul-based Orhan Pamuk were dropped Under immense pressure from the EU, the Turkish government has proposed softening Article 301 on "insulting Turkishness". Nationalist politicians are outraged, but for Ragip Zarakolu it was a well-timed move. His trial was postponed until parliament decides whether the crime he is accused of should actually exist. As we filed out of the courthouse into the sunshine, the veteran publisher was pleased. But he believes even a "reformed" Article 301 is dangerous, so his fight goes on. "My wife went to prison for publishing the first book here on the Armenian genocide. Now I plan to print that book again and to include the notes from her trial," Ragip Zarakolu confided. "Fifteen years later we'll see what happens!" he said. Then, chuckling as usual, he wandered away from the court and down the street.

PRESS RELEASE Armenian National Committee San Francisco - Bay Area 51 Commonwealth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118 Tel: (415) 387-3433 Fax: (415) 751-0617 www.ancsf.org mail@ancsf.org ADL's Abe Foxman Disputes Criticism on Armenian Genocide Position Monday April 7, 2008 - Responding to a question about the Anti-Defamation League's reluctance to unequivocally recognize the Armenian Genocide, Abe Foxman, National Director of the ADL said, "...No one can dictate to you to use the word that you want us to use. We will use the words that we feel comfortable with." Foxman's statement was part of a somewhat rambling answer to a question posed at the conclusion of a speech in San Francisco related to his book, "Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control." The speech took place at the Jewish Community Center. Foxman spoke about international anti-Semitism directed towards Jews and Israel. He repeatedly condemned and called for an end to the use of racist, anti-Jewish euphemisms. The first question posed to Foxman asked why he has chosen to use euphemisms in regard to the Armenian Genocide. Foxman prefaced his response by informing the audience that some people are not happy with the Anti-Defamation League's position the issue of the Armenian Genocide, and he went on to state that the issue should be resolved between Turks and Armenians. (Full text below.) After years of lobbying against Armenian Genocide recognition in Congress and refusing to unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Foxman's position was publicized last year in the New England media, prompting a public outcry which included conflict among ADL officials. As a result, on August 21, the ADL published an ad in several Boston-area community newspapers, stating in part, "In light of the heated controversy that has surrounded the Turkish-Armenian issue in recent weeks, and because of our concern for the unity of the Jewish community at a time of increased threats against the Jewish people, ADL has decided to revisit the tragedy that befell the Armenians. We have never negated but have always described the painful events of 1915-1918 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians as massacres and atrocities. On reflection, we have come to share the view of Henry Morgenthau Sr. that the consequences of those actions were indeed tantamount to genocide. If the word genocide had existed then, they would have called it genocide." Although some applauded the ADL's new position, it also prompted criticism for it's use of the qualifier "tantamount," and the term `consequences of those actions" suggesting the Armenian Genocide was not carried out with the intent to destroy a people, as defined by the U.N. and the 1948 Genocide Convention. The ADL has also recently reiterated its opposition to U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Turkey's call for an "impartial study" of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey has repeatedly called for a "historical commission," despite it's prime minister's statements that Turks could never have committed a genocide, and its continued criminal prosecutions of citizens who discuss the Armenian Genocide. Turkish press has reported that the ADL wrote to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, expressing its sorrow for the discomfort the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide caused Turkey's leadership and people. Erdogan announced, `The wrong step that has been taken is corrected ... They said they shared our sensitivity and expressed the mistake they made [and] will continue to give us all the support they have given so far.' The national ADL's position on the Armenian Genoicde runs counter to the position of a wide range of Jewish organizations in the Bay Area. In November, 2007, the San Francisco Bay Area's Jewish Community Relations Council re-iterated its support for official recognition of the Armenian Genocide. As the Jewish community's public affairs arm, the JCRC represents more than 80 Jewish organizations across the Bay Area. The organization, which includes the membership of the San Francisco chapter of the ADL, overwhelmingly approved a policy statement re-issuing a 1989 letter to Armenian community leader Bishop Aris Shirvanian, expressing support for the Armenian Genocide resolution pending in the U.S. Senate at that time. Senate Joint Resolution 212 sought to designate April 24th as a national day of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. Foxman's full answer to the question about his position on the Armenian Genocide was: "The question is, this is a public issue, a public debate. There are people out there who are not happy with the Anti-Defamation League's position on the issue of the Armenian Genocide. To reply to your question, the Anti-Defamation League, has for as many year as I know, and I've been involved for 43 years in the league and its director for 21 years, has always described, the events of 1915-1918, between Turkey and/in the Ottoman Empire and the Armenian people as a massacre, as a terrible tragedy, and an issue, that, it should be resolved between the Turkish people and the Armenian people. We never denied it... We never challenged or questioned... We didn't use the words that you use... And it's not a moral question of, to use your words. We could use your words. Usually a certain word becomes a political issue. And it would be as if we, the Jewish people, would say to you or everybody else, 'Unless you use the word [shoah] and Holocaust to describe the events of 1933-1945, unless you use our words, you are a Holocaust denier.' That's nonsense. We have used the word. We have used it in the context of what we believe in applying it. But we have never, never, in terms of an organization, and a people, denied the tragedy, of the massacre. But we haven't used the word that you want to use. And you use this, and this is for all you here now, not only to accuse us, but to point to the Anti-Defamation league, to prevent us from teaching diversity, I think that's wrong. But we've all, you know, wanted to share the pain. But no one can dictate to you to use the word that you want us to use. We will use the words that we feel comfortable with. And we've used the word genocide... And so now it's, "Not only do you have to use the word, but you have to support legislation in Congress,' which we don't, and we don't, we're "immoral," etc. And we have articulated our position. I've used the word genocide... Some people don't like exactly how we've formulated it, but that's what makes this country a democracy. And we have never denied it, we don't deny it, but again you don't have a right to dictate to us how the word should be formed, in what manner, and what shape..." Flyers detailing the ADL's position on the Armenian Genocide, which were being distributed on the sidewalk in front of the Jewish Community Center, were destroyed by security guards.

un-fu$%&ng believable!!! and we are fighthing them in the media/information war? If only we can put 1% of our efforts we could have painted them worse than Israel portrays Palestinians

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan March 29 2008 Yosef Shagal: `There are forces, who want to raise `Armenian genocide' in Israeli Parliament' [ 29 Mar 2008 17:03 ] Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. ` There are forces, who want to raise `Armenian genocide' in Israeli Parliament `, Yosef Shagal, President of Azerbaijan-Israel Association (AZIZ), member of Israeli Knesset (parliament) told APA. He noted that they would use all means to prevent the discussion of this issue. `There is no need to dramatize the situation. If the issue is discussed, Israel has unambiguous position on the genocide. Israel does not recognize any genocide. If Armenian genocide is recognized, genocide committed against Azerbaijanis by Armenians should also be recognized and `Golodomor' in Ukraine should be recognized as genocide as well. To him, Israel has state and strategic interests. `These are ideas about alliance, security and fortune of Jews living other countries. There is no Jew in Armenia. Israel has never taken any step against Jew. Jews are living in Azerbaijan very well and Azerbaijan has good relations with Israel. We do not want to violate these relations. Azerbaijan and Turkey are our real allies in the region and we have serious relations with Turkey,' he said.

A new world-class museum will be just two blocks from the White House, watch the video: http://www.armeniangenocidemuseum.org

BABSON ARMENIAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION Presents the movie "SCREAMERS" Music by System of a Down The Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur... And every time a U.S. President, a British Prime Minister and a U.N. Secretary General says "Never again." Yet it happens - again, and again and again. Come see the powerful and vitally important new film that serves as a stirring call to action for a new generation. FREE Admission - Food and Beverages will be served MONDAY, APRIL 7 at 6pm OLIN HALL AUDITORIUM, BABSON COLLEGE 231 Forest Street Babson Park, MA 02457-0310

Armenia should definately spread rumors that Al Queda training camps are operating in Azerbaijan in collaboration with Chechen separatists

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier We all can recall the time when a city councilman would show up at an annual banquet with a proclamation commending Armenians and their achievements. Those in attendance would welcome the politician with rousing applause and a standing ovation. And if the elected official managed to greet the audiencewith one or two mangled Armenian words, he or she would be hailed as a hero. Those times are a distant memory now. Members of Congress routinely attend Armenian events. Governors keynote April 24 commemorations and proclaim Armenian Genocide Day, despite the opposition of the Federal government. Virtually all U.S. presidential candidates issue statements that not only reaffirm the Armenian Genocide, but also express support for most Armenian issues. Clearly, Armenians have come a long way! The great progress they have achieved is owed to the activism of numerous Armenian-American organizations, and specifically to thousands of community members who have been involved in many political campaigns as volunteers, staff members, and financial contributors. Many others have run for political office -- one, George Deukmejian, was elected governor of the great state of California. Other Armenian-Americans became high-ranking civil servants, members of Congress, state legislators, mayors, city councilmen, and distinguished members of the judiciary -- Dickran Tevrizian became the first Armenian-American Federal Judge, and Justices Armand Arabian and Marvin Baxter served on the California Supreme Court. Despite the community's great progress in recent years, much more could be accomplished with greater activism and organizational effort. Unfortunately, there are always those who remain on the sidelines and throw stones at those who are politically active, effectively discouraging others from getting involved in community affairs. They see the cup as half empty rather than half full. They contend that that there is no point in political activism either because politicians cannot be trusted or that there is an anti-Armenian conspiracy orchestrated by one group or another that would never allow Armenians to attain their objectives. These inactive Armenians refuse to spend the time, energyand money to further the Armenian agenda. Instead of using the achievements of more successful ethnic groups as a model to emulate, these naysayers either begrudge or denigrate them. Let's look at the example of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) which is getting ready to celebrate its 102nd anniversary in a couple of months in New York City. Among the distinguished guests who are invited to speak at AJC's conference are: Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations; Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State; Francois Fillon, Prime Minister of France; Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, President of International Monetary Fund; Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University; Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of Woodrow Wilson School; and Taib Fassi Fihri, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco. I would not be surprised if in the not too distant future, major Armenian-American organizations would be hosting an equally distinguished list of dignitaries at their annual conferences or gala banquets. Indeed, in recentyears, a number of Armenian groups such as the AGBU, ANCA, Armenian Assembly, Diocese, Prelacy, Children of Armenia Fund, and the USC Institute of Armenian Studies have held very prestigious events with important elected officials and celebrities as their guests. Another yardstick with which one can measure the Armenian community's progress is the amount of money it raises and contributes to various projects in Armenia and the Diaspora. Dozens of Armenian-American organizations raise tens of millions of dollars annually for a variety of causes. One of the most prominent fund-raising events is the annual telethon of the Armenia Fund. This group has raised around $15 million during each of the last two years and millions more in earlier telethons. As a point of reference, and in order to encourage Armenian-Americans to get even more involved in community affairs, it would be interesting to note the fund-raising successes of the American Jewish community. According to Howard Rieger, the President of the United Jewish Communities (UJC), the North American Jewish Federation system raised $2.4 billion last year. This group now has more than $13 billion in endowment funds, which yield approximately $1 billion per year. Of course, it is understood that the American Jewish community is older, larger, more prosperous and better organized than the Armenian-American community. Yet, Armenians can accomplish much more than they have by expanding their base of support both at the grassroots and the leadership level. To be sure, Armenian-Americans have come a long way in becoming a part of the American body politic. By getting better organized, more engaged in political activities and mobilizing those who are inactive, the Armenian community can increase its economic and political clout, both in national and international forums. The day may soon arrive when some of the world's famous and powerful would come knocking on the door of Armenian organizations, to address the community's core issues, concerns and interests.

If you are saying that Turkey is worthless and it has absolutely zero geopolitical importance, then why do they have so much weight when it comes to the decisions affecting America's foreign policy? You seem to be a little bit delusional with your conspiracy theories that Jews control the world. Yes, Jews hold a lot of important positions in US, but what makes you think they all act in sync? You are trying to simplify the whole process by blaming everything on Jews, but geopolitics and politics in general is very complicated. The more Armenians have this mentality the less we will achieve in our struggle. This just creates more hate. I mean, if we can't beat them, lets join them. Why fight the Jews, lets pretend we are their friends and act like they do. By spreading this kind of a mentality will just hurt us, I mean you say a little thing against Jews in the states and you are labeled as an anti-Semite. Why bring unncessary heat towards us? We know our enemy and lets keep focused and don't get sidetracked. By just saying that Turkey is worthless does not really help to ansewr a lot of question. I am sorry my friend but you are naive here. You need to try to analyze this issue more thoroughly and from all sides. We can and we will get the AG recognized here, it is just a matter of time. We just need to learn from the Jews and use their own techniques in getting our voices heard and making our cause into the mainstream American culture. Effective media campaigns is the key! Actually most of the articles which I read were written by non-Jews. We do have a powerful lobby which is not based on money but grassroots activism and this calls for a big thumbs up. If every Armenian-American could put a small effort into our causes, we would have achieved much much more. Unfortunately a lot of us would rather spend their cash gambling in Vegas or spend all their time bashing Jews, Turks, Americans than doing something meaningful. Jews have managed to paint Israel as this beacon of democracy while killing thousands of Palestinians and we by having the truth on our side still fail to achieve US recognition of the Genocide. Should we blame the Jews? NO, we can only blame us!

But what about the fact that 90% of the senators in the House Foreign Relations Committee who voted for the resolution? You seem to blame everything on Jews, but stop and think for a second that one of the reasons that the US is not officially recognizing the AG is because it goes against its national interests, one of them loosing Turkey. I mean the geopolitics have changed considerably after the break up of the SU and the occupation of Iraq, but USA still needs Turkey and it is not willing to sacrifice geopolitics and strategic oil routes for one resolution. The fact that we got this far and stirred up so much heat in the world with this one resolution calls for a victory. So many times when I read HR 106 related articles I see words such as "the powerful Armenian lobby". We need to continue this momentum and we need to effectively use the media like Jews are doing to put forward our agenda. So many Armenian-Americans own various media companies, why aren't they doing something? Kirk's company owned the MGM studios, I did not see any movies about the AG released or sponsored. Americans are very naive and they will listen to anything the media says, that is why most of them believe that 9/11 happened because Arabs truly hate democracy and America without even stopping for a second and thinking that the US-Israeli "close" relationship had something to do with it. When will Armenians learn? Hopefully this new generation will make a difference, I truly hope!

Happy New Year everyone

http://www.armenianow.com/images/uploadedimages/bi118901.jpg This is next to "druzhba" metro station

It was rather a different thread from that one

I posted an article about Mrs. Evans and her recollection of how her husband was fired

By Harut Sassounian Publisher, The California Courier More than two years after her husband became the first U.S. diplomat to publicly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Donna Evans revealed some of the behind-the-scene details of Ambassador John Evans’ tenure in Armenia and his dramatic forced retirement from the U.S. Foreign Service. She spoke at the Armenian Assembly’s Annual Capital Region Holiday Reception held at the Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on November 18. Mrs. Evans began her talk by describing the phone call she received from her husband, telling her, “Assistant Secretary of State Beth Jones had just informed him that he was the State Department’s choice to be assigned as Ambassador to Armenia in the summer of 2004. She told him that it was a small country but growing in importance and had a significant assistance program and a new Embassy was being built. She encouraged him to accept it and he did, without hesitation.” After Senate confirmation, Amb. Evans and his wife moved to Armenia in fall 2004. Mrs. Evans described the constant “tension” because the “unwritten policy of the State Department was that the word ‘genocide’ had to be in quotation marks and, if spoken, it would be referred to as the ‘g’ word.” She said Foreign Service officers “knew, for certain, that the word ‘genocide’ was a strict taboo.” She went on to state, “The Armenian genocide was a very sensitive subject and therefore avoided in diplomatic circles in Yerevan. The wives of other ambassadors did not talk about it even in private. The first time we drove by the Genocide Memorial my husband whispered to me ‘there’s the Genocide Memorial.’ I looked over and caught a fleeting glance of the spire. As I turned back, our driver’s eyes caught mine in the rear view mirror. I was so uncomfortable. My husband told me that we were allowed to go there once a year, on April 24th.” Amb. Evans’ problems began during his speaking tour of the Armenian communities in the United States in early 2005. Upon the couple’s arrival in California, Mrs. Evans said her husband informed her that “he was going to use the word ‘genocide’ and that it might cost him his job." She said she was "stunned at first but then very proud of him. I hoped that telling the truth would result in no more than a reprimand and that he would be marginalized for a while. I thought that losing his job was the very worst-case scenario.” Once her husband used the term “genocide” in public, Donna Evans was amazed that the Armenian American media did not rush to publicize it immediately – “It was as if they were protecting the Ambassador.” Eventually, after a press release from ANC revealed that Amb. Evans had actually used the words “Armenian Genocide” during his talk at Berkeley, she said her “husband went on to Washington to brief the State Department on what had transpired. The reaction was not pretty to say the least” which made her “sick at heart.” Meanwhile, the Ambassador did not know “whether his recall orders would be on his desk when he returned to Yerevan. I did not know whether I would be returning to Yerevan myself.” Mrs. Evans had harsh words for the State Department for buckling under Turkish pressure. “It was unthinkable that the Turkish ambassador and the Government of Turkey had enough clout to get a knee-jerk reaction from the State Department and cause the recall of an ambassador,” she said. Leaving his ambassadorial post voluntarily was out of question, Mrs. Evans said. “Not resigning was the right thing to do. My husband had not committed a crime, he only acknowledged a crime,” she said. Upon returning to Yerevan, Mrs. Evans said her husband went on carrying out his diplomatic duties and “acted as if it was business as usual.… However, each morning he arrived at the office wondering if the morning e-mail and telegram traffic would include his official recall. Then, on July 2, 2005, the dreaded telephone call came.” Dan Fried, the Assistant Secretary of State, called to inform that her husband’s position was “about to be posted as open for the summer of 2006 and that we could be removed at any time,” she said. Mrs. Evans said she was “furious” particularly since this call had come “just before July the 4th, Independence Day and axed a professional diplomat with 35 years of faithful service to his government -- and a 12th generation American -- just because he said ‘genocide’ in an academic setting in the United States.” Mrs. Evans further revealed that she wrote a personal letter to First Lady Laura Bush because she said she believed “in spouse power.” She never received a reply. When the word got out -- this writer was the first to report that Amb. Evans was about to be recalled for his statement on the Armenian Genocide -- Mrs. Evans reported that “the pressure was on…[there was] wild speculation in the Armenian papers, some calling my husband a hero and others not so flattering and some downright ridiculous. Again the press had a field day. My husband’s answer had to be ‘I serve at the pleasure of the President.’ I died a little every time I heard him say it.” Notably, Mrs. Evans revealed that during those tumultuous days, “the diplomatic community” supported her husband “privately.” She then described April 24, 2006 as “an unforgettable day” in her life when thousands of Armenians from all walks of life tied yellow ribbons to a fence at the Genocide Memorial Monument in Yerevan, in support of her husband. “How this was pulled together and who supported it is a remarkable story. I wish I could give them all a hug individually. This event inspired us to stay strong during a very trying time,” she said. As they say, the rest is history. The White House cut Amb. Evans’ service short and announced the nomination of his successor, Richard Hoagland, who never made it to Armenia. Showing her continued support for the reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, Mrs. Evans said that when the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the Armenian Genocide resolution, it was one of the happiest days of her life. However, she was “stunned and outraged” when her husband showed her the letter that was signed by eight former Secretaries of State opposing the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide. “How could Secretaries of State so blindly sign such a document? What I would say to the former Secretaries of State is ‘shame on you’ for being used by the Turkish lobby. By your actions, you have set back any progress that has been made to normalize diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. It would have been better to remain silent. A special shame on Secretary [of State Alexander] Haig because he served under President Reagan, who acknowledged the genocide,” she said. Donna Evans described her dismay at some of the negative reactions to the genocide resolution. “What followed was the worst turn of events that I had witnessed in all my time in Washington. The supporters of the recognition of the genocide were in shock and awe at the cruel commentaries, articles, and Internet buzz. What we were witnessing was a hyper-overkill of a human rights issue.” She concluded her remarks with heart-warming words: “The Armenian experience has woven itself into my soul like the intricate carvings in the Khachkars. It is beautiful, it is sad and it is hopeful. So what do we do now? We don’t give up. We bide our time and return to the fight, more experienced, better informed and therefore better armed. Most important of all we continue to educate. Grassroots support is vital. You are vital. This issue needs to be resolved. You and your ancestors deserve an apology and recognition of the first genocide of the 20th century…the Armenian Genocide.” Note: Lev7 I merged your topic with this existing topic since it deals with the same issue.

was this written by a 2 year old?

We should start condeming every university or institution which has given Foxman a medal due to his Genocide denial HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST!!!

ADL Supports Armenian Jewish Community In Condemnation Of Yerevan State University New York, NY, October 30, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed support for the Armenian Jewish Community in their condemnation of Yerevan State University, which recently honored Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with an honorary doctorate and a medal. "It is disgraceful for a reputable institution of higher learning to honor a man who routinely compromises the rights of Iranian citizens, and especially students and academics," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We commend the Armenian Jewish Community for speaking out against this poor judgment on the part of Yerevan State University. "It is one thing to provide a forum to speak, as universities are environments where freedom of speech should be promoted and encouraged," said Mr. Foxman. "However, it is quite another to confer degrees and awards on a dictator who denies the Holocaust and calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Such tributes should be reserved for those academics and world leaders who rightfully deserve them."

something is very fishy about her

History shows Armenia resolution faces tough odds Knight Ridder Washington Bureau October 26, 2007 Friday By Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON _ Armenian genocide resolutions such as the one that collapsed this week confound congressional leaders and presidential candidates alike. Promises come easily, and are politically alluring. Delivery is difficult, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now has learned the hard way. Failure brings second-guessing and no guarantee of when the resolution might return. "We'll continue to stay focused on this," said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "We'll await our time." The resolution declares that "the Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923" and "1,500,000 men, women and children were killed." Turkish officials say the resolution twists history, and they spent $300,000 a month lobbying against it. Bush administration officials say the resolution undermines relations with a country that borders Iraq and Iran. Late Thursday, resolution supporters asked Pelosi to put it off until a "more favorable" time. Translated: They lack the votes. Publicly, supporters say they can still win before the 110th Congress ends next year. "We're going to be working this really hard," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Friday. "When we bring it up, we want to be absolutely confident we have the votes." Skeptics _ some of them resolution co-sponsors _ are doubtful. One, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said Friday that there was "zero" chance of reviving the measure next year. "Democrats aren't going to bring it up," Nunes said. "They've got shaky feet." Nunes speculated that the letter sent by Schiff and others to Pelosi late Thursday afternoon amounted to political cover, a concession of defeat also designed to shield the Democratic leader from criticism about letting the bill die. Undeniably, the genocide resolution puts lawmakers in a bind, and Pelosi wasn't the first leader to get entangled in it. As candidates, George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, endorsed the Armenian genocide characterization. They did so in statements to Armenian-American voters, a political force in certain regions. As presidents, both subsequently repudiated the term. Neither used it in annual commemorations of the 1915-23 Ottoman Empire horrors. "These are not the Ottomans," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. "What we have tried to do instead is to get the Turks and the Armenians to work together to look to their future." President Clinton likewise avoided the Armenian-genocide phrase. The rhetorical hesitancy, said Elizabeth Chouldjian of the Armenian National Committee of America, "is not a Republican or a Democratic" trend. Instead, it reflects the difference between a candidate seeking domestic votes and a governmental leader on the world stage. The same conflict, between politics and governance, can trip up congressional leaders. Then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert reportedly pledged in 2000 that he'd bring a genocide resolution to the floor. He made the promise while campaigning for Republican incumbent James Rogan, challenged by Schiff in a district with many Armenian-American voters. At the last minute in October 2000, Hastert pulled the bill at Clinton's behest. Pelosi's turn came this month, after the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the genocide resolution by 27-21. "I said if it comes out of committee, it will go to the floor," Pelosi said Oct. 11. "Now it has come out of committee, and it will go to the floor." She left no wiggle room. But behind the scenes, her lieutenant, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., was advising her that the resolution was a losing idea. In barely a week, 14 members of the House of Representatives withdrew their co-sponsorship. The defections left the resolution with 211 co-sponsors and showed, Nunes said, whom the Armenian-American community can really depend on. But there are other Capitol Hill lessons, too. Pelosi, for instance, didn't press for a vote despite her insistence Oct. 11 that "there was a need to speak out" on genocide. "Pelosi's pragmatism has trumped her ideology many, many times," said Marc Sandalow, the author of a forthcoming Pelosi biography titled "Madame Speaker." "She is loath to take losing votes; she never wants to reveal weakness." The fight further showed how personal relationships are key. When Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., was asked why he originally backed the resolution that he later rejected, he said that "Adam Schiff asked me to." Timing is crucial, too One former resolution supporter, Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Fla., explained that many lawmakers sign resolutions "when it's not presented as having any downside." But as a vote neared and Turkish soldiers mobilized to fight Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq, abstract principles suddenly became a real-world problem. "In part, we're dependent upon the facts on the ground," Schiff said.

YES! and everyone please ignore that turkish troll, stop throwing him a bone and he will go away

LA TIMES: Sponsors delay Armenian genocide vote They bow to fears the resolution could harm the U.S. war effort in Iraq by angering Turkey. By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 26, 2007 WASHINGTON — Yielding to fierce diplomatic and political pressure, congressional sponsors of an Armenian genocide resolution abruptly put off a vote on the measure Thursday and defused a mounting confrontation with Turkey that was threatening to hamper the U.S. war effort in Iraq. The decision, a swift reversal for the long-debated resolution, disappointed supporters who two weeks ago were optimistic that the House would approve it. "We're not going to bring it up until we're confident we have the votes to pass it," said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who introduced the measure. "It's going to take some time." Related Stories - Mixed reactions from Glendale Armenians The action extricated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) from the clash between a powerful constituency in California and an important U.S. military ally. As the measure approached a vote, the Turkish government warned that the resolution's passage could lead to a rupture in relations and disrupt U.S. military operations in Iraq. Most of the supplies headed to U.S. forces in Iraq are flown through Turkey. The issue also came up as the United States was imploring Turkey not to send forces into northern Iraq to curb Kurdish rebel attacks. Republican opponents welcomed the delay and blamed Pelosi for a miscalculation on an important foreign policy matter. "Fortunately, the right decision was made before this debacle turned into a full-blown national security crisis," said Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The resolution's backers once counted a majority of the House as sponsors. When it cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee two weeks ago, Pelosi pledged to bring it to the floor. "When it passed out of Foreign Affairs, I thought it was finally going to happen," said Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa), a sponsor of the resolution, which calls on the president to "accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide." But support began to ebb as President Bush and Turkey escalated their warnings and the situation in northern Iraq deteriorated. Two dozen representatives have withdrawn their support, raising doubts about whether it could pass. Supporters said that Pelosi remained committed to the measure and that they had no choice but to bow to political reality. "If this were to come up to the floor today, it would be too close to call," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks). The resolution's backers stressed that they delayed the vote only to buy time to rebuild political support. Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.), a co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, who has pressed the resolution for more than a decade, said he was hopeful. "We have never been anywhere near this close. Never. I don't think we're going to give up." In a letter to Pelosi sent Thursday, four of the measure's sponsors said they would press for passage later this year or next year. "We believe that a large majority of our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more favorable," wrote Reps. Schiff, Sherman, Anna G. Eshoo (D-Menlo Park) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.). Aram S. Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, faxed a letter to every House member, criticizing Turkey and expressing "disappointment, even anger, that an ally is so brazenly threatening the security of our troops." "We are confident that, as the confusion over these threats lifts, an even stronger bipartisan majority will stand up against Turkey's intimidation and vote to adopt this human rights resolution on its merits," he wrote. The Turkish government disputes that the World War I-era killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks was a genocide, contending that both Turks and Armenians were casualties of the war, famine and disease. But historical evidence and authoritative research support the term, and The Times' policy is to refer to the deaths as genocide. Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy, who was recalled to Ankara in protest of the House committee vote but returned last weekend, said in a statement that he was pleased that the measure was not headed to a floor vote. "This is a deeply complex and emotional issue that has caused great anguish among the Turkish people," he said. "We do not believe it is the role of the U.S. Congress -- or of any legislative body -- to pass judgment on this historical matter." Sensoy continued, "It is high time to use our energies to encourage reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, and normalization between Turkey and Armenia, something we Turks have been striving to achieve for a long time." Armenian American groups were not in a conciliatory mood. "The true danger to America's interests comes from caving in to foreign interference in American human rights policy," said Andrew Kzirian, Western region executive director of Armenian National Committee of America. "Turkey's threats and intimidation have caused some members to take a second look. But as the initial fear over Turkey's threats turns to anger, we're beginning to see a backlash." Armenian American groups vowed to continue their grass-roots lobbying campaign for the resolution. Jason P. Capizzi, executive director of the Armenian-American Political Action Committee, said he understood the political reality that bringing up the resolution at this time would be difficult for Schiff and the other sponsors "given Turkey's continued and desperate threats."