Armenian Genocide Bill 2007

Z'areh · October 26, 2007

Great!

I would love to see this bill pass TODAY, but after the tsunami reaction from the American government, ex-officials and leading newspapers against it we have to wait for the waters to recede.

American democracy in action for the whole world to see. Not that we see anything new in the way this democracy fundtions but nonetheless the degree of indecent undemocratic behaviour from democratically elected officials and threir cronies in the White House and the newsmedia is mind boggling.

What was new for me this time around was the amount of chiding and insults hurled at the Armenian American community for their "ethnic politics" "disregarding American interests" "obsessed narrow-minded politics" etc... etc... So if democratically elected memebers of the House listen to their constituency and act accordingly they commit anti-American acts according to an editor sitting behind his desk.

But you know what? for a long time Armenians were considered "good citizens", "hard working", "law-abiding" and other sleep-inducing adjectives, as long as we played by their rules and to their satisfaction. Well, we must be doing something right for them to react in such ill-mannered way.

One can only be honoured to be insulted by the scum-of-the-earth.

crusader1492 · October 26, 2007

I would love to see this bill pass TODAY, but after the tsunami reaction from the American government, ex-officials and leading newspapers against it we have to wait for the waters to recede.

American democracy in action for the whole world to see. Not that we see anything new in the way this democracy fundtions but nonetheless the degree of indecent undemocratic behaviour from democratically elected officials and threir cronies in the White House and the newsmedia is mind boggling.

What was new for me this time around was the amount of chiding and insults hurled at the Armenian American community for their "ethnic politics" "disregarding American interests" "obsessed narrow-minded politics" etc... etc... So if democratically elected memebers of the House listen to their constituency and act accordingly they commit anti-American acts according to an editor sitting behind his desk.

But you know what? for a long time Armenians were considered "good citizens", "hard working", "law-abiding" and other sleep-inducing adjectives, as long as we played by their rules and to their satisfaction. Well, we must be doing something right for them to react in such ill-mannered way.

One can only be honoured to be insulted by the scum-of-the-earth.

I like your thoughts...it makes so much sense. I will share them to friends of mine who may be disillusioned by all the negative press.

karakash · October 26, 2007

We will get the resolution done in March or April 2008.

_femme333_ · October 26, 2007

I agree with above posts about the American "democracy" and how politics are screwed up in this country among other things. I'm sure we all would love to see it pass today! Because of the circumstances it's better to sit back and observe the Turks in regard to Iraq and introduce the bill when Turkey goes into Iraq. I doubt they will be able to hold their attacks until say February, March or April of 2008. As much as this sounds wrong, but I'd really love to see Turkey starting a full-scale war with the Kurds or something of that sort. I'd love to see the American reaction when that happens.

Error 404 · October 27, 2007

I heard in the news this morning that a major invasion from turks side to Iraq will be only after the Erdogan's trip to USA. Interesting what are his demands? Oh I shouldn't have asked that question we all already know what those demands are.

_femme333_ · October 27, 2007

And when will this visit occur?

Anytime soon?

Lev7 · October 27, 2007

Message from ANCA

October 26, 2007

I am writing to offer you our perspective about the progress of H.Res.106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution

Over the past two weeks and, in particular, the last couple of days, we’ve seen some truly remarkable developments – many good, some bad, and several that have yet to play out. I’d like to share a few of my thoughts on these with you.

Hard-hitting advocacy – earning respect

Our nationwide grassroots full-court press leading up to the October 10th passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution in the Foreign Affairs Committee earned truly worldwide respect for the “Armenian Lobby.”

Proving that we can win an intensely contested committee vote (27 to 21), in the face of heavy White House pressure, a multi-million dollar Turkish lobby, and personal calls from the President himself, put us firmly in the top tier of ethnic lobbies and among the most powerful citizen groups impacting our nation’s foreign policy.

We’re still hard at work moving the Resolution forward.

Just yesterday, we wrapped up our latest H.Res.106 Advocacy Days, which brought volunteers from some 20 states to Washington to speak directly with their elected representatives. We’ll continue to organize these programs and invite you to consider taking part, even as we continue to broaden our internet and phone outreach around the nation. (In just the past month, over 4,000 new activists have volunteered to help the ANCA.)

A media firestorm – educating millions

With over 6,000 mainstream media articles published in the past three weeks about H.Res.106 – including front page articles in the New York Times and lead stories on CNN and the other television networks - we have educated hundreds of millions across the world, many for the first time, about the Armenian Genocide.

In a very powerful sense, given Turkey’s long-term goal of burying the Armenian Genocide issue, all coverage of this issue – even the attacks – is positive. We take issue, of course, with the criticisms, much of it very unfair and hateful, and, with your help, are working hard with our public relations partners to steer the media toward more balanced and accurate reporting.

FYI - our website alone had over 5 million “hits” in just the first three weeks of this month.

Genocide denial - turning the tide

In the media, on America’s editorial pages, and in the halls of Congress, we have won the debate over history, forcing opponents – by virtue of our ability to consistently and effectively communicate the factual record of this crime – to abandon their hateful denials and resort instead to “timing” and “national security” arguments to make their case.

If you watch the roughly three hours of frequently contentious Committee debate, you’ll see that none of the 16 Committee members who spoke against H.Res.106 – as wrong as they were in their argumentation - actually denied the Armenian Genocide; in fact, many openly acknowledged it. This reality represents a significant step forward, but one we need to work to sustain.

Turkey - revealing an unreliable ally

Turkey profoundly disappointed even many of its best allies in Washington by displaying a truly remarkable willingness – even a seeming eagerness - to disrupt U.S. military operations.

Even as U.S. officials appease Turkey over the short-term, top policymakers in the Pentagon and State Department are drawing up alternative plans to supply and support our operations in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.

Armenians Americans – standing up as the

conscience of America

And finally, we demonstrated – by our courage and determination – that the real danger to America is not from Turkey’s threats, but rather from compromising our international moral leadership under pressure from a foreign government.

Not everyone saw this right away. Some were blinded temporarily by Turkey’s fireworks. Others paused in their support out of a natural concern over how Turkey’s threats would impact our troops. Most are now beginning to see that Turkey’s threats – not our nation’s principled defense of human rights – are the real problem.

And so, as you might expect, we’re already seeing a backlash.

Over the past few days, even as H.Res.106’s path to passage is being revised as Members of Congress sort through Turkey’s threats, we are seeing an initial reaction of caution give way to a more lasting impression - one of 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, that an even stronger bipartisan majority will stand up against Turkey's intimidation and vote to adopt this human rights resolution on its merits. In fact, we spoke personally to a Congressional leader today – who remain rock-solid in her commitment to U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Now that I’ve brought you up to speed on where we stand, I’d like to share with you our path ahead and suggest how you can help us reach our goals.

Our job now is to strengthen our majority, Member of Congress by Member of Congress, constituent by constituent, setting the stage for the successful bipartisan passage of H.Res.106.

You can do this by educating yourself about all the latest facts, and then sharing this information with your elected officials. By explaining that we advance our interests by standing up for our values, not by caving in to foreign intimidation. And, of course, by demanding – in the best spirit of American citizen advocacy – that our government always lives up to our highest ideals as a nation.

Take action – making a difference

You can start right now by sending a free ANCA WebFax to your U.S. Representative.

After you do, if you haven’t already, please take a moment to read up on this issue by visiting the following links:

* ANCA press release on the revised timetable for H.Res.106 including our two page letter to Members of Congress

* Los Angeles Times article on recent developments

Thank you for your devotion and hard work. We could not have reached this far without you, and without you we won’t be able to finally put America back on the right side of this issue.

Rest assured that we will continue this struggle until we prevail.

Warmest regards,

Aram Hamparian

Executive Director

Lev7 · October 27, 2007

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."

The Armenian Genocide Resolution: The Other Side Gets Not So Equal Time

October 24th, 2007 by The StilettoAfter running a string of editorials against the Armenian Genocide Resolution (fourth item) – plus an anti-Armenian diatribe written by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – The Wall Street Journal belatedly lets the other side present its case when it’s too late to resuscitate the symbolic bill. On Friday’s edition of “The Journal Editorial Report” on FOX News, Paul Gigot, editor of The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, interviewed Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) who authored the resolution.In his introductory comments about the segment Gigot notes that Schiff has “more than 70,000 ethnic Armenians in his Los Angeles district.” In the second of its three editorials torpedoing the resolution, The Journal noted:

California is home to the country’s largest number of politically active Armenians. Speaker Pelosi has many in her own district. Mr. Lantos represents the San Francisco suburbs. The bill’s leading sponsors include Representatives Adam Schiff, George Radanovich and Anna Eshoo, all from California.

Since when is it somehow sinister for a congressman to represent his constituents? Only when they’re Armenian, right Gigot?

In the beginning of the interview (video) Schiff makes the same point about the Bush Administration’s incomprehensible foreign policy inconsistency in appeasing the Turks but antagonizing the Chinese that The Stiletto argued last week:

GIGOT:

This atrocity occurred 90 years ago. Why bring it up now at this delicate moment in the Middle East?

SCHIFF:

We have tried to recognize the genocide really for years, even decade. We introduced this resolution before the Iraq war and the administration said now is not a good time. We introduce it before the war in Afghanistan and the administration said it wasn’t a good time, before 9/11 and said it wasn’t a good time.I … watched the president bestow the Medal of Honor on the Dalai Lama and I was proud of him. I was proud of him doing that notwithstanding the fact China protested that it was deeply offensive to our strategic partner in China.

Someone asked him, Mr. President, why do you risk antagonizing China? The president earlier said that preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon could be so important it might stop World War III. Paul, you know whose vote we need on the Security Council to pre-investment Iran from getting the bomb? We need China’s vote. But, you know, the president said when America stands up for human rights and freedom, America is always serving its national interest. The president was right then.

Schiff also tackled the issue of free speech restrictions in the supposedly “democratic” Turkey:

GIGOT:

Congressman, the current dispute in Tibet is ongoing and it is about human rights in Tibet now. This resolution is 100 years ago.

SCHIFF:

… Just last week, Turkey brought up on charges the son of a murdered Armenian journalist in Turkey, who was killed this year, on charges of publishing his father words about the genocide. Is that freedom in Turkey to speak out about the genocide not important? Is the freedom of expression the freedom to talk about some of the darkest chapters in the history of the world not important? Why is freedom in China important but freedom in Turkey of so little value? …

The interview then took an ironic twist, with a Dem asking, “What would Reagan do?”:

GIGOT:

Congressman, there is a long list of people on the other side of this. General David Petraeus, head of American forces in Iraq, eight former secretaries of state, including Madeleine Albright. When this issue came up in 2000, President Clinton called the Republican speaker of the House, then Denny Hastert, and asked him to pull this so if wouldn’t compromise our situation in the Middle East. He did. Why shouldn’t the Democrats now, at the request of an American president, decide to pull something like this at a similar moment?

SCHIFF:

Paul, these eight secretaries of state you mentioned, this was their policy. They are defending their policy during those - the administrations of those eight secretaries they were willing to deny the genocide and become complicit in Turkey’s denial.

The last president, Paul, who had the courage to recognize the Armenian genocide, was President Reagan. What would you have said to President Reagan if you were his advisor? Mr. President, I know you talk about the United States being a moral beacon for the word but we are in the middle of the Cold War this was antagonize Turkey. Mr. President, you shouldn’t do it. …

As for the canard that acknowledging this crime against humanity will hobble our efforts in Iraq and in the larger War on Terror, Schiff said:

I think the president needs to look to the greater war on terror and say what about our moral standing in the world. What role does it have when we espouse truth about history in terms of fighting this ideological struggle in the war on terror? That’s not General Petraeus’ responsibility. It is the responsibility of the president.

I think Ronald Reagan had it right and I think this president has it wrong.

Meanwhile, The Stiletto’s pal at The Oread Daily* reports on Armenian citizens of Israel protesting the government’s policy of Armenian genocide denial – as well as on Turkey’s thinly veiled threats against its “ally”:

Armenians in Israel are calling on a state that should understand their anguish to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian-Israelis marched in Jerusalem’s Justice Square singing and chanting Armenian songs and slogans. The protest was attended by two parliamentary officials, Yaeer Tsaban and Khayeem Oron, who both gave speeches castigating the denial of the genocide by the Israeli government.

Israel has acknowledged that massacres were perpetrated against the Armenians and expressed sympathy for their suffering. But the government has stopped short of calling it genocide.

So how can the Israeli government join the ranks of pragmatic deniers? Just like US leaders, they don’t want to tick off the Turks.

But the Turks don’t seem concerned with saying things that sure as hell ought to tick of the Israelis.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on visit to Israel last week, told The Jerusalem Post,

“All of a sudden the perception in Turkey right now is that the Jewish people - or the Jewish organizations, let’s say, and the Armenian diaspora, the Armenian lobbies, are now hand-in-hand trying to defame Turkey, and trying to condemn Turkey and the Turkish people. This is the unfortunate perception right now in Turkey. So if something goes wrong in Washington, DC, it inevitably will have some influence on relations between Turkey and the US, plus the relations between Turkey and Israel, as well.”

The Turks have implied that this whole episode could put the Jewish community in Turkey at risk.

In other words, the Turks are threatening to counter charges of genocide against Armenians by committing genocide against Jews. The OD post also quotes a recent article in Haaretz pointing out that in characterizing the Armenian genocide as a lie, Turkish officials make their case using anti-Semitic invective. At least the US can take comfort in knowing that the Turks treat all their allies like turds.

MosJan · October 27, 2007

ok lets END this and get back to the original topic

Lev7 · October 27, 2007

ok lets END this and get back to the original topic

YES!

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

Aratta-Kingdom · October 27, 2007

ok lets END this and get back to the original topic

...consider it done...

nairi · October 27, 2007

To give Mouse some credit, the resolution reads as follows:

The House of Representatives--

(1) calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and

(2) calls upon the President in the President's annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide issued on or about April 24, to accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.

Honestly, how will this resolution compel Turkey to recognize the genocide, befriend Armenia, and ensure that it will never commit any crimes against humanity ever again? Why do we care so much that other countries recognize our tragic history? Is it not enough that we recognize it? Is it not more important for us to learn from it than expect others to do so? What exactly have we learned from the genocide? What have we learned from Turkey's denial? That Turks are barbarians? What about us? What are we?

Edited October 27, 2007 by nairi

DominO123 · October 27, 2007

Why do we care so much that other countries recognize our tragic history?

Because it's denied. For the same reason that a victim of a raper who does not admit his crimes expects some sympathy and recognition by others who will be willing to say: ''It was not your fault, you were raped.''

nairi · October 27, 2007

Because it's denied. For the same reason that a victim of a raper who does not admit his crimes expects some sympathy and recognition by others who will be willing to say: ''It was not your fault, you were raped.''

Just for sympathy? We have each other for comfort and sympathy. Why this necessity to get approval and sympathy from someone else? Especially when it is more or less forced (i.e. America wouldn't pass anything if it wasn't for lobbies pestering it)?

hagopn · October 27, 2007

Just for sympathy? We have each other for comfort and sympathy. Why this necessity to get approval and sympathy from someone else? Especially when it is more or less forced (i.e. America wouldn't pass anything if it wasn't for lobbies pestering it)?

Perhaps you are not the United States and you don't see the blackout that Armenians get from the media here. Considering the media treatment of the Armenian genocide. the more coercive and legalized the measure, the better. We can't rely on the "climate" or "athmosphere" in the US to acknowledge anything, and the lack of acknowledgement leaves the default vacuum that simply is a disaster for Armenians, diplomatically, socially, economically, and especially psychologically. Armenians in general feel a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness when they are treated as personae non gratae.

Talk about the gesture of finally eliminating any semblance of Ottoman elements (whch also meant taking out any and all witnesses to the Armenian genocide as a side measure), check this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/150_personae_...ratae_of_Turkey. A good old leftover from the circus at Lausanne.

AK-47 · October 28, 2007

Armenian-Americans to Rally for Genocide Resolution

LOS ANGELES--Armenian-Americans and human rights supporters across the nation will hold several large-scale rallies on November 4, 2007 calling for the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res.106).

The mass gatherings, entitled "Rally 106: United Voices for the Armenian Genocide Resolution" will be held in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, San Francisco, and Washington DC and are expected to draw thousands of community members and human rights advocates.

"We are excited that a broad cross section of Americans will be on hand for Rally 106," said Ishkhan Boghossian, the director of the Los Angeles area rally. "By supporting the passage of the resolution we are supporting human rights and justice, two fundamental American values.

"We are also going to stand firmly against an attempt by a foreign government, Turkey, to silence the voice of the American People," he said, adding, "The Republic of Turkey is funneling millions to Washington in a bid to strangle America's commitment to human rights. That is immoral and we will be gathering to reject Turkey's foreign interference."

"Rally 106" comes at a time when the government of Turkey is increasing its efforts to prevent the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Turkey has hired public relations and lobbying firms such as the Livingston Group, Fleishman Hillard, and DLA Piper to lobby Members of Congress and persuade them to vote against the Armenian Genocide resolution.

"Contrary to what Turkey says, the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution has nothing to do with the reality that the Turks may move forward with their threat to cut critical supply routes to our troops in Iraq," said Caspar Jivalagian, chairman of the Armenian Youth Federation. "They were the cause of much hardship and strain on our troops at the start of the war at which time there was no Armenian Genocide Resolution pending in congress," he added.

"The reason Turkey makes threats against our country is quite simple; they are an inconsistent ally and surely not a friend of ours."

Thousands are expected to gather at the rallies in support of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, where various elected officials and dignitaries will voice their support as well. The Los Angeles area Rally 106 will be held in the Little Armenia area of Hollywood near the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Alexandria on Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 3pm.

Source: http://www.huliq.com/39819/armenian-americ...cide-resolution

Yervant1 · October 28, 2007

Orillia Packet & Times (Ontario)

October 27, 2007 Saturday

It's a decades old question: Who now remembers the Armenians?

by McGarvey, Pete

OPINION; Pg. A6

The question is attributed to Adolph Hitler in the mid 1930s. His

henchmen were plotting the extermination of Europe's Jews and someone

wondered aloud how world opinion would react to it. A mere 20 years

earlier, one and half million Armenians were murdered by Ottoman

Turkish soldiers in the 20th century's first genocide, and already

the slaughter was fading from the public's mind.

"Who now remembers the Armenians?"

Not the Bush White House, it seems. When Congress proposed a

resolution two weeks ago, recognizing the 1915 killing of the

Armenians as genocide, Washington's top brass harrumphed, and struck

back. "Ancient history!" they proclaimed, The death count was wildly

exaggerated! There are two sides to the story and the Turkish side

deserves equal time! More important, passage of the resolution would

do irreparable harm to the US-Turkish alliance. If unduly angered,

Turkey may cut off vital American supply routes to Iraq!"

In other words, historic truth and the pursuit of justice be damned.

Commentators railed against "those stupid congressmen" and George W.

Bush himself joined the critical chorus.

The facts of the genocide are meticulously recorded. Midway through

the First World War, Ottoman Turkish leaders ordered its minority

Armenian Christians into exile on charges they were waging a civil

war against the government in Ankara. It was a lie.

Regular readers know my sentiments on this subject. I have spent 30

years studying, reporting and editorializing on this unprecedented

catastrophe, waiting for a plausible Turkish explanation of why it

happened. I'm still waiting.

The April 1915 "exile" order was code for "get rid of the Armenians

by whatever means." It was the latest and the most extreme of

organized attacks on this harried minority, the first nation in the

world to convert to Christianity. (The year was 301 AD.)

The soldiers obliged. Towns and villages were put to the torch,

Armenians by the thousand rounded up, many males murdered on sight,

while women and children were forced, at bayonet point, to trek

toward the Syrian wilderness with little food or water. The horrors

multiplied daily - random shootings, hangings, rape, death by fire,

even mass drownings. Soldiers competed in devising new and fiendish

means of disposing of their prisoners.

If the Ottoman government thought that all this would be below the

world's radar screen, in the middle of a world war, it miscalculated

badly. Within weeks, first-hand accounts of the butchery made the

front pages of leading American and British newspapers. Henry

Morgenthau, the American ambassador to Turkey, was among the first to

report what was happening. His fury was shared by historian Arnold

Toynbee and Britain's Winston Churchill. Soon, thousands of ordinary

citizens were roused to demand a stop to the slaughter and to hold

Ottoman Turkey accountable. Relief efforts were launched to help

survivors who managed to cross into Syria. "Save the starving

Armenians" became a rallying call, heard across the western world.

I have a shelf full of books dealing with the killings, written by

impartial witnesses, respected scholars and survivors. In April 1980,

Eileen and I were in Yerevan, the ancient Armenian capital, to

observe the 65th anniversary of the genocide. We joined a solemn

procession of Armenians, both native born and from the North American

and European diaspora, to a monument on a hillside outside the city,

to lay flowers beside an eternal flame. On the eastern horizon, Mount

Ararat was in clear view.

In the week we spent in Soviet Armenia, our appreciation of this

unique nation increased tenfold. We visited Etchmiatsin, site of the

Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the first building in the

world to be topped by a cross. The museum nearby, joined to the

palace of the church's pontiff, known as the Cathilicos, was a

treasure house of relics and documents, recording the rise and fall

of a proud and culturally accomplished race over three millennia.

Here, too, were hundreds of bones of 1915 martyrs.

There's an ironic touch to events in Washington two weeks ago. In the

same week the Armenian genocide proposal was roundly condemned,

Congress awarded a gold medal to the Dalai Lama, who was lauded by

U.S. President George W. Bush for his life-long crusade to win

autonomy for Tibet.

There were the usual declarations of America being the beacon of hope

and the agent for justice for oppressed people everywhere.

Unless, of course, you belonged to a nation shattered by the first

documented genocide of the 20th century, when such a declaration

would be politically inconvenient.

Contact columnist Pete McGarvey at petemcg@rogers.com

Lev7 · October 28, 2007

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.

Yervant1 · October 29, 2007

If I had a choice between the passing of the resolution and free AG discussion in turkey, I would pick the latter. I'm tired of US and other interest groups using AG for their benefit.

Yervant1 · November 1, 2007

RATTLING THE CAGE: JEWS OF POWER, JEWS OF TRUTH

By Larry Derfner

Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

Oct 31 2007

How long are Israel and its lobby in Washington going to go on living

this ridiculous, transparent lie? How long are they going to hock

the world about the Holocaust while acting as Turkey's number two

accomplice, number one being the White House, in denying the Armenian

genocide? Again, Congress has demonstrated it won't recognize that

the Ottoman Empire, Turkey's predecessor, deliberately wiped out

about 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-17. Again, the president of

the United States has scared Congress off with a big assist from

the Anti-Defamation League and other American Jewish "defense"

organizations. (Historically, the American Jewish Committee has led

the Israel lobby's effort to shut Congress up about the genocide and

the Ottoman Empire's culpability.)

This time, the main reason given was American troops in Iraq and

Afghanistan. Without Turkey's good will and cooperation, it was

argued, the US would not be able to get weapons and equipment to its

soldiers in battle. This is obviously a serious concern - but the

White House, Israel and the Israel lobby have been hushing up the

Armenian genocide for decades, when there were no American troops in

Iraq or Afghanistan. This is not the real reason.

The real reason is that in war and peace, Turkey is a critical

strategic ally and economic partner of the US and Israel, and the US

and Israel do not want to risk upsetting this ally, so, with help in

Congress from the ADL, AJC and the like, they enforce the lie that

there was no Armenian genocide. Or if there was a genocide, it is not

clear who was responsible. Or if it is clear that the Ottoman Empire

was responsible, it is not clear that Turkey should inherit the guilt.

"This is a matter for historians to decide," goes the Israeli and

American Jewish establishment line.

The historians, however, decided a long time ago. More than 125

Holocaust scholars - including Elie Wiesel, the late Raul Hilberg,

Deborah Lipstadt, Daniel Goldhagen and Yehuda Bauer - have signed

ads in The New York Times demanding acknowledgment that the Ottoman

Turks committed genocide against the Armenians.

Wiesel testified in Congress on behalf of such a resolution. The

International Association of Genocide Scholars - which is studded

with Jewish names - holds the same view as a matter of course.

SOMEWHERE around three reputable historians disagree. They are led

by Bernard Lewis, who may be the world's foremost scholar of Islam,

but who, among world scholars, is certainly the foremost enthusiast

of Turkey.

There are probably fewer historians who doubt the Armenian genocide

than there are scientists who doubt evolution. Maybe we should reserve

judgment on evolution, too.

A key Jewish argument for continuing this policy of denial is that

breaking it would endanger the 20,000 or so Jews of Turkey, whose

leaders have warned against crossing their government on this matter.

But if Israel and its lobby in Washington really believe this, then

they've as much as sentenced the 25,000 Jews in Iran to death, haven't

they? Is anyone in the Israeli government or AIPAC suggesting that

they lower the volume on Iran for the sake of Iranian Jewry? So the

Turkish Jewish community isn't a real reason for denying the Armenian

genocide, it's another excuse.

The one and only genuine moral argument for public Jewish denial

of the Armenian genocide is the Jewish people's historical debt to

Turkey. For 500 years, up through the time of the Nazis, Turkey gave

life-saving refuge to Jews running from persecution, and did so in

a welcoming spirit.

This historical truth can't be denied, either. And it presents

Jews with a heavy moral dilemma. For Jews to recognize the Armenian

genocide is an undeniable act of disloyalty to Turkey, to which we

owe an unpayable debt of gratitude.

But I don't think it's terminal disloyalty, I don't think it's

unforgivable disloyalty. With time, it's not something that can't be

made up for with other acts of Jewish or Israeli gratitude.

Denying the Armenian genocide, on the other hand, is an unforgivable,

terminal betrayal not only of the Armenians, but of truth, of decency,

of the legacy of the Holocaust, of ourselves as Jews, of ourselves

as people.

What's more, the Jewish moral debt to Turkey is at best a secondary

motive in Israel's and the Israel lobby's campaign of genocide

denial. Their overriding concern is Israeli security and economics.

Which, of course, is a 100% legitimate concern. Security and economics

are the primary concern of every nation, and Israel is part of the

family of nations. But the thing is this: If Israel and the Israel

lobby can pursue practical self-interest alone, they can't insist

that the rest of the world act like Righteous Gentiles.

They can't go on intoning that "the world stood silent" during

the Holocaust when they - the leaders of the Jewish world - act as

front-line enforcers of silence on the Armenian genocide.

It's one or the other: morality or realpolitik. As a nation of the

world, Israel, along with its lobby in Washington, have always chosen

realpolitik. What they may not know, however, is that by now the

world sees through them.

The world doesn't take seriously what an Israeli leader or an American

Jewish macher has to say about the Six Million, not when it sees that

same Israeli leader and American Jewish macher shushing everyone over

the murders of 1.5 million other innocents.

Thankfully, those politicians are not the only Jewish voices on

the Armenian genocide, or on the Holocaust. There is also Wiesel,

Lipstadt, Goldhagen, Bauer, Congressman Adam Schiff, Yossi Sarid and

many, many others.

Either you value truth first, or you value power first. Every Jew,

every person, makes the choice.

Maral · November 2, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFes3ZzF2Io

MosJan · November 2, 2007

Rice promised further opposition to Armenian Genocide resolution

02.11.2007 19:22 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail In Russian

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During talks with Turkish Foreign Minister in Ankara, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressed the issue of the Armenian Genocide resolution and said the administration continues to oppose it. “We call on Turkey and Armenia to jointly resolve historical problems and we call on them to think about the future, because the two states will prosper only in case they normalize relations,” she said.

For his part, Ali Babacan, stated that Turkey’s sole target is the PKK and its supporters. Babacan also stated that they have been working on a list of economic measurements targeted at terrorism, terrorist organizations and its supporters. Babacan added, "Various methods have been used in the fight against the PKK; however, none of them have been successful. The problems have not decreased. We can not repeat the same mistake. We are against perpetuating non-operating mechanisms. Meetings with the USA will be definitive about the steps to be taken regarding the PKK,” Turkish media reports.

Sign In

Armenian Genocide Bill 2007

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Posted Images

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation