The Armenian Case

Captain's Quarters ^ | October 17, 2007 | Ed Morrissey

[jdm]

Over the last few days, I have criticized Congress for inexplicably deciding to enrage a key ally in the war on terror -- the nation through which our lines of communication pass to our troops in Iraq -- for a genocide that occurred almost a century ago. Putting Congressional idiocy aside for a moment, the fact is that the Armenians did suffer a terrible genocide by the Ottomans during World War I. Perhaps the best thoughts on this event unsurprisingly come from one of my best friends in the blogosphere, King Banaian at SCSU Scholars:

That said, I have not stood with the placards and shouted the shouts. I have spent years with friends who are Turkish, most of whom acknowledge what happened and what we all know to be true -- many people who say they are Turkish can go back in their own family trees and find Armenians as well as Greeks and Kurds and Jews. Turkey wasn't always for the Turks. At one time, it was as multicultural a place as anywhere in the Middle East. The persons defending Turkey from the charges of genocide today may in fact be partly Armenian. Turkey for the Turks wasn't always the watchword.

I did once attend a commemoration at Claremont for the 80th anniversary of April 24, what we call Martyrs Day. Armenian-American students whom I was advising organized a panel, emceed by Mrs. Scholar -- while I held our infant Littlest in the back -- and to which we had brought a survivor who was 85 by this time and was six during the march to Der el-Zor. While he spoke we got treated to people with their own placards and shouts. Tempers flared as they said we were liars. My aunt, who lives in southern California and was in attendance, became very angry. But instead we talked with these Turkish students, who said they were told about this meeting not by our signs around campus but by letter. They never said who sent it, but I have a guess. When asked what they know about the history of the Armenians and Greeks of their country during and after World War I, they said they did not really know the stories, they were not taught. We eventually settled down, shook hands and went on our way, we back to our memories and parents telling us stories, and they back to their fatherland and ... nothing.

So Ataturk made a great nation, we are told, and its grandchildren do not know enough to form a good opinion.

Turkey should acknowledge what its predecessor nation did to the Armenians. Without a doubt, it would ease tensions and help to right an old wrong. As James Taranto says, "A great nation needs a thick skin."

However, Congress does not exist to validate genocides. If it wants to start, it has plenty of nations on which to focus before it gets to Armenia, which I listed the other day. The Irish genocide not only preceded the Armenian, it had more direct impact on America. And that's the problem with demanding these resolutions; it creates a demand for Congress to address every insult to ethnic groups. Our ancestors came here to get away from those concerns, not to indulge them.

Congress exists to protect American interests. Period. And Congress hasn't even done its own job this session; it should do that before venturing into academic investigations.

None of this, however, diminishes the real crimes committed against the Armenians. King's post gives us all a reminder of what that means to the descendants.

[DocRock]

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[stephenjohnbanker]

Pelosi is a traitor. Nuff said.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Pelosi is a traitor.

Add 50% of the Democrat Representatives and 75% of the Democrat Senators.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Pelosi is a traitor.
Add 50% of the Democrat Representatives and 75% of the Democrat Senators.”

And toss in Reid, Murtha, et.al.

[Hornitos]

The Irish genocide not only preceded the Armenian, it had more direct impact on America. And that's the problem with demanding these resolutions; it creates a demand for Congress to address every insult to ethnic groups. Our ancestors came here to get away from those concerns, not to indulge them.

Ping.

[VOA]

Good post.

And here’s link to another of the best explications of “why the Armenian
genocide and why now in the Congress?”.

Thomas Sowell gave a MUCH better explanation of why this is happening:

Sabotage in Wartime (Thomas Sowell)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911705/posts

It does say something about the miserable state of American Journalism...
when an economist gives a better analysis on this matter than
about any “journalist”.

[maine-iac7]

Hey, Pelosi. Come take a good look at this.

. Betcha don't even know what it is.

It's a MRAP

That stands for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles,

Come a little closer, Nancy.

Get a good look at it

. It's the new heavy duty piece of equipment that can smash the IED, so's our troops don't take the hit. It's being put on the fast tract to get to our troops.

It gets routed, via land, through TURKEY - the only way it can get to our troops... You know? TURKEY - our ally you are trying to anger into denying her air and land space to get food, water and equipment to our troops...

. Your seditious, last desperate scheme to undermine the success that the troops have spent these years fighting and dying for - is pure evil...all for your personal power and because of your rotted brain cells from corrosive hate.

Come a little closer, Nancy. Take a good look.

Closer...

Closer...

Now driver! Gun it!

[Wiz]

and holocaust deniers as well as Armenian Genocide deniers betraying our Christian brothers are traitors as well. Enough said.

[Go Gordon]

And that's the problem with demanding these resolutions; it creates a demand for Congress to address every insult to ethnic groups.

I wonder if Jesse and Al are having a cow because Pelosi didn't address slavery before trying to address the Armenians?

[joe fonebone]

Damn!!!!!! could not have put it better myself!!!

[mort56]

Pelosi is a traitor.

Add 50% of the Democrat Representatives and 75% of the Democrat Senators.

I think your estimates are a little low.

[agere_contra]

and holocaust deniers as well as Armenian Genocide deniers betraying our Christian brothers are traitors as well.

Well said. We are forgetting that the War on Terror is a War of Ideas. If we airbrush over the killing of 1.5 Million people by Islamic fanatics we not only make ourselves accessories to their crime, we are shooting our troops in the back.

If the War is successfully framed as Evil America abu-ghraibing its way through innocent Muslim countries, then we have lost.

If the War is correctly framed as a war against the ideology that has through 14 centuries of history led to the murder and rape of millions in the name of its blood-soaked Prophet, then we will win.

We must not become a Nation of Hitlers, saying "Who remembers the Armenians?" Anyone who will let murderers seize control of history, just because they don't want to send trucks through Basra, is missing the actual point of this war.

The majority of Turks live in a comfortable echo chamber where the truth of the Armenian democide has been suppressed. It's not in their text books. They, and the world in general, will never understand the stark difference between freedom and Islamic brutality unless we, of all nations, stand up for the truth.

[tabsternager]

I suppose you can add the Holocaust to that list, then?

And Congress should not have passed a resolution recognizing Darfur as “genocide” too?

And while we’re at it, why be angry at Ahmadinijad or any other muslim leaders/nations for refusing to recognize the Holocaust; right?

[longtermmemmory]

I think the resolution getting out of committee has done more to promote awareness of this Genocide vs Transportation Error issue than any resolution could.

The Turkish intransigence on this has pointed out how they are not so far from their predicessors actions.

Armenians just need to be smart.

They need to get on the air and contact the MSM.

[tabsternager]

“and holocaust deniers as well as Armenian Genocide deniers betraying our Christian brothers are traitors as well. Enough said.”

Amen.

[quant5]

Well put JDM.

[maine-iac7]

My grandson in Afghanistan, Airborne Task Force, in one of the most dangerous regions up against the Pakistan border = with Taliban pouring down through the passes from the region binny boy is hiding.

The Platoon is in daily fire fights and almost nightly mortar attacks - and 45 minutes from the nearest running water - or any other amenities. 45 minutes of narrow, twisting dirt "IED" roads flanked by wooded mountain sides - and they have to patrol those roads.........

So I really WOULD like to get the pelosi gang in front of a rapid rolling MRAP