The Armenian National Committee of America is sponsoring a "Call for Justice" tomorrow, asking Armenian Americans and others to phone their representatives in Congress and urge their support for Senate Resolution 106 and House Resolution 106, which would recognize the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Turks in the waning years of World War I.
You can find your representative at this Web site. Click on the name to get the representative's Web page and find the phone number to call.
Call California's U.S. Senators at these numbers:
Sen. Dianne Feinstein: (559) 485-7430 or (202) 224-3841
Sen. Barbara Boxer: (559) 497-5109 or (202 ) 224-3553
There is a huge conflict over this resolution.
Clearly, "those who don't recognize history are doomed to repeat it." Therefore, acknowledging all of these horrible crimes is critical. Yet, alienating Turkey could lead to catastrophe. As a neighbor of Iraq profoundly concerned with their Kurds and the PKK, and also necessary members of NATO, there is a foolhardiness to alienating this critical country.
I don't have the answer, nor do I propose one, but this resolution has profound issues and is a deeply conflicted issue.
I would not forget that Turkey hasn't been such a good ally to the U.S.
Before the Iraq war Turkey was dealing black market oil with Sadam. The US clearly knew this through satilite images.
Before the invasion into Iraq Turkey forbid our soldiers from crossing it's borders, our ships were turned away putting our soldiers in harms way.
I'm no fan of the Kurds much less any terror orgnization but I can say the abuse Turkey has put on the Kurds can be arguably state sponsored terror. The Kurdish region has relatively more stability then the rest of Iraq.
If Turkey had any sense they would not alienate themselves over a resolution, they would be the looser in the end politically, economically, and in the international community which they strive to be a part of.
Anyway our Congressional and Senate Representatives to the best of my knowledge are doing the right thing.
It's a shining light in this cynical, and pragmatic democracy to say:
I'm proud our Reps. are doing the right thing to support these resolutions.
I couldn't care less if Turkey supported U.S. goals in Iraq or not. They're a sovereign nation, and under no obligation to do our bidding.
I do wish they would acknowledge their previous regime's genocide against the Armenian people, and start moving towards reconciliation and healing, though. But I hope the pressure from the West doesn't drive them the other way, either towards strident nationalism or radical Islamism.
For all its flaws, Turkey is the most secular and democratic Muslim nation in the region. If they can't make democracy work, what hope do we have in Iraq?
Hi Mike,
The "strident nationalism" is already there, since the Ataturk regeime.
Turkey is hardly a measuring stick for an examlpe of democracy for a Muslum Nation. They are a so-called democracy through oppression of it's minorities and anyone who speaks out against it's Country.
Frankly I don't care about democracy in Iraq all I want is for stability in the region, so we can get out.
For example Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. excepts it's forms of government, which I do not believe are democracies by any stretch of the imagination.