Comments on: Turks Continue to Seethe Over House Committee Vote (Updated)

By: GaylenV

GaylenV — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:05:15 +0000

Also, what will ensure defeat for the US is the complete and utter diplomatic isolation that the US is faced with. In addition, all social programs are being reduced, all domestic defense perimeters are at below the minimum requirements, body bags of US victims are flown back with the frequency. All of this just to sustain a lie for profit and possible prolongation of an administration that is purely commercially linked. It is rather amazing to what extent fake patriotic speeches convince the average dupe to fall into the deathtrap.

By: GaylenV

GaylenV — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:00:28 +0000

As a US armed forces veteran, I can tell you that Turks have principally been a liability. Much of the slush money for NATO is pumped back into the expensive denial campaign.

Armenian lobbies are small volunteer organizations that do not either need or have the reources to purchase historians. It is an expensive proposition to build a history from a political figment.

By: GaylenV

GaylenV — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:54:38 +0000

The Ottoman Empire was not just the present country of Turkey, so by the Armenian logic, shouldn't Slovakia and Ukraine share some of the blame too?

By this logic, the Cherokee and Sioux are to blame for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Kemalist regime was mereley a continuation of the CUP, the Young Turk movement.

The swift condemnation and toppling of the government and all of its officials who had in their turn condemned the intentional annihilation of Armenians is also on record.

By: GaylenV

GaylenV — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:48:57 +0000

Marjorie Dobkin has a detailed narrative of the Smyrna affair and the zeal with which the Kemalist government completed the goal of ethnic consolitation by way genocide

http://www.greecetravel.com/smyrna/

By: Property in turkey

Property in turkey — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:24:04 +0000

[...] Outside Beltway - Turkey continues to have an ethnic Armenian minority and I can only suspect that the Turkish government is concerned that they could work on public school textbooks that are a little more honest about genocide a closer to home. How much real estate Learn More About [...]

By: Wayne

Wayne — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:32:16 +0000

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Dems are doing this just to hurt our Iraq effort. I beginning to think they will do anything to insure defeat for the U.S.

By: Matt Dailey

Matt Dailey — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 15:14:33 +0000

The killings occurred near the end of World War I by the Ottoman Empire, not the Republic of Turkey. Putting the blame on Turkey for what the Ottoman government did is ridiculous. They are two separate entities. It's like putting blame on Italy for what the Roman Empire did. The Ottoman Empire was not just the present country of Turkey, so by the Armenian logic, shouldn't Slovakia and Ukraine share some of the blame too?

By: Anderson

Anderson — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 02:00:50 +0000

I continue to be underwhelmed. One of the reasons to single out the Armenian genocide is that the perpetrating nation continues to deny it happened. If Germany said the Holocaust didn't really happen, we wouldn't shrug and say, "well, we need to preserve our good relations with the Germans."

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:23:00 +0000

Thank you for that, anjin-san. Presumably Congress is now working off a backlog. They're up to denouncing the Ottoman Empire.

By: anjin-san

anjin-san — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:11:16 +0000

I have to side with Bush on this, which if scary if of itself. Members of Congress would do better to examine their own roles in our war in Iraq which has killed vast numbers of innocents in Iraq. I can well understand why they would not wish to look in the mirror.

We have pressing problems of our own here in the 21st century. Worrying about an atrocity that is both long ago and far away makes no sense. If congress wants to set the record staight, perhaps they could work on public school textbooks that are a little more honest about genocide a closer to home. How much real estate in America is named after the Indians who were slaughtered so that Europeans could move in?

By: bob in fl

bob in fl — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 23:58:59 +0000

Congress wonders why its polls are poorer than the President's? Great freakin timing, Ladies & Gentlemen! Someone once made the profound observation that it is best to choose your battles carefully. What would be OUR reaction if the Turkish Parliament passed a resolution against the US Government over the 1973 siege which attempted to starve the Oglala Sioux at Wounded Knee, SD into submission? Like the General said, Congress has shot our govt in the foot.

It is time for Congress to recognise there are consequences to their actions & to Mind Their Own Damn Business. If the Turks shut down our supply lines to the troops in Iraq, how can Congress claim with a straight face that they support the troops? Good God!! You hand Cheney a piece of paper you know he will use as an excuse to attack Iran, you take sides twice against people using their 1st Amendment rights, & now this horse hockey.

I think I just might be a little pissed . . .

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:15:32 +0000

Here's the Armenian side of things.

By: Michael van der GaliÃ�ï¿½Ã�Â«n

Michael van der GaliÃ�ï¿½Ã�Â«n — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:56:41 +0000

Here is wikipedia on the armenian genocide: "from 1915 to 1917." The resolution holds the Turkish government responsible. So its prolongs the actual (alleged) genocide making it, of course, a matter not just of the Ottoman Empire but of the Turkish Republic.

By: Michael van der GaliÃ�Â«n

Michael van der GaliÃ�Â«n — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:53:12 +0000

Sorry man. I mean Dave.

Yes that's certainly true.

And there's also the $-issue.

And the fact that no Armenians were killed in 1923 by the Turks...

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 19:09:50 +0000

You're welcome, Michael. I'd intended to mention in the post itself that the timing of the massacres and the personalities who were prominent at the time tie them inextricably to the founding of the Turkish state. Like every other state Turkey has a foundation mythology and the Armenian massacres conflict with that mythology.