Dear Vivian, la Querida de mis suenos (with a squiggly line over the n) :o)

No, I would not even give it so much as a “right place”. “Genocide” is certainly not the right term, the word itself having been invented to describe the Nazi policy toward the Jews (and gypsies). Wholesale slaughter is perhaps a more apt description of the Armenian experience at the hands of the Ottoman regime.

Our Legislature, among other groups, might be wiser to remember the old adage, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” We certainly did more than our share of slaughtering the indigenous populations of America, including women and children. It began with our arrival from Europe on the Atlantic Coast and continued largely unabated until we had ethnically cleansed the Pacific Coast. It was fully as brutal as anything we see today in Darfur or Somalia; but probably not quite up to Iraqi standards of brutality. The inconvenient truth, to overwork that overworked phrase, is that the vast majority of nations, of peoples, have at one time or another slaughtered largely innocent people indiscriminately. And what about those Christian Serbs so recently in Sebrenizca? Do we give them civilization credits for just killing the men, and only raping the women?

You are quite correct, should it pass, this resolution does not bind Turkey in any way shape or form. Our Legislature, however grandiose it might perceive itself to be, has not the authority to bind Turkey or any other nation for that matter.

Certainly Turkey has jumped through hoops to gain entry to the EU, in terms of rationalizing its laws and economic policies to conform to EU standards. What stands in the way is an unspoken unwillingness on the part of several EU countries, France and Germany included, to give Turkey’s millions of Muslims access to European labor markets. With their present problems integrating their Muslim minorities (remember the French riots not so long ago?), they are certainly not keen to magnify them further. You have to take that into account when viewing the French criminalization of Armenian Genocide deniers. Free Speech, indeed!!

I would hasten to say I am equally offended by Turkey’s criminalization of “Turkish denigration”.

I’m afraid I have to disagree with your assessment of Democratic motives in offering up this perennial resolution. They did not do this because they believed it was right. They did it to pander to a very well organized lobby representing an influential Armenian minority in this country. It comes under the heading of “domestic politics”, of “campaign contributions”. They were thoroughly aware of all of the possible foreign policy ramifications, they just figured Turkey needs us more than we need them. As the blow dried Tom Lantos put it, “I assure you, Turkey will accept this, no problem!!”. I’m amazed at his psychic abilities. I actually think he is quite foolish and dead wrong; almost, but not quite, to the point of hoping he is. It is not easy being an American these days.

Your concerns about the EU’s concerns are misplaced I think. There is no danger of Sunni/Shia sectarian violence creeping across the Turkish border on its way to the EU. The danger is the age old quest for a Greater Kurdistan at the expense of Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The PKK has recently stepped up its cross border attacks in Turkey from the Kurdish area of Iraq, wounding and killing substantial Turkish military and civilian personnel. Less reported are similar attacks by the PKK in Iran from Kurdish Iraq. If you think the good old USA is above quietly using a terrorist organization like the PKK as a proxy in Iran, think again. In the present situation we seem to like Ansar even more as our Iran proxy since they don’t complicate our Turkish relations. This whole system of designating “terrorist organizations” has become an absurdity. Seriously, isn’t our CIA a terrorist organization? It kidnaps people off the streets of foreign countries, allies and enemies alike, and “disappears” them into prisons secreted around the world for interrogation under torture. No warrants, no charges, no notice, just bland denial. Do we even so much as apologize to the innocent? Of course not, each must be guilty of something or they wouldn’t have been picked up, right?

We try to hold Musharef’s feet to the fire in Pakistan to clean up Al Qaeda and the Taliban embedded in the Northwest Territories as a sanctuary for their Afghan operations. The General is responsible for security throughout Pakistan. Like it or not, we (the USA) are still responsible for security in Iraq, including the Kurdish areas of Iraq. Turkey has been trying to get us to put a clamp on the PKK for a long time now, to no avail. We have essentially ignored them, diplomatically of course. We can expect that Turkey will be holding our feet to the fire and if we don’t deliver, we can expect to see Turkish armor and airplanes doing what is necessary for their interests.

The Armenians may or may not have justice coming to them. I simply do not know their history well enough to hold an opinion on the matter. What I do know is that the Congress of the United States has neither the power nor competence to render justice in this matter. You believe it does?

Best Regards ……

by Craig Chamberlain
Turkish Temper Tantrum
October 20, 2007 01:00 PM EST

If the Armenian genocide of 1915 wasn't a genocide then why are the Turks so enraged whenever the subject comes up? Yes, it's true that the massacre happened during a time of war and that some Turks lost their lives. But the campaign was nothing more than an attempt by the failing Ottoman government to wipe out the Armenians. After all they weren't Turks and they weren't Muslims so why have them around.

Not that the Armenians were the first victims of Turkish agression. For over a century the Turks ruled and brutalized the Balkans, with acts of violence and forcibly taking Christian children from their homes and making them Janisarries in the Ottoman army. (Now all of that is in the past, although if Erdogan has his way the old Turkey might emerge again.)The Greeks who had been living in Asia minor since the bronze age were forcibly expelled by the Turks after world war one. The Kurds had every shred of the culture buried by the Turks(the Turks went so far as to deny that they Kurds even existed, referring to them as "mountain Turks).

In the old days the Turks targeted their victims for religious reasons. Non Muslims were the victims of their violence. After the rise of Ataturk Jihad was replaced by Turkish Chauvinism. Now Turkey is trying to combine the two. Erdogan is trying to create a new Islamism at home and nationalism abroad.

That being said Congress has better things to do. If they want to deal with genocide why not deal with the situation in Darfur, which is ongoing, instead of talking about something that happened in 1915? The answer is that Congress likes grandstanding and chest thumping, they just don't like to take any action.

Instead all they do is agitate a very touchy country, a country that already wants to invade Iraq so they can launch a new campaign against the Kurds(if Erdogan has his way he'll turn the hunt for a few PKK rebels into a new genocide) though it seems after Erdogan has gotten to rattle the saber he's backing down. The situation in Iraq is still dangerous, even after the success of the surge, and we couldn't have allowed the Turks to invade the Kurdish region which happens to be the most stable part of Iraq.

As allies the Turks are valuable, but not irreplaceable. Under Erdogan relations have gotten worse from cool to downright frozen. Still it would be in the interests of the United States to keep the Turks on our side. Congress should abandon the resolution, there's nothing that can be done about it. If they want to stop violence let them stop something that's still ongoing. The Turks are going to be Turks no matter how Congress votes.

by Craig Chamberlain
Turkish Temper Tantrum
October 20, 2007 01:00 PM EST

If the Armenian genocide of 1915 wasn't a genocide then why are the Turks so enraged whenever the subject comes up? Yes, it's true that the massacre happened during a time of war and that some Turks lost their lives. But the campaign was nothing more than an attempt by the failing Ottoman government to wipe out the Armenians. After all they weren't Turks and they weren't Muslims so why have them around.

Not that the Armenians were the first victims of Turkish agression. For over a century the Turks ruled and brutalized the Balkans, with acts of violence and forcibly taking Christian children from their homes and making them Janisarries in the Ottoman army. (Now all of that is in the past, although if Erdogan has his way the old Turkey might emerge again.)The Greeks who had been living in Asia minor since the bronze age were forcibly expelled by the Turks after world war one. The Kurds had every shred of the culture buried by the Turks(the Turks went so far as to deny that they Kurds even existed, referring to them as "mountain Turks).

In the old days the Turks targeted their victims for religious reasons. Non Muslims were the victims of their violence. After the rise of Ataturk Jihad was replaced by Turkish Chauvinism. Now Turkey is trying to combine the two. Erdogan is trying to create a new Islamism at home and nationalism abroad.

That being said Congress has better things to do. If they want to deal with genocide why not deal with the situation in Darfur, which is ongoing, instead of talking about something that happened in 1915? The answer is that Congress likes grandstanding and chest thumping, they just don't like to take any action.

Instead all they do is agitate a very touchy country, a country that already wants to invade Iraq so they can launch a new campaign against the Kurds(if Erdogan has his way he'll turn the hunt for a few PKK rebels into a new genocide) though it seems after Erdogan has gotten to rattle the saber he's backing down. The situation in Iraq is still dangerous, even after the success of the surge, and we couldn't have allowed the Turks to invade the Kurdish region which happens to be the most stable part of Iraq.

As allies the Turks are valuable, but not irreplaceable. Under Erdogan relations have gotten worse from cool to downright frozen. Still it would be in the interests of the United States to keep the Turks on our side. Congress should abandon the resolution, there's nothing that can be done about it. If they want to stop violence let them stop something that's still ongoing. The Turks are going to be Turks no matter how Congress votes.

Hello World folks!

Why this planet earth has had quite a few of the very worst human-crimes as: mass-murdering, massacres, genocides in several continents, spreading from all world corners as: asia, europe, east europe, middle east, to american continent! Many many genocides have known and recorded! While misters Allah, Jesus Christ, Budha, and all the alikes could only prove to themselves and all mankind as the so-called the "n'existe plus!" (means no longer exist in English)!

Who on earth can believe that the so-called: "God" (if exists? in term of human self-misconcepted) can help this sinful and treacherous and murderous human being?
While these human-being folks or human-erectuses are definitely in love with their everyday treachery-of-all-sorts and murdering-of-all-sorts and born-to-count-money-and-enjoy-sex-and-lie-only mostly! and only very few of them are living like saints or angels in this filthy and odorous world! (i.e., few are good and too many are bad as proven)
It is quite funny as while seeing Billions of world folks have pointed their asses relentlessly into the sky to pray their god everyday!!! but funnily, this world can only have only one way to head into its own destiny is the destination of destructions of all sorts and murdering of all sorts each others as all seen in the world corners everyday!
Sad! sad! sad! this rotten world! that we all have to live in and smell this bad-smell!
It seems to be that this sinful world can only be taught by few asteroids heading in from the heaven as did before to cleanup this dirty world!

For sure! This world citizens do need to come back to live with their valuable conscience that has been lost for a long time ago!

Thanks

The current menace in the region which is the threat of Turkish miltary intervension in Kurdistan shows the insecurity of Turkish junta. They want to be the bully of neighberhood...Kurdistan wants peace but is prepared to defend against the criinal manuvers of a criminal junta. Kurdistan has defended itself against invaders..just look at the graveyards of the previous occupiers.....A great Kurdish poet, Abdulla Pashew once wrote anout the huge sacrifices of Kurdistan this way:
Unknown Soldier

When a delegation goes to a country
they lay wreath of flowers on the unknown soldier,
if tomorrow
a delegation comes to our country
and asks me where is the grave of unknown soldier?
I say Sir!
on the banks of any river,
on the rocks of any mountain,
under the tree of any garden,
on the benches of any mosque and any church
under any piece of any sky
over any piece of any land,
in this country of Kurdistan,
do not be scared
just lay your head down
and place your wreath....

Hello World!

In this case, it is so simple to make correct conclusion even millions with biased minds could react agains you as following the truthful and scientific format/procedure as below:

No any early "PRO" or "CON"! no any early "CONDONE" or "CONDEMN" or fallen into a naive "BEING BIASED FOR PERSONAL REASONS"! but a conclusion or a judgement or a comdemn or condone should be based scientifically and truthfuly and unbiasedly then you with your clear and unbiased mind just go ahead and sticking with your CONSCIENCE to judge a fact, a real problem, a crime, a world mistake, or a human sin, etc., and comfortably conclude clearly as it is Right or Wrong!. This is simply a scientific way for judging anything such as a problem or fact without making dumb mistake at all and also should forget all sorts of crying fooled that may be on the way! to cheer you! or even ripping you aparts! by human behaviour as usual!

For simplity, the answer as "YES" or "No" to the question: "The U.S Congress is going to pass one of those resolutions condemning another country for its pasts: this time, Turkey for Armenian massacres" that it can be frankly and correctly and precisely to answer as:

1/ During the past, if Turkey did commit its world criminal as massacred en-mass Armenians, or genocide, then Turkey must be treated as the criminal state as the answer is: "YES" for complying with the world conscience and world justices and laws and orders and fairness!

2/ Otherwise, if Turkey didn't commit a such very serious human crime as massacre or mass-murdering or genocide, then no one on earth has any reason to condemn Turkey at all!
And that's all! and it's 100% fair to all concerned folks! including Turkey and Armenia and all these concerned folks!
Watchout! Pls. do not condone crimes of any reasons! and all world folks must be fair and frank to each others and you guys must behave as civilized citizens and civilized nations no matter what!
Also, it should remember that no one should spend or have enough times to think back and forth! such as with this issue! due to this world has many more bigger problems and are much much more urgent! as world problems than this one!

Make senses? world folks? And all should always simplify things or problems more than to make a problem becoming too complicated to solve! and it is no more than a wasting of time!

Thanks to all! ./.

P.S: REMEMBER: "NEVER TRY TO OBTAIN A BIASED MIND! WHY? DUE TO IT BECOME FUNCTIONLESS ONE!"

conscience-to-the-world

"In law, defamation is the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, group, government or nation." - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The case of "genocide" has not been made in court. So it is not for sure that "genocide" is factual. If it turns out to be not factual, a "genocide" bill could be considered a defamation of Turkey or the Turkish people. And America could become a subject of a lawsuit.

Turkey, please try to find a court where you can sue all these countries that have passed "genocide" resolutions for defamation. Try to make some money from their mistakes.

The timing has never been better. You hit Iron when it is red hot! EU and US assist the Kurds aspiration for independecne. Some Turkish politicians say that US and EU gave weapons to the PKK. The Armenian resolution feeds the famous Turkish"deep state" agenda,the hidden government which is composed of the Army and the secular elite. Both of the secualr elite and the army are not comfortable with the existence of peopel who pray in Ataturk Palace and goverment places, not to mention covered women. they want Turkey to be pushed into a war that will ruin the achievments of AKP.

The timing has never beeb better. You hit Iron when it is red hot! EU and US assist the Kurds aspiration for independecne. Some Turkish politicians say that US and EU gave weapons to the PKK. The Armenian resolution feeds the famous Turkish"deep state" agenda,the hidden government which is composed of the Army and the secular elite. Both of the secualr elite and the army are not comfortable with the existence of peopel who pray in Ataturk Palace and goverment places, not to mention covered women. they want Turkey to be pushed into a war that will ruin the achievments of AKP.

jimg @October 17, 2007 11:56 PM: Since it is illegal in Turkey to even mention it, of course the Turks DENY genocide. The rest of what you posted makes as much sense, and is demonstrably false.

The Turks don't deny "genocide". They simply refute the one-sided Armenian thesis.

Unfortunately most of congress is too stupid and ignorant of history to know the difference.

The Armenians were not the only victims of WWI. For every innocent Armenian who died, so did ten innocent Turks. The only difference is the Turks don't like to cry about it. Turkey's historical archives are wide open to international review. The Armenian archived are shut tight and they've refused all requests to investigate their claims. The reasons why are painfully obvious.

The death toll claimed by the Armenians is wildly inflated, and has kept multiplying until it reached today's magic number of 1.5 million. That's equal to the entire estimated population of ethnic Armenians of 1915 and defies any reasonable possibility. Yet this resolution takes this figure as fact, and labels genocide, the deliberate murder of a population, without citing a single scrap of evidence to prove the intent of the Ottoman authorities; most of the deaths occurred as result of resettlement and starvation. Millions of Turks died the same way but are not memorialized by the U.S. Congress. On top of that, the Armenians formed an organized militias, sided with the enemy during a time of war, and massacred Turks by the thousand. It's the Armenians who are in denial.

Making an analogy with the Jewish Holocaust is very far-fetched and the Turks have every right to be angered. How would Americans feel if a foreign country asked America to apologize for their "genocide" of the British in 1776?

Vivian,
It's not the timing but it's the wrong issue which should be handled by Historians rather than self serving politicians who are catering for narrow parochial domestic interests and not for US national interests.
Am also very apprehensive about your "experts” who determined that Ottoman Turkey deliberately aggressed upon the Armenians without referring to Turkish archives which is open for investigation.

One critical question that no one seems to ask is: why would Ottoman Turkey suddenly decide to genocide Armenians with whom it has coexisted peacefully for centuries? The Armenians were Ottoman citizens at time and committed treachery against the Ottoman state by colluding with its historical enemies, the Russians, during the great war when Turkey was attacked from all sides-and felt betrayed by its own citizens, the Armenians and a civil war ensued in which they were the losers. This is much closer to historical truth than the alleged genocide-a highly politicized issue used to whip modern democratic Turkey into submission and to block its joining the EU.

It would be very clumsy and counterproductive of congress to get side-tracked from its top priority, Iraq, to a side issue such as the alleged Armenian genocide; in addition Congress would be accused of double standards and would NOT have the moral high ground if it got itself into such controversial issue that clearly does not serve US national interests but rather serves parochial domestic politics.

Also even if a non-binding binding resolution is passed, it would raise some serious questions such as why does not congress pass similar resolutions on the following issues which can be described by many as Genocide:
-Russian Genocide of Chechens (next door to Armenia) during WWII: half of the Chechen population perished during their forced march/exile to Siberia by iron fisted Stalin-and recently still by Mr. KGB, Putin.
-Serbia’s Genocide of Bosnian Muslims which is very recent: climaxed in Srebrenica.
-The Apartheid regime imposed by Israel on millions of Palestinians for the past 60 years, financed by American taxpayers and American weapons.
-Many people consider the Truman’s decimation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by nuclear weapons as Genocide or a nuclear holocaust of Japanese Civilians.
-Many view the unlawful and the disastrous war on Iraq as Genocide or near Genocide with over one million Iraqis perished.
-A resolution would compromise US/Turkish relations very seriously and would send another wrong signal to the wider Muslim World that there is a concerted campaign/crusade against Islam and Muslims.
-Was the slavery of African-Americans since the 17th century to 1863 and thereafter to 1965-Civil Rights Act-and the untold number of blacks who perished in the process, Was it and can it be considered more or less a long, painful and slow Genocide.

Simply stated, such a resolution would clearly be against US national interests and would open up a Pandora box for Congress and America.

The Itihad Ve Teraki or Union and progress were the criminals who committed this crime. By promising people,not only in Turkey but all over the Ottoman states at that time, equality, fraternity and liberity;the three pillars of masonary and the the French Revolution.

Thier form of fraternity was the introduction of PanTuranism. They wanted to Turkify the Kurds, Arabs,Armenians,...etc. Keeping in mind the fact that the Ottomans didn't do this disgraceful act,the new modern secular republic continued this tradition by trying to force the Turkish language and identity down the throats of the Kurds of Turkey..What a modern Democracy!

Thier equality and liberity reform was to equate Non-Moslem minorities with the Moslem Majority. The result was that minorities, Jews and Armenians, took advantage of this act with colonial powers to decimate the Ottoman Empire and push Anatolian Turks into wars that destroyed them and widowed and impoverished the women of those Anatolian soldiers who were nothing but poor farmers.

The minorities, Armenians and Jews, were so powerful, equal, and free to the extent that they went to the last powerful Islamic figure, Sultan Abdul Hamit, and dethroned him. Is there a better evidence of how pluralistic and tolerant the Ottomans were?No. For Jews and Christians to come and humilate the Moslems by dethroning their Caliph..

Today the influence of the school of Salonica still exsit. The Turks want to appear to the Moslem world that their nation is democratic by showing the fact that PM Erdogan and President Gul, whose roots are Islamic. While women who wear the headscarf are not allowed to attend universities.

The government in 1915 was the same as the one the exist today. Anti-Islamic, Anti-Moslem, Anti-Kuran, dictatorial, racist,and corrupt.

Dedicated to the never-ending, chaos world and all of its unfortunate victims of all sorts of man-made (excluded natural) violence!
Dedicated also to the U.N and the "valuable" U.N.S.C and its "meaningless rules, regulations, principles and useless processes)

Hello Zoo! (1)

Hello Zoo!
While knowing all of YOU!
Sitting in there! while can only POO!
In an unfortunate place
Infested by all sorts of world “CRUs” (2)
While all wishing to see or make a better ZOO!
But none as a "hopeless" can DOO!
Then finally, can only come back and POO!
(Like “me TOO”!)

Hello ZOO!
A place now has too much POO!
But what? and how? can we (all) “DOO”?
To clean up all these mountainous POO!!!
To lessen the bad smell in the entire ZOO!
Welcomed (as usual) by these mountains of POO!
And makes all (of us) turned into all FOOs! (3)
In the “Monkeys-DOO”!
Human-ZOO!
Full with these mountainous and monkey-like POO!
Ugly but deadly as the viral "bird-flu-POO!...

Notes:
(1) or the World
(2) or cruel
(3) or fools or crazies

P.S: Fool-cries and blames will never end as predicted in this rotten world!
(this created and made "funned" by: conscience-to-the-world to the world and its "irrelevances" and "nonesenses" that all mankind can never be able to be escaped from! due to these are parts of the Physics Laws!: "no physical objects can escape from the Physical Laws")

Turkey is a good ally of our country, and it bespeaks the future of a constitutional democracy where the population is overwhelmingly Islamic.

The current outrage of Turkey's leaders, about the pending House resolution is explainable, but not excusable. With the dismemberment, nearly 100 years ago of the former empire, successive Turkish leaders have been paranoid about Anatolian territorial demands by its subjects or former subjects. This in part explains the bad relations of Turkey with Greeks, Armenians, and Kurds (each of whom has/had territorial claims) and its decent relations with Jews even though the latter is a religious minority in an Islamic country.

The demand by Ms. Pelosi and other members of Congress is long overdue even though it is uncomfortable for many Turks to accept. I urge each reader to review the on-site reports by American consulate officials in 1915-16 about the mass murder of Armenians by the Turkish army and local militias. Yes, there may have been some attempts by Armenians to seek independence while Turkey was embroiled in WWI as a German ally. However, the slaughter was not of Armenian gunmen, but rather of Armenian civilians by shooting and starvation.

If Turkey is to become a mature, constitutional democracy, then facing up to the genocide of the Armenians is a necessary precondition. It will likely be a precondition to EU membership as well, and much of the Turkish government's present actions are as much a test of the EU as much as it is of our country.

lets make a story for your consideration

you have sisters and brothers. lets say your father and mother have passed away. and you are the oldest.

you see your sisters and brothers date with some men and women. and these guys are different than your sisters and brothers.

and you are aware of the stories that your sisters and brothers may have in the future with these dates.

and a few of your sisters and brothers marry with these dates, and their stories begin. and then you hear about their stories in the passing years.

for example, a family who your parents had dispute has sent their cousin for your sister from a far city. and later you realize that she has suffered much. your sister's daughter, your nephew has been given to that family and she has gone crazy and she has been divorced and her wealth has been delivered.

what shall you do?

If you say the Turkish government of today isn't the government of 100 years ago, you are mistaken. The Turkish secular elite and the army has been governing Turkey for almost 200 years. The Hagana(Salonica Branch)is the source of the religion of Turkish secularism. It started with masonary at the beginnig by Mustafa Reshid Pasha and then after the dethronement of Sultan Abdulhamid it became full blown zionism.The Ataturk founded the official pillars of this secualr anit-Islam religion and name it Kemalism. He defined Islam as the religion that fits the immoral Arab and declared that the modern state has no God.

Hatred of Islam and the loathing of its symbols are common traits of all the goverments that existed in Turkey for almost 200 years. Turks were governed by gangs who enslaved them for so many years. They enslaved the Turks with words such as modernity and westernization. They hypnotized them with the fact that they belong to the west and that the Ataturk saved them from the backwordness of Islam and the Ottomans.

these words were the results of the debate the took place at the early nineteenth century during the Tanzimat era between Islam and modernity.

The author makes an interesting case, but does not tell us WHEN she thinks is the right time. So, the argument that this is not the right time is a canard to avoid stating a historical fact.

As with 'John', I am tired of hearing what a GREAT ally Turkey has been. During WW2, when Turkey was asked to enter on the side of the allies (Chrchill was even kind enough to throw in some Aegean islands - their population be damned), Turkey refused; until Jan 1945 when there were no Germans near Turkey. During the Cold War, we paid cold hard cash for Turkish friendship (aboujt $11 billions through the early 50's). In 2002 we asked Turkey to take the lead in Afghanistan, since there is ethnic afficity. In exchange for sending 1400 troops Turkey asked for $250 million a year. Of fourse we know that in 2003, when we asked for the 4th division to cross over Turkey on the way to Iraq, the Turks were so friendly, that they asked for $24 billion.

For the past 2 years Turkey has been threatening to invade Iraq and attack the only Iraqis who actually wants us there (the Kurds). All becuase Turkey cannot treat its own people with any dignity!

I don't know about you, but I cannot afford such friends and allies.

Everybody is minding their own business. So should the Turks. If I am a Turk, I will just ignore all these resolutions passed by other countries, as long as there is no court order asking me to pay for anything. If all these self-proclaimed "civilized nations" do not want to do business with me any more. Fine. They refused to do business with China and Vietnam for a long time. But China and Vietnam did not die because of that. Now they have to do business with them again.

There are plenty of countries in the Muslim world and Turkey can make friends with. They share identity as Muslims and they share the same humiliation that they receive from the West. They should form a united front to fight the West. There will be some difficult years that they have to deal with. But they will survive and thrive, just like China and Vietnam.

Dear Mrs. Salama! can you please answer one little question? When exactly do you mean is the right time
to tell and accept the truth? 95 years later is to soon? or too late?

To the endlessly troubled World:

The world is full with nations that have all tried best to arm themselves in order to destroy others! More than enough weapons have been relentlessly made than the entire world population needed! or can caonfront with!

All sorts of wars from all corners of the world have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain!

At the same time, in the UN and UNSC bad guys and good guys have played all sorts of good, bad, civilized, uncivilized to dirtiest, and most barbaric games to confront themselves, to exploit weaknesses of these organizations and systems to gain controls of some parts of the world or even the entire the world as wished! The deceiving tactics and tricks suddenly fool up the world souls! and with that results letting no men on earth can now feel confident to believe on himself or themselves to truely and confidently believe that who is/are the good guy(s) and who else is/are bad guy(s)?, due to all of them behave as all good guys! and suddenly all of them also all seem to look like to behave as all bad guys as well! and therefore confusing the world that normally naively trust all are all "good friends" or "best friends" for many close contacts occasions with sweet talks well mixed happened!
However, this world is definitely a very risky world! nations try destroys other nations with all reasons and all sorts of man-mande conflicts- driven led to more kinds of conflicts to show up than to be able to be solved! Therefore, for that reasons, this world is definitely is a conscience-less world! A world of "big-fish-eat-smaller-fish"!, a world of "big-fish-threatens-small-fish", and in many times, human-beings treat each other far worst than any most dangerous animals treat themselves! For example: The world where human-beings are living in where they can kill other human-beings for making money from the deads' body-parts!, while animals never kill their own friends for self-gaining unless they are too hungry!
In esssence, human-beings have to knee on animals to learn them as the more respectful creatures or teachers on how to behave and be nice to each others with the using of truth and sincere and compassion and care!
Sad sad world! an unfortunate place full with man-made garbages and more man-made devils, vampires than angels! , and more killers and thieves and pirates than good and civilized men! Unfortunately, Education will never turn this world into a better and more civilized world! why? due to most killers, murderers, thieves, pirates, world-trouble-makers in this world generally are well educated! and having solid knowledge in all aspects! including knowing and realizing the value of "right-and-wrong", "lawful-and-lawless", but they commonly have no interest in recognizing "conscience" and "code-of-ethics"!, or "code-of-conducts"!....
Bad guys with mass destructive weapons are example that always ready to bring this world to a lasting end! without hesistation! as it could happen at anytime in the future if a madman decided to create world havoc! and unfortunately, no one can predict for the worst moment to happen as when? to all good and bad ones in this world!

Pls. take few minutes to think about the world human behaviour today! and all soon will sadly realize that this world will never have a good time at all in the coming future!

For example: Bad guys like red China and Russia that these folks always arrogantly threaten the rest of the world with nuclear weapons for a mass destruction moment! while these bad folks definitely realize that they will also dissappear quickly as well in no more than a couple of hours or so and all turning into vapor and ash as predicted! as all 1.3 billions chinese and all Russians will altogether disappear no more than few hours if the great war will take place! And the rest of the world will also happen in the same way! and obviously, this world will begin to require a long long time to reappear lives in this heavy radioactive contaminated planet!
Obviously, at the last moment of this world! no Allah can magic to save you! no Jesus Christ can use his power to protect you! no Budha can bring heavenly security to assist you at all!. And only someone who will be lucky enough to wander around and enjoy himself in the red planet Mars or on the moon that he might have a better chance to survive than all the rest of human being on this planet earth!
So who has guts as wish to use mass destruction power in this world to gain all others? or all become all losers?

It seems to be that this world won't have or deserve any blessing from heaven at all! due to this world have been generated with too many devils who are too dangerous all others and are always eager to destroy all others with all means. These devils are too much dangerous than anything else!. They commonly believe in the philosophy of attacking and destroying all others to keep them unique and for benefitting themselves only as always been shown in this planet for so long!

Finally, this world human-being seem to need conscience and good deeds first and more urgent than food, religion, wealth, physical demands, etc.

Thanks to all.
(revised)
(Ref: World and Realities)

That widely held view (Armenian genocide) is not universally shared. A dissenting group of 69 American academics with backgrounds in Turkish history signed a letter to Congress stating that "current scholarship does not support a charge of genocide" — that is, a premeditated attempt to annihilate an entire group of people.

A better approach would be for the U.S. government to establish a Dept of Peace and have the courage to elect a man of true courage like Dennis Kuchinich who actually says what he feels, instead of a regime of people whom will start and manage over these death games we call wars but whom do and did not have the personal courage to fight themselves.

The ability to stomach and accept these horrific acts seem to always vanish as soon as one is able to identify with the victims. If you can identify with humanity then all acts of violence become abhorrent.

Great men and women, followers of love, people whom believe in non-violence in all instances. People who "are on the side of right, whatever the cost" are the only true human beings among us.

The rest of us are like virgins trying to pretend know something of love.

Are you sure you want to open the files on the genocide? If you did, you might read this, written by Turkish Ministry of the Interior, Talaat Bey, in a memo dated September 15, 1915:

"It was first communicated to you that the Government, by order of the Jemiet, had decided to destroy completely all Armenians living in Turkey. Those who oppose this order and decision cannot remain on the official staff of the Empire. An end must be put to their existence, however criminal the measures taken may be, and no regard must be paid to age, or sex, or to conscientious scruple. Signed, Minister of the Interior, Talaat."

(Talaat's memos were sent on cipher telegrams and addressed to the Provincial government in Aleppo. They were found by Allenby in Aleppo, before Turks could destroy them. They were first published in the London Daily Telegraph, May 29, 1922; also in Current History, July 1921, and in the Memoirs of Naim Bey.)

Are you sure you want to open the files on the genocide? If you did, you might read this, written by Turkish Ministry of the Interior, Talaat Bey, in a memo dated September 15, 1915:

"It was first communicated to you that the Government, by order of the Jemiet, had decided to destroy completely all Armenians living in Turkey. Those who oppose this order and decision cannot remain on the official staff of the Empire. An end must be put to their existence, however criminal the measures taken may be, and no regard must be paid to age, or sex, or to conscientious scruple. Signed, Minister of the Interior, Talaat."

(Talaat's memos were sent on cipher telegrams and addressed to the Provincial government in Aleppo. They were found by Allenby in Aleppo, before Turks could destroy them. They were first published in the London Daily Telegraph, May 29, 1922; also in Current History, July 1921, and in the Memoirs of Naim Bey.)

I love it that France stood up to the Turkish efforts to keep the genocide mum. Now, let us do the same. And let Turkey continue to be blocked from joining the EU unless it simply says, "Yes, yes, the genocide happened!" Do it, Turkey, and be done with it. Only then can you move on.

The resolution is right and should be made law asap! The Turks have to understand that they just cannot keep threatening everyone and anyone to keep silent about it.
Leave it to the historians they say! What a load of bull! The historians have already proven it to be genocide and the Turks should just accept that and quit being a pain.
It happened, they did it and the world knows, end of story.
It is small wonder that the majority of Europeans are not at all happy with the idea of the quarrelsome Turks in the EU.

As we struggle to know our domestic enemies. No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues. We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen. We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance. See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.

There is no wrong time for right intentions!
Genocide of 1.5 million people is not a political tool. God bless America!

A prime example of a one-sided interpretation of history which overlooks the immense suffering of millions of Turks, Kurds, Azeris and Muslims.

As recently as 15 years ago (not a century ago), Armenia invaded Azerbaijan, drove a million Azeris from their from their homes and massacring them in places like Khojaly and continues to occupy it to this day. What about them? Oh, because they are Muslims - we shouldn't care about them, right?

And trying to pretend that this is not politically motivated is lame. First of all, it is a backdoor attempt by Pelosi to have her way with Iraq. Many people want that war to end, but this is a very sleazy way of doing it - opening up century old history books and digging stuff up to have our way with politics today.

Besides, the elections are around the corner and the fact that the congressman who introduced this resolution has the biggest Armenian community in the US in his district. Not to mention the fact that Pelosi has a huge ethnic Armenian community in her district as well.

So - enough with demagogues. It is not the job of parliaments to make history. Let the historians debate what happened a century ago.

US is the last country to be the moral authority in history. We would not be reading this if the Armenian Americans had not brided their US representatives to push this forward. I even see Armenian Armenians critizing Americans for wanting more investigation or wanting the US government to emphasize something that is of vital interest to the US. If they're so concerned about Armenia, they can move back to Armenia, join the military and fight with the Turks. Don't use my tax money to advance your political views that will benefit some other country.

Pelosi pushing this resolution for something that happened 100 years ago? Aren't there more important issues happening NOW? No wonder this Congress is rated at an all-time low!

Great - than the rich Armenians who survived this can be the Judge and the Jury. My grandparents were killed in Sarikamis which is a small village close to Kars, Turkey during world war 1. Armenian gangs burned half the village down and my relatives escaped to Kars. I did not see any of my grandparent's suffering in any of the newspapers. As long as Armenians want a one sided recognition - there will not be justice. I am puzzled to see that they are afraid of any additional investigation. WHY? Are they afraid to see that their Armenian ancestors initiated the killings againts the Turks? Open the archives, and let the truth come out.

I silently applaud those who have the courage to show their ignorance in such a public manner. An investigation is not needed to decide whether Armenians were massacred during Turkey's shameless act of genocide. My grandfathers' parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends were not murdered but an unseen and nameless enemy. They were brutally and savagely murdered by Turks. My grandfather and his grandmother were the only survivors of his entire extended family.

When hundreds of historians state for a fact what happened was genocide, when Hitler used the Armenians' annihilation as an example of what he would do to the Jews, and when hundreds of newspaper archives contain articles from 1915 onward about the atrocities the Armenians endured, that is why there is no need for an investigation.

If US politicians are supposed to be free of historical knowledge, then that sounds like a dream government for Cheney and the Neo-Cons. Forget history, forget the fact that Schwarzkopf and sane generals considered the occupation of Iraq a loony idea back in 1991-1992, forget the lessons of the past, and just act without care.

People in the US pay no heed to history and historians already. The last 7 years have proven that, obviously. Our media pays no heed to history either, and this week's writing on the Armenian genocide proves that, since so many commenters have agreed that the genocide denial claims should be investigated.

Destabilize Northern Iraq???

US came over 10,000 KM to attack Iraq. Did they ask for permission? Kurdish terrorists are attcking Turkey and the northern Kurdish government is not doing anything about this. If Mexican terrorist came to San Diego and killed Americans on a daily basis, and Mexico did nothing....what would the US do? Would they ask for permission from Europr to go into Mexico after the terrorists?

"It was always my understanding that friends are there to tell each other the truth even when it is uncomfortable. The threats Turkey is making tells me more about the state of our relationship than anything else."

Actually - you are correct. This is not wahta I call a true friendship. US's friendship has always been one sided. Turkey was the friend who helped in the Korean war, guarded the border with the USSR and opened borders and bases when the US attacked Iraq during the first Persion War. Now, they've been screaming for help as PKK Kurdish terrorist are coming over the Iraq border to attack Turkey. What has the US done? Nothing. In fact, they have not even put any pressure on the Kurdish government to better protect the borders. To top it off, PKK was found with US weapons...nice.

Turkey is asking for a joint commission study from all sides o investigate the exact number of deaths and facts. If the US is a friend, they should advocate this..rather than being the judge and the jury because their wealthy Armenian minority wants it this way.

This is an excellent article but I think your perception is slightly skewed on this resolution, since it is a victory for truth.
This vote will not impact the Iraq War so people need to get a grip. Everyone is pointing at this non-binding resolution as something bigger than it is, and the media (proded by the White House's hysterics) has been shrill on this point.
As Rep. Lantos said last week, "Turkey needs us more than we need them."
And why is there no outrage that Turkey is threatening America? And working to destabilize the only (partially) stable part of Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan.

A great deal has been made about the importance of Turkey as an ally. I was just wondering what kind of ally threatens to severely harm the other over a statement of fact? It was always my understanding that friends are there to tell each other the truth even when it is uncomfortable. The threats Turkey is making tells me more about the state of our relationship than anything else.

This is politicians playing historians when tax payers in the USA elect them to improve the conditions in the USA, and not to make life more difficult for American soldiers.

It is a shame that a small but powerful ethnic group can hi-jack the US policy and endanger American credibility and life by forcing their congressman to take on an issue that does not benefit Americans. This is a lose-lose proposition for everyone. Turks will respond as 90% of the public has extreme negative sentiment towards the US. Instead of acting as the Judge and the Jury, the US should convince Armenians to the joint study that Turkey has been advocating for years. What are they afraid of? If Turks committed crimes and it was genocide, this study should reveal it. I guess, the Armenians are afraid that the investigation might reveal how many Turks were massacred by Armenians and the actual Armenian deaths are way below the 1.5 million they’re claiming. Turkish archives are open, and the Armenian archives are closed. Is this fair! If you have money and power, you can get your representatives to do anything.

This is politicians playing historians when tax payers in the USA elect them to improve the conditions in the USA, and not to make life more difficult for American soldiers.

It is a shame that a small but powerful ethnic group can hi-jack the US policy and endanger American credibility and life by forcing their congressman to take on an issue that does not benefit Americans. This is a lose-lose proposition for everyone. Turks will respond as 90% of the public has extreme negative sentiment towards the US. Instead of acting as the Judge and the Jury, the US should convince Armenians to the joint study that Turkey has been advocating for years. What are they afraid of? If Turks committed crimes and it was genocide, this study should reveal it. I guess, the Armenians are afraid that the investigation might reveal how many Turks were massacred by Armenians and the actual Armenian deaths are way below the 1.5 million they’re claiming. Turkish archives are open, and the Armenian archives are closed. Is this fair! If you have money and power, you can get your representatives to do anything.