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Castrated Armenian carpets!

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  • #11
    Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

    Originally posted by Haykakan View Post
    In a letter sent earlier today to President Obama's Chief of Staff,
    Denis McDonough, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian reminded the White
    House that "upon receiving the rug, President Coolidge wrote,
    'The rug has a place of honor in the White House where it will be
    a daily symbol of goodwill on earth.' I ask you, in this spirit, to
    remove any obstacles to the Smithsonian's display of this historic
    artwork and to secure a prominent and permanent public home for this
    powerful symbol of America's humanitarian values and friendship with
    the Armenian people," continued Hachikian.

    Placing this latest controversy in context, Hachikian noted that:
    "since taking office, President Obama has not only failed to recognize
    the Armenian Genocide, but has actively blocked Congressional
    legislation (H.Res.252, 111th Congress) to commemorate this atrocity
    and, through his Solicitor General, officially opposed efforts in the
    U.S. courts (Arzoumanian v. Munchener Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft
    Aktiengesellschaft AG) to allow American citizens to pursue
    Genocide-era property claims. In addition, the Administration has
    regularly sent senior officials to speak at events organized by
    Armenian Genocide deniers, while refusing repeated invitations to
    simply attend Congressional observances of this atrocity. In these
    areas, and, sadly, many more, the President has not simply failed
    to honor his pledge, but rather - in both letter and spirit - worked
    to fundamentally undermine and reverse the very policies he pledged
    to pursue."

    According to Dr. Hagop Deranian, the Armenian orphan rug measures
    11'7" x 18'5" and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It
    took the Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of the Near East
    Relief Society 10 months to weave. A label on the back of the rug,
    in large hand-written letters, reads "IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO
    PRESIDENT COOLIDGE."

    Source: Panorama.am
    The above is a perfect example of what I was talking about regarding Armenian organisations and their ability (or lack of ability) to ask proper questions. It is a completely counterproductive letter.

    Firstly, it is a letter from a lobbying group (the ANCA). The White House will immediately ask "what business can a lobbying group have with the academic exhibition of an artistic object?" This immediately puts the whole request in a dubious light and makes the proposed exhibition of the carpet seem less than innocent.

    The writer talks about "removing any obstacles", so he is admitting that there ARE obstacles! Since some obstacles are NOT removable, his own words will give the White House the wriggle-room it needs to make sure the carpet is not provided to the Smithsonian. I can think of no legitimate reasons why the carpet cannot be supplied, there are no legitimate "obstacles" - so why on earth is the writer giving credability to spurious reasons by talking about "obstacles"? He should just be asking for the reasons or concerns why the carpet cannot be supplied so that those reasons or concerns can be addressed.

    Then things get far worse, a completely off-topic descent into "Armenian Genocide/Obama" stuff, put there for no other reason than to satisify what the writer thinks the community would like him to say. This now politicises something that should be a simple request and allows the White House all the wriggle-room it could wish for. And then even worse - he actually mentions law-suits and US courts!
    Last edited by bell-the-cat; 10-25-2013, 01:11 PM.
    Plenipotentiary meow!

    Comment


    • #12
      Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

      I don't think it matters at all what they say. With special interest groups its either put up or gtfo. Since the ANCA does not have the power/money to get what it wants it blows a bunch of hot air because that is all it can do. If it has to say anything it simply means that it has already lost. Does it ever matter how the xxxish lobby asks for stuff?
      Hayastan or Bust.

      Comment


      • #13
        Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

        Originally posted by bell-the-cat View Post
        The above is a perfect example of what I was talking about regarding Armenian organisations and their ability (or lack of ability) to ask proper questions. It is a completely counterproductive letter.

        Firstly, it is a letter from a lobbying group (the ANCA). The White House will immediately ask "what business can a lobbying group have with the academic exhibition of an artistic object?" This immediately puts the whole request in a dubious light and makes the proposed exhibition of the carpet seem less than innocent.

        The writer talks about "removing any obstacles", so he is admitting that there ARE obstacles! Since some obstacles are NOT removable, his own words will give the White House the wriggle-room it needs to make sure the carpet is not provided to the Smithsonian. I can think of no legitimate reasons why the carpet cannot be supplied, there are no legitimate "obstacles" - so why on earth is the writer giving credability to spurious reasons by talking about "obstacles"? He should just be asking for the reasons or concerns why the carpet cannot be supplied so that those reasons or concerns can be addressed.

        Then things get far worse, a completely off-topic descent into "Armenian Genocide/Obama" stuff, put there for no other reason than to satisify what the writer thinks the community would like him to say. This now politicises something that should be a simple request and allows the White House all the wriggle-room it could wish for. And then even worse - he actually mentions law-suits and US courts!
        What you describe is made up of your own assumptions which leads to your own conclusions only real in your own boxed mind.
        You say jingle bells knows better than the ANCA team?

        I say your litter box is full of cat piss.......and you lost your credibility in this forum a long time ago.
        B0zkurt Hunter

        Comment


        • #14
          Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

          Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post
          What you describe is made up of your own assumptions which leads to your own conclusions only real in your own boxed mind.
          You say jingle bells knows better than the ANCA team?

          I say your litter box is full of cat piss.......and you lost your credibility in this forum a long time ago.
          And you are a jerk and a moron. Too stupid to address (or even understand) any of the points I made. With those qualifications you should be able to progress rapidly up the ranks of the self-appointed "community leaders", and your future will never be short of an honorary dinner or shiney brass medal.
          Last edited by bell-the-cat; 10-26-2013, 11:36 AM.
          Plenipotentiary meow!

          Comment


          • #15
            Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

            Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post
            What you describe is made up of your own assumptions which leads to your own conclusions only real in your own boxed mind.
            You say jingle bells knows better than the ANCA team?

            I say your litter box is full of cat piss.......and you lost your credibility in this forum a long time ago.
            Originally posted by bell-the-cat View Post
            And you are a jerk and a moron. Too stupid to address (or even understand) any of the points I made. With those qualifications you should be able to progress rapidly up the ranks of the self-appointed "community leaders", and your future will never be short of an honorary dinner or shiney brass medal.
            I have a hard time accepting that this is how adults converse and exchange ideas, yet I see it here over and over again. Please tell me that developmentally delayed undercover babies have overtaken the forum.
            [COLOR=#4b0082][B][SIZE=4][FONT=trebuchet ms]“If you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.”
            -Henry Ford[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]

            Comment


            • #16
              Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

              Originally posted by Siggie View Post
              I have a hard time accepting that this is how adults converse and exchange ideas, yet I see it here over and over again. Please tell me that developmentally delayed undercover babies have overtaken the forum.
              What's the point of placing ideas and opinions when all that certain members can give as a response is post their stupid insults (they are never even clever insults).

              Re, the "honorary dinner or shiney brass medal" bit of my response, I was thinking of the recent events surrounding the opening of the Moscow cathedral - for them, the dinners were especially lavish and the medals numerous and extra-shiney. So at least my insults are clever ones!
              Plenipotentiary meow!

              Comment


              • #17
                Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

                I know that coming in and essentially saying "well that's just... like your opinion, dude!" and making an ad hominem attack that anything you say is automatically "piss" is inane and seems less of an intelligent argument than a seized-upon opportunity to be a troll, but does adding your own 'wrong' make things right? You can just as easily point out that he didn't really name any valid criticism of your argument or that taking the position that anything ANCA decides must by definition be the correct and optimal course of action is fallacious. Or just wait for a moderator to see the comment (or help it along by reporting it). Lots of options.
                [COLOR=#4b0082][B][SIZE=4][FONT=trebuchet ms]“If you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.”
                -Henry Ford[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]

                Comment


                • #18
                  Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

                  OPEN FEUD OVER HIDDEN RUG

                  Los Angeles Times
                  November 13, 2013 Wednesday

                  Lawmakers accuse White House of political motives in blocking the
                  display of an Armenian genocide 'icon'

                  by Richard Simon WASHINGTON

                  In a new twist to efforts to call attention to the Armenian genocide,
                  a group of lawmakers has accused the Obama administration of blocking
                  a Smithsonian display of a rug woven by orphans of the mass killings
                  nearly a century ago.

                  The lawmakers wrote to President Obama urging him to make the rug
                  available for exhibition. It was presented to President Calvin Coolidge
                  in 1925 and has been in storage. The bipartisan group includes more
                  than a dozen representatives from California, which has a large
                  Armenian American population.

                  The roughly 12-foot-by-18-foot Armenian Orphan Rug was to be featured
                  in a Washington exhibit Dec. 16 at the Smithsonian Institution
                  Building, known as the Castle, that sought to call attention to a
                  new book about the rug, which the lawmakers called a "pivotal icon
                  related to the Armenian genocide."

                  A White House spokeswoman said Tuesday that displaying the rug
                  "for only half a day in connection with a private book launch event,
                  as proposed, would have been an inappropriate use of U.S. government
                  property, would have required the White House to undertake the risk of
                  transporting the rug for limited public exposure, and was not viewed
                  as commensurate with the rug's historical significance."

                  Aram S. Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National
                  Committee of America, attributed the decision to politics, contending
                  that the administration was "catering to the Turkish government's
                  sensitivities about the Armenian genocide."

                  "It is without a doubt a political decision," he said in an interview.

                  Hamparian was in New York on Tuesday to take up the issue with the
                  U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John A. Heffern.

                  An estimated 1.2 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks as
                  the empire was dissolving during World War I, an episode historians
                  have concluded was genocide. But Turkey has contended that Turks and
                  Armenians were casualties of war, famine and disease.

                  In September, a Smithsonian curator wrote the Armenian Cultural
                  Foundation and Armenian Rugs Society, which were helping to organize
                  the exhibit, that the White House decided that "it cannot lend" the
                  rug for the exhibit. "Needless to say this was a great surprise and
                  disappointment to us here," wrote Paul Michael Taylor, director of
                  the Smithsonian's Asian cultural history program.

                  The rug, composed of more than 4 million hand-tied knots, was presented
                  to Coolidge in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance. It
                  features more than 100 images of animals, according to Hagop Martin
                  Deranian, a 91-year-old Massachusetts dentist whose book "President
                  Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug" was to have been featured
                  at the rug exhibit.

                  Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who helped gather the signatures of 30
                  other lawmakers on a letter to the White House, called the White House
                  decision "as inexplicable as it is hurtful to the Armenian community."

                  "It is difficult to express in words how deeply troubling it is that
                  a historical and cultural treasure accepted by President Coolidge on
                  behalf of the people of the United States may be being kept behind
                  closed doors because of Turkish desire to keep discussion of certain
                  historical facts out of the public discussion," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.

                  (D-N.J.), co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
                  wrote the White House in a separate letter.

                  Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) also wrote the White House,
                  urging that the rug be put on permanent display at the Smithsonian:
                  "We must acknowledge and learn from the tragic crimes against humanity
                  that orphaned the weavers of this rug to ensure that they are never
                  repeated."

                  Neither Schiff nor Sherman has received a White House response.

                  The controversy over the rug, first reported by the Washington Post,
                  is the latest development on an issue that has roiled Capitol Hill
                  for years.

                  A House panel in 2010 passed a resolution to officially recognize
                  the mass killings between 1915 and 1918 as genocide, but the measure
                  never made it to the House floor for a vote after Turkey recalled its
                  ambassador in protest and U.S. officials warned it could damage U.S.

                  relations with Turkey, an important ally.

                  In 2007, after a majority of House members signed on as co-sponsors,
                  the resolution appeared headed toward approval.

                  But two dozen lawmakers withdrew their support after the George W.

                  Bush administration and the Turkish government warned that passage
                  of the resolution could lead Turkey to block U.S. access to its air
                  bases used to get supplies to American troops in Iraq.
                  Hayastan or Bust.

                  Comment


                  • #19
                    Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

                    WHITE HOUSE REFUSES TO DISPLAY 88-YEAR-OLD RUG MADE BY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ORPHANS, PROBABLY BECAUSE TURKEY MIGHT GET MAD

                    Matt Welch|Nov. 21, 2013 4:33 pm

                    Whether in refusing to call a coup a "coup," or declining to call a
                    genocide a "genocide" (despite multiple promises to the contrary) the
                    willingness of the American government to torture the English language
                    and evade basic truths in order to lessen some short-term diplomatic
                    hassle is indicative of a deeper and more consequential moral rot,
                    one that enables questionable foreign policy while invariably screwing
                    over the little guy.

                    Or, if the White House's largely Democratic critics are to be believed,
                    the little orphan. Or more accurately still, the great-grandchildren
                    of genocide-orphans. I wish I was kidding. Here's Foreign Policy:

                    In 1926, Vartoohi Galezian -- a 15-year-old refugee from the genocide
                    in Armenia -- arrived at the White House to pay a visit to President
                    Calvin Coolidge. She had come to view the rug she and 1,400 other
                    orphans living in Ghazir -- then part of mandate Syria, now in
                    Lebanon -- had woven as a gift to the United States in thanks for
                    the humanitarian assistance provided to the refugees of the ethnic
                    cleansing of Armenians during World War I. In June 1995, the Ghazir
                    rug, a huge, beautiful work exemplary of the Middle East's legendary
                    weaving traditions, was shown once more to Galezian and her family,
                    but it's now been more than 17 years since the White House has
                    displayed what has come to be known as the Armenian orphan rug. Now
                    it is unclear when the rug will ever be shown again.

                    The rug is now caught in a tug-of-war with historians and Armenian
                    advocates on one side pulling for the rug to be displayed and the
                    White House on the other, which seems reticent to release the rug
                    for an exhibit. [...]

                    "We regret that it was not possible to loan it out for this event,"
                    Laura Lucas Magnuson, assistant press secretary for the National
                    Security Council, told Foreign Policy. "Displaying the rug for
                    only half a day in connection with a private book launch event,
                    as proposed, would have been an inappropriate use of U.S. government
                    property, would have required the White House to undertake the risk of
                    transporting the rug for limited public exposure, and was not viewed
                    as commensurate with the rug's historical significance."

                    Huh. So what was this not-appropriate-enough exhibit? A Dec. 16 event
                    at the nearby Smithsonian to mark the release of A BOOK ABOUT THE RUG
                    IN THE QUESTION. Swear to God. It is called President Calvin Coolidge
                    and the Armenian Orphan Rug, by Dr. Hagop Martin Deranian, who the
                    L.A. Times describes as "a 91-year-old Massachusetts dentist." And
                    yes, the same administration that is blocking this utterly sensical
                    request is one that originally came to power by making pious promises
                    like this:

                    Samantha Power on Obama and Armenian American Issues
                    Pulitzer Prize winning author and renowned anti-genocide crusader Samantha Power has taped a powerful 5-minute video reviewing Presidential hopeful Barack Ob...


                    More from the L.A. Times after the jump:

                    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who helped gather the signatures of 30
                    other lawmakers on a letter to the White House, called the White House
                    decision "as inexplicable as it is hurtful to the Armenian community."

                    "It is difficult to express in words how deeply troubling it is that
                    a historical and cultural treasure accepted by President Coolidge on
                    behalf of the people of the United States may be being kept behind
                    closed doors because of Turkish desire to keep discussion of certain
                    historical facts out of the public discussion," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.

                    (D-N.J), co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,
                    wrote the White House in a separate letter.

                    Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) also wrote the White House urging
                    that the rug be put on permanent display at the Smithsonian: "We
                    must acknowledge and learn from the tragic crimes against humanity
                    that orphaned the weavers of this rug to ensure that they are never
                    repeated."

                    The White House's first public statement in response to this criticism
                    was as dismissive as it was terse:

                    The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the close relationship between the
                    peoples of Armenia and the United States. We regret that it is not
                    possible to loan it out at this time.

                    I am sure the historically significant artifact is safely being
                    studied by Top Men.

                    Whether in refusing to call a coup a "coup," or declining to call a genocide a "genocide" (despite multiple promises to the contrary)…
                    Hayastan or Bust.

                    Comment


                    • #20
                      Re: Castrated Armenian carpets!

                      ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
                      PRESS RELEASE
                      Date: December 2, 2013

                      Contact: Taniel Koushakjian
                      Telephone: (202) 393-3434
                      Email: [email protected]
                      Web: www.aaainc.org


                      ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA TO DISPLAY ARMENIAN ORPHAN SISTER RUG IN BOSTON


                      WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) will
                      display the `Armenian Orphan Sister Rug' at the Assembly's annual holiday
                      reception and briefing in Boston, Massachusetts later this week. Dr. H.
                      Martin Deranian, author of `President Calvin Coolidge and the Armenian
                      Orphan Rug' will be the special guest, where he will talk about the Ghazir
                      rug, also known as the Armenian Orphan Rug, the Sister Rug and the unique
                      history surrounding their fate. In addition, the Assembly is delighted to
                      feature remarks by Shant Mardirossian, Chairman of the Board of Directors
                      of the Near East Foundation.

                      The Armenian Assembly's Annual Boston Holiday Reception & Briefing will be
                      held at the Armenian Cultural Foundation, 441 Mystic Street, Arlington, MA,
                      on Thursday, December 5 at 6:30 PM.

                      A part of Dr. Martin Deranian's private collection, the Armenian Orphan
                      Sister Rug was woven by the same orphans at the Ghazir orphanage. According
                      to Dr. Deranian, the carpet dates from the 1920's and is 3' 5' x 5' 8'. At
                      one end, the carpet is woven with beautiful lettering that reads `To Mrs.
                      D.W. Williams, an expression of appreciation Near East Orphanage Ghazir,
                      Syria.'

                      `The Ghazir Rug was presented to President Coolidge and to the American
                      people as an expression of love and goodwill for America's compassionate
                      and selfless role in preserving the lives of tens of thousands or orphans
                      of the Armenian Genocide through the support of Near East Relief,' Dr.
                      Deranian told the Assembly. `The rug is also a memorial to the
                      orphan-weavers who wove into its warp and weft a permanent remembrance of
                      Armenia's darkest years, 1915-1923. It is my hope that the rug will be
                      placed on public view,' stated Deranian.

                      As the Assembly previously reported, the Smithsonian Institution in
                      Washington, D.C. was planning a December exhibition of this historic
                      treasure symbolizing the proud chapter in America's history. The White
                      House issued a statement saying that, "The Ghazir rug is a reminder of the
                      close relationship between the peoples of Armenia and the United States. We
                      regret that it is not possible to loan it out at this time."

                      In 1925, Dr. John H. Finley, editor-in-chief of the New York Times and
                      vice-chairman of the congressionally chartered Near East Relief
                      organization (today called the Near East Foundation) presented a rug made
                      by orphans of the Armenian Genocide to then President Calvin Coolidge. The
                      rug was made in appreciation of America's generosity in aiding the
                      survivors of the first genocide of the 20th Century.

                      Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
                      Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and
                      awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
                      tax-exempt membership organization.

                      ###

                      NR# 2013-025

                      Photo Caption: Dr. H. Martin Deranian holding the Armenian Orphan Sister
                      Rug, Worcester Evening Gazette, April 24, 1985

                      Available online at: http://bit.ly/18WcxKA
                      Hayastan or Bust.

                      Comment

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