Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

[Siamanto]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

Are you sure that, roughly speaking, 30 sq km is half of 20K sq km???

Siamanto, I was talking population. And the total area of Armenia is not that much greater than Israel. Israel is much larger than 30 sq km. But, I digress.

freakyfreaky, Thanks for the clarification.
In my post "30 sq. km" - the area of Armenia - should have been 30K sq. km. It was an obvious typo. Sorry for the confusion!
Israel, 2/3 of Armenia, is roughly 20K sq. km - I don't know if that includes the Palestinian - and/or other occupied - territories???

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

Siamanto, I was talking population. And the total area of Armenia is not that much greater than Israel. Israel is much larger than 30 sq km. But, I digress.

Here is a recent opinion piece on the row with the ADL in Watertown.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/x510835716

And, here is a recent press release from a Boston University professor demanding the ADL be separated from the No Place for Hate Campaign:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 5, 2007

Contact: Dr. Michael Siegel 508-654-3017

Boston University Professor Condemns Anti-Defamation League's Refusal To Acknowledge Armenian Genocide Calls on No Place for Hate Watertown to Sever Ties with ADL

Dr. Michael Siegel, a Boston University professor and long-time ADL supporter, is today condemning the Anti-Defamation League's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and calling on No Place for Hate Watertown to sever its ties with the ADL unless the organization publicly acknowledges that this genocide occurred. Dr. Siegel is today sending the following letter to Andrew H. Tarsy, regional director of the ADL, with copies being sent to the national ADL office and the the No Place for Hate Watertown organization, as well as to state Representative Peter Koutoujian and other involved parties:

Andrew H. Tarsy
Regional Director
Anti-Defamation League

Dear Mr. Tarsy:

As a long-time ADL supporter, it is with great disappointment that I write you today to express my disgust with your organization's refusal to publicly acknowledge the Armenian genocide, and in particular, your July 26 response to the recent controversy in Watertown, in which you refused to acknowledge the genocide, and instead, stated that the question of whether a genocide occurred: " was one to be resolved between the two countries — Armenia and Turkey."

Can you imagine if an organization gave a similar response to a question about whether a Holocaust occured, killing 6 million xxxs? Can you imagine what we would say if an organization refused to acknowledge that the Holocaust occurred, instead stating that this is an issue that needs to be resolved between Israel and Germany? And can you imagine if an organization gave a response similar to that given by ADL president Abraham Foxman's answer to a question about why the ADL did not support Congressional action to recognize the Armenian genocide: "The Turks and Armenians need to revisit their past. The xxxish community shouldn't be the arbiter of that history, nor should the U.S. Congress."

Can you imagine if an Armenian organization refused to recognize our Holocaust and tried to block government recognition of the Holocaust, evading the question by stating: "The xxxs and Germans need to revisit their past. The Armenian community shouldn't be the arbiter of that history, nor should the U.S. Congress."

I'm afraid that for groups which deny the Holocaust, more than just historical indifference or ignorance is at the heart of that denial. What you and I both know is at the heart of Holocaust denial is anti-semitism and hatred. Unfortunately, the Anti-Defamation League's refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide smacks of the same, or at least it leaves that impression. Is this truly how the ADL wants to portray itself?

Not only is the group alienating its non-xxxish allies, but many xxxish supporters, like myself, cannot act too quickly to distance ourself from the organization in light of these hateful and hurtful comments. Genocide denial is precisely the opposite of what the ADL is supposed to stand for. Ironically, by refusing to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, and by having the gall to do so in front of a community made up of a large number of Armenians, the ADL is demonstrating or introducing hatred, rather then keeping hate out of Watertown.

Because the ADL's statements, actions, and position are so starkly in contrast with the mission of Watertown's No Place for Hate organization, I have no choice but to call for the organization to sever its ties with the ADL, and to re-organize under another name but without the ADL affiliation. I would certainly hope that you will reconsider your position and publicly acknowledge the Armenenian genocide and apologize to the Armenian community in Watertown so that such an embarrassment is not necessary. Just as there is no place for Holocaust denial and the underlying hatred associated with it, there is no place for denial of the Armenian genocide. If anyone understands the implications of genocide denial, shouldn't it be the ADL? Shouldn't it be us xxxs?

Michael Siegel, MD, MPH
ProfessorAssociate Chair of Academics Social and Behavioral Sciences Department
Boston University School of Public Health

[Siamanto]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

True, Armenia is half the size of Israel.

Are you sure that, roughly speaking, 30 sq km is half of 20K sq km???

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

ADL linked to recent racial intimidation against Boston-area muslims.

http://www.teamliberty.net/id421.html

http://karinfriedemann.blogspot.com/

[Yedtarts]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

Very Interesting : check out this one: (it's in Armenian)

Please let me know what is your opinion.

http://www.louysworld.com/stshow/hetakrkir/01gorgpetros08-07.wmv

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

who cares about the armenians, we are a small race and the media probably has more "important" stories to report. Its hard to make noise with such a small race in this world

One of the problems is our media (newspapers, etc.) do not report it, so even Armenians are kept in the dark.

Did you see the activism that occurred after Hrant Dink was murdered. People in the streets by the droves with signs, Armenians, and Turks alike?

It is not our size that does us in it is our lack of organization. The AAA and ANCA have strong roots in the Northeast but this matter has not even made it to their press centers, there is little push from persons in our community that hold themselves out as news reporters or activists. Heck, as I've tracked the matter made it to the Boston Globe and was immediately picked up by a x-x-x-x-x-x newssource.

If these x-x-x-x-x-x lobbying organizations asked our lobbying organizations to state their position on the Holocaust and the response we take no position on this matter and it has nothing to do with us, they would brand our organizations as anti-semitic, Holocaust deniers. And, even if it were not true, they would use mass media to disparage our organizations as such.

One of the expicit, or, implicit, purposes of these x-x-x-x-x-x lobbying organizations is protecting Israel (the x-x-x-x-x-x state).

True, Armenia is half the size of Israel.

Does that make the tragedy that was suffered by our people any less important than other tragedies?

Israel was created, after the Armenian genocide, to a certain extent as retribution for the Holocaust?

Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog.

At the end of the day, we must speak, we must flood the gates, we must be in their faces and let these lobbying organizations know that we as American Armenians, as ancestors of genocide victims and survivors of genocide, will not tolerate their organizations acting as proxies for Turkey's propaganda machine re: genocide denial and will not tolerate hypocrisy.

http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23160

In empowering Turkey and protecting Israel, these organizations are placing Armenia's future in jeopardy.

What do you think Israel's motiviations are for allying with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Do they share a common history or religion? Why is Israel funding Azerbaijan with military know-how.

How can the ADL try to promote anti-bias, anti-racism, anti-discrimination when they actively promote the denial of the Armenian genocide and then decline to take a position because it does not concern them. Their whole anti-bias campaign is rooted in the cause and effect of mass killings based on a person's race, religion, ethnicity and primarily the Holocaust?

Where are our SCREAMERS!!!

Turkey has spread its views of the events of 1915 on the world. http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=23158

And, these x-x-x-x-x-x lobbying organizations haven't taken a position on the Armenian genocide, they have promoted, endorsed, sent Turkey's message that it did not occur and must not be recognized.

Why, because they think Armenians are aloof, powerless, impotent to stop them. And, if the genocide is recognized, it exhausts some of the fuel that drives the Zionist machine and erodes Israel's power position.

You are wrong Mos. du tul es.

[Mos]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

who cares about the armenians, we are a small race and the media probably has more "important" stories to report. Its hard to make noise with such a small race in this world

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

Let there be no doubt that if a non-x-x-x-x-x-x humanitarian organization did the messenger work for anti-semite organizations or a group that otherwise promoted discrimation or the suppression of recognizing the Holocaust, these same organizations that claim to promote humanitarian interests, anti-discrimination, freedom of religion and democracy would be openly and notoriously blasting those groups as HOLOCAUST deniers. The press would be on it. And, these groups would be intimidated by the brutish side of free speech.

Heck, CNN was on Ahmenijad and that debate on the Holocaust occurred in Iran.

These same American x-x-x-x-x-x lobby organizations and other American x-x-x-x-x-x causes (i.e. Museum of Tolerance) promote tolerance. Yet, they refuse to take a position. Does the Museum of Tolerance even make a reference to the Armenian Genocide. Does it identify the tragedy as genocide? and, how members of its community for sometime now have promoted, encouraged, endorsed, the denial of the tragedy as genocide when in fact it was a x-x-x-x-x-x lawyer who coined the phrase 'genocide' upon the Turkish massacre of Armenians.

http://www.museumoftolerance.com/site/c.juLVJ8MRKtH/b.1342591/k.A176/ToleranCenter.htm

Those lobbying organizations and their leaders are no worse than Ahmenijad and no better. As they would call out a Holocaust denier, they are worse than Hitler.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/103379.html

Same story makes it into x-x-x-x-x-x media channel.

[freakyfreaky]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/01/antibias_effort_stirs_anger_in_watertown/

See, if you don't follow their point of view, you are an anti-semite, a bigot, hypocrit, xenophobe but if they don't follow yours, they are just exercising free speech.

Yes, the free world is a party to the Holocaust, but American x-x-xish lobbying organizations are not a party to insuring all genocides are recognized. In fact, based on their own belief system and best practices, they are genocide deniers. Plain and simple.