Thank you SOAD!

[Tongue]

System Of A Down Calls On Speaker Hastert To Hold Vote On Armenian Genocide Resolutions

Yerevan, September 22, Yerkir - Within hours of posting a notice last night on the System of a Down website, thousands of fans from across the United States have sent ANCA WebFaxes urging Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert to schedule a U.S. House vote on legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The letters, sent through the ANCA's free WebFax system, urge theSpeaker to honor his pledge, made in October of 2000, to hold avote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. The WebFaxes stressthat, "The Armenian Genocide is a clear-cut moral issue. Ou rgovernment's failure to stand up to Turkey's denial is an outrage.. . Today, the fate of this human rights issue rests in your hands.Do the right thing - keep your pledge. Serve U.S. interests andAmerican values by allowing this legislation to reach the floor fora vote at the earliest possible opportunity."

[Reincarnated Am]

Take Action

Stand with System: U.S. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is within Reach

http://capwiz.com/anca/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=8041966

[Gavur]

Hundreds Gather at System Of A Down, ANC, AYF Rally Demanding Genocide Vote

https://www.asbarez.com

Hundreds Gather at System Of A Down, ANC, AYF Rally Demanding Genocide Vote
BATAVIA--System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian, leaders of the Armenian National Committee (ANC), and the Armenian Youth Federation headed up a rally in front of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert’s district office in Batavia, IL, urging the Speaker to “Do the right thing” and schedule a vote on Armenian Genocide legislation currently before the House of Representatives.

With the street in front of Hastert’s office blocked off by a police cordon, hundreds of people of all ages listened to Tankian and John Dolmayan and Armenian National Committee representatives Aram Hamparian and Greg Bedian address the crowd, thanking them for their support and urging them to continue to build momentum for the legislation.

System Of A Down’s four band members--Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan--are of Armenian descent and have made awareness of the Genocide, and genocides around the world, a central message of the band. All lost family members in the Armenian genocide.

Tankian and Armenian American community representatives passed on to Hastert’s aides a letter urging the Speaker to move the legislation forward and presented hundreds of letters from community members calling for a vote. In a personal letter delivered to Speaker Hastert’s office, Tankian stated “My grandfather, Stepan Haytayan, is a 97 year-old survivor of the genocide. He’s my only link to this past. I promised him that I would try to reach you and explain how important American recognition is to the surviving children of the first genocide of the 20th century.”

Greg Bedian, Chair of the ANC of Illinois, told the crowd, “You’ve taken the time to stand up for justice about Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, the precursor to the Holocaust and many other instances of mass slaughter. The US government today must set its record straight by reaffirming the fact that Turkey committed genocide when it exterminated 1.5 million Armenians. America must send the message to governments around the world that the crime of genocide will neither be forgotten nor treated with impunity.”

The rally was organized by the popular rock band, along with Axis of Justice, the Armenian National Committee of America, and the Armenian Youth Federation. In addition to members of the Armenian-American community of Greater Chicago, attendees traveled from Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, California, and Washington, DC to take part in the event. The numbers of Armenian Americans were buoyed by the participation of throngs of fans of System Of A Down and supporters of Axis of Justice.

Demonstrators from the Armenian National Committee of Illinois had picketed Speaker Hastert’s “Mobile Office Tour 2005” on Wednesday, July 20, demanding that he honor his five-year-old pledge to move the Armenian Genocide Resolution forward in the House of Representatives.

Hastert made the pledge to have the full House vote on Armenian Genocide legislation in August of 2000, but reneged in October of 2000 citing pressure from then President Clinton. He also prevented a similar resolution from reaching the floor in 2004. Staffers committed to provide the Speaker’s feedback to the constituents very soon regarding the current bill.

https://www.asbarez.com

[Tongue]

System Singer Visits Congressman's Office To Push Genocide Bill






Singer Serj Tankian had some personal business to attend to this week before System of a Down could shoot their next video. Personal and, well, global.


Before the band left for the second leg of its fall tour with the Mars Volta, Tankian promised his 97-year-old grandfather he would do his best to convince Congressman Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) to bring the Armenian Genocide Resolution to a vote, an issue long close to System of a Down (see "System Of A Down Make The Political Personal At Souls 2005"). And he did just that Tuesday outside the Speaker of the House's Batavia, Illinois, office.

Tankian joined members of the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Youth Federation and his own Axis of Justice organization in a rally and then read a heartfelt letter he delivered to Hastert's office in support of the pending legislation, which would officially recognize Turkey's slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

With the resolution, which overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan International Relations Committee, Hastert can either bring it to the House of Representatives for a vote or let it expire.

"It's all in his hands, he's the man," Tankian said of Hastert, who spoke in support of recognizing the genocide on the House floor in 1994. "The thing is that a similar resolution was going around in 2000 as well and he was the speaker of the House then, but at the time [President Bill] Clinton had written a letter asking him not to bring it up to vote, citing concerns that had to do with Turkey. In 2004 he also had the opportunity to bring another resolution to vote on ... and that didn't happen either.

"I'm sure that there's a lot of lobbying going on from the Bush administration, from the military-industrial complex that sells a lot of weapons to Turkey, and a whole host of corporate lobbyist firms that don't want this thing to pass, but the truth has to come out, and more so in a democracy than anywhere else," he continued. "So we're fighting the good fight."

Hastert was not at his office Tuesday and was unavailable for comment Wednesday (September 28).

As for that System video, for "Hypnotize," bassist Shavo Odadjian is returning to the director's chair for the shoot at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after having also lensed the band's "Question!" (see "System Of A Down Find Answer To 'Question!' In A Dream").

"This will be our first live video per se," Tankian said. "We've had videos where we've had fans and we played live, but it's never been at a venue that we would actually play."

Of course Odadjian always has something up his sleeve, and Tankian hinted that it has to do with a helicopter shot. "I'm like, "I'm like, 'Hey, man, I'm cool with that as long as we're not hanging from it,' " the singer joked.

"Hypnotize" is the first single from the second half of the double album Mezmerize/Hypnotize, due November 22.

"This track's pretty mellow in comparison to let's say a 'B.Y.O.B.' or something like that," Tankian said. "But I'm glad we're going out with this track. It's a beautiful song."

Tankian chose not to elaborate on the song, noting, "It means different things to different people, even within the band." Guitarist Daron Malakian has said he wrote it while waiting in a car for his girlfriend (see "System Of A Down Kick Out The Jams On Hypnotize").

As for the album, fans should expect something just slightly different from Mezmerize.

"It's got the whole melodic thing still, but it's little more progressive, a little more emotion here and there," Tankian said. "But they both come from the same sessions."

Before Hypnotize hits stores, Tankian will appear on the new album from Buckethead, Enter the Chicken. Along with lending his vocals, Tankian produced the album and will release it October 25 on his Serjical Strike Records.

"It's a f---ing amazing record," Tankian said. "It's a really, really strong, dynamic rock record, really out there, with like 12 different singers. I just brought in a whole collection of friends to sing."

Guests include Saul Williams, Efrem Schulz of Death by Stereo, Bad Acid Trip and Maura Davis of Denali.

"I think it will be a breakthrough because first of all, Buckethead mostly does instrumental stuff," Tankian said. "And he's never really done a lot of stuff with pop arrangements, I don't mean pop like bubblegum pop, I mean like anything from progressive crazy stuff to regular beautiful songs. And this album is going to be like that. It's got the whole dynamic range of everything Buckethead has ever done and it totally transpired by accident and just ended up working out."

Tankian also remixed Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya" for the "Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure" graffiti video game, due November 15. "I love the way it came out," he said (see "P. Diddy Flips Out, RZA Promotes Graffiti In 'Getting' Game").

For more on System of a Down's double album, Mezmerize/Hypnotize, check out the feature "Doubleheader."

— Corey Moss

[Hovik]

System of a Down rallies outside Hastert's office

Rocking Denny's boat
System of a Down rallies outside Hastert's office

By Matthew DeFour
Staff writer
Sept. 28, 2005

BATAVIA - Politics in music hasn't changed much since the days when Neil
Young lamented "four dead in Ohio," but politics in practice has.

Heavy metal rockers System of a Down headlined a political rally at noon
Tuesday outside U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Batavia office to
bring awareness to the slaughter of thousands of Armenians by the Turks
in the 1920s.

Lead singer Serj Tankian, whose grandfather survived the massacres,
delivered a personal letter asking the speaker to call for a House vote
on two controversial resolutions that would recognize the massacres as
genocide.

"By allowing this vote, and allowing the will of Congress to be freely
expressed, you will be doing the right thing morally and, at the same
time, encouraging Turkey to deal honestly with its past and more openly
with its future," Tankian read though a megaphone to a crowd of about
125 people, including elderly Armenian descendants of the survivors and
young fans who will see the band perform Friday at Allstate Arena in
Rosemont.

Tankian handed a copy of the letter across a police line to a sergeant
who took it inside to Hastert's office. Hastert himself was in
Washington and unable to make an appearance, but a spokesman said the
speaker was attentive to the demonstrators' concerns.

"He's allowing the House to move through the process and he's listening
to different viewpoints," spokesman Brad Hahn said. "As a speaker he has
an obligation to build consensus."

The question of whether to recognize the atrocity as genocide has
divided Americans of Turkish and Armenian descent for decades, and the
U.S. relationship with Turkey, especially during the Iraq War, has
complicated the matter.

Demonstrators emphasized that Hastert promised the Armenian community in
August 2000 that he would allow the House to vote on a resolution, but
since then he has had two opportunities to do so without result.

In October 2000 and July 2003, separate House committees passed
resolutions that would have recognized as genocide the murders committed
by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Neither resolution was
scheduled for a House vote before the end of the term.

Hastert has said that both the Clinton and Bush administrations have
opposed the resolutions because of an alliance with Turkey.

Last week, the House International Relations Committee passed a
resolution by a vote of 33-11, calling for Turkey to acknowledge the
atrocity as genocide. Another resolution that passed 40-7 calls on the
United States to do the same.

"On these particular (resolutions) he (Hastert) hasn't been dragging his
feet - yet," said Greg Bedian, chairman of the Armenian National
Committee of Illinois. "But three strikes and we'll see what happens."

Bedian helped to organize the event along with the Armenian National
Committee of American, the Axis of Justice and the Armenian Youth
Federation, which successfully lobbied Springfield this year to pass
legislation recognizing the atrocities in public education curriculum.

When Tankian finished reading his letter, the audience cheered for him
to give a rallying speech, but he said he would rather meet everyone
individually. As he worked his way through the crowd, taking pictures
and signing autographs, some greeted him in Armenian while others
thanked him for making them aware of the issue.

"Up until a couple days ago, I had heard nothing of this," 15-year-old
David Gerhard of Downers Grove told Tankian. "But I became outraged that
something like this hasn't been taught in any of our classes."

Gerhard, like many of the young people in the crowd, heard about the
event - and the issue - through the band's e-mail, which wasn't sent out
until Monday night.

Most of the demonstrators arrived by bus from Glenview and other Chicago
suburbs, though some came from as far away as Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Indiana.

They brandished signs that read "You can't rewrite history" and chanted
"You can't buy the truth."

Read between the lines, that last chant could have been a reference to a
recent Vanity Fair magazine article in which a translator alleged that
Hastert had received campaign contributions from Turkish officials to
stymie the House vote in 2000. But aside from murmurs in the crowd,
organizers never mentioned the article or allegations in their speeches
or as part of the program.

"I think that speaks to the validity of the Vanity Fair report," said
Hahn, who reiterated Hastert's position that the article had no
credence.

After about an hour, the event came to an end with Armenian-Americans
young and old singing the Armenian national anthem.

Heratch Doumanian came from Indiana to participate in the event and
honor his grandparents and uncles and aunts who "died in the desert."

"(The legislation) will prevent future genocide," Doumanian said. "If
people realize they're accountable for it."

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/top/batchAU28_HASTERT_S1.htm<http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/top/batchAU28_HASTERT_S1.htm>

www.ancfresno.org<http://www.ancfresno.org/>

[hovhannesian]

Thank you SOAD and thank you tongue for this post

I think SOAD are doing good job... at least they are using an initiative method. A few more artists and musicians like them can make a real change in the world.

[Gavur]

System Of A Down Rally Attracts International Media Attention

Multi-Platinum Band Calls for Vote on Armenian Genocide Resolution

New York Times, BBC, and MTV Join Local ABC, FOX, and WB stations and Area Newspapers in Covering Event outside the Batavia, Illinois Office of Speaker Dennis Hastert

WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--The pro-Armenian Genocide Resolution rally last week by System Of A Down outside the Batavia, Illinois office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) received extensive media coverage--both internationally and within the Speaker's local suburban Chicago media market.

The September 27 event was organized by the multi-platinum band System Of A Down, along with the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Axis of Justice, and the Armenian Youth Federation. Over two hundred fans, including a large number of Armenian Americans from Chicago, attended the rally to urge the Speaker to schedule a vote on legislation pending before Congress that would recognize the Armenian Genocide. At the rally, the band delivered a letter asking the Speaker to allow the legislation to move forward. Speaker Hastert pledged to allow the full House to vote on Armenian genocide legislation in August of 2000, but retreated from this promise in October of that year, citing pressure from the White House. On September 15 of this year, the House International Relations Committee overwhelmingly approved legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The highlights of the media coverage included:

* Over 560,000 households in the Chicago area watched video from the rally via ABC channel 7 News (Nielsen Audience: 310,980), WGN-WB (Nielsen Audience: 231,385), and WFLD-FOX (Nielsen Audience: 22,726).

* The New York Times covered the rally, as did three area newspapers read by Speaker Hastert’s constituents: The Beacon News, The Daily Herald, and The Kane County Chronicle.

* News of the rally was broadcast on radio internationally via The World (BBC) and locally by Chicago Public Radio.

* The rally received excellent coverage in the entertainment media via stories on the websites of MTV (two stories), VH1, Rolling Stone, and a range of other media outlets.

Links:

--New York Times (September 26, 2005, Arts Section) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/26/arts/26arts.html

--ABC channel 7 news http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?sec...cal&id=3483619 --WLS-ABC CHICAGO, IL SEP 27 2005 5:00PM CT Nielsen Audience: 310,980

--ABC 7 News at 5, WGN-WB CHICAGO, IL SEP 27 2005 9:00PM CT Nielsen Audience: 231,385

--News at Nine, WFLD-FOX CHICAGO, IL SEP 28 2005 5:00AM CT Nielsen Audience: 22,726 Fox News at 5AM

--MTV.com: (Pre-Rally coverage) http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/151...headlines=true

--MTV.com: (Post-Rally coverage) http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/151...f_a_down.jhtml

--VHI http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1510...f_a_down.jhtml

--TheWorld.org (a radio program in done in co-production with the BBC) http://www.theworld.org/latesteditio...20050926.shtml

--Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/sto...region=single1

--The Beacon News http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/b...HASTERT_S1.htm

--The Daily Herald http://www.dailyherald.com/search/se...y.asp?id=98941

-Kane County Chronicle: http://www.kcchronicle.com/MainSecti...2937821598.php

--PR Newswire http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...4131979&EDATE=

--Los Angeles Daily News http://www2.dailynews.com/glendale/ci_3065073

--Blabbermouth.com: http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth....wsitemID=42101

--Yahoo News http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050926/nym190.html

In the two weeks since that vote, thousands of System fans have sent free ANCA WebFaxes urging Speaker Hastert to hold a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution: http://capwiz.com/anca/mail/oneclick...lertid=8041966

[Reincarnated Am]

The Blog Serj Tankian It's Time to Remember

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/serj-tankian/its-time-to-remember_b_8778.html

[Tongue]

Yerevan, October 28, PanArmenian.Net. Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with System Of A Down soloist Serge Tankian, RA MFA press center reported. The Armenian FM highly appreciated the band's contribution to the promotion of international recognition and propaganda of Armenian issues. "You encourage the self-consciousness of the young generation of the Armenian Diaspora and maintenance of the Armenian identity," Vartan Oskanian noted. The interlocutors exchanged views on the prospects of the Armenia-Diaspora cooperation in various fields.

[Reincarnated Am]

System Of A Down Plea For Genocide Recognition

SYSTEM OF A DOWN rocker SERJ TANKIAN has staged a rally to build support for a bill which would recognise the mass murder of millions of Armenians as genocide.

Tankian, whose grandfather is a survivor of the atrocities, demonstrated outside the office of US House of Representatives speaker DENNIS HASTERT, along with several members of the Armenian National Committee (ANC), in a bid to get official condemnation of the slaughter of his countrymen at the hands of the Turks between 1915 and 1917.

He says, "We're trying to encourage him to do the right thing historically, morally and even politically.

"Europe, South America, Canada and 38 out of 50 states in the US have already recognised what happened as genocide, so it's a historical fact.

"If the US as a nation recognised the genocide, because it is such a close ally of Turkey, it would help Turkey deal with its own past.

In a letter to Hastert, Tankian wrote: "My grandfather STEPAN HAYTAYAN is a 97-year-old survivor of the genocide. He's my only link to the past. I promised him I would try to reach you and explain how important American recognition is to the surviving children of the first genocide of the 20th century."

10/11/2005 09:18

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/system%20of%20a%20down%20plea%20for%20genocide%20recognition