'07 US Armenian Genocide Bill news

[1.5 million]

Watch it and puke

http://www.chbn.com/Clip.aspx?key=DAA8AC59EFDBF2EE

[Hovik]

They look like good people on Wikipedia...

Somebody needs to update the pages of "Bob Livingston" AND "The Livingston Group" on Wikipedia to highlight their AG denial-for-cash... who is up for it?

[Gavur]

Setting the Record Straight

http://www.chbn.com/Clip.aspx?key=DAA8AC59EFDBF2EE

http://www.chbn.com/Clip.aspx?key=5AC30411EC9CC4BC

[Evropeos]

Congressman John Sarbanes joins Armenian Caucus of US Congress


21.07.2007 15:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Congressman John Sarbanes from Maryland has officially joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues this week, bringing the total Caucus membership to 155. He also supports the adoption of H. Res. 106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) reports. “With H. Res. 106 gaining momentum, I look forward to working with my Caucus colleagues to continue raising awareness of this critical human rights issue as well as other issues affecting the Armenian-American community,” the Congressman underscored. “We’re very excited to have Congressman Sarbanes join this important group, especially with so much progress being made on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Having worked for decades with his father, Senator Paul Sarbanes, we are pleased to continue a strong family tradition with Congressman Sarbanes,” Annie Totah, a member of the Assembly’s Board of Trustees and a longtime Maryland resident said.

source

http://sarbanes.house.gov/

[Gavur]

Yasu bre!

[Gavur]

An Interview with Brad Sherman By Khatchig Mouradian

http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweekly/fpg07280703.htm

WASHINGTON (A.W.)—Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) serves on the House Committee on International Relations. I talked to him on July 16 about the Armenian Genocide Resolution and the prospects of passing it in the Committee and later in the House of Representatives. To watch the video of the interview, visit www.haireniktv.com.

Khatchig Mouradian—Congressman, now that we have a majority in the House supporting the Armenian Genocide Resolution, where do we go from here?

Brad Sherman—Well, we got to go to Committee. There, my biggest fear is the weakening of the resolution. As you know, six of us introduced the resolution and I’m the only one who was on the relevant committee at the time. And my fear is some will say they would support the resolution but ask for amendments. There are some amendments we can support. I, for one, wouldn’t mind if this resolution, with all humility, pointed out that the United Stated has done some terrible things in its history, and that we’re not lecturing others without looking at ourselves. We’ve passed many other resolutions in this Congress talking about the terrible things the United States has done in its history. So [our next step is] getting it through the Committee, and having a Speaker who has the courage to deal with the president when they try to vilify her for bringing this bill up.

K.M.—And how is the situation in the Committee now?

B.S.—We have co-sponsors representing roughly half of the Committee. A number of people are not co-sponsors in the Committee but will vote for it. Timing is part of this. Do we get a chance to mark it up in July? Do we have to wait till September?

And the other part is: Can the other side come up with some sneaky amendment (and their goal would be to eliminate the word genocide)? I mean, this resolution has many words, but there’s one word that has to be in it. And I’ll be there fighting in Committee. We’ve gotten through the Committee before, and we have to do it again, because we have a speaker who has the courage to put it on the floor.

K.M.—You referred to the “other side.” Can you talk about this other side and how they’re mobilizing in recent years?

B.S.—The Turkish government has hired the most expensive lobbyists here in Washington. They are flying my colleagues to Turkey for trips and they are making a variety of claims as to how the resolution would affect U.S.-Turkish relations. They fail to talk about how Turkey reacted to the French Parliament when it passed a similar resolution. French exports to Turkey have almost tripled since then.

We’re up against two of the most powerful former members of Congress [xxxx Gephardt and Bob Livingston] who have been hired for some of the largest fees.

K.M.—What are the chances of having the resolution put on the floor?

B.S.—Pelosi is dedicated, but the community has to remember that the attack will come to the White House, and that attack will be the questioning of the dedication of all of us to the national security of America.

They will say, “Aha! You are hurting our troops in Iraq.” They will go beyond that and will claim that this is somehow politically motivated and is simply catering to one particular community. The fact is that this resolution represents the truth, and we in our Committee just a few weeks ago voted to chastise Japan’s sexual enslavement of women during World War II. And if we can criticize Japan, we can criticize Turkey.

K.M.—Why is it important for the United States to stand up and recognize a genocide that took place 92 years ago in a different part of the world?

B.S.—First, recognition is important because of what it means to the Armenian community and to those who actually survived those terrible events. Secondly, genocide denial is the last step of genocide: You destroy the people, and then you destroy the memory. Genocide denial is also the first step of the next genocide. After the Rwandan genocide, others in Africa thought they could get away with genocide in Darfur.

[Alexandros]

Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 Greenwood, Glenview, IL 60026


PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release ~ 2007-08-07
Contact: Nairee Hagopian ~ 312-615-7698


ANC OF ILLINOIS WELCOMES CONGRESSMAN
RAY LAHOOD'S COSPONSORSHIP OF H. RES. 106


Chicago, IL- The Armenian National Committee of Illinois (ANC of IL) welcomes the 14th Representative from Illinois to cosponsor House Resolution 106 in recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL-18). The ANC of Illinois has worked closely with constituents of the 18th District along with members of Congressman LaHood’s staff over the past several months to discuss the importance of the resolution.

Ari Killian, Chairperson of the ANC of Illinois, stated: “We welcome Congressman LaHood as the 14th cosponsor of H. Res. 106 from Illinois. His support of the resolution again highlights the broad bipartisan support for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in the US House of Representatives”. Constituents and local activists, together with Armenians from the State of Illinois and nationwide praise the Congressman for his support of this resolution. To date, the House resolution has 227 cosponsors.

Introduced on January 30th by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and spearheaded by Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), the Armenian Genocide Resolution calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.

Congressman LaHood has dedicated his life to public service. He was a junior high school social studies teacher for six years prior to his political career. In 1982, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. From 1982-1994, he served as Chief of Staff for U.S. House Minority Leader Robert Michel (R-IL-18). In 1994, he was elected to the United States Congress.

The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

####

source

[Joseph]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1231

Jeff Fleischer: Acknowledging the truth about the genocide against Armenians
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Fri, 08/10/2007 - 3:09pm. Guest Contribution
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
By Jeff Fleischer

The constant killing in Darfur is obviously the most critical genocide facing the world today, but it isn't the only one causing controversy in Washington.

With Congress on the verge of finally recognizing the 1915 genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire for what it was, the massacres -- and the resolution acknowledging them -- have prompted another round of high-priced lobbying by influential deniers.

First, some background. What's not in dispute is that, prior to World War I, more than 2 million Armenians lived under Ottoman rule and that a huge chunk of that number was murdered during the war years. Nearly the entire Armenian population was forcibly and systematically relocated to the Syrian desert, with many dying along the way. Estimates, taken from reports at the time and from later research, place the number of people killed anywhere from the high six figures to 1.5 million.

Today's Turkish government argues that "only" 300,000 Armenians died during this period. It trots out the claim that fighting against the oppressive regime by Armenian resistance groups meant killings occurred on both sides. And it disputes the use of the term "genocide" by saying the government had no intention to wipe out all Armenians.

These tactics aren't new and, as the saying goes, Turkey doth protest too much.

Holocaust deniers have long claimed (without evidence) that the numbers of Jewish dead were inflated, as if a smaller death toll would somehow negate the evil committed. In 1994 Rwanda, Hutu extremists justified their killing by spreading radio propaganda accusing Tutsis of "collaboration" with foreign enemies, just as Hitler accused Jews of secretly working for Germany's World War I defeat. For the past few years, the Sudanese government of Omar al-Bashir and its Janjaweed have used resistance from rebel groups in Darfur as an excuse for mass killing, widespread rape, burning of villages, and poisoning of wells. As with Darfur, the Ottomans didn't simply fight rebels; they used them as a pretext for committing larger crimes.

As to intent, the genocide began with the rounding up and executing of prominent Armenians, followed by a well-planned campaign to disarm and deport them. Turkish massacres of Armenians also occurred regularly in the two decades before the war, and continued until 1923. Several Ottoman leaders were later tried and convicted for their roles in the extermination.

These days, more than 20 countries have passed laws formally recognizing the genocide, and Armenian groups in the United States have been working since the 1970s to have the same happen here. As those efforts gained momentum, Turkey has done all it can to block them. So when the Democrats took over Congress this year, the Turkish government brought out the big guns.

According to The New Republic, the lobbying firm of former Rep. Bob Livingston -- briefly Speaker-elect before resigning in disgrace in 1996 -- has received about $13 million from Turkey since 2000, was instrumental in torpedoing a symbolic 2004 recognition measure, and is now meeting often with pro-resolution Republicans. Turkey now pays the firm of former Rep. xxxx Gephardt -- previously a resolution supporter -- $100,000 a month to lobby on its behalf. Several members of Congress have recently pulled a 180 on their support for the resolution after meeting with high-paid lobbyists. Needless to say, the Armenians don't have the same deep pockets.

More dangerously, Turkey has used its military relationship with the United States to bully for a whitewashing of its past. Having already closed its border with Armenia, the country has threatened to cut off U.S. access to its border with Iraq and its Incirlik air base, actions that would make supplying military personnel in Iraq far more difficult. Condi Rice and Robert Gates have therefore urged Congress not to pass a resolution, adding another level to the lobbying.

As of late June, genocide recognition had enough supporters in the House to pass a bill, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to bring the measure to a vote after the summer recess. Whether this resolution will change anything remains an open question, and obviously the genocide doesn't become any more or less real based on a Congressional stamp of approval. But its passage would put the U.S. on the right side of history, and that's better then the alternative.

When Adolf Hitler was on the verge of invading Poland, he had a succinct answer for those in his government who questioned whether he could kill or resettle local peoples at will: "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

At least Congress is speaking about it. Whether it can withstand the deniers' onslaught remains an open question.

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION

Jeff Fleischer is a Chicago-based newspaper and magazine journalist.

[Joseph]

JOHN EDWARDS PROMISES TO IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN CASE OF BEING ELECTED PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
Aug 13 2007

LOS ANGELES, AUGUST 13, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Democrat
candidate John Edwards proposed for 2008 presidential elections in
the US has promised to immediately recognize the Armenian Genocide in
case of being elected. He made a statement about this at the August 11
meeting in the city of Lake View Terrace (California) when responding
to a question of Radio Liberty's reporter.

[Joseph]

Dennis Hastert is set to resign. It should become confirmed in the news tomorrow.

Another one bites the dust. (Karl Rove resigned earlier thi week, hurra!)