IT MAKES SENSE TO ME
By Larry Peterson
The 100th Anniversary of "The Great Crime" is upon us. The killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire began on April 24, 1915. That was the day the Ottoman authorities rounded up 250 Armenian leaders and intellectuals in Constantinople and began the killings. The starving, the death marches, the drownings, shootings, hangings and other various implementations of painful death ended sometime after the end of World War I. Records indicate that over 1.5 million people perished in the first recorded genocide of the 20th century. This "Great Crime" is also known as the Armenian Genocide.
Last week, Pope Francis used the word "genocide" when he was describing what happened a century ago. The Turkish Foreign Minister immediately recalled his ambassador to the Holy See for 'consultations'. The Turkish government (Turkey is the nation that replaced the Ottoman Empire) does not like it when you call the Armenian Genocide a genocide. They would probably prefer to make believe nothing ever happened in the first place.
Unlike Pope Francis, President Barack Obama avoided offending the Turkish government. He refused, once again, to call Armenian carnage a 'genocide'. He had promised to do so when campaigning for president in 2008. Now, seven years later, he never has but the White House issued a statement read by an official which said, "We know and respect that there are some who are hoping to hear different language this year. We understand their perspective, even as we believe that the approach we have taken in previous years remains the right one -- both for acknowledging the past, and for our ability to work with regional partners to save lives in the present."
The Armenian-Americans were hurt and disillusioned at the disrespect they had been shown. Ken Hachikian, the chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America said, "President Obama's surrender to Turkey represents a national disgrace. It is, very simply, a betrayal of truth, a betrayal of trust."
To date, twenty-three countries have recognized the mass killings as genocide. The United States of America is not among them. In fact, because of "political expediency", it never has called these mass killings genocide. Interestingly, the word genocide was coined by Raphael Lemkin who, during the Nazi Holocaust, came up with the word based on the Armenian annihilation.
Ignoring the Armenian Genocide is just the very "tip of the iceberg". Lies are told all the time across the politically charged American landscape. It does not even seem to matter anymore. WIN! WIN! WIN! is the pathetic mantra of our young 21st century political environment. I know politics has always been a "dirty game" but there was some honor and integrity involved, especially when we were talking about the very fabric of our nation. Common sense did take priority over "political correctness". Not anymore.
Former Senate Majority leader, (now Minority Leader) Harry Reid, took to the floor of the United States Senate and accused the Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney, of not paying taxes for over ten years. Recently, when asked about it, he admitted he lied. He smirked smugly and said, "He didn't win, did he?" And lying from the Senate floor as Majority Leader, Harry Reid could not be held accountable for it. A fine example for Americans young and old.
We are witnessing the genocide of virtually all Catholic/Christians in the Middle east. We see and hear of it every day. With modern technology it is up close and personal. We see beheadings, shootings, burning people alive, even crucifixions within hours after they happen. Where is the outcry from the people of the world? Where is the demand to slam these barbaric, satanically fueled monsters perpetrating these acts back into the hell they crawled out of?
The President of the United States does not even call them "terrorists". The mainstream media in America puts the stories on the back pages. We are told our worst enemy is "Climate Change". Ignoring truth and preaching for political expediency is an insult to all of us and an abomination of the American character. We could be, in addition to the genocide of Christians, be witnessing the genocide of the American moral fiber.
What ever is going on? What ever has happened to a country that was the "Shining City on the Hill"? I guess it has been taken hostage by self-serving impostors who care, before all else, about power, position and money. In 20 months maybe we can recapture that "Shining City". And maybe I am just an old fool who still believes in the slogan from the old Superman comics: Truth; Justice; and the American Way. Did they really say that?
©2015 Larry Peterson All Rights Reserved
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