“America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides,” he said. “I intend to be that president.” In a January 2008 letter to the Armenian Reporter, Mr. Obama said he shared “with Armenian Americans — so many of whom are descended from genocide survivors — a principled commitment to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide in world history.”
April 24, 2012
"On the fourth Armenian Remembrance Day of his presidency, President Obama has for the fourth time in a row broken his promise..."
"... to the Armenian community to use the word 'genocide' in describing what happened at the hands of the Turks roughly a century ago."
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As long as the US sucks up to the Turks what is there to be expected? After Turkey screwed us by not allowing the 4ID to cross in to Iraq and with their resurgent Islamist policies we owe them nothing.
Don't look now, but Obama just appointed Cass Sunstein's wife, Samantha Power, a woman who called for the U.S. to invade Israel to protect Palestine, to chair the Atrocity Prevention Board.
http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2012/04/obama-selects-woman-who-wanted-to.html?spref=fb
D'oh!
I read an article, but it didn't mention she was Cass' wife. The piece I read concentrated on her past comments re Israel and atrocities.
This is soooo important.
Let's all have our lives controlled by what has happened in the past, and not look forward.
A minority president to the majority of the world is expected to be president to the majority of minorities.
I think most of us agree that in general Obama's intentions would have been a great President indeed.
I'm sure that he'll promise it again for some sweet, sweet votes.
Welcome a new grudge into your life every day.
Obama broke a promise? Stop the presses.
What Madison Man said--come on--this happened 100 years ago, and it was indeed terrible--that said, I see nothing to be gained by wallowing in that particular swamp. perhaps there should be some sort of statute of limitations when past historical injustices no longer apply (not going to happen, of course, but it might be helpful)
Atrocity Prevention Board?
I didn't know there was such.
We are sooooooo enlightened.
Obama doesn't know any Armenians that would look like his son if he had one.
I think the issue here is President Obama being mendacious, rather than dredging up the past. It is arguable that it shouldn't matter whether this was "genocide" or not, but when he was a candidate, the President promised one thing, and fails to deliver on an annual basis. The real question is whether we can really be surprised anymore.
Jim Geraghty said it first: All of his statements come with an expiration date. That date comes when the particular statement has lost its value to the President.
And another rube self-identifies.
As long as the US sucks up to the Turks what is there to be expected? After Turkey screwed us by not allowing the 4ID to cross in to Iraq and with their resurgent Islamist policies we owe them nothing.
How did Turkey screw the US? It's their country. Why should they open their boarders to an army intent on invading one of their neighbors? How many armies of foreign powers does the US have in its boarders?
The slaughter of the Armenians was more a Death March than Babi Yar, but how surprised should we be Dictator Zero has broken another promise?
As Rush has been saying for 4 years, "Everything Barack Obama says has an expiration date".
MadisonMan said...
This is soooo important.
Let's all have our lives controlled by what has happened in the past, and not look forward.
Sure, let's forget all about Pearl Harbor and Auschwitz and 9/11, too.
All in the past.
Just like the Trail of Tears and slavery and Jim Crow, right?
That whole business about evil happening when good men do nothing is soooo judgmental.
I guess a few here don't abide, "Those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it."
Do you enlightened "lets look forward" folks feel the same about the killing fields or holocaust? Is there a statute of limitations on acknowledging genocide? Help me understand your profound philosophy. I would suggest you name it Ostrichology.
Some genocides are more equal than others.
But Obamas promise was likely based upon his ignorance of our relations with Turkey, a NATO ally.
Oh you mean saying genocide will piss off the Turks?
Yes Mr. President, it will. And after the Maldives flub, best course of action is to just say nothing. Give one of those look down your nose poses instead. The base loves that stuff.
To my friends Nick and edutcher--it seems to me there are enough wrongs to go around--at some point, you acknowledge them, bemoan them, but your nation's interests have to go forward--and that does include acknowleging past wrongs, but wallowing in the past, in my opinion, does not mean dealing with that is here and now.
We may disagree on this issue, but disagreement is not a bad thing.
RogerJ, The issue isn't "wallowing", it's merely remembering and acknowledging. I'm w/ you on wallowing.
@edutcher, there's remembering the past, and then there's obsessing over the past.
I lean towards the former, others towards the latter.
No, MadMan, like the rest of the Lefties, wants to ignore anything that might make the Messiah look bad.
Or give us a reason to stay militarily prepared.
PS Roger, you and I are usually on the same page, but this is another one of those little things that can come back to bite you if you don't keep it in mind.
Leslyn--while I am not clear on your post, the quote about evil happening is when good men do nothing, is actually from Edmund Burke--who is the god father of conservatism. thus I dont know how you attribute edutcher as a liberal.
Knowledge is history is indeed important, and should be considered in modern policy choices; but in the arena of international affairs, it should perhaps guide choices, but should not necessarily override them.
RogerJ, I'm w/ you on "Guiding choices not override". How about a virtual beer? I know it's still AM.
edutcher--I am a firm adherent to maintaining military preparedness independent of historical atrocities--the lesson to me is, that military preparedness is the sine qua non (I love it when I can use that phrase) of national survival.
Nick--the sun is always over the yardarm somewhere in the world--you're on.
No wonder Armenians have Holocaust envy.
The Turks are good at this. They did it to the Anatolian Greeks, they did it to the Armenians and I wouldn't want to be a Coptic Christian living in Istanbul today. They keep practicing till they get it perfect. After all, it's right there in their Koran, "Kill the infidel." Fellow muzzie Hussein understands.
RogerJ, I feel compelled to warn you, I'm under surveillance as was William Spinelli by the FBI in the notable case Spinelli v US. However, those surveilling me are under no judicial constraints and I[nor anyone here] have appellate remedies as did the alleged bookie William Spinelli. Just sayn'
It would be obvious to any intelligent person that this is not enough. He should wade through every possible instance he can find, and spend his time talking about those. Then maybe we can decide if he kept this promise.
Or maybe not. He's a liberal. Every liberal wastes their time crying about this stuff. Move on from the graves already.
Yes, expecting him to do what he says is just so downright racist and all.
He didn't have to promise a thing involving the Armenian genocide. That was his call.
He could've just said "It really doesn't involve the US one way or the other"
Guess Obama needs all those small credit card donations (with no check to see where they come from) so bad he won't say anything to upset the Turks.
No, MadMan, like the rest of the Lefties, wants to ignore anything that might make the Messiah look bad.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
How about we focus on things that are important that make him look bad, like, oh, Fast and Furious? Or, oh, I don't know, bad legislation?
Used for your votes and then discarded with a broken promise? Welcome under the Obama bus, Armenian-Americans! Join the disillusioned crowd!
Please, please, above all, let us not wallow! It's so banal. Let us instead make a reasoned and cogent statement full of good will and generosity. Unless we can get away with wallowing, of course. Which course will result in the most votes for Obama? That's the real question.
I agree 100 years ago is ancient history. The Armenians whine about this every f-ing year. They need to get over it.
AJ Lynch, Time is relative. As Einstein explained his theory of relativity, "If your hand is on a hot stove, 10 seconds is an eternity. If a beautiful woman is on your lap, 10 minutes is like 10 seconds.
In your typical American myopic view, 100 years ago is ancient history. However, if you go to Rome, Greece, or hell even Mayan ruins in Mexico, you would learn[if you are indeed educable and not just trainable] that relatively, 100 years is in no way, "ancient history."
But, your ilk will be whining about 9/11 for 500 years!
Oh..and Philly sucks!! Now eat some turtle soup and behave.
They need to look like him.
ilk?
Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems. Those who want the Armenian massacres declared as genocide also insist on setting the dates of it to include the current Turkish government, when it did not exist at the time of the massacres. The purpose of that being to give them a lever with the UN to extort money and property out of the current Turkish government.
In your typical American myopic view, 100 years ago is ancient history.
If that's true, why is this group of Americans so concerned about seeing a century-old genocide recognized as such?
Personally, I follow a simple rule: if I wasn't alive when it happened, I don't pretend I was personally wronged by it. There are plenty of things in my OWN life to worry about, without worrying about everything that happened to every one of my ancestors.
Personally, I follow a simple rule: if I wasn't alive when it happened, I don't pretend I was personally wronged by it. There are plenty of things in my OWN life to worry about, without worrying about everything that happened to every one of my ancestors.
Certainly a logical and admirable point of view. Unfortunately, it couldn't be farther from the truth when it comes to the status quo of identity politics.
Just why the Armenians have been singled out for rejection of their victimhood however is puzzling......I can't think of another minority group that has been denied victimhood status...anyone else?
100 years ago?
So in 2045 we should forget about the Holocaust?
By and large Americans support Israel, whose motto (understandably and correctly) is "never forget." So the Armenians, who probably suffered over 1,000,000 deaths as a result of deliberate Turkish policies, should just let it drop?
So, there should be a statute of limitations on historical injustices?
Fine!
We can now forget about slavery, so no more affirmative action or calls for "reparations".
Same for the Indians: no more special treatment for you!
All you Mexicans: we won the war 155 years ago. Kwitcherbitchin'.
Oh, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki? SOOOO 20th century; get over it Japan.
It cuts both ways, folks...
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