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| Would Clinton Betray Armenia, Again?
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October 19, 2000 is a dark day in the history of the Armenian Cause. It was then that Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert stopped H.R. 596 from reaching the floor of the House of Representatives, even though the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) had secured a majority of votes for passage. Hastert explained that he was doing so at the behest of President Bill Clinton, who was twice endorsed by the ANCA. Clinton claimed recognizing the Armenian genocide would hurt national security by damaging the U.S. relationship with Turkey.
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) is a Washington-based lobbying organization that the Turkish government uses to deny the Armenian genocide and defeat legislation that would lead to U.S. recognition of the Genocide. After Hastert defeated H.R. 596, the ATAA sent him a congratulatory letter, thanking him on behalf of the more than one million Turkish-Americans living in the United States, according to the ATAA Web site.
The ATAA recently announced that former Turkish president Suleyman Demirel would be awarding Clinton with the ATAA’s Peace Award. The ATAA Web site at one point claimed that Clinton would accept the award in person at its national conference in Chicago on November 19. The ANC of Illinois rallied its members and demonstrated that day in front of the Palmer House Hotel where the conference was held. While Clinton did not attend the conference (and his acceptance of the award is still in question), members of the ANC of Michigan, as well as the local Assyrian community, voiced their protest to the continued Turkish denial of the Genocide.
The ATAA is the lead plaintiff in a Massachusetts lawsuit, which would compel the inclusion of materials that contest the historical accuracy of the Genocide in the state curriculum. Public educators are not going to cover a topic if the State Department of Education regards it as a historically contested issue. The ATAA’s prominent lawyer Harvey Silverglate is yet to offer a convincing argument for the plaintiff’s specious complaint. The ANC has implemented vigorous media, legal and political strategies against another nefarious ATAA effort.
New York Senator Hillary Clinton is widely believed to be planning a Presidential bid three years from now. She will be looking to gain Armenian-American votes in states like California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Illinois and elsewhere during the Democratic Primaries, and possibly the 2008 Presidential Election.
Once a public figure, who prided herself in standing up to authority, Hillary Clinton has moved to the center of the Democratic Party to curry the favor of the very mainstream she once claimed to challenge. An example is her position that the United States should remain in Iraq, where the U.S. occupation is facing increasing numbers of casualties and rapidly losing support at home. Senator Clinton wants to gain the confidence of powerful interests, which want to sustain U.S. hegemony in the Middle East, in spite of the costs to lives and human rights.
Please write a letter to Senator Clinton, reminding her that Armenians will expect her to take the issue of genocide extremely seriously, by not offering empty promises, but faithfully delivering on righteous action.
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Senator Clinton:
Armenians continue to appreciate your continued support regarding recognition of the Armenian genocide, a just resolution to the Karabagh conflict, as well as financial aid to the Republic of Armenia as it rapidly emerges into a democracy with a vibrant free market economy. Armenians in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, the Northeast and through out our great nation believe recognizing the genocide is not only befriending Armenians, it is advancing the cause of humanity. We look forward to your continued rise in prominence as a national figure and will rely on your commitment to affirming the Armenian genocide.
Sincerely,
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| 2005-11-18 |
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