PBS Student Essays on Genocide Resolution
America’s public television, PBS, has posted essays written by U.S. High School students dealing with the Armenian Genocide resolution in the Congress.
Erika Martin, for instance, has written in her essay:
The House of Representatives should not pass the resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide at this point in time.
The genocide occurred form 1915-1917 where approximately 1.5 million Armenians were massacred by the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian Genocide should be recognized, but at the proper time when innocent lives are not in danger by the potential consequences that could occur from passing the resolution.
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Kim Kinden, on the other hand, has argued that moralpolitik is realpolitik:
On October 10, the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution and around mid-November the House of Representatives will cast their votes and come up with the final verdict. They should pass the resolution because the Turkish government needs to recognize this tragic event as a genocide.
The Armenian Genocide began in 1915, during the Ottoman Empire, and ended in 1917. During that time there was at least 1.5 million Armenians murdered out of 2.5 million.
The House of Representatives should pass this resolution because the Armenian Genocide is not that different from the Holocaust.
The Holocaust had way over 1.5 million victims, but they still died for no real reason, just like the Armenians who were murdered. Also, they were starved and tortured just like the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
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4 Responses to “PBS Student Essays on Genocide Resolution”
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P. Connolly on 13 Dec 2007 at 9:13 am #
This is not a question of moralpolitik vs. realpolitik; it’s a question of truth vs lies; fact vs. propaganda. PBS’s Conduct on this issue is – in my view – deplorable! It’s time for them to shut their mouths and do their homework; I’m tired of seeing one of the best media outlets in the country make such absolute fools of themselves on this one issue. A little research would show that in the decades leading up to 1915. the Armenians -a Christian People- perpetrated brutal atrocities in which hundreds of thousands of Moslem Turkish civilians lost their lives. The events of 1915 were an attempt -albeit a badly botched one- to remedy a very dangerous situation which was precipitated by Armenians themselves. This Armenian campaign for recognition of a “genocide” is a BIG LIE; they are not telling you about the hundreds of thousands of MOSLEM TURKISH CIVILIANS WHO WERE SLAUGHTERED BY ARMENIANS !! This is a clear historical fact.
A Moslem life is a Human life! How can genocide ever be abolished from the earth if such disregard for Human life is allowed to go unchallenged?
Deniz on 14 Dec 2007 at 5:10 am #
When an ethnic or religious group is killed solely for the purpose of ethnic-cleansing, this is called genocide. When that ethnic/religious group wants territory, forms a militia, and attacks their neighbors, and revolts against their state, that is called a civil war. We would not call our civil war between the South and the North a genocide — both sides fought and killed each other. The Armenians were a fifth column in the crumbling Ottoman Empire, therefore they were relocated. There was no intention of eliminating them. More Turks than Armenians died during the conflict.
During WW II, our forces dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and, along with the British, bombed Dresden to a rubble. This was done to bring an end to the war and to prevent many more people’s demise. Civilians, including women and children were killed. We certainly would not call our actions, “genocide”.
The Armenians are cleverly disguising their aims, claiming they want to bring closure to their grandparents suffering; in fact, they want money in the form of reparations, and territory, from the Turkish Republic that did not exist at that time.
Deniz
Blogian on 14 Dec 2007 at 9:56 am #
I don’t believe in censoring any comments that is why I didn’t delete Murad Gumen aka “P. Connolly’s” and “Deniz’s” “balanced” comments on this entry (he is freaking out that the question of “whether it was genocide” has long been abandoned because only a group of Turkish ultra-nationalists and a handful Armenian haters would go for questioning a historical reality).
Just wanted to make it clear to Mr. Gumen that I am posting his pseudo comments by knowing very well who they come from. I would suggest to him to get back to drawing Mickey Mouse characters; he is better in that than in spreading anti-Armenian propaganda by using “western” names.
Ashamed on 15 Dec 2007 at 11:43 pm #
Dear Blogian;
One should not lower himself to answer the comments of P. Connally (aka Murad Gumen ) or Deniz (he might be another smoker ) as they are true liars, with their eyes closed to reality as they are denying the Armenian Genocide. First of all they are nothing but young punks. They did not go thru the atrocities of Ottomans, because they were not even born almost 100 years ago. Deniz is talking as if he is an American and blaming America for the A bomb etc. so as to justify his garbage.
Both are bloody eyed Turks! They haven’t grown up an inch as they have been enjoying life in America. I am ashamed of them to call themselves Turks.
I knew a lot of gentle, kind hearted Turks. But these two aren’t one of them.