My mother’s first contribution to this blog, endorsing Barack Obama for presidency, comes the same day as the Armenian National Committee of America officially backs the Illinois senator. Here is what she has written:

Don’t Vote Black – Vote Obama!  

By Susanna Maghakyan 

New York Timescolumnist Nicholas Kristof sarcastically wrote last week that if we are looking for the most experienced candidate, we should vote Dick Cheney as America’s next president. The Onion, too, wrote a satire story suggesting that from all the candidates Clinton is best qualified – that is Bill and not his wife.

Women are, indeed, underrepresented in state and national governments. The average percentage of women lawmakers in state governments is less than 25% – only half the percent of female citizens across the country. It is natural that there is no “best-experienced” woman candidate although Hillary Clinton has been in politics for a long time. Mrs. Clinton is charming, well-spoken and well-educated. She knows how things happen in the White House and she’d most likely do a good job.

It is not comfort, nonetheless, that people should look for. If we are going to look for experience, we might as well establish a monarchy and develop a professional aristocracy. What is being ignored and devalued is the federal system itself – an entity that, while dependant on the vision of the president, carries a democratic tradition and an experienced history of statecraft. A president is not going to tell a federal employee how to audit a tax payment. The president isn’t going to tell the post office how to deliver mail.

Presidency, I believe, is vision for the country: a vision for improvement, sustainable progress and mutually-respectful unity. The president is also an image to the world – the symbol of American democracy to billions of others on our planet. We can’t and shouldn’t vote for a president who is trained to micro-manage a nation of 300 million. We need a president that can become a symbol for unity at home and an image of rightness abroad.

Voting for a black candidate is wrong. Voting for Barack Obama is right. Because it is not Obama’s color that makes him the most charismatic, educated and well-intentioned candidate. It is Obama’s fearless challenge to the democracy of the dead that can make Americalive longer and freer. It is his courage to put moralpolitik on the same page with realpolitik – as demonstrated in his 2005 visit to authoritarian and oil-rich Azerbaijan where Obama, while acknowledging Azerbaijan’s geopolitical importance, made clear – in an unprecedented action – that he would not deny the World War I Armenian Genocide just because Azerbaijan and Turkey wanted so.

Obama won’t sacrifice democratic values for American interests, but he will do a better job of advancing these interests at the same time.

Received in e-mail from ANCA and AAA:

Statement of Senator Hillary Clinton on the U.S.-Armenia Relationship

Alone among the Presidential candidates, I have been a longstanding supporter of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I have been a co-sponsor of the Resolution since 2002, and I support adoption of this legislation by both Houses of Congress.

I believe the horrible events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians constitute a clear case of genocide. I have twice written to President Bush calling on him to refer to the Armenian Genocide in his annual commemorative statement and, as President, I will recognize the Armenian Genocide. Our common morality and our nation’s credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the United States.

If the mass atrocities of the 20th Century have taught us anything it is that we must honestly look the facts of history in the face in order to learn their lessons, and ensure they will not happen again. It is not just about the past, but about our future. We must close the gap between words and deeds to prevent mass atrocities. That is why I am a supporter of the Responsibility to Protect. As President, I will work to build and enhance U.S. and international capacity to act early and effectively to prevent mass atrocities. The Bush administration’s words of condemnation have not been backed with leadership to stop the genocide in Darfur. I support a no-fly-zone over Darfur. I have championed strong international action to ensure that the government of Sudan can no longer act with impunity, or interfere with the international peacekeeping force, which is essential for the protection of the people of Darfur.

I value my friendship with our nation’s vibrant Armenian-American community. This is in keeping with my dedication to the causes of the Armenian-American community over many years. I was privileged as First Lady to speak at the first-ever White House gathering in 1994 for leaders from Armenia and the Armenian-American community to celebrate the historic occasion of Armenia’s reborn independence. I said at the time that America will stand with you as you realize what the great Armenian poet, Puzant Granian, called the Armenian’s dream “to be left in peace in his mountains, to build, to dream, to create.”

I will, as President, work to expand and improve U.S.-Armenia relations in addressing the common issues facing our two nations: increasing trade, fostering closer economic ties, fighting terrorism, strengthening democratic institutions, pursuing our military partnership and deepening cooperation with NATO, and cooperating on regional concerns, among them a fair and democratic resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. As President, I will expand U.S. assistance programs to Armenia and to the people of Nagorno-Karabagh.

I look forward, as President, to continuing to work with the Armenian-American community on the many domestic and international challenges we face together, and to build on the strong foundations of shared values that have long brought together the American and Armenian peoples.

The newly-arrested group of dangerous ultra-nationalists in Turkey has apparently not only planned to assassinate Orhan Pamuk but also overthrow the government and establish a fascist regime in the Republic of Turkey.

Bianet from Turkey informs:

Retired Major General Veli Kücük, nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, lawyer Fuat Turgut, who is the defense lawyer of Yasin Hayal, a murder suspect in the Hrant Dink case, Aksam newspaper journalist Güler Kömürcü, retired Colonel Fikri Karadag, who is the leader of the ultra-nationalist Kuvayi Milliye Association, and Turkish Orthodox Patriarchy spokesperson Sevgi Erenerol, are under police custody. 

All 33 taken from their homes on Tuesday (22 January) are charged with forming a clandestine group to plot against the governmnet, and attempts at the lives of Kurdish politicians, a well as storing weapons in a secret arsenal.

The ultra-nationalist group is known as Ergenekon and includes Turkey’s infamous lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz – the key person in persecuting Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink and Nobel Prize winning author Orhan Pamuk under Amendment 301 for talking on the Armenian Genocide – and the Azerbaijani-trained Yasin Hayal (the suspected mastermind of Dink’s assassination).

Surprisingly, Turkey’s nationalist Sabah newspaper now refers to the fascist group as a “terrorist organization” and a “gang.”

Via an ANCA e-mail from BarackObama.com:  

Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations

| January 19, 2008

I am proud of my strong record on issues of concern to the one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage in the United States. I warmly welcome the support of this vibrant and politically active community as we change how our government works here at home, and restore American leadership abroad.

I am a strong supporter of a U.S.-Armenian relationship that advances our common security and strengthens Armenian democracy. As President, I will maintain our assistance to Armenia, which has been a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism and extremism. I will promote Armenian security by seeking an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and by working for a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy and self determination. And my Administration will help foster Armenia’s growth and development through expanded trade and targeted aid, and by strengthening the commercial, political, military, developmental, and cultural relationships between the U.S. and Armenian governments.

I also share 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. As a U.S. Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term “genocide” to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our common security and common humanity. Tragically, we are witnessing in Sudan many of the same brutal tactics – displacement, starvation, and mass slaughter – that were used by the Ottoman authorities against defenseless Armenians back in 1915. I have visited Darfurian refugee camps, pushed for the deployment of a robust multinational force for Darfur, and urged divestment from companies doing business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.

I look forward, as President, to continuing my active engagement with Armenian American leaders on the full range of issues of concern to the Armenian American community. Together, we will build, in new and exciting ways, upon the enduring ties and shared values that have bound together the American and Armenian peoples for more than a century.

“We would like to ask you to vote for Serzh Sargsyan – the life is getting better and he is nice.”

The head of the Hanrapetakan (Republican) Hospital in Yerevan told a patient who happens to be my friend and an avid reader of this blog.  Serzh Sargsyan is Armenia’s prime minister; the candidate that most people think will become Armenia’s next president at any price: and apparently at the price of pushing government doctors to advocate for him during treatment of patients.

After my friend told the Hanrapetakan Hosptial doctor that he wasn’t seeing her to get political advise, his next appointment wasn’t as smooth as the previous ones.  The doctor was quite angry at him during the next visit.  

“Another story happened in a local periodical office,” tells my friend from Yerevan. “The head of the office
asked me whether if i was going to vote for Serzh Sargsyan and I said no, I will vote for anyone but him… The boss was ready to eat me for my comment.”

And that’s not all.  He says that he can’t even write everything he thinks to me because Internet communication is being monitored in Armenia. “I can’t express my true opinion without worrying about my future.”

And this comes from someone who has repatriated to Armenia after having left it as a child.  From someone who does more for Armenia – like most citizens – than Serzh Sargsyans or Levon Ter Petrosyans.

My friend’s letter gave me one feeling – to want to move to Armenia. Why? Because there is so much that needs to be changed there. 

Here is an e-mail from the Armenian National Committee of America that deals with the ongoing primaries in the United States.

 WASHINGTON, DC – In the wake of the hotly contested Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary, Armenian Americans are better positioned than ever to play a decisive role in the key states that will help choose the Presidential nominees of the Republican and Democratic parties over the next 30 days, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In recent weeks, the ANCA has invited each of the candidates to share their views on Armenian Americans issues, and to comment on both the growing relationship between the U.S. and Armenian governments and the enduring bonds between the American and Armenian peoples. Questionnaires sent to the candidates have invited them to respond to a set of 19 questions, including those addressing:

• Affirmation of the Armenian Genocide
• U.S.-Armenia economic, political, and military relations
• Self-determination for Nagorno Karabagh
• The Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades
• The genocide in Darfur

Click here to view the ANCA 2008 Presidential Questionnaire.

“Armenian Americans are set to cast their votes in the presidential primaries in record numbers,” said ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian. “We look forward to working with all the campaigns to make sure that Armenian American voters go to the polls empowered to make informed decisions about the candidates who will best represent our community’s views and values.”

“In California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and throughout the Western part of the country, Armenian American voters are in a position to play a truly decisive role in this year’s highly competitive battle between the candidates to secure the nominations of their party,” said ANCA Western Region Executive Director Andrew Kzirian.

Key States:

Among the key states with large Armenian American communities to hold either primaries or caucuses over the next 30 days are the following:

January 15th: Michigan primary (60,000 Armenian Americans)

Michigan has been, for nearly a century, one of the largest and most vibrant Armenian American communities, with large numbers of families in the Detroit area and throughout the state. This contest is widely viewed as pivotal in the selection of the Republican nominee. The Michigan primary has lost considerable significance to Democratic candidates since conflicts over timing led the Democratic National Committee to decide not to count delegates from this contest.

January 19th and 26th: Nevada Caucus (10,000 Armenian Americans)
                                     South Carolina Primary (3,000 Armenian Americans)

Both Nevada and South Carolina have witnessed an influx of young professional Armenian Americans over the past decade, with a growing number of California Armenians relocating to Nevada, and a steady stream of Northeast Armenians moving south to the Columbia and Charleston areas. Republicans vote in South Carolina on January 19th, Democrats a week later on the 26th.

January 29th: Florida primary (35,000 Armenian Americans)

Florida’s Armenian American community, located in and around Miami, Boca Raton, Orlando, Ocala, Naples, and Tampa, played a decisive role in the closely contested 2000 Presidential election. This year’s primary will play an important role in the Republican nomination contest, but not on the Democratic side, which has, due to conflicts over timing, chosen not to count delegates from Florida.

February 5th: Super Tuesday

The large and active Armenian American communities, in eight of the states that will hold contests on Super Tuesday, are watching the field of candidates:

Arizona Primary (15,000 Armenian Americans)

California Primary (600,000 Armenian Americans)

Colorado Caucus (8,000 Armenian Americans)

Connecticut Primary (20,000 Armenian Americans)

Illinois Primary (45,000 Armenian Americans)

Massachusetts Primary (120,000 Armenian Americans)

New Jersey Primary (75,000 Armenian Americans)

New York Primary (100,000 Armenian Americans)

The ANCA voter network:

Armenian Americans in these states, and throughout the country, represent a motivated and highly networked constituency of more than one and a half million citizens spread across key primary and general election states. Armenian American voters are well represented in both the Democratic and Republican parties and across the political spectrum, and have consistently demonstrated a willingness to cross party lines to vote for candidates who have supported issues of special concern to the community.

The ANCA mobilizes Armenian American voters through a network of over 50 chapters and a diverse array of affiliates, civic advocates, and supporters nationwide. ANCA mailings reach over a quarter of a million homes, and, through the internet, updates and action alerts reach well over 100,000 households. The ANCA website, which features election coverage from an Armenian American point of view, attracts over 100,000 unique visits a month. The ANCA also has broad reach to Armenian American voters via a sophisticated media operation of newspapers, regional cable shows, satellite TV, blogs, and internet news sites.

Review of the Major Candidates:

Democrats

Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton for President
4420 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
Tel: 703-469-2008
http://www.hillaryclinton.com

As a Senator, Hillary Clinton has, since 2002, cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide resolutions, however she publicly voiced reservations about the adoption of the current resolution in an October 10, 2007 meeting with the Boston Globe editorial board. She joined Senate colleagues in cosigning letters to President Bush in 2005 and 2006 urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

John Edwards:

John Edwards for President
410 Market Street, Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Tel: (919) 636-3131
http://www.johnedwards.com

As a Senator, John Edwards cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide Resolutions beginning in 2002. He also supported Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan, due to its ongoing blockade of Armenia. As a Presidential candidate in 2004, he stated that the “time is to recognize the Armenian Genocide” and that Turkey’s blockade of Armenia must end. His advocacy on behalf of the family of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died after her insurance company denied funding for a liver transplant, has been warmly received by Armenian Americans around the country.

Barack Obama:

Obama for America
P.O. Box 8102
Chicago, IL 60680
Tel: (866) 675-2008
http://www.barackobama.com/

As a Senator, Barack Obama has spoken in support of U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and cosigned a letter urging President Bush to recognize the Armenian Genocide, but has yet to cosponsor the Armenian Genocide Resolution. While visiting Azerbaijan in August 2005, Senator Obama was asked by reporters why he cosigned the letter to President Bush. Obama defended his decision by stating the genocide was a historical fact.

He publicly criticized the firing of former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, who was dismissed for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide, but voted for Richard Hoagland, the nominee to replace Evans, who had denied the Armenian Genocide in his responses to Senate inquiries.

Republicans:

Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee 295 Greenwich St, #371
New York, NY 10007
Tel: 212-835-9449
http://www.joinrudy2008.com

As Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani issued several Armenian Genocide proclamations and attended ANC-NY Armenian Genocide commemorations in City Hall. In 2001, he hosted His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, for breakfast in the Mayor’s residence, Gracie Mansion.

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee for President
P.O. Box 2008
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203
Tel: 501-324-2008
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/

As Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee issued a 2001 proclamation commemorating the Armenian Genocide that noted that Turkey continues to deny this crime and that Armenians have yet to receive reparations. He also issued a proclamation marking a “Day of Remembrance of the Turkish and Armenian Tragedy” – a euphemistic attempt to obscure the genocidal intent of Ottoman Turkey toward its Armenian subjects. The local Armenian community’s disappointment with this second proclamation was covered by the Arkansas News Bureau, which quoted ANC-Arkansas spokesperson Leo Stepanian as saying: “It was not a tragedy. It was a genocide.”

John McCain

John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
Tel: 703-418-2008
http://www.johnmccain.com/

As a Senator, John McCain has opposed the Armenian Genocide Resolution and not been supportive of other Armenian American issues. At a town hall meeting on Sunday, January 6, 2008 Senator McCain was reported to have answered a question on the Armenian Genocide by noting that he recognizes the Armenian Genocide, but opposes the Armenian Genocide Resolution due to the Turkish government’s sensitivities. In correspondence with Arizona constituents he wrote, in October of 2007, that, “Condemning modern Turkey for the acts of the Ottoman Empire would serve only to harm relations with the Turkish people while injecting the Congress into the sensitive role of historian of a period clearly preceding the births of all but a very few congressmen. That is not a development I wish to help facilitate.”

In 1989, Senator McCain introduced legislation supporting a peaceful and fair settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and later supported Section 907 and the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act. Later, in 1999, he voted against maintaining Section 907.

Mitt Romney

Romney for President
P.O. Box 55899
Boston, MA 02205-5899
Phone: (857) 288-6400
http://www.mittromney.com/

As Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney is not on record as having issued Armenian Genocide proclamations or having taken other meaningful official public actions in support of Armenian American issues.

It is time for Armenian-American organizations to check with all the U.S. presidential candidates about their views on Armenian issues.  Some things can be negotiated but one thing cannot.

No, not the genocide resolution but Section 907 – the ban of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan that G.W. Bush has been waiving since 2001.

According to Wikipedia:

Section 907 of the United States Freedom Support Act bans any kind of direct United States aid to the Azerbaijani government. This ban makes Azerbaijan the only exception to the countries of the former Soviet Union, to receive direct aid from United States government under the Freedom Support Act to facilitate economic and political stability.^[1].

The Act was strongly lobbied for by the Armenian American community in the US^[2], and was passed in response to Azerbaijan’s blockade of Armenia. which was at full scale war with Azerbaijan over the predominantly Armenian populated Nagorno Karabakhregion of Azerbaijan. Since 1994 cease-fire agreement Nagorno Karabakh has established a de-facto independent republic, which is not recognized by any country.

On October 24, 2001, the Senate adopted a waiver of section 907 that would provide the President with ability to waiver the Section 07^[3]. He has done so since then.

In a sense, American taxpayers have paid for the destruction of the largest medieval Armenian cemetery in the world.  The destruction of old Djulfa in December of 2005 was carried out by soldiers of the Azerbaijani army, as seen in film, using heavy technology.  This is the same army that the current American administration has been giving money since October of 2001.

Thus, the question posed to all U.S. presidential candidates should be:

Dear candidate, in December of 2005 Azerbaijan’s army reduced to dust world’s largest medieval Armenian cemetery.  Since 2001, the current administration has been waiving Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, legislation that bans military aid to the Republic of Azerbaijan.  If elected a president, will you or will you not waive Section 907?

It turns out that it wasn’t as much the concern for “the safety of American soldiers in Iraq” but  for losing free airfares to Turkey that made some United States lawmakers drop support for commemorating the Armenian Genocide.

New investigation by Politico states that “[o]rganizations promoting Israel, China and Turkey were among the biggest trip sponsors this year” for Congress members.”

According to the report, the trips to Turkey might have paid off.

[…]

Sixteen lawmakers and congressional staffers flew to Istanbul and Ankara on two different trips this year, courtesy of the USAFMC’s “Congressional Study Group on Turkey,” a 2005 creation whose funding includes pro-Turkey interest groups and companies that do business with the country.

Turkey has been in the spotlight this year as it fought a possible congressional recognition of the genocide in Armenia.

The Turkish government mounted a full-court lobbying press against the resolution, which ultimately was defeated.

The nation is also involved in sensitive negotiations over whether it can wage its military battle against the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) over the border in Iraq.

“There was not a meeting we had where those two things did not come up,” said Marilyn J. Dillihay, the legislative director for Rep. Stephen I. Cohen (D-Tenn.). 

“For somebody who is a new staffer like me, it was a fabulous immersion in those kinds of issues,” she said, especially because the issues “were at the forefront this year.”

The week-long trips occurred in May and August, just when Congress was debating the Armenian resolution.

The new ethics rules say that such trips cannot be planned or arranged by a lobbyist.

That doesn’t mean that lobbyists cannot meet the delegations when they arrive.

While the sponsors are not allowed to explicitly tell lawmakers how to vote on a piece of legislation, there is nothing to prohibit them from making the case for their position.

The talk about the Armenian genocide resolution made a big impact on her, Dillihay said.

What she learned, she said, was that “what seemed like a nonbinding, whoop-de-do resolution, had huge resonance somewhere else.”

“The more I have learned about it, the less I thought it was the proper thing to do,” she said.

The Capitol Hill delegation’s agenda included meetings with Turkey’s prime minister and the ministers of foreign affairs and economic affairs.

The trips were entirely planned by the USAFMC, according to the group’s executive director, Peter Weichlein, who responded to written questions.

“No representatives of the Turkish government have any influence over any aspect of our trips, programming and funding,” he wrote.

During the August trip, the travelers stopped at the home of former U.S. Rep. Stephen Solarz, a longtime lobbyist for Turkey.

Solarz spoke to the group about the Armenian resolution and the PKK issue, Dillihay said.

“He expressed a sense of what kind of effect it could have on Turkey and U.S.-Turkish relationships,” Dillihay said.

“If it was lobbying, it was soft as it could be. It was just like somebody hosting you in their house for lunch,” she said.

The purpose of the meeting with Solarz was refreshments and a discussion of history, Weichlein wrote.

Cohen, who also went on a trip to Turkey, opposes the Armenian resolution, citing Turkey’s strategic importance in the Middle East region and support for the U.S. in the Iraq war.

Bob Livingston, the former congressman whose firm took the lead in lobbying for Turkey on the Armenia issue, told Politico he was not involved in planning the congressional delegation’s visit.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with this trip,” he said.

Livingston said Solarz was working with his firm to lobby for Turkey at the time he met with the congressional delegation, and that he himself is on the USAFMC board.

In fact, even if Solarz did lobby the group, he would have been in compliance, said Jan Baran, an ethics expert at Wiley Rein.

Baran, who has done work for USAFMC on other matters, said the rules prohibit a lobbyist from traveling with a congressional delegation, not from meeting with one once it has arrived.

The ethics rules definition of “a trip” as only applying to the physical movement between locations “is fundamentally absurd,” Baran said.

[…]

The photograph above is from a presidential rally for Levon Petrosyan – Armenia’s first president who now wants to return to power – in the Republic of Armenia,
posted by Oneworld Multimedia

The poster in Armenian reads, “Levon VII: Armenian King,” with a reference to Cilician Armenia’s last king Levon (Leo) VI who found refuge in France as his Muslim foes destroyed the last Armenian kingdom.

It is quite ironic that the romantic nationalists who support Ter-Petrosyan call the former president a monarch, not realizing that the last thing Armenia needs is another king – which would be the case if either Levon Ter-Petrosyan or Serzh Sargsyan are elected. The Ter-Petrosyan “monarchship” was clearly demonstrated in the 1996 elections when he was celebrating his “victory” before the votes were even being counted. And I can almost guarantee to you a Serzh Sargsyan “victory” for the upcoming elections.

Armenia’s politics has never upset me as much as it does today. The more time passes the worse it becomes with former morons wanting to replace current morons.

And I think Armenia needs to change it constitution so that a president can only serve two terms in a lifetime. Otherwise, we may see lots of monarchs striving for return.

One wouldn’t expect the webmasters of Yahoo.com’s homepage be academics, but being blatant racists isn’t too helpful either.

Linking to an Associated Press article about business controversy of two Romani “clans,” Yahoo! summarized the news on its homepage several hours ago as “Gypsies’ fortunetelling feud” and that “Gypsy feud gives rare look at hidden culture.” 

From the first look, there is nothing wrong with the title, but consider how we’d feel if it said “Jews’ fortunetelling feud” or for that matter “Jews’ jewelry feud” or “Armenians’ jewelry feud.”  This is in lines with popular stereotype and racism against the Romani people, most of who prefer not to be called Gypsy (one reason the omnipresent racism against them), as seen in American TV icon Judge Judy’s racist comments and her usage of the word “Gypsy” as a derogatory term.

The Associated Press article itself is not free of stereotype; the whole style of the article is somewhat arrogant and presents Gypsies as an essentialist entity.  Although it takes a note that Gypsies faced persecution in Europe after migrating there in the 1300s, there is no reference to the Gypsy Genocide – part of the Holocaust – in which about half million Gypsies were mass murdered, a fact hardly mentioned in the context of Holocaust studies within the popular culture in the United States.  And more importantly, no reference to the unchallenged, blatant, dehumanizing and delegitimazing racism against the “Gypsies” in the United States.

I think Yahoo! the ®acists owe an apology to the Roma people.