I had a letter-to-the-editor published in Friday's edition of the Greensboro paper "The News-Record."
My letter dealt with my opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Armenian Bill she is co-sponsoring in Congress. It should be noted that I am a Democrat, and I also criticized George W. Bush for the invasion of Iraq, which has helped destabilize several countries in the region, including Turkey.
While I am a Turkish-American and ethnic politics are generally uglier than an episode of "Real World Sydney," I try to handle these matters in a civil fashion. I even read columns by Armenian-American journalist Appo Jabarian, even though we have many disagreements for a glimpse of their perspective. I fully respect the fact that Jabarian does not stoop to the lowest common denominator, and his articles, however much I disagree with them, are from a journalistic view, well-written and articulate.
But, that can't be said for all people who have a shisk kebab to skew with Turkey.
Beneath my diplomatic letter was a hate-filled, racist column by one Jack Stratas of Denton, NC. Here are some of the remarks he made, which clearly illustrate a right-wing extremist. Sadly, the man is a Greek-American- though he probably hasn't been to Greece since "Never on Sunday" came out in 1966.
I have many Greek friends, and I enjoy dinning at The Acropolis in Greensboro, but this man clearly jumps to conclusions about all of us on the other side of the Aegean. Here are some excerpts of his insanity (in no way should this be understood for my views!):
"The patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church is made to reside in a dusty complex in Istanbul, a virtual captive of Muslim Turks"...
"Throughout history, the Turkish government has shown an animosity against Christians, much as the News & Record".................
"In his book, 'The Blight of Asia,' Edward Horton, a retired U.S. General in that area, lists atrocities committed by Ottoman Turks against Christians. The butcher's bill is............(yea, we get the picture).
Wait, there's more:
"No one knows for sure how many Greek Christians were slaughtered, but we do know from pictures (what about Wikipedia?) that they were killed or driven into the sea, and the city (Izmir, which he called Smryna....of course!) burned to the ground. (Love this part!) This is a fact."
He goes on to say that there is a web site called "Blight of Asia." Hmmm, yeah there are also web sites for the KKK and Islamic extremist Jihadis. And, he adds in this one instance, he agrees with the Democrats!
Thank you, Nancy............:)
But, I should also thank this blockhead for he does illustrate my deepest concerns at a very profound level.
I am also shocked that "The News & Record," a paper I respect (unlike this guy) would publish some racist, extreme garbage which should be taken to the Davidson County Dump in response to my letter.
I have to wonder if this paper, or any other, would publish a column by David Duke in response to an articulate letter by an African-American, or a letter from a radical anti-semite in response to commentary from a person who is Jewish.
The answer is clearly no, and that is the short and simple reason why those of us in the Turkish-American community always find common ground on the matters which unite us above and beyond the political/social differences (which can be vast) when they threaten to divide us most.
I also read the following line by someone who commented about my letter online: "I am married to a Greek woman, and trust me, it's never too late to hate the Turks."
If the needless shooting of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul by a radical Turkish nationalist youth last year proved anything, it is that this form of hatred however ludicrious has to be taken seriously. Many Turkish people poured into the streets during Dink's funeral, but assuredly everyone forgot about that the very next day.
Hatred is a virus that does not know any race, creed, or religion. I hope one day another Turkish-American will be allowed to write a letter-to-the-editor without a response that is essentially nothing more than a spit in the face. Aside from that, I am thankful that "The News & Record" published my letter.
In short, the ulimate question is the Congressional effort to recognize a contested, painful matter for both Turks and Armenians alike about history, or is it really about politics?
With all due respect, and I sincerely mean that, to Armenian-Americans, I think the answer to that question is clearly: "Politics, Alex."
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