Today, I got an email (obviously not for Turkish American eyes) from the Armenian lobby ANCA announcing that they are endorsing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for the Democratic Party nomination.
ANCA has become increasingly difficult to the Turkish-American community and Turkey in recent years. Congress took up their effort to recognize the Armenian Genocide in a highly dubious bill this fall, which illustrated that House Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) is every much of a 'budala' (Turkish word for idiot) as President George W. Bush.
Though Bush took up our side of the fence on this issue, his idiotic decision to go into Iraq has lead to a remergence of the PKK terrorist group which threatens the geopolitical stability of Turkey.
But, though ANCA does not practice terrorism unlike ASALA, an Armenian terrorist group which killed Turkish diplomats in Europe and North America in the 1970s, their own plans could lead to such tensions in the immediate near future.
Many of my fellow liberals, think the Armenian lobby merely wants a recognition of the 'g-word.' The reality is they also want to 'unite' eastern and western Armenia, which means they wish for Turkey to give them significant portions of eastern Turkey, which also happen to be the same geographic area that Kurdish militants such as the PKK want for a new Kuridsh state. Does this sound like Bosnia, to you? Well, it sure does to me.
Additionally, partisan Armenian American activists around the country have called for a boycott of Turkish products. As if refusing to eat Turkish apricots from the eastern city of Malatya (which is a city that the Kurds and Armenians want) would somehow lead to the Turkish government recognizing the Armenian point of view.
To be fair, Turkey has not helped matters by actually taking controversial novelist Elif Shafak, who teaches at a major university in Arizona, to court for 'insulting Turkishness.'
And, similarly, though none of us are responsible for his heinous murder, the killing of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink did provoke the same uber-partisanship that the murder of Turkish diplomats did on our side some 30 years ago. Dink was a modest man whose political desires were far less extreme than Armenian activists in the West, but sadly his slaying has indeed helped Armenian ethnic partisans.
This leads us to Obama. He WAS my choice for the Democraitc nomination. Clearly, a smart man with great plans for vital areas, including education and the economy. And, both Hillary Cilnton and John Edwards, who dropped out yesterday, were both supporters of ANCA. They are individuals I still respect, and I even came close to volunteering for Edwards in South Carolina.
And, there are also plenty of House and Senate Republicans who have supported their cause as well, including Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Norm Coleman of Minnesota. And, many smart Democratic leaders like Cong. Robert Wexler (D-Fl) take up our side as has Cong. Jeff Flake (R-Az.).
The Armenian cause is not only supported by liberals who want to recognize genocides, but also by arch conservative racists who feel that Turkey is some kind of sinister society which must be subservienent to the West so that the country can become 'civilized.' I read one such letter from one such person the same day I submitted a letter-to-the-editor of a local paper to express my views on the matter. He even went so far as to say that the red color on the Turkish flag represents Greek blood.
ANCA also plans on endorsing someone for the Republican nomination. My hunch is that they will support Mitt Romney simply because he is from Massachussetts, which has a large Armenian American population. He made a comment that he would not have any Muslims in his cabinet.
Though she doesn't agreee with our side, perhaps we should support Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Such is ethnic politics.I have a great deal of respect for Armenian Americans, particularly people like Atom Egoyan and Eric Bogosian, but sadly politics seems as likely to divide us in America as it has in Anatolia long before the controversial, violent events of 1915 ever took place. I think lawmakers need to at least make an effort to objectively look at both sides, and make the best decisions they can.
But, it seems ANCA's influence is in part influenced by their deeper pockets rather than objective intellectual analysis. Conversely, the Turkish American organization ATAA needs to step up such efforts, and make counter political endorsements of their own.
One prime example of the Armenian's lobby extremism is the fact that they went after Bill Clinton's secretary of state Madeline Albirght. She joined all the other seven living secretaries of state in opposing the ANCA bill in Congress. Later, she started a commision to work on the current genocide inDarfur. The Armenian lobby called her a hyprocrite.
Of course, I realize most of you perhaps care more about who won the last hot dog-eating contest in Coney Island. And, for that reason, one has to give ANCA credit. They clearly don't want Armenian Americans to forget where they come from. Ironically, I think they are a perfect example of why Turkish Americans should not either and if nothing else (and, yes- alas, there probably is not much else) I can respect them for that.
Useful Links:
http://www.ataa.org
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