Denying Armenian Genocide, U.S. is denying its own history

I wonder, whose version of history is President Bush referring to? The Armenian Genocide resolution is affirming, reiterating the U.S. historical record, as documented by thousands of items in the U.S. national archives, including the testimony of U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Henry Morgenthau, who witnessed the terrifying massacre. To forget it means to call in question U.S. history. Moreover, the United States recognized the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 and formed Near East Foundation NGO for assistance to Armenian orphans. 123 thousand children were sent to asylums and were rescued from starvation and diseases. To deny with fact is to deny own history. I wonder why the President of the United States yields to Turkish pressure and fears to confirm the history of his country? Each state has "dark pages". U.S. has massacre of Indians, France has Algeria, Germany has Holocaust. None of these states denies that it had happened. None, except for Turkey.

Why can the Dalai Lama be awarded the congressional medal of honor, despite China's protests, threats, yet Armenian Genocide recognition is being frustrated by Turkey's threats. What's the difference between China and Turkey? China is a more important ally for the U.S. than Turkey. One thing should not be forgotten: present-day Turkey and its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, always did what it wanted. If Turkey wants to open archives, it opens. If it wants to close the Incirlik base for the U.S., it closes. Neither the U.S. nor other states can prohibit this country from doing what it wants.

Genocide should be recognized only because Turkey denies it. No one will ever think of denying the Holocaust. Imagine, if one day the whole world agrees with Iran, which claims there was no Holocaust. Discussion of H.Res.106 caused a stir. People, who did not know where Turkey is situated, learned about what happened over 90 years ago. But this is not what we expect from the Resolution. I am confident that the Congressmen will make the right decision since the U.S. is considered a leader in the free world, upholding justice, democracy, truth, freedom. If that is the role the U.S. wants to continue in, it cannot pick and choose which issues to uphold.

The problem is in Turkey, which is afraid of its own history. But the failure to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide was followed by the Holocaust, massacres in Cambodia and Darfur…

Some say 'leave it to the historians'. Well, first of all, history has documented what took place. Rafael Lemkin used the events of 1915 as a basis for coining the term 'genocide'. Numerous historians and scholars, including genocide scholars have called this 'genocide' If the Armenian Genocide is not recognized, then must we go back to the 1940s and deny Lemkin's words, no longer recognize the word genocide (because it was a word created, based on an event that did not exist?)

The AAA, in fact, the entire Armenian-American community, is being mobilized to aggressively combat this attack by Turkey. We are urging all of our supporters to work even harder to counter Turkey's campaign of denial. No vote is being taken for granted and all supporters of H.Res.106 are urged to once again contact their representatives, write letters to various media to express their hope that the U.S. will not succumb to Turkish blackmail and threats, to make sure that Members understand this is about affirming the U.S. record, affirming and recognizing the genocide, and that there is no 'right time.' If the U.S. House of Representatives votes down the Armenian Genocide resolution, it will mean that it joins Turkey's denial campaign.

One of my favorite quotes follows:

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
--Martin Niemöller, German pastor and a Nazi regime dissident, 1946.