Friday, April 24, 2009

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day




1.5 million Armenians died.
Please never forget.

16 comments:

dmarks said...

That's still no excuse for the Armenian morons who spammed me about their cause. That's no way to win sympathy, and it makes this actual historic event seem like something as "Valid" as free c14lis.

dmarks said...

(I know that sounds harsh, but anymore when I think of the Armenian holocaust, I first think of the blizzard of emails I once got about it from spammers).

Z said...

sorry about that, dmarks. There are a few nutty Armenians who go over the top.
I don't believe this cause needs to 'win sympathy', I think the facts speak for themselves.
Had you written something denying that the Turks had done it? What brought the spamming on?

dmarks said...

No..... This was long before the word "blog" had even been coined. This was just email spam. But I do hate spam.

I also got spammed by a nut named Nissan who has been in some war with the Nissan car company. His causes makes sense.... but thanks to his spamming, I want the car company to win. But that is just one nasty guy. No amount of spam would make me approve of, deny, "gloss over", etc. the Armenian holocaust.

Last fall, some "media company" spammed me to vote for Obama. I was angry at them, too. They said that what they do was not spam, but was instead mass-promotional emails, and something like "if there are under 400 emails in a campaign, it is not spam". I got not one spam email from the McCain campaign.

Back to Turkey, I do also remember reading the biography of Aristotle Onassis. He was of Greek ethnicity, born in western Turkey. The book details how the Turks engaged in "ethnic cleansing" of his family and relatives, who ended up fleeing from Turkey (those who survived) and their village was renamed to a Turkish name as part of the Turkish cultural and ethnic cleansing.

This happened around the time of the Armenian genocide. It was very bad, from reading the book, and I know that the Armenian genocide in the other part of Turkey was like that but on a much larger scale. But I view this Onassis book as a "first hand" account of what Turkey was doing, and it is the only one I have read.

Z said...

You might want to read FORTY DAYS AT MUSA DAGH, a classic..OR
BLACK DOG OF FATE, by Peter Balakian, a more engaging read and the best book about the genocide I ever read..bar none.
And I've read a few.(thanks for coming back and filling me in)

Anonymous said...

Of course this terrible event should be remembered. I'd like to think history would teach the important lesson that a horror such as this must not be repeated anywhere.

Sadly, it is a lesson that is overlooked or ignored. These holocausts are repeated in different places, and the pain of those who survived is very real and the trauma stays with them.

I know for you Z, you heard the stories of this horror growing up, and it's the responsibility of subsequent generations, such as you are doing here, to keep the memory alive in the hopes the world will listen.

Yes, never forget.

Pris

cube said...

Yes, it was genocide and it should never be forgotten.

Mr. Cube's grandmother wasn't one to dwell on it in her later years, she just found the courage to get on with her life and never, ever whine about how awful her early life had been. She was one heck of a strong woman. I felt proud to have met her.

Z said...

cube, that's how my grandmother was. I knew what happened, but she'd never mention the gruesome details. I think she was so happy to be living in America and she also wasn't eager to tell us little kids anything too gory or sad.
QUITE a woman....I'm glad you had that experience with Cube's grandmother. I'm not surprised at ALL. xxx

Z said...

L&0? "Wet blanket"? No, you're absolutely right. He didn't.
I've had friends send me articles about how he dissed the Armenian cause again..as EVERY (every single) president has the last 100 years.
Bob Dole's the only politician who fought every year, hard, for the senate to at least issue something condemning Turkey or something..but, no. They won't. Turkey is very important, geopolitically. (the doctor who saved his arm, even as badly as it was left, was an Armenian and he'd come to love the guy)

My own opinion is I hope they NEVER ADMIT IT. NEVER. Anybody with eyes and ears knows it happened, and one of the EU stipulations for keeping Turkey OUT of the EU is THIS sticking point. If that helps Europe to stem the ONSLAUGHT of Turkish muslims who'd flow over the borders if they were in the EU, then so be it.
What many people don't know is that EU member countries' people can cross borders WITH NO PASSPORTS..just TOTAL freedom and that would be IT for Europe, though it's pretty close to 'it' already, isn't it, sadly!

Ya, Obama did what all American presidents have done..BIG PROMISES so Armenians would vote for them, then NOTHING. I was silly enough to think maybe Obama'd actually do something, but he backed off....he got the memo.

By the way, France is one country which DID have the guts to issue this condemnation..about 8 years ago. They sure did. Oh, the Turks were SO not happy...they boycotted, stopped big contracts, etc etc. I'm sure that's all gone by now, that things are copacetic once again.

Let me just add that this was the first time I REALLY knew what a Black person or a Jew feels like when they are treated badly for their faith or their color. I got a very nasty remark made at a French dinner party just after that happened; a VERY nasty comment by a French General telling me that the Armenians were too strong in France and that Turks are wonderful people and they should never have condemned Turkey in the French senate.
I said "I'm of Armenian descent." He turned away and never addressed me again.

it was a gift. Opened my eyes to discrimination in a way they'd never been really opened.

Anonymous said...

God bless you for remembering Z and for reminding us all. You are truly a wonderful person.


Shabbat Shalom

dmarks said...

Bob Dole was also ahead of the curve trying to draw a line when Serbia was visiting multiple holocausts in Croatia, Kosovo, and Bosnia.

Anonymous said...

I remember seeing the film on the Armenian Genocide at the Arclight
theater in Hollywood.

My mom and I went together.
There were 4 of us in the theater.

All of us cried during the film, and then walked out of the theater in shocked silence.

Never forget!!
Matisse

Anonymous said...

Z thank you for following up on my posting with an email to your friend in Germany.

I spoke to my father and he said it is the return of the Nazi era and he said to beware that it will be worse this time. He ought to know having been in a labor camp and what he endured.

Anyhow, thanks again and I am anxiously awaiting an update. I know how trustworthy and credible you are, so again, thanks!

Hugs,
Zeeva xxx

Zack R said...

Yes, to echo many here, thanks Z for this reminder. Also the book recommendations. And I do hope the horrors themselves will supplant in some commentors' minds the horrors of spam abuse-- am offering that up in a friendly tone. I feel for victims of such cyber-abuse, but it can't replace one's sensitivity to the holocaust itself; that would be letting Evil win. It reminds me a little (indirectly) of my mom who will now and then rail and bitch about the "junk mail" whe receives-- charitable requests, for the most part. I see mail like this as an essential, important tool in the hands of people who are doing Good. What is the alternative? -to let the children, vets, animals, etc. for whom such charitable organizations toil, just suffer and perish, unknown and unfunded by the generosity of donors? Again-- no offense meant to the victims of spam, because it IS a pain and an abuse. Just wanted to emphasize the other side a bit. (And no, I am not a spammer!)

Z said...

Zeeva, we're in tough times.
I fear every gruop fighting islamists in Europe, and even here, will be discredited if 2 supremacists happen to just say they AGREE with that group.
This is a tough dilemma..
i haven't heard back from our friend; he was having some eye surgery and could be going through that now, but I'll let you know..

Rita Loca said...

I am so sorry I missed this.