Bill would recognize Armenian deaths as genocide

Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia

Democrats and Republicans introduced a resolution in the House calling for U.S. recognition of the 1.5 million Armenian deaths at the end of World War I as genocide.

The measure will likely anger Turkey who claim the deaths were not the result of genocide. President Bush opposes such a move saying even congressional debate could damage relations with Turkey, a Muslim ally and host of Incirlik Air Force Base -- utilized by American forces for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sponsors of the resolution say the newly controlled Democratic Congress make it more likely that it will make the House floor for a vote. Similar measures have failed in the past with congressional leaders keeping it from vote.

Blogian states:

Israeli scholar Yair Auron’s “Banality of Denial: Israel and the Armenian Genocide,” which I finished reading last week, states that the resolution was pulled out in 2000 because Shimon Perez had written a letter to Clinton saying that Jewish lives in Turkey would be under danger if it passed. But more recently, a former Turkish FBI translator has claimed that then House speaker Hastert pulled out the resolution because he was bribed by nationalist Turkish groups in America.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who supports the resolution, will likely get a call from the President asking for a no vote on grounds of national security.

Bush issues a statement every year commemorating what happened to the many Armenians at the end of the first World War, but has come just short of declaring it genocide. In Turkey it is a crime to use the word to describe what happened while in France it is just the opposite -- denying that the killings are genocide is a crime.

Mizgîn of Rastî has lost hope with Turkey:

So much for the concepts of sin and shame. What a bunch of losers.

Well, there you have it. There really isn't any hope. If Turkey cannot come to terms with the Armenian Genocide, which happened almost 100 years ago, it cannot come to terms with its continuing Kurdish genocide. No, there really isn't any hope at all.

Prof. Dr. Norman Barry (found here) differs:

First there is the alleged “Armenian genocide,” then the problem of Kurdish separatism and the abiding complaint that in Turkey the military has too great a say in politics. I deliberately say “alleged” Armenian genocide since there is genuine disagreement among reputable historians about what exactly took place in World War I. Undoubtedly there was harsh treatment of the Armenian minority, but was it a genocide? Probably not, and we must remember that it also took place in extraordinary times: Turkey was fearful of Russia and a potentially subversive minority posed a serious problem.

In closing, a quote from colleague Tim Showers:

I believe passing this bill is the right thing to do; not speaking out against the Turkish government's position is akin to implicitly supporting it, which we would no more do than supporting Holocaust deniers. The timing, however, is unfortunate, given the politically charged near future with Turkey, so the question becomes does the pragmatism of international relations override the principle of human rights support.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Governmental Continuity: Who would follow?

Last night, during the State of the Union address, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales skipped the event in case of a catastrophic attack or accident. Tradition is for a member of the President's cabinet to miss the speech in case something were to happen -- wiping out the entire administration -- someone is still alive to be president.

But what if something happens to large portion of congressional members? How would the House and/or Senate carry on if many are incapacitated or dead? This is not so clear.

For those dead, the Constitution would prevent speedy filling of vacancies after an attack. And living, incapacitated members could not be replaced until the next election.

A bipartisan group Commission on the Continuity of Government made various recommendations to Congress. One is "a constitutional amendment to provide for the emergency interim appointments to the House in case of widespread death, and to both chambers in the case of widespread incapacitation. . ." Another, to revise the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, which they fell is out of date. And also propose a plan to replenish the Supreme Court if fell below six members.

Attempts to remedy the situation with legislation have failed. As Michael Grass at Readexpress.com puts it:

There have been various proposals introduced to address the situation, including a constitutional amendment by Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., that would have allowed for the temporary appointment of House members. That proposal was sunk in 2004 by Baird's fellow House members. A bill authored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. — which would have required states to hold special elections with in 49 days of a declaration by the speaker that more than 100 members had been killed, passed the House in 2005, but died in the Senate.

Is this an issue important enough for the US government to tackle? Maybe it's a bit morbid to dwell on a catastrophic attack on Washington DC, but it's happened before and with a plane that was suppose to hit the congressional chamber, a second consideration could be worth it.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Virginia Lawmaker Makes Slavery Comment

Del. Frank D. Hargrove, a Virginia legislator, recently said that "our black citizens should get over it," when speaking about slavery and also said, "are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?"

The remarks came from his opposition to a state measure that, if passed, would apologize to the descendants of slaves.

Hargrove's comments have drawn denunciations from colleagues and bloggers. Everett W at DCABloob:

Actually, the symbolic apology is supposed to help citizens get over it but that point is clearly lost on Hargrove.

It gets better and by that I mean worse.

Hargrove further analogized in reference to the resolution, “Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?"

Wow, the old "Jews killed Christ" bromide makes this a bigotry two-fer. The only thing Hargrove didn't find a way to do is bash gays but maybe he's saving that for next week.

Bill Day of A Web Undone 2 points out some other recent, insensitive words and acts by politicians as well as Hargrove's:

First, George Allen comes out and compares a South Asian to a "Macaca" monkey, then characterizes Judaism as an "aspersion." Then Congressman Virgil Goode attacks Keith Ellison for being sworn in on the Koran and suggests that the immigration laws should keep people like Ellison out of the country. (Ellison , who is African American, was born a citizen of the United States.) Now Virginia Delegate Frank Hargrove is denying the country's responsibility for slavery and talking about Christ-killing on Martin Luther King Day.

Tonny Penny at Charles County Cafe, however, agrees with the lawmaker:

As a Black person, it is with great pride that I say: he’s right. The institution of slavery was an evil, vile, repulsive stain on the fabric of America. It is inarguably the most evil thing this country has ever done. But slavery ended 145 years ago. No one alive today was a slave. Most Americans alive today cannot trace an ancestor who owned slaves. You would be hard pressed to find 1% of the population who think slavery was a good idea and/or morally just. Hargrove said what I believe many White people ultimately believe and, here’s a shocker, he said what alot of Black people I know think as well.

Slavery was horrible. That’s not in dispute. But it’s over. And the sad reality is that in 2007 there are so many other issues, in Virginia and elsewhere, that must be and can be dealt with and corrected. An official apology by Virginia or Alabama or the United States of America will do nothing to correct the racism and discrimination that currently exist. Slavery is something, like the Jewish Holocaust, that should never be forgotten. Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. But it’s time to move on.

Are there not more important issues for Virginia legislators than spending time debating whether or not an apology should be given?

-Dippold
(thanks to Hogan for pointing out this article)
Political Online Reputation

Pentagon viewing Americans' Financial Records

The Pentagon and CIA have been using national security letters to observe the credit and banking records of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage within the United States.

The national security letters allow the executive branch to obtain records of people being investigated in terror and spy cases without grand jury subpoena or approval by a judge.

Although it is not clear how many requests have been made, spokesman for the Pentagon Bryan Whitman said the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Right to Financial Privacy Act and the National Security Act allow authorities to seek the records.

Vice President Dick Cheney has affirmed and defended the practice.

"The Department of Defense has legitimate authority in this area. This is an authority that goes back three or four decades. It was reaffirmed in the Patriot Act," he said. "It's perfectly legitimate activity. There's nothing wrong with it or illegal. It doesn't violate people's civil rights."

Not everyone agrees. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee say his panel will investigate Cheney's claims.

Dholtz at GlobalPOV also calls for oversight:

The problem with this story like so many others, is that although it feels reasonable to not stop the government from doing reasonable things to facilitate an ongoing investigation, there's a big element of trust here to not require any checks and balances or oversight on the government throughout the process. IMHO, the best government is one who is being watched, while they watch over us. By that standard, this is a less-than-perfect government.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

US Visitor Fingerprints to be Scanned

Sometime this summer, the US government will require visitors -- including those from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other European Union nations -- to have all 10 fingers scanned when entering the United States. Currently, under the US-Visit program, certain non-U.S. citizen visitors must have two fingers scanned and a photograph taken.

The move to scan all 10 fingers is in the name of fighting terrorism. It is more secure than the two finger method and is becoming the international standard.

This information -- compatible with the FBI's fingerprint database -- will be shared with the FBI and other international intelligence agencies with no restrictions on use.

Ten airports will initially be involved including Miami, Washington and New York. Airports across the country are expected to do the scan by the end of 2008.

Urthwalker at The Hindsight Factor points out some problems with plan:

But hey, why not further bankrupt our grandchildren, bankrupt our morality, and overload law enforcement with useless clutter – there’s a war going on!

Koen Crolla at Rosio Pavoris reveals the possibility of technical error:

Even if you don’t object to being treated like a criminal for no reason, keep in mind that fingerprint identification has a pretty high error rate, and these prints will mostly be taken by inexperienced staff using equipment that takes thousands every day.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

D.C. may Receive Representation in Congress

During the first few months of its term, the 110th Congress is expected to consider a reintroduced bill that would allow residents of Washington D.C. to elect a voting member to the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would also allow Utah an additional representative in the House.

This comes after 200 plus years of D.C. citizens paying taxes, fighting in wars and living under acts of Congress.

Janie at The Progressive Truth exclaims, "It's about damn time!":

For over 200 years, the nation's capital has faced "taxation without representation", an ideal that spurred our founding fathers to seperate from England and create a nation where every citizen has a say in how their tax dollars are spent. DC residents have paid taxes, fought in wars, abided by national laws, and served as the seat of our federal government for over two centuries without having a say in how this government was run.

MetaDC believes the bill is not enough:

. . . representation in the House without representation in the Senate is hardly better than no representation at all. The Senate exists to protect small states, and the District is undeniably small. A single member in the House of Representatives is unable to accomplish anything meaningful in terms of actual votes; we need Senators to properly represent us. Moreover, without a promise of our right to vote enshrined in the Constitution, Congress can easily deprive us of that lone House member once again any time it wishes.

Opponents site language in the constitution stating House members must be comprised of "the people of the several states."

Jim Addison of Wizbang Politics proposes letting DC citizens be part of Maryland:

It would be more appropriate to designate District voters part of Maryland, and allow the extra seat to be drawn by the state legislature. I am not sympathetic to the proposed legislation at all.

-Dippold

Political Online Representation