previous post next post  

Boyda's letter for constituents regarding the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

By The Armorer on October 19, 2007 | | Comments (5)
Thank you for contacting me regarding H. Res. 106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I appreciate hearing from you on this matter.

The thought of purposely killing others on a mass scale because of their race, religion or ethnicity is simply horrific. We’ve seen the worst of humanity in World War II, in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s and today in Darfur.

The resolution requests the President to “accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.” However, Turks strongly reject the genocide label, insisting there was no organized campaign against the Armenians and that many Turks also died in the chaos and violence of the period.

Both Armenia and Turkey have a dialogue to establish a joint commission to examine the events of the time and possibly other issues. This resolution could result in this dialogue ending.

Turkey is an important ally for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. uses Incirlik Air Base for operations to deliver over half of the cargo flown into Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, Turkey’s diplomatic future is at an unprecedented crossroad. Turkey is the only majority-Islamic country in the Middle East that is a democracy. It is in our best interests to continue to support the democratic ideals that have been a hallmark of modern Turkey.

While the resolution is well-intentioned, the recent actions by the House Foreign Affairs Committee are counterproductive to relations between the United States and Turkey. The Turkish government has temporarily recalled its Ambassador to the United States. While not directly related, the Turkish government has indicated that it may take military action against ethnic Kurds inside northern Iraq, potentially fracturing a relatively peaceful area in Iraq.

I sent a letter to the Speaker that bringing H. Res. 106 to the floor would be a step in the wrong direction for our national security. I will encourage my colleagues to do the same and to vote against the resolution should it come for a vote before the House of Representatives.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. As your representative, I truly value your input and I hope you will continue to keep in touch in the future.

Oddly enough, I *didn't* get a copy of the letter Representative Boyda sent to Madame Speaker.

I think my Representative is representative of my views on this subject, if we still have some substantial disagreements on some issues surrounding the war.

Share This Article:

Categories:

5 Comments

By FbL on October 19, 2007 11:03 PM
Bravo to Rep. Boyda for standing up for what is right, even though it's against her Congressional Leaders!
 
By Trias on October 20, 2007 10:42 AM
I hope Turkey has the fortitude to come up with their own resolution with the Armenians of their own free will. I'm of mixed mind about this. Consider the idea of glossing over a genocide a poor one. One I see some Jews being understandably uncomfortable about. Why now though? Why has there been such a long delay? And there are deeper moral issues too. Perhaps messy ones. Would such a formality actually help the Armenians or foment more trouble? Would Turkey's reaction encourage the death of the last and only real Islamic Democracy? Would perhaps the fear of Turkey's antagonism be a yet darker path to follow? Would Turkey even react much? I'm not sure why Turkey's threats to attack the Kurds in Iraq is acceptable though. That's where the real resolution should be in my view.
 
By jim b on October 22, 2007 8:54 PM
Don't forget Boyda and Moore's dark side: There's legislation currently circling the House that focuses on the extension of equal rights to homosexual members of the workforce. H.R. 2015, also known as 'ENDA' or the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, has found a divided Democratic Caucus and a highly skeptical Democratic leadership, which has thusfar neglected to formally introduce the legislation, fearing that it is simply too liberal for mainstream America. That's right, Nancy Boyda and Dennis Moore - two of the bill's most fervent supporters and co-sponsors - are pushing legislation so progressive that even Nancy Pelosi, the Queen Lefty of California, won't touch it. Sadly, it gets worse. In May, both Boyda and Moore voted against the Republican Hate Crimes Motion to Recommit. Additionally, both Boyda and Moore voted against special legal protections for Senior Citizens and members of the Military.
 
By Trias on October 23, 2007 12:54 AM
Ahh yes, a reason I'll never be a conservative to a conservative and probably not a conservative at all.
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 23, 2007 6:25 PM
Just be conservative issue by issue, Trias. I know, it still makes it a challenge when election time comes up and it's hard not to be a single issue voter when the single issue is a paramount one in your life. You don't have to be conservative on all of them. Just as I work on Nancy not to be liberal on all of them. Heh. I work hard to keep Nancy pulled as far to the right as I can - and get sniped at from the right for doing it. No, I don't mean Jim. You should read my emails.