I am not convinced it is the business of government to officially recognise holocausts. But if we are going to do it, then let's at least aim for some consistency.
A propos, Robert Fisk wrote a solid piece in the Independent the other day attacking the three stooges (Bush, Petraeus and Crocker) for caving into Turkish pressure over the non-binding House resolution recognising the Armenian holocaust:
http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article3146418.ece
However, what deserves more attention than Fisk or the mainstream media are likely to provide is the role of prominent Jews in downplaying the horrendous events in Ottoman Turkey during the 1st World War. Several years ago, the Nobel Prize winning author Elie Wiesel attempted to suppress mention of the Armenian genocide at a conference on genocide in Israel. Yet when it comes to Armenia, there is no more accomplished practitioner of selective indignation than the Democratic congressman from San Francisco, Tom Lantos.
I may have confused you since Tom is never described by the sages of our media as plain old "Democratic congressman". That would be unthinkably vulgar. Holocaust Industry protocol requires the bestowal of an untouchable (and not in the Indian caste sense) moral quality upon his opinions and outbursts. The correct way to refer to Tom is “Holocaust survivor and Democratic congressman”. Not bad going for someone who doubles as a holocaust denier.
Despite the overwhelming documentary evidence, photos, testimony etc. Tom is still not sure that the massacres of Armenians in the first world war constitute genocide (this from a man who has lived amongst educated and well-informed Armenians all his political life - California has the largest Armenian population in the United States). Tom even helped AIPAC’s previous stooge in the White House block passage of a similar resolution in 2000. Tom's "agnosticism" towards the Armenian holocaust is even more shameful once you appreciate the inspiration the Nazis drew from this genocidal prototype. *
So I was stunned when I picked up a newspaper a month ago and read how Tom had changed his mind and decided to vote for the resolution this year. I would love to tell you how he summoned the courage to jump ship following a titanic wrestling bout with his conscience. How, for the sake of the truth and justice and at the persistent urging of Jewish organizations all over America, he abandoned the preposterous notion of the uniqueness and superiority of Jewish suffering. How it was time to make room for 2 holocausts in the history books of America’s public schools and holocaust exhibits and museums….
Sadly I must report that Tom's fundamental view of the Armenian holocaust remains unchanged. What has shifted is Tom's opinion of Israel's erstwhile military ally Turkey. Tom thinks Turkey is a strategic write-off and needs to be humiliated for its failure to co-operate with the invasion of Iraq. Put more succintly, Turkey obstructed the AIPAC agenda, a huge no-no. Not only has Turkey been flexing its muscles in its relationship with United States, it has been flirting with Islamic fundamentalism. This is very unwelcome news for diehard defenders of Israel.
But there is a final twist. It turns out that the Great Holocaust Survivor is also the Jihadists Best Friend, a relationship dating back to Bosnia. Check out Tom’s latest oral contribution to peace and stability in the Balkans, this time on the topic of an independent "Republic of Kosova":
"Just a reminder to the predominantly Muslim-led government[s] in this world that here is yet another example that the United States leads the way for the creation of a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe. This should be noted by both responsible leaders of Islamic governments, such as Indonesia, and also for jihadists of all color and hue. The United States' principles are universal, and in this instance, the United States stands foursquare for the creation of an overwhelmingly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe."
In other words, appeasing jihadists in Europe is totally consistent with the global War on Terror, part of Tom’s brilliant plan to fool those dumb Muslims into believing that, despite its slavish support of Israel, America is really on their side. Jihad, it seems, is only a problem when the rockets are aimed at Tel Aviv.
I recall reading somewhere how some female inmates became whores to survive the Nazi death camps. Tom Lantos’ career is testament to the fact that in the political arena, the process can work in reverse.
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(* Note: For those who wish to learn more about the Armenian holocaust, I recommend highly Professor Peter Balakian’s “The Burning Tigris”, a masterpiece of research into the 20th century's first genocide.)
