California Courier Online, September 1, 2005
1 – Commentary
Speaker Hastert Should Come Clean
By Disclosing All Contributions
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 – The Hot Dish on Armenia TV’s English-Language Talk Show
3- Argentina, 2, Turkey, 0
4 – Mesrobian School Earns
Maximum Accreditation
5 – Karen Kondazian Stars in Off-Broadway
Production of New Play ‘Kissing Fidel’
6 – Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Banquet Celebrates ‘Match for Life 2005′
7 – Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia to Begin
Pontifical Visit to California on Oct. 5
8 – Kick-Off Party for Pontifical Banquet
Raises More than $1 Million for Antelias
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Speaker Hastert Should Come Clean
By Disclosing All Contributions
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Several important developments have taken place since Vanity Fair magazine
reported that a Turkish diplomat had talked about arranging for $500,000 in
small, un-itemized contributions of less than $200 each to House Speaker
Dennis Hastert in order to block a congressional resolution on the Armenian
Genocide in Fall 2000.
A watchdog Group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Government,
filed a complaint on August 16 urging federal officials to investigate
whether Speaker Hastert’s campaign did indeed illegally accept campaign
contributions from foreign nationals.
According to Vanity Fair, the FBI had wiretapped several Turkish subjects
or “targets” in the United States who had discussed arranging “for tens of
thousands of dollars to be paid to Hastert’s campaign funds in small
checks.”
Sibel Edmonds, a Turkish translator working for the FBI, was asked by her
superiors to review more than 40 recorded conversations of “a senior
official” at the Turkish Consulate in Chicago as well as members of the
American-Turkish Council (ATC) and the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations (ATAA) in Washington, D.C., according to Vanity Fair.
A spokesman for Speaker Hastert is quoted by Vanity Fair as saying that the
Speaker has “no affiliation with ATC or other groups reportedly mentioned
in the wiretaps. He does not know these organizations.” ATC and ATAA issued
separate statements denying the allegations made in the Vanity Fair
article.
By claiming that the Speaker “does not know these [Turkish] groups,” his
spokesman is simply undermining Hastert’s credibility and giving credence
to the allegations made against him. A quick search on google reveals that
the spokesman’s assertions are contradicted by the following facts:
— The then President of ATC, Lincoln McCurdy, sent a letter to Hastert in
September of 2000, urging him to block the pending congressional resolution
on the Armenian Genocide;
— ATC paid for several trips to Turkey by the staff of the House
Republican leadership;
— The Turkish-US Business Council (TUBC), the counterpart in Turkey of the
American Turkish Council, reported on its web site that it hosted the
Speaker of the House in Turkey in 2002 (he also visited Turkey in 1997 and
2004);
— The Turkish Daily News reported in its Feb. 5, 2005 issue that the TUBC
“helped create a Turkish caucus in the U.S. Congress” and “lobbied
successfully with U.S. lawmakers” to increase Turkey’s textile quotas and
obtain the “rejection of the so-called Armenian genocide bill in the U.S.
Congress;”
— Ercument Kilic, the then President of ATAA, wrote a letter to Hastert on
July 20, 2004, to thank him for blocking yet another Armenian resolution in
the House. Kilic called Hastert “a national leader and a great statesman.”
It would, therefore, be inconceivable that Speaker Hastert as well as his
staff would be unaware of ATC and ATAA given these groups’ active
involvement in various congressional issues for several years.
Back in October 23, 2000, the Turkish newspaper Sabah published an article
that sounded too bizarre to be taken seriously at the time, but in the
light of recent revelations, it now merits a second look. Sabah reported
that in order to persuade Speaker Hastert to block the Armenian Genocide
resolution, “the Chairman of AIPAC [The American Israel Public Affairs
Committee] met with Hastert and explained to him ‘all the concerns in plain
English.'” The AIPAC Chairman then reportedly pressured Hastert by telling
him: “You may well gain a few more Armenian votes, but have you stopped to
consider how many Jewish votes you will lose by this?”
Sabah further reported: “Another Jew had come down from Chicago and put the
squeeze on Hastert because they had financed the Republicans to the tune of
$10 million or more.” Hastert agreed to block the Armenian Genocide
resolution on condition that Pres. Clinton make such a request in writing.
Sabah reported that a “Jewish Turk from Istanbul” then contacted former
Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres who in turn persuaded Clinton to write
the requested letter. Hastert used Clinton’s letter as a cover to pull the
resolution from the House floor.
To set the record straight, once and for all, Speaker Hastert should
itemize and make public all campaign contributions he has received under
$200, even though he is not legally required to do so.
Hastert has twice reneged on his promise to allow the Armenian Genocide
resolution to come to a vote on the House floor. As another such resolution
is currently pending in the House, it remains to be seen whether the
Speaker would once again prevent the congressmen from casting their votes
on this issue? Or, would he again hide behind the President or some other
official to cover up for his unexplained desire to cater to Turkish
interests?
If the Speaker refuses to voluntarily disclose all of his campaign
contributions, the citizens of this country must pressure him to do so by:
— Demanding that there be a joint Congressional hearing on his campaign
funds (click on <; and sign the petition calling for such a hearing); -- Making a contribution to the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition for a newspaper ad campaign concerning the Hastert allegations (click on <;); -- Making a contribution to the ACLU to support Sibel Edmonds' petition to the Supreme Court; and -- Making a contribution to the ad campaign to have the Federal Election Commission investigate the Hastert campaign contributions (click on <;). This issue is not a matter of Armenians vs. Turks. It has more to do with upholding the laws of the United States of America, starting with the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives! ************************************************************************** 2 - The Hot Dish on Armenia TV's English-Language Talk Show YEREVAN - The second season of Armenia TV's "Hotline" talk program debuts next month on Dish Network channel 905. Over the past few months, program host Paul Chaderjian has interviewed more than fifty guests who are working or are involved with projects in Armenia. "The interview show idea came to life when Armenia TV asked me to go to Armenia and help with the coverage of the 90th Anniversary of the Genocide," says Chaderjian, who is a former ABC News writer-producer and one of the hosts of the annual Armenia Fund Thanksgiving Day Telethon. "I helped Armenia TV set up a live transmission to CNN, Associated Press, and a few European news agencies," says Chaderjian. "We wanted to show the world how important the commemoration and Genocide recognition are to Armenia and Armenians around the world. What we did was set up a satellite feed with the help of the Foreign Ministry and broadcast the commemoration ceremonies, interviews with scholars who had attended the Ultimate Crime symposium, soundbites from those at the commemoration, archival photos and footage shot from a helicopter." CNN and AP were among those who used the news feed and broadcast the Genocide commemoration story during their global broadcasts and news feeds to affiliate stations on April 24th and 25th. CNN's Wolf Blitzer program featured a story about the Genocide using the footage and a live interview with California Courier Publisher Harout Sassounian. "When I was in Yerevan," says Chaderjian, "Armenia TV's Bagrat Sargsyan and I were talking about creating a venue on television where we could talk to guests in English and reach non-Armenian speaking audiences. That's how 'Hotline' was born." Chaderjian stayed in Armenia through May, when Armenia TV also broadcast the May 28 Independence Day Circle Dance story to international news gathering organizations. During his stay, Chaderjian interviewed dozens of guests for Hotline. Among them were Genocide scholars, historian Richard Hovannisian, environmental activists, educators, writer Michellene Aharonian Marcom, singer Nune Yesayan, and local restaurateurs and foreign ambassadors including Deepak Vohra from India and Norwegian representative Tim Straight. "There are so many interesting projects happening in Armenia and so many interesting people coming through Yerevan," says Chaderjian. "I feel fortunate to have had the chance to talk to them and share the information with diaspora audiences in Europe and back at home." Hotline airs on Dish Network channel 905 every day at 8:00 PM PST and repeats Mondays through Thursday at 10:00 AM PST. More information about Armenia TV is available through the site the Internet. ***************************************************************** 3 - Argentina, 2, Turkey, 0 YEREVAN (Arminfo) - On July 27 the National Senate of Argentina again adopted a statement seriously condemning Turkey in connection of Armenian genocide, which was the first genocide of the 20th century. A press release by the Armenian Foreign Ministry says that it is already second statement of the National Senate of Argentina. On April 20 it condemned the Turkish authorities for repeated denial of the indisputable facts. In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry came out with a note of protest assessing the statement by the Argentinean Senate as immoral. On May 5, Argentinian MPs rejected the Turkish protest, calling it "groundless." ************************************************************** 4 - Mesrobian School Earns Maximum Accreditation PICO RIVERA Calif. - Once again, Armenian Mesrobian School earned the maximum six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The accreditation process included many steps and involved the participation of administration, staff, students, parents, and community members who were formed into Home Groups and Focus Groups. In preparation for the visit, the school surveyed students and parents, teachers observed one another's classes, and teachers analyzed student work. The Home and Focus Groups held meetings to analyze the resulting data and produced reports that were included in the school's self-study, a document used by the visiting committee as part of its evaluation. During their time on campus, members of the visiting committee met with the Leadership Team and Principal Hilda Saliba every morning to ask questions about different aspects of the school's program. They also held formal meetings during which they interviewed teachers as well as students. They observed classes in session and children during recesses and lunch breaks, and they examined samples of student work from all grade levels and all subjects. On the last day of the visit, the faculty gathered in the library to hear the report. The committee members first conveyed their personal opinions of the school. They expressed how impressed they were with the evidence of innovative and varied teaching methodologies used in the classrooms. They were equally impressed with the family atmosphere that Mesrobian has to offer. They expressed the opinion that parents should feel fortunate to send their children to such a nurturing environment that offers such a solid education. One member even used an analogy that compared Mesrobian to a "diamond that is polished and faceted" and went on to say that if she had young children she would feel comfortable sending them to Mesrobian. Members of the committee also made a point of complimenting the principal for her leadership skills and the teachers for their devotion to the school and the teaching profession. In the official report the committee noted the school's strengths as well as areas of needed growth-areas the faculty and administration had already identified in the self-study. The accreditation process was demanding and lengthy, but it was well worth the effort put forth by the administration, faculty, and staff as well as the students and parents who were involved. It gave members of the Mesrobian community a chance to see the school through someone else's eyes and a chance to reaffirm what they have felt all along: that Mesrobian is truly a solid educational institution. Mesrobian will be celebrating 40 years of continued service to the Armenian community and its educating role at a Gala Banquet Oct. 21 at the Holy Cross' Bagramian Hall in Montebello. ************************************************************************** 5 - Karen Kondazian Stars in Off-Broadway Production of New Play 'Kissing Fidel' LOS ANGELES - Karen Kondazian, award-winning star of last year's critically acclaimed Fountain Theatre production of "Master Class," returns to New York to star in the INTAR Theatre's Off Broadway production of "Kissing Fidel," a new play written by Cuban playwright Eduardo Machado and directed by Michael John Garcé at The Kirk Theatre at 410 West 42nd Street on Theatre Row in Manhattan. Previews begin Sept. 6. The play opens Sept. 20 for a limited run ending October 23. 'Kissin Fidel" is an outrageous comedy/drama set in a Miami funeral home. The matriarch is dead and the exiled family is in mourning. Tempers explode when the deceased matriarch¹s grandson announces that he is returning to Cuba to kiss and forgive Fidel Castro. The show is inappropriate for children under 17. Kondazian was recently honored with an Ovation award for her performance as legendary opera diva Maria Callas in the award-winning eight-month run of Master Class at the Fountain Theatre. She is considered the foremost interpreter of Tennessee Williams' leading ladies in Los Angeles theatre. Williams himself pronounced her portrayal of Serafina in The Rose Tattoo as "staggeringly beautiful" and for that performance she won the L. A. Drama Critics Circle Award. For the Fountain she has played Maxine in The Night of The Iguana (Back Stage West Garland award) and Lady in Orpheus Descending (Ovation Award nomination); she has also played Alexandra del Lago (opposite Ed Harris) in Sweet Bird of Youth and Mrs. Wire in Vieux Carre (L.A. Weekly award). She has appeared with Richard Chamberlain in Richard II (Ahmanson), with Stacy Keach in Hamlet (Mark Taper Forum) and in Mark Rydell's TNT movie, James Dean. A lifetime member of the Actors Studio, she has studied with Lee Strasberg and Jose Quintero, and has authored a book titled The Actor¹s Encyclopedia of Casting Directors. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8 pm, Sat., 2 pm and 8 pm, Sun., at 2 pm. Tickets are $25-40., and are available by phone at Ticket Central, 212-279-4200 or online at For further information, call 212-714-2442. *************************************************************************** 6 - Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry Banquet Celebrates 'Match for Life 2005' The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry's (ABMDR) "Match for Life 2005" banquet was held at the Glendale Hilton on August 5, 2005. The event attracted over 350 guests and dignitaries who had come to support the ABMDR in its quest for finding bone marrow/stem cell matches for Armenian patients, to raise funds for its ongoing operations, and to celebrate its honorees. The evening started with a welcome from ABMDR board member and master of ceremonies Dr.Vergine Madelian, followed by remarks from Alique Topalian, Armen Titizian, and Lena Dinkjian, who recounted the help and support their families received from the ABMDR during their search for suitable bone marrow donors. Lena announced that the ABMDR had recently found a match for her father. Guests then viewed a moving video showing the transformation of Aram, a young patient in Armenia, from a very sick child to a healthy and energetic boy through the miracle of a bone marrow transplant through the efforts of the ABMDR. Dr. Frieda Jordan, President of the ABMDR, then summarized the accomplishments of the Registry: close to 10,000 registered Armenian donors worldwide, more than 400 patients identified, 300 bone marrow/stem cell matches found, and five transplants performed in Armenia, Europe and the USA. Future goals include recruiting 2,000 additional donors, raising $300,000 to pay for recruitment and tissue-typing costs, establishing a stem cell harvest center in Armenia and setting up recruitment centers in Europe, South America, and Australia. "Due to our widely scattered Diaspora, global expansion is crucial to the success of the ABMDR's mission," Dr. Jordan explained. The ABMDR has increased its exposure internationally, establishing recruitment centers in high density areas of ethnic Armenians to make the ABMDR more accessible and responsive to patients worldwide. Recognizing their outstanding contributions to the ABMDR, Dr. Frieda Jordan, assisted by Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian, presented awards to Dr. Aida Shirinian-Kaloostian, Woman of the Year, Arthur Zakarian, Man of the Year, Angel Markarian-Matevosian, Volunteer of the Year, and Vasken Kaypekian of Next Day Color Inc., Business of the Year. All were also recognized with similar awards by Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian, Assembly Members Dario Frommer, Cindy Montenez and Carol Liu, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, County of Los Angeles Supervisor Michael Antonovich, Los Angeles City Council Member Eric Garcetti, Member of the State Board of Equalization John Chiang, and President of the Armenian American Chamber of Commerce Armond Agakhani. Following the awards presentations, each honoree was given a large piece of a puzzle; the completed puzzle revealed Yana, a patient for whom the ABMDR has found a bone marrow donor, and who awaits a transplant. Commenting on the puzzle as a symbol of making Yana whole again, Dr. Madelian, ABMDR Board member stated, "It takes the concentrated efforts of several people, each with a small piece of the puzzle, to make a complete picture . . . funds from our supporters, time and expertise from our volunteers and staff, and coordination and organization from the ABMDR to bring all these pieces of good will and generosity together." The ABMDR is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that every ethnic Armenian struck with a life-threatening blood-related illness finds a genetically suitable bone marrow/stem cell match, and through that, gets a chance at long-term survival. The ABMDR is international in scope, with headquarters in Glendale; two tissue-typing laboratories in Yerevan, Armenia and Pomona, California; and recruitment centers in Glendale (at Glendale Memorial Hospital) and Los Feliz, Beirut, Tehran, and Boston. It is a member of the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, and has formed collaborations with the Caitlin Raymond International Registry of University of Massachusetts Medical and the Anthony Nolan Foundation in England. The Match for Life 2005 banquet brings the ABMDR $65,000 closer to its goal of raising the $300,000 needed for recruiting and typing the additional donors by the end of 2005, and maintaining its global status. Dr. Jordan is confident that "there will be many more success stories to tell in the future. And those will be made possible through the generosity of supporters, and the dedication and hard work of our volunteers." Those who wish to further assist the Registry in reaching its goals may contact the ABMDR at: 3111 Los Feliz Blvd, Suite 206, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1519; phone (323) 663-3609; email: abmdrla@sbcglobal.net; website: ************************************************************************** 7 - Catholicos Aram I of Cilicia to Begin Pontifical Visit to California on Oct. 5 LOS ANGELES - Catholicos Aram I, of the Great House of Cilicia will begin a 15-day Pontifical visit to California on Oct. 5. 2005. The historic trip of the Pontiff, who prominently serves as the Moderator for the World Council of Churches (WCC), an organization representing over 400 million Christians worldwide, will be framed around the theme of "Towards the Light of Knowledge. During his visit to California, the Pontiff will participate in a number of religious ceremonies, educational programs and youth forums in Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco. The visit will begin on Oct. 5 with an official welcoming ceremony at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church in Hollywood and conclude with a visit to the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School in San Francisco on Oct. 18. The Pontiff will visit a number of other areas, including Fresno, where he will deliver his Pontifical message on Oct. 10 at the historic Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church. As the spiritual leader of the Great House of Cilicia, Catholicos Aram I represents a religious center established in 1441 to serve the spiritual needs of Armenians living in the Near East. For centuries, the Great House of Cilicia maintained a network of over 15 dioceses, dozens of monasteries and was served by hundreds of faithful priests. Following the Armenian Genocide of 1915, during which 1.5 million Armenians were massacred and their houses of worship destroyed, the Catholicosate was relocated to Antelias, Lebanon. As the Moderator for the WCC, Aram I represents the broadest and most inclusive organization of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity. The WCC brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church fellowships in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world, representing some 400 million Christians. The WCC brings together most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of denominations from such historic traditions of the Protestant Reformation as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed, as well as many united and independent churches. Today the Catholicosate of Cilicia houses a prominent Cathedral, a Veharan (the Catholicos residence), accommodations for visiting clergy, modern printing facilities, a museum, a library, as well as administrative offices to run a prominent Seminary and various dioceses in the United States, Canada, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Greece and Cyprus operating under its jurisdiction. The visit of Catholicos Aram I to the United States has been initiated by Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church on the occasion of the 90th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet. The Pontifical visit will be marked by a number of memorable occasions, including; a pontifical mass at St. Mary's Church in Glendale on Oct. 9, a youth forum in Fresno on Oct. 10, a visit to Fresno University's campus on Oct. 11, a major address on "Christianity in the Middle East" to be delivered at the World Affairs Council on Oct. 14 and a symposium on the "Christian Response to Violence" to be held at USC on Oct. 15. ************************************************************************** 8 - Kick-Off Party for Pontifical Banquet Raises More than $1 Million for Antelias LOS ANGELES - Hosted by the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Aug. 21 kick-off party at the Studio City's Bistro Gardens for the upcoming Oct. 9 Pontifical Banquet honoring Catholicos Aram I welcomed more than 150 guests and supporters who pledged more than $1 million to the Cilician Catholicosate, Antelias Seminary and the Prelacy. Over 1,000 guests are expected to attend the banquet at the Universal Hilton Hotel. The official program of the evening began with Banquet Committee Co-Chairs Shant Haytayan and Peklar Pilavjian welcoming the guests. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian thanked all the donors for their continuous support to the Catholicosate, the Seminary and Prelacy, and expressed special appreciation to the event sponsors Mr. & Mrs. John and Asdghig Bedrosian for their generous donation. Other major donors include Mrs. Tina Carolan and her son Richard, Mrs. Ashkhen Pilavjian and family, Mr. & Mrs. Krikor and Kohar Sulahian and their son Mr.& Mrs. Dickran and Peggy Sulahian, Mr. & Mrs. Varant and Houry Melkonian, Mr. & Mrs. Tony & Eileen Keosseyan, Mr. & Mrs. Ralph and Savey Tufenkian, and Mr. & Mrs. Garbis and Maida Bezjian. By the conclusion of the evening, it was clear that more than a thousand Armenians would attend the event. Also numerous donations were announced summing up a total of over a million dollars. "The Western Prelacy is dedicated to the community as it works diligently to revitalize the physical, economic, cultural, spiritual, and educational conditions of its churches and schools," said Archbishop Mardirossian. "The Western Prelacy, in close association with the Catholicosate and the Seminary, has and will continue to make a substantial impact on expanding its reach to the Armenian American community as long as it has supporters and believers as benevolent and dedicated as evidenced at this showcase kick-off celebration." ************************************************************************ The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to: Ccourier@compuserve.com. 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