Watertown TAB
Watertown, MA
August 10, 2007
EDITORIAL
wn/opinions/x574732482
Editorial: So far, so good in debate over `No Place for Hate’
Three weeks ago, this space called for Watertown to keep the `No Place for
Hate’ tolerance-building program and, at the same time, put pressure on the
program’s co-sponsor to change its wrong-headed position on the Armenian
Genocide.
That co-sponsor, the Anti-Defamation League, has come under increasing fire
for failing to categorically say that the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians
during and after World War I deserve the name `genocide.’ The ADL maintains
that a pending Congressional resolution terming the events of 1915-1923
`genocide’ should be shelved in favor of Turkey and Armenia working out the
problem themselves.
There’s vigorous debate over whether this stance on the part of the ADL
means Watertown should divorce itself from the `No Place For Hate’ program.
But it is worth noting that so far, the tone of the debate has been largely
positive. The focus seems to be on forging a solution that preserves the
good work of Watertown’s `No Place for Hate’ committee.
That’s impressive, given that the genocide and its repercussions reach down
into the core of so many Watertown residents. The emotional stakes could
hardly be higher, but nearly everyone involved has handled themselves with
dignity. No matter how the issue is resolved, we can all be proud of that.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
