Category: News

The Simon, CA
June 2 2004
Alternative History: The American Way
By Josh Schollmeyer
Jun 1, 2004
I organize history for a living. As the digital archive editor at
the famed foreign affairs and national security journal The Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists, I take what Manhattan Project scientists
wrote about the nuclear age and turn it into made-to-order term
papers and research material for high school kids, graduate students,
and paranoid leftists who believe I’m filling in the blanks of their
right-wing conspiracy theories.
Here’s what I’ve learned while doing this: I’m glad American children
can’t find France on a map. After 18 months of reading intelligent,
nominally biased, first-person accounts of the nuclear age, I’m pretty
sure that if France exists it’s not where my teachers told me it was.
A sharp history student, I thought I knew everything about our
country’s past. The abridged version:
Those exploitative Brits raped us economically until we couldn’t take
it anymore and were forced to revolt. Plus, they locked our women
and children in churches and burned them. (I got that one from Mel
Gibson’s The Patriot, but since he’s considered such an authority on
history lately, I figured that’s how it really happened.)
But all would not be well for long as soon we were faced with our
greatest challenge – the Civil War. It took us a little while, but
finally us Northerners (I’m from Chicago) figured out that slavery was
bad. So we took it upon ourselves to teach the South a very important
moral lesson. Brothers were forced to kill brothers, but in the end
the backward South figured out that Jim Crow laws were just as an
effective way to oppress black people as slavery.
>>From here on, we’re pretty much the righteous moral compass of the
world. We had a couple slip-ups here and there (woman should probably
be allowed to vote, too), but we basically kept to ourselves and
bailed out Europe whenever it got into a jingoistic pickle.
This brings us to the most poorly taught era of them all: the nuclear
age–defined here as the stuff that’s crammed into the last two weeks
of any history course. From grade school to college, the latter half
of the 20th century is drawn in the broadest strokes imaginable. The
long and short of it: The big, bad Soviets held the world hostage
with their gigantic nuclear arsenal and bellicosity, reluctantly
forcing us to send our equally potent military to fight freedom
wherever freedom was threatened. (Sound familiar?) Without us and our
brilliant, forward-thinking leaders such as Harry Truman and John F.
Kennedy, today the world would be a cockroach’s Shangri-la.
Sure, in a couple spots we weren’t that great. Like segregation,
Vietnam, and Watergate. But we realized our ills – hey, it was of a
time – fixed all that and said we were sorry.
Well, guess what? That’s all nonsense.
You see, we can’t possibly be the bad guys. It’s too unappetizing to
imagine, so we view our history with rose-colored glasses, teaching
it so it’s palatable and easy-to-understand. When we absolutely
must admit serious wrongdoing, we make sure to include a proviso that
absolves total blame. Sure, Manifest Destiny was a more poetic term for
genocide, but those heathen Native Americans weren’t good at sharing
(other than Thanksgiving) and we needed the land.
The American classroom peddles as much propaganda and provides as
many misconceptions about the world as the Islamic schools in the
Middle East. The only difference is the American education system
doesn’t incite violence. This, in turn, creates both leaders who
pursue misguided, ignorant foreign policy and a general populace that
fervently supports such policies. After all, we’re somberly following
the lessons of history. Best yet, when a more balanced version of
historical events is finally taught, the generations that learned it
the jingoistic way can grouse that liberal schools and teachers are
teaching anti-American dribble.
To wit, the Cuban Missile Crisis. The American history curriculum and
popular culture recalls the event as this: Unprovoked, the Soviets
aggressively moved nuclear weapons into Cuba with the intention
of destroying the United States unless their demands were met;
the Kennedy administration met this Cold War volley brilliantly and
graciously saved humanity from nuclear annihilation.
A more balanced account doesn’t comfort our nationalistic psyches
as much. Cuba was the Soviet Union’s strategic North American ally –
much like West Germany and Turkey were our strategic European allies.
We provided a nuclear umbrella for each with nuclear weapons that
were strategically placed throughout their countries and aimed at
Soviet military installations and cities. Turkey, coincidentally,
borders Georgia and Armenia, both of which were then Soviet republics.
By inviting Cuba underneath their nuclear umbrella, the Soviets
were attempting to reestablish a nuclear balance. (This deterrence
two-step defined the Cold War – especially in the ’50s and ’60s.) The
Soviets never intended to give the Cubans control of these weapons.
The Turkish and West German governments certainly didn’t possess the
launch codes to the nuclear missiles within their borders – although
many members of the American military and NATO pushed for a system that
would allow Turkey and our other allies access to these weapons under
the guise of a non-proliferation initiative. The Soviets, in fact,
were shocked at Castro’s callous attitude regarding the weapons –
privately, they considered Castro a lunatic.
Kennedy had only himself to blame for the escalation. The peace-loving
JFK who would’ve prevented Vietnam and quelled the Cold War is a
myth. He ran for president on a hawkish platform, claiming that the
Eisenhower administration irresponsibly allowed a missile gap to
develop. While his prose was poetic, his actions were inflammatory.
Kennedy did not stave off nuclear annihilation, he courted it.
Imagine how we would have responded had the Soviets covertly attempted
to topple the Turkish government.
Why isn’t this version taught in our public schools? Because teaching
our hypocrisies is unpatriotic – no matter the provisos. So it was
the big, bad Soviets who initiated the arms race. It was the big,
bad Soviets who bucked any and every arms control measure. It was
the big, bad Soviets who insisted on supporting brutal, totalitarian
regimes throughout the Third World. The truth becomes irrelevant;
the bold strokes are easier for adolescents to commit to memory.
We’re incapable of stopping. Part of the American way is being
the hero. Damn our actions if they frame us otherwise; we’ll twist
the facts until they’re in our favor. For our next trick, watch us
justify this nasty little prison scandal where a few patsy soldiers
(probably ordered by some higher-ups) staged sexual shenanigans between
Iraqi prisoners of war. These barbaric insurgents simply would not
provide us information about their insurgency. We tried everything,
but they would not talk. If we didn’t make them rape each other,
American soldiers might have lost their lives. It was a sad chapter
in our history, but a chapter we were forced to write.
These are the lessons subsequent generations will be taught. Thirty
years from now, a high school student will regurgitate for a history
exam that in 2003 we (along with a Coalition of 60 other nations!)
toppled that evil Saddam Hussein (he gassed his own people!!) and
freed the Iraqi people from their bondage (we helped them destroy
Saddam effigies!!!), finally bringing democracy to an unenlightened
people. And that student will receive an A.

Yahoo News
June 1 2004
Press Release Source:
Peace with Music Foundation
An Evening of Peace With Music
LA MIRADA, Calif., June 1 /PRNewswire/ — On Saturday, July 3, 2004
an audience in La Mirada, California will see and feel, first-hand,
the power of music to bridge cultural differences. Internationally
acclaimed American pianist Marvin Goldstein, the Eurovision
award-winning artist Gali Atari from Israel, and the gifted Arabic
Singer Najwa Gibran from Toronto will join together for one night in an
unforgettable performance at the La Mirada Theater for the Performing
Arts. The concert will begin at 8:00 PM at 14900 La Mirada Blvd,
La Mirada, CA.
The performance will also feature the International Peace Choir and the
world-renowned Armenian Duduk player, Yegish Manoukian. The program
will present Arab and Israeli music in addition to piano solos of
show tunes and contemporary music. It will be the first time that
Arabic music has been accompanied by the piano. The noted composer
Yuval Ron wrote the piano arrangements specifically for the concert.
Tickets are available through the Peace with Music Foundation
by calling, (866) MG TUNES (648-8637) and online at
Ticket prices are $32 or $40.
“This concert will demonstrate the power of music in bringing
different cultures together,” said Marc Titel, Foundation President.
“The audience will be treated to a spirit of peace and harmony as
well as being entertained.”
Marvin Goldstein travels internationally sharing his gift of music
including a March 2001 concert In Jerusalem, Israel with Gali Atari.
He has recorded over 30 compact discs and has published 15 piano solo
arrangement books.
Gali Atari is a prominent member of the Israeli music scene. In 1979
her performance of “Hallelujah” won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Atari has recorded numerous compact disks including an Israeli Gold
Album in 2001. She was Israel’s the “Singer of the Year” several
times during the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Najwa Gibran is one of the best Arabic female singers living today in
the west. She is an expert of the Arabic traditional folk technique
in addition to the Lebanese and Bedouin folk songs. She is the lead
vocalist with Canada’s Arabesque Dance Company and The Yuval Ron
Ensemble in Los Angeles.
The concert will also feature the International Peace Choir. This
choir was founded in 1987 with a mission to promote peace in the
world through music. Members of the choir are between the ages of
six and seventeen and represent various ethnic, cultural and national
backgrounds.
“The mission of the Peace with Music Foundation is to bring different
cultures together through music,” stated Joan Peterson of Starlight
Creative Media, a Foundation board member. “This concert is the
fulfillment of our mission. It will be a memorable and inspiring
evening for the performers and the audience.”

UNESCO Supports Development of Armenian Unicode System
noticias.info (press release), Spain
June 2 2004
To commemorate the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the
Armenian alphabet, UNESCO, through its project Initiative B@bel,
and the Matenadaran Institute in Yerevan have launched a project
to enhance access to information in the digital environment for the
Armenian language.
The project will develop a Unicode compatible font to overcome some
current constraints in the use of the Armenian language in fields
such as modern print and digital publishing.
Currently there are many Armenian fonts, which use non-standard
encoding systems which can make information exchange between users,
for example e-mail, unreliable. Many of the available fonts have
only limited styles and do not offer the possibility of recreating
the rich detailed design features of the languages such as can be
seen in older traditional Armenian manuscripts. This poses certain
challenges and limitations for publisher and contemporary digital
graphic artists. The project will therefore seek to address such
esthetic, legal and standardization issues. Particular attention will
also be given to the training of local font designers and working
with local institutions to raise awareness of good practices.
The Armenian alphabet was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop
Mashtots a scholarly monk in the Royal Court. The original alphabet
contained 36 letters but two additional characters were later added
to facilitate the writing of foreign words. The development of this
writing system spurred a cultural a renaissance in Armenia and for
this reason St. Mashtots is credited with starting Armenia’s golden
age of literature.
Today, some 3 million inhabitants of Armenia use the Armenian
language. There is also a culturally aware Armenian diaspora of around
4 million persons many of whom still write and speak Armenian. It is
expected that this initiative will facilitate online information
exchanges and content creation in Armenian and contribute to the
preservation and promotion of the Armenian culture in the digital
environment.
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Please find attached the Armenian version of the press release.
PRESS RELEASE
Assembly of Armenians of Europe
Rue de Treves 10, 1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 647 08 01
Fax: +32 2 647 02 00
Young Armenians of Sweden visited Brussels
the capital of the European Union
Stockholm, 2/06/04 – On the initiative of the Union of Armenian
Associations in Sweden and the Assembly of Armenians of Europe a group
of 22 young people of the Swedish Armenian Community visited Brussels
on May 27-30, 2004. The purpose of this visit was to represent to
young Armenians Brussels, the capital of the European Union, the
European Institutions and their activities, as well as introduce them
to their rights and obligations as EU citizens.
The group visited the European Commission and the European Parliament
on May 27 and 28, where the competences of each European Institution,
the participation of members States in the activities of the European
Institutions, in particular the participation of Sweden, as well as
the role and participation of the EU population in the integration
process was emphasized. The young people had the opportunity to
discuss important issues, such as Turkey’s potential accession to EU,
Armenia’s possible accession to EU, the cooperation between members
States and currency differences, etc.
On May 29 the young people visited the park “Mini Europe”, where
each member State is represented with its most famous cultural and
historical monuments in a smaller scale.
On May 30 the group visited the Armenian Church of Brussels and the
monument dedicated to the memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide
of 1915.

‘Thank you for your service’
Ray Brecheisen/The Morning Sun
By OLIVE L. SULLIVAN
Morning Sun Staff Writer
Former Sen. Robert Dole may have been the keynote speaker for the
dedication of the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial
Amphitheater dedication Monday, but he made it clear he was there
more as a veteran of World War II than as a politician.
Dole’s remarks highlighted a “grand celebration of freedom,” said
Dr. James AuBuchon, PSU vice president for university advancement
and one of those who spearheaded the memorial’s creation.
The celebration was grand indeed, featuring “Rolling Thunder” from
several area motorcycle clubs, military aircraft flyovers, a 21-gun
artillery salute, and all the pomp and glory of two military bands.
AuBuchon estimated that more than 4,000 people – twice his original
expectation – showed up for the afternoon celebration.
Following a welcome and introductions by AuBuchon, John Devitt,
a Vietnam combat veteran, placed the “seat for the missing,” a
symbolic empty chair draped with the black and white POW/MIA flag,
showing that all veterans were being recognized in the ceremony.
In his remarks, Dole often returned to that theme. The senator said
the PSU memorial, and the national World War II memorial he helped
dedicate in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, are important not just for
those who died in combat, but for all those who served in the armed
forces – and for many who didn’t.
“We couldn’t all wear the uniform,” he said. “Someone had to stay
home and preach and teach and keep the shops open, farm the crops.”
Dole praised the families of military veterans as well, especially
those who lost their loved ones in the service of our nation.
He pointed out that young people today often don’t have the sense
of a nation pulling together that characterized World War II, when
everybody faced rationing and grew victory gardens. Compared to the
current war in Iraq, he said, the average American doesn’t do much
sacrificing in support of the military.
He urged the audience to remember veterans not just on Memorial Day,
pointing out that there are hundreds of veterans languishing in nursing
homes and veterans hospitals who would love a visit, and would love
to hear the five simple words, “Thank you for your service.”
“That’s what today is all about,” he said.
In a rare moment, Dole talked about his own war experiences. A second
lieutenant, he was trying to rescue his radio officer when shrapnel
ripped into his arm and back, nearly killing him. He was rescued by
a fellow soldier, but spent four years struggling to recover from
his wounds.
That moment changed his life and led him to politics, where he has
achieved much in a different kind of service.
He said his doctor had lost a brother in WW II, and treated him -and
his mother’s varicose veins – at no charge because he felt he owed it
to the nation. He also pointed out that the largest single donation
to the WW II memorial in Washington was from an Armenian-American
with no military experience who felt he should pay back the country
for his freedoms.
“He said, ‘I’m not a veteran, I wasn’t totally poor when I came to this
country, but if it hadn’t been for events in WW II, I wouldn’t have
been able to send anything.’ He felt he owed it to America,” Dole said.
The senator said the goal of success is to be able to look back and
say, “I made a difference,” and then to reach down the ladder and
help someone else to the top.
He also honored the Vietnam veterans, present in a large group to
celebrate the presence at PSU of the half scale replica of the Vietnam
Wall in Washington, D.C.
Dole said the veterans weren’t always honored when they returned home
to a country opposed to the war, and he talked about veterans of Korea,
“the forgotten war.”
Dr. C.J. Chris Johnson, retired PSU biology professor and WW II
veteran, gave the veteran’s response to Dole’s speech, repeating
Dole’s assertion that Memorial Day honors not just those veterans
who survive, but those who fell on foreign shores or sleep beneath
the waves, those who worked in factories at home, and the military
personnel behind the lines who supported the troops on the front.
“Today’s dedication is about veterans and about our freedom,” he said.
“Without that additional support, we could not celebrate by conducting
Memorial Day dedications today or any other day,” he said.
The ceremony also included brief remarks from PSU President Tom Bryant,
and a special message from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, presented by David
Taylor, the chairman of the Governor’s Military Advisory Board.
She wrote, “Our world is a dangerous place today,” and Sebelius
pointed out that more than 4,000 Kansans are serving today in Iraq
and Afghanistan, fighting for freedom.
Bryant pointed out the thing that makes the PSU memorial unique is
that it is not a memorial to just one war, battle or branch of service.
“It is so much more than that,” he said. “Today we honor the spirit
of duty and sacrifice that these veterans represent.”
Following a ribbon cutting that officially opened the memorial,
veterans were invited to enter the memorial first. Vietnam vets entered
from the west rampart, where they were guided by Girl Scouts to the
replica Wall. All other veterans entered at the east rampart and
were assisted by area Boy Scouts, who led them through the various
features of the amphitheater.
The ceremony ended with a performance of “Taps” and a musical postlude
by the 312th Army Band.
Staff Writer Olive L. Sullivan may be reached at (620) 231-2600,
Ext. 134, or by e-mail at [email protected]

MUNICIPALITY FORBIDDING OPPOSITION
A1 Plus | 19:14:57 | 01-06-2004 | Official |
Yerevan Municipality forbade Opposition to hold a rally on June 4 at
6:00 PM near Matenadaran.
In reply to the letter of “Justice” Bloc, “National Unity” Party
and Communist Party representatives Municipality made a decision on
forbidding the mass public measure, reasoning criminal cases over the
rallies held before were instituted in Office of Prosecutor and being
guided by the 13th article of the Armenian Law on “Holding Meetings,
Rallies and Marches” and N 856-A decision by Yerevan Mayor.

PRESS RELEASE
MIDDLE EAST & MIDDLE EASTERN AMERICAN CENTER
The Graduate Center
City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-4309
Tel: 212-817-7570
Fax: 212-817-1542
Email: [email protected]
Taner Akçam
Talk and Book Signing for
“From Empire to Republic:Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide”
Dr. Akçam will examine the relationship between Turkey’s transition
from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic in the opening decades of
the 20th century, the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the process of
democratization in Turkey today. He will analyze the socio-political
and historical factors behind that complex and crucial history,
and provide a framework for understanding Turkish nationalism and
its on-going relationship to the Armenian Genocide.
Contextualizing the long-term development of Turkey and the reasons
for Turkish silence and denial regarding the Armenian Genocide,
Akçam will discuss the role of the Armenian Genocide in the process
of democratization in Turkey today. Through an exploration of the
obstacles to dialogue, he will offer some hope for reconciliation
between the Turkish and Armenian communities.
Taner Akçam is currently Visiting Associate Professor in the Department
of History, University of Minnesota. He was born in the province
of Kars-Ardahan in the northeast of Turkey and became interested in
Turkish politics at an early age. In 1977 he settled in Germany as a
political refugee. Akçam received his Ph.D. from Hanover University
with a dissertation titled, Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian
Genocide: On the Background of the Military Tribunals in Istanbul
Between 1919 and 1922. He has since published five books and half
a dozen articles on the topic in Turkish and German. From Empire to
Republic was published in March 2004 by Zed Books, London.
Friday June 4, 2004,6:30-8:30 pm
Elebash Recital Hall
Co-sponsored by the Zoryan Institute (Toronto)
Books will be available for purchase
Admission free, but voluntary donations welcome

CHAIRMAN OF UNION OF ARMENIANS OF RUSSIA MET WITH GEORGIAN PRESIDENT IN
MOSCOW
01.06.2004 14:44
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the course of a Russian-Georgian business forum
recently held in Moscow Chairman of the Union of Armenians of Russia
Ara Abrahamian met with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. As
reported by A-Info agency referring to Georgian Parliament Deputy Van
Bayburdian, A. Abrahamian was among the five principal businessmen,
with whom the Georgian President met in private. The Armenian
entrepreneur expressed readiness to invest into the restoration of
the Abkhazian railway, connecting Russia with Georgia and Armenia.

SAAKASHVILI MET ARA ABRAHAMYAN
A1 Plus | 16:29:41 | 01-06-2004 | Politics |
During the Georgian-Russian business forum recently held in Moscow
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili met Ara Abrahamyan, Chair of
Union of Russia’s Armenians.
Georgian Parliament member Van Bayburdyan states that Ara Abrahamyan
was among those 5 big businessmen of Russia who met the Georgian
President in private.
At the meeting the Armenian businessman expressed willingness to make
solid investments in rebuilding the Abkhazia railway.
“A-INFO” released the information.

ARMENIAN MPS WILL RETRAIN IN OSCE
A1 Plus | 15:17:03 | 01-06-2004 | Politics |
For the first time in Southern Caucasus OSCE Yerevan Office jointly
with OSCE PA are holding retraining courses for the members and
employees of Armenian, Azeri and Georgian Parliaments.
During presentation of program for retraining the expert staff
of Armenian Parliament OSCE Yerevan Office head Vladimir Pryakhin
informed the aim of the project is to manage the law-making process
in Armenia more efficiently and transparently.
Courses for the experts of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign
Relations, Committee on State and Legal Issues and Committee on
Defense, National Security and Home Affairs are envisaged within
retraining. The courses will be held as interactive seminars.
According to Pryakhin, OSCE experts will focus on reforms of Armenian
Electoral Code and Armenian Constitution.