HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ARMY IN ARMENIA FOCUS OF DISCUSSION ORGANIZED BY OSCE OFFICE

OSCE.org
Nov 29 2006

YEREVAN, 28 November, 2006 – Conscientious objectors, alternative
military service and civil society oversight of the armed forces were
the key topics of a discussion organized today by the OSCE Office in
Yerevan and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation Armenia.

"Democratization of the armed forces is important to protect human
rights," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office
in Yerevan. "We welcome the steps already taken by the Armenian
Government in this respect. However, there is still some need for
improvement and today’s meeting aims to contribute to this process."

About 30 participants from the Ministries of Defence, Justice, Foreign
Affairs, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ombudsman Office, the Department
for National Minorities, civil society and the international community
assessed the implementation of the Armenian Law on Alternative Service.

Participants suggested several ways to bring Armenian legislation in
line with European standards. Civil society representatives presented
a concept of co-operation with the Defence Ministry for monitoring
the Armed Forces.

The OSCE Office will continue to support the Armenian Government
and civil society in this regard by following the conclusions of
the meeting.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY MISTREATS MINORITIES; DOES NOT MERIT EU MEMBERSHIP
by Kyle Szarzynski

UW Badger Herald, WI
Nov 29 2006

The pope’s recent visit to Turkey and his call for the nation’s
acceptance into the European Union has added an interesting element
to the debate about Turkey’s inclusion into the EU. It is now more
difficult to pitch the issue as one between the West and the Middle
East, or Christianity and Islam, because the most Christian and
Western of institutions – the Roman Catholic Church – has embraced
the notion of Turkish membership in the ever-more powerful EU.

And yet this approach, as good intentioned as it may be, misses a
crucial component of the issue: Turkey’s non-Christian and non-Western
essence equates to fundamentally non-European values and is thus
not suitable for EU membership. This differing system of values has
concrete political and cultural implications, making it inapt for
Turkey and European states to exist under the umbrella of the same
supranational political and economic organization.

The Europe of 2006 is by no means a perfect society, as it is plagued
by, among other things, unemployment, racism and the steady erosion
of the welfare state. Still, the European ideals of community-based
politics, a social safety net, universal education and cooperation
have made the continent the world leader of progress. The relative
equality and justice of European society are the envy of countries
all over the world, including the United States (the 35-hour work
week, for example, is something that American workers can only dream
about). The state of Europe today goes hand-in-hand with its seemingly
paradoxical Christian foundation (including the emphasis on human
solidarity and equality) and a strong commitment to secular humanism.

This makes quite a contrast to Turkey. Despite the country’s reputation
as a liberal, Muslim state, its acceptance into the EU would still
stand out like an ink blot on the organization’s map. One notable
difference between Turkey and the rest of Europe is the power of the
military, which has staged four coups since 1960. In recent years,
the armed forces has succumbed to EU pressure and limited its meddling
in political affairs. However, this has been only a mixed blessing,
as the secular military serves as the only bulwark against the growing
power of the Islamic fundamentalists, whose representation in the
country’s legislature has, alarmingly, been steadily increasing. The
reality is that many secular progressives in Turkey actually see the
military as a lesser evil to the threat of Islamic extremists. This
pessimistic political dynamic amounts to a lose-lose situation for
those who believe that Turkish political practices can be reconciled
with those of Europe’s.

Turkey’s suppression of human rights is yet another problem. Its abuse
of the Kurdish minority has caused worldwide condemnation. In the
struggle against separatist rebels, like the Kurdistan Workers Party,
it is estimated that more than 30,000 people have been killed since
the 1980s. The brutality of the military’s treatment of the Kurds
has manifested itself in the use of poison gas and mass bombings
of villages.

Free speech is also lacking. While Europe has arguably gone to one
extreme in criminalizing the act of denying the Holocaust, Turkey
has made it a crime to even acknowledge its own history of genocide
against the Armenians. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Orhan Pamuk,
was brought up on charges of "insulting Turkishness" after he remarked
that, "Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in
these lands, and nobody dares to talk about it."

International outrage ensued, and the charges were later dropped.

The relative backwardness of Turkish political institutions is only
one deterrent to EU membership. The cultural attitudes of the people,
which are at least partially responsible for the existence of such
institutions, are another. The anti-European attitudes of the Turkish
people were recently exemplified in a poll conducted by the Milliyet
newspaper Oct. 24, which showed that two-thirds of the Turkish people
don’t even want to join the EU. Government prosecution of Christian
converts and recent plans to construct female-only parks have,
similarly, been greeted with support by most Turks.

Such sentiment is the product of a country that has lived under
military rule for decades and continues to be held back by reactionary
religious ideas. It is all too clear that Turkish institutions and
Turkish ideas are clearly not European ones. Once this is realized,
the foolishness of admitting a non-European nation into the European
Union becomes all too obvious.

Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in
Spanish and history.

turkey_mistreats_min.php

FISH & FEATHERS: WITH GUNS WE ARE CITIZENS, WITHOUT THEM WE ARE SUBJECTS
By Capt. RON MALAST

Chinook Observer , WA
Nov 29 2006

The age-old controversy of "gun control" has been argued for many
years, but never with a satisfactory conclusion. Advocates of
gun control believe that by taking weapons away from the general
population, they put themselves in a safer position, In my opinion,
nothing could be further from the truth.

When the public submits themselves to the restriction of having their
guns taken away, in the interest of public safety, they are under a
false assumption. To believe that criminals are going to abide by
these rules and the government is going to protect the public is
pure fantasy.

The government has its own reasons for not wanting armed citizens.

Whether you agree or not, it’s an interesting lesson in history.

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953
about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5
million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up
an exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938. From 1939 to 1945, a total
of 13 million Jews and others were exterminated.

China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million
political dissents were massacred.

Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000
Christians, unable to protect themselves were slaughtered.

Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000
Mayan Indians were killed.

Notice a pattern here? At least, 56 million defenseless people have
been exterminated, in the 20th Century.

Twelve months after gun owners in Australia were forced to surrender
their personal weapons (640,381 of them) by their own government,
at a cost of 500 million to taxpayers, the results are in.

Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.

Australia-wide assaults are up 8.6 percent.

Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent.

Seems like the "bad guys" forgot to turn in their guns.

This seems to be a trend in countries where gun control has taken
weapons out of civilian hands. Why should criminals worry about
recrimination, if they know there will be no armed resistance from
their targeted victims.

Law biding citizens will turn in their guns so that they do not break
the law and become criminals. Criminals do not give a damn and will
break the law to reach any means. If the courts of this country would
support the police and enforce existing gun laws the criminal element
would be reduced considerably.

~U As of 1992, for every 14 violent crimes (rape, murder etc.)
committed in the U.S., one person went to prison.

As of 1992, average length of imprisonment for:

~UMurder 10 years. Rape 7.6 years, aggravated assault 3.4 years

~UIn mid-1990’s, criminals on parole or early release from prison
committed about 5,000 murders, 17,000 rapes and 200,000 robberies
a year.

~UAmericans use firearms to defend themselves from criminals at least
764,000 a year, according to surveys conducted by Galiup and the Los
Angles Times.

~UWashington, D.C. Enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between
1976 and 1991, Washington, D.C.’s homicide rate rose 200 percent,
while in the rest of the country it rose 12 percent.

~UFlorida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. Between 1987 and
1996 these changes occurred – in Florida the homicide rate dropped 36
percent; in the rest of the United States it dropped only 0.4 percent.

The figures speak for themselves.

– "Gun Control," by James Rucnco ( control.htm)

Ron Malast is operator of the charter boat Big Dipper working out
of Sea Sport Fishing Charters in Ilwaco 866-211-6611. You may e-mail
him at [email protected]

http://www.chinookobserver.i nfo/main.asp?SectionID=12&SubSectionID=30& ArticleID=16525&TM=11855.46

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

REQU IEM IN ANTELIAS MARKS 85TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
"HOWARD KARAGEOZIAN FOUNDATION"

The Armenian community of Lebanon celebrated the 85th anniversary of the
"Howard Karageozian" Foundation on November 26. Following the Holy Mass in
the St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, His Holiness Aram I presided over
a requiem Service dedicated to the memory of all the philanthropists and
former Board of Trustees’ members who had once supported this humanitarian
foundation and contributed to its mission.

His Holiness Aram I then met with the director of the foundation, its
current Board of Trustees, employees as well as representatives from the
Armenian community of Lebanon.

The director of the Foundation, Rev. Robert Sarkissian, highlighted the
unique support the foundation has received from the Catholicosate of Cilicia
for the last sixty years. He talked about the various services the
foundation provides to the Armenian communities in the Middle East and in
Armenia in recent years.

The secretary of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Sossi Balian, then presented a
brief report about the foundation’s activities during the last year,
mentioning its new services that also include the local Lebanese population.
She particularly mentioned the educational programs the foundation holds for
young females.

Echoing the gratitude of the Armenian Educational national committee was
chairman Dr. Sebouh Mandjian, who thanked the foundation, on behalf of the
Armenian national schools in Lebanon, for its support of and compassion for
Armenian students.

The Catholicos’ words of encouragement motivated the attendants and those
involved in national, humanitarian work.

"Christianity is not just a doctrine. It is a path we walk on. Many pass
from that path, but only a few leave their footsteps on it. The Karagoezian
family contributed a large part of its God-given earnings to the nation and
thousands of Armenians have been benefiting from its charity for the last 85
years," His Holiness said.

Addressing the foundation’s director, Board of Trustees and employees, His
Holiness Aram I said: "God-given life should be fulfilled with service. An
employee in such national humanitarian foundations is not a regular worker,
but a dedicated person, a missionary, a servant. This is how you should
approach your jobs, the nature of which is a pleasing mission for God."

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Father Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I MEETS WITH THE PRIMATE
OF THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES OF KUWAIT

On Monday 27 November 2006, His Holiness Aram I received Bishop Camillo
Ballin, Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait/Titular Bishop of Arna, and the director
of the Catholic Seminary in Beirut.

The Catholic Bishop informed the Armenian Catholicos about the Christian
communities in Kuwait and their ties with the government. Bishop Ballin
recalled His Holiness’ previous visit to Kuwait, the ecumenical service held
in the Catholic Church on this occasion and the sermon delivered by the His
Holiness.

The Catholicos praised the Catholic Bishop’s brotherly relations with the
Catholicosal Vicar of the Armenian Diocese of Kuwait, Archbishop Gorun
Babian and with the Armenian community in general, stressing the importance
of strengthening the unity between Christian communities.

The two also discussed the situation of Christian communities in the Middle
East and the Christian-Muslim dialogue in the region.

##
View the photo here:
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Armenia Fund USA, Inc.
152 Madison Ave, S-803
New York, NY 10016, U.S.A.
T/1-212-689-5307
F/1-212-689-5317
E-mail: [email protected]

The 9th International Armenia Fund Telethon Raises Unprecedented $13.7
Million in Pledges to Revitalize Villages of Karabakh

NEW YORK, New York – Armenia Fund USA is pleased to announce that the 9th
International Armenia Fund Telethon recorded an unprecedented success
raising more than $13.7 million in pledges to benefit the war-ravaged
villages in the south of Nagorno-Karabakh. Los Angeles, New York, Paris,
Yerevan – echoing throughout cities and continents, the Telethon was aired
on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2006 uniting hearts and minds of Armenians
around the world. The ambitious goal to revitalize villages of Hadrut in the
south of Karabakh involves implementing an agricultural development program,
creating jobs for farmers, building schools and healthcare centers, roads
and water pipelines. Funds for this critically needed project have been
secured by the combined efforts of the 20 affiliates of Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund.

The Telethon, which was broadcasted in more than 20 major cities throughout
the United States, as well as in all continents via satellite, streaming
live on internet for 12 hours, marks the highest result ever achieved by
almost doubling last year’s result of $7.7 million. President of
Nagorno-Karabakh Arkady Ghoukassian, and Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of
the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan were present
with many honored guests and program participants at the Glendale Studios,
where the Telethon traditionally originates from, to rally support for the
Fund. Armenia Fund USA Chairman Kevork Toroyan, Chairman-elect Raffi
Festekjian, and other prominent community leaders joined the live Telethon
from a Boston studio appealing to each and every Armenian to be part of the
drive. "Our development efforts target the war-torn villages for creating
jobs and bringing hope to the families. We want to give them the means to
sustain their households so that they can build the schools and hospitals
and everything else they need. This is why it is so important to make this
happen. Small or large donations do not matter, what is important is your
participation. This is your vote for a better future for Armenia and
Karabakh", says Chairman Toroyan.

Proceeds from the Telethon will benefit the regional development of Hadrut
and its cluster of villages. Launched last year by all 20 affiliates of
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, the project encompasses all key aspects of
socio-economic development – creation of jobs, access to education, proper
healthcare, and clean water, as well as reconstruction of critically needed
infrastructure. "The unprecedented success of this Telethon is a result of
the Diaspora’s unshakeable belief in the mission of our unique organization
that unites all Armenians around the world under one mission – building
stronger, viable Armenia. The consistent transparency of the Fund through
rigorous international audits, strict accounting practices, and oversight
mechanisms by the Diaspora have reinforced the public’s resolve to help
Armenia and Artsakh", said Executive Director of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Naira Melkoumian.

For the first time donations from Armenia and Artsakh surpassed $1.54
million. The 20 affiliates of the Fund stretching all over the globe were
instrumental in the success of the fundraising effort. The Canadian Toronto
affiliate has raised more than $300,000, the Argentinean affiliate, Fundo
Nacional Armenia, organized a benefit concert in Buenos Aires. The French
affiliate raised more than $1.5 million through a Phon-a-thon campaign, and
the German affiliate pledged more than $60,000.

Among the largest donors of Telethon 2006 were: Lincy Foundation, Project
CURE, Vahe Karapetian, Jerry Turpanjian, Ara Abrahamyan, Louise Manoogian
Simone, Sarkis Acopian, Tigran Movsesian, AGBU Manoogian-Demirjian School,
Levon and Grigor Termendjian, Mikhail Baghdasarov, Vivacell, Arkady
Ovannessian, Samvel Alexanian, and Ruben Hayrapetyan.

Armenia Fund USA, with its international affiliates, has had a strong and
measurable impact on the development of Karabakh and Armenia since
independence. The organization remains the largest contributor to
socio-economic infrastructure projects there since 1992, having invested
more than $160 million in large-scale infrastructure.

ABOUT ARMENIA FUND USA, founded in 1992, was one of the first of Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s 19 international affiliates and serves constituents in
all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit, non-governmental,
nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all Armenian constituents.
Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 19 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh. The Fund has adopted a policy to go "Beyond Bricks and Mortar" to
provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206
Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
Url:

PRESS RELEASE
Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]

UCLA vs. USC: Collegiate Rivalry Boosts Telethon Fundraising

Los Angeles, CA – During Armenia Fund’s 9th international Telethon 2006,
the rivalry between UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans, ironically helped fuel
fundraising efforts during the last hours of the program. Celebrity
attorney Mark Geragos challenged Bruins and Trojans during the program,
ahead of this Saturday’s game, to beat each other in the total amount
pledged for Armenia Fund. Immediately following the on air live
challenge, the studio was flooded with phone calls from students
pledging anywhere from $20 to $500.

The rivalry between the two campuses was even evident at the studio.
Hundreds of volunteers answering phone calls also happened to be UCLA
and USC students. Even phone bankers were pledging amounts on their
behalf and paying on the spot. UCLA Bruins had high hopes of surpassing
their Trojan brothers and sisters, except when one USC alumnus called in
and paid $10,000 with a confirmed credit card and challenged UCLA
students to beat the amount.

Although the telethon is over, the challenge continues ahead of this
Saturday’s football game. Armenia Fund would like to express its sincere
gratitude to the students of UCLA, USC and other local campuses for not
only bringing their sharp collegiate differences during the telethon,
but also volunteering their time for a worthy cause.

Armenia Fund continues to accept donations via its online secure portal
at The challenge continues ahead of this Saturday’s
game. Armenia Fund will announce final results on Monday.

Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $160 million in
development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is
the U.S. Western Region affiliate of "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund. Tax
ID# 95-4485698

BBC names global talent finalists

A Liberian refugee and a six-piece Brazilian rock
group are among the finalists in the BBC World
Service’s search for the world’s best young band.

More than 1,000 artists, all aged 18 or under, entered
the Next Big Thing competition in September.

The seven finalists are expected to fly into the UK
next week to perform at the BBC’s famous Maida Vale
studios.

A winner will be chosen by a panel of music industry
experts, including Cathy Dennis and William Orbit.

The competition was open to groups and solo artists in
any genre of music, as long as they were under 18 and
performed their own songs.

High standards

Producer Simon Pitts said the entries came from 36
countries, "from Armenia to Azerbaijan and from
Uruguay to Ukraine".

"People have been very surprised at the quality of the
entries," he said, "but we weren’t, because we had
faith in the idea from the beginning".

THE FINALISTS
Silva (Armenia)
Sweet Cherry Fury (Brazil)
MLK and The Dreamers (USA)
The Skagz (UK)
NiC (Malawi)
Mishkini (Ghana)
Stefan Abingdon (UK)

The standard of the submitted tracks was so high that
the panel who drew up the shortlist could not decide
on the required six finalists – and chose seven
instead.

They include 17-year-old Armenian pop singer Silva
Hakobyan, and Malawian rapper NiC, who performs in
Greek and English.

Londoner Stefan Abingdon, whose hip-hop track My Dunks
has also made the shortlist, said he was "really
excited" to have been chosen.

"I’ve been trying to set up my music for the past four
years and it’s starting to get somewhere now," he
said.

The 17-year-old will be travelling to Maida Vale for
the final of the competition, but producers say some
of his competitors may not be able to complete the
journey.

"We have an act in Ghana, Mishkini, who is a Liberian
refugee," said Pitts.

"He didn’t have a birth certificate or a passport this
time last week. He’s now trying to get hold of them,
as well as a visa."

The BBC is working with British embassies to help
artists arrange travel to the UK in time for next
week’s recording.

Celebrity judges

The Maida Vale session takes place on 6 December, and
the judges will announce the winner when the programme
is broadcast on 9 December.

The panel includes William Orbit, who has produced hit
singles for Madonna and All Saints, and Cathy Dennis,
who wrote Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out of My
Head.

Other members of the jury are Geoff Travis, who set up
the influential Rough Trade record label, and
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo,
from Benin.

Peter Gabriel will also appear as a special guest,
giving his verdict on the final seven acts.

The winner receives a trophy proclaiming them the
world’s best young band.

"It’s a massive opportunity for international
exposure," said Pitts. "The chances are great that 163
million people will hear the track and know the
artist’s name."

The Next Big Thing is part of the BBC World Service’s
Generation Next season, which focuses on young people
and how they approach relationships, education and
work.

It is hoped that the competition will become a regular
event.
Story from BBC NEWS:
ainment/6191276.stm

Published: 2006/11/29 10:02:05 GMT

© BBC MMVI

LA Times Valley Edition | Glendale News Press | November 18, 2006

FROM THE MARGINS

Borat for City Council… Not!

By PATRICK AZADIAN

I had promised myself not to see the movie "Borat!" but I’d had a hard
day, and there’s no better cure for life’s complications than a
mindless movie.

Secretly, I was also curious to see how the Armenian male population of
Glendale would react to the movie. Would they laugh out loud with Borat
(Sasha Baron Cohen), or would they be laughing at him? Would they think
the joke was really on them? What kind of reception would Borat’s
sidekick, the Armenian-speaking Azamat (Kenneth Davitian), receive from
the audience? I was intrigued.

"Borat!" didn’t turn out to be so mindless. The movie actually had a
quasi-noble message, delivered in an unconventional manner.

The formula for the delivery of the message was somewhat twisted,
however. Reverse psychology is probably a good way to describe it.

The movie’s initial objective was to build up Borat as a despicable
character. Once that was achieved, then follow-up with the attribution
of evil ideas to the same character. Hopefully, by the end of the
movie, the audience would be ready to reject evil.

The first step in making Borat undesirable was to pick him an
undesirable birthplace. In today’s political climate, it does not take
a social scientist to know where that location would be.

The destination is the Middle East, of course. Borat is supposed to be
from Kazakhstan. Never mind that this post-Soviet state is not in the
Middle East (it is in Central Asia); the movie relies on the ignorance
of the audience. Any country name ending with "stan" (signifying
territory or state in Persian) is perceived to be in the Middle East.
Kazakhstan turns out to be the perfect choice, considering it is one of
the most secular states in the region, with a relatively tame
population. Borat probably saves his neck from a religious death
sentence by picking on Kazakhstan (as opposed to Pakistan or
Afghanistan). Details don’t matter in "Borat!" the character is from
‘Middle-Eastan.’

Once the birthplace is set, the movie quickly reveals Borat’s other
enviable qualities. In addition to his lack of hygiene, heavy accent,
ridiculous outfits and homosexual tendencies, Borat treats his wife
like an ox. He also has a very unique relationship with his degenerate
sister. In its completed form, Borat is a despicable caricature that
loves big-bosomed blond American woman (he is a more menacing version
of the ‘Czechoslovakian Brothers’ from the show Saturday Night Live
back in the days of Dan Akroyd and Steve Martin). Last but not least,
Borat possesses dark hair and a thick mustache. As a Southern rodeo
cowboy observes in the movie: "Borat, shave that mustache, you look
like a terrorist."

So the stage is set for noble messages, delivered in a twisted fashion.
This particular loser is anti-Semitic, thinks women are inferior to
men, hates homosexuals and gypsies and believes physically and mentally
challenged individuals have no place in society.

By hating Borat, the audience is supposed to embrace the fight against
these evil ideas.

Nevertheless, Borat can be from anywhere. =46rom the western tip of
Portugal to the highlands of Afghanistan, and from the southern shores
of Sicily to the suburbs of Paris, the world is full of men with
Borat’s physical characteristics. In the process of making a cool
bundle and pretending to advance noble ideas, "Borat" manages to
insult, oh… about 300 million people (I am just counting the sum of
the population of countries whose names ends with ‘stan.’ I left out
Hindustan, otherwise the fatality count would go up by another
billion).

In a questionable attempt to fight evil, "Borat!" successfully manages
to demonize people by bestowing symbolic horns and tails upon them.
Dehumanizing a whole group of people is not a new concept; it clears
the conscience when someone decides to bomb them into oblivion.

And here in the streets of Glendale, dark-haired men in dark mustaches
and grey suits can be thankful to "Borat" for his contribution to
stereotyping them as Neanderthals. My guess is many of them will never
know the joke was really on them. And that’s good; ignorance can be
bliss.

A decade or two from now, when and if there is peace in the Middle East
and our troops have already come home, we’ll view this movie in a
different light.

Meanwhile, I invite Borat to marry a blond American woman, get his
American citizenship and run for City Council. And maybe Azamat can run
for the School Board… Not!

Refusal to acknowledge Armenian genocide
For the Turkish state, and many Turks, to admit their forebears committed
genocide is something they will not even consider
BY MATTHEW MCALLESTER
Newsday Staff Correspondent

November 29, 2006, 3:13 PM EST

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Mesrob II, the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and all
Turkey, was silent for a second.

He had just been asked by a reporter if he acknowledged that the Armenian
genocide happened.

"Uhhhh," he said, "I acknowledge that people were killed." He was silent
again. "Many people lost their lives."

More uneasy silence followed.

This from a man whose paternal grandfather was the only one of six ethnic
Armenian brothers to make it back to Istanbul after being, as he put it,
"deported to the Syrian desert" in 1915. They were among more than a million
ethnic Armenians who suffered a similar fate at the hands of Ottoman Turks:
They were rounded up, deported to concentration camps and, for the most
part, killed.

"So severe has been the treatment that careful estimates place the number of
survivors at only 15 percent of those originally deported," the U.S. consul
in Aleppo wrote to the State Department in 1915 in a dispatch quoted in a
recent article in The New Yorker magazine. "On this basis the number
surviving even this far being less than 150,000 . there seems to have been
about 1,000,000 persons lost up to this date."

What Mesrob II, who will meet the visiting Pope Benedict XVI today in
Istanbul, could not or would not say was that the Turks of the then-Ottoman
Empire committed genocide against the Armenians who lived in modern-day
Turkey. For the Turkish state, and many Turks, to admit their forebears
committed genocide is something they will not even consider, and it makes
many Turks extremely angry even to suggest the genocide happened.

Authors and journalists, including Nobel Prize winning novelist Orhan Pamuk,
have been prosecuted for suggesting it took place. But for the 65,000 ethnic
Armenians — mostly Orthodox Christians — who live in this country of 70
million Muslims, to speak publicly of genocide would not be just brave, but
potentially suicidal.

"Probably the state wouldn’t do anything directly except make some
statement" if Mesrob was to say there had been a genocide, said Murat Belge,
one of Pamuk’s publishers and an organizer of an unprecedented conference
last year in Istanbul about the genocide.

"Very likely he would be assassinated by some fascists," continued Belge,
who was himself prosecuted under a controversial law last year for writing
critical articles about a court’s ban on the conference. "The Patriarchate
would be burned down. A lot of Armenians would be shot in their daily
lives."

Mesrob, in an interview at the well-guarded Armenian Patriarchate in
Istanbul, said many different peoples, governments, political parties and
even his own Armenian Patriarchate should share the blame for what happened
in 1915. He said he believed the best way for Turks and Armenians to
reconcile is for Turkey to open its border with Armenia and for the two
countries to encourage exchange visits and other ways of generating mutual
sympathy.

"It’s not a matter of being silent about the issue," he said. "It’s a matter
of how can you make friends with someone. Do you from the first moment
simply confront the person?"

If it’s not silence, then it’s a pragmatic sort of self-censorship. Growing
up, Mesrob’s father never talked to him about what happened to the previous
generation, he said. "I think they didn’t want us to be at odds with our
Muslim neighbors."

That parenting method continues today among the ethnic Armenians in Turkey,
Mesrob said. "We don’t tell our children about historical problems so they
won’t face problems."

The Turkish government’s position on the events of 1915 is that the people
who died in the region at the time died as a result of inter-ethnic
fighting, disease and hardships caused by war.

More than 20 countries have officially recognized the genocide, as have a
majority of the 50 states in the United States, including New York. It is
long-standing State Department policy not to refer to the events of 1915 as
genocide; many critics of this policy see it as a politically expedient way
of avoiding alienating a crucial American ally.

Most Western historians agree the genocide happened. Last year, the
International Association of Genocide Scholars wrote to Turkey’s prime
minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about it, concluding: "We believe that it is
clearly in the interest of the Turkish people and their future as a proud
and equal participant in international, democratic discourse to acknowledge
the responsibility of a previous government for the genocide of the Armenian
people, just as the German government and people have done in the case of
the Holocaust."

Such an acknowledgement will not come easily or quickly — if at all.

"Until the 1980s there was a total loss of memory," said a Turkish political
powerbroker who requested anonymity because of the topic’s sensitivity.
"Nobody talked about this. It was the policy of the omnipotent state not to
talk about anything negative."

Last year’s conference in Istanbul and a growing concern about the issue
within Europe — a recent French law makes it a crime to deny the genocide
happened — have moved Turkey slightly closer to coming to terms with its
past.

"The skeletons are there and they have not vanished," the Turkish
powerbroker said. "Now we are going to open the cupboard."

If Turkey is to gain entry to the European Union, it likely will have to
acknowledge its actions in 1915 — although Turkey accepting the word
"genocide" could forever remain a sticking point.

Egemen Bagis, foreign policy adviser to Erdogan, said in an interview that
last year Erdogan made an offer to the Armenian president: Both countries
would establish an independent investigative commission and open up all
countries’ archives in order to establish what happened.

"No other politician in Turkey’s history has ever said he is ready to face
his own history," Bagis said.

But when asked if he recognized that a genocide took place, Bagis responded
quickly: "I don’t."