Once again truth takes second place to political necessity. The resolution in Congress to officially acknowledge the Armenian Genocide is pretty much dead, because of concerns over the war in Iraq. Is it mere coincidence that the Turkish parliament voted to authorize military action against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq during the same week Congress was considering this resolution? If you believe that, I've got some some resort property in Basra to sell you. For those who say it is not the right time for this resolution, I ask, "When will there ever be a good time? When we're out of Iraq? When will that be? When we stop having military interests in the Middle East? When will that be?" Meanwhile, the last of the survivors are dying and even the children of the generation directly affected are dying with no justice.As I was thinking about the denial of the Armenian Genocide and the long struggle by the survivors, their descendants and the descendants of those who perished in it, I actually wondered what the rock group System of a Down thought on the matter. The popular alternative rock band is made up of Armenian-Americans--the only one I'm aware of, in fact they're the only Armenian-American celebrities I'm aware of--and they're fairly politically conscious. Sure, Sting has the rainforests, Bono has poverty in Africa, but it's interesting to find a genocide on the minds of rock stars.
Well, it turns out that the lead singer of the band, Serj Tankian, has lobbied Congress for a number of years regarding this issue and has some fairly articulate thoughts on the matter. His NPR interview is worth a listen--although the cut that is currently available is fairly rough. He asks if a democracy that denies the truth is a true democracy? Seems like a fair question to me.
Grace and Peace
Chase
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