The "Yes, this is Genocide" Act.

[Deleted]

Having to to have written an essay on the Armenian Experience, I am taking the lead of other nations who have passed similar acts to recognize the acts of the Ottoman government as genocide against the Armenian people, and join the international community in condemning such acts.

The “Yes, this is Genocide” Act.

Whereas, there comes a time in a nations history where politics must be put aside to address a dark part of humanity;

Whereas, political inconvenience should NEVER determine what is and what is not genocide;

Whereas, a clear line should be drawn between mass-murder, genocide, and ethnic cleansing;

Whereas, it should be understood that certain acts done during the first world war were, in fact, genocide;

Therefor; the Kingdom of Talossa firmly holds true that what was experienced in 1915 by the Armenians as a legitimate genocide and firmly recognizes it by no other phrase to appease another nation.

[Deleted]

A very important act, however, I must inquire if a similar act exists regarding the Holocaust (WWII)? Simply because I would say the latter stands more of a chance of falling victim to revisionist propaganda.

[Deleted]

I would never support any act making it illegal to deny the holocaust, as such laws exist throughout the EU. That is a violation of freedom of speech, this act merely officialized the Talossan stance. An indivdiual talossan may deny Armenia was a genocide, and a damn good case can be made saying it wasn't, but they still have the right.

[Sir Alexandreu Davinescu]

I believe S:reu Olivieri was not advocating criminalizing Holocaust denial, but rather suggesting that it would be more proper to condemn the greatest and most vicious act of genocide, if we are going to be condemning any.

[Deleted]

Minister Davis speaks the truth. I am not saying we make it illegal to deny any holocaust. I am simply saying that if we are making recognition of the Armenian Holocaust as, in fact, a holocaust official, shouldn't we do the same for the Shoah and perhaps any number of other genocides?

[Xhorxh Asmour]

I myself have a remote Jewish background, just like many other people in Northeast Brazil, and I surely recognize the horrible genocide that the Jewish people suffered during World War II, but, as I always try to be as impartial as possible, my personal opinion is, the Jews have been for a long time working hard to talk the world into swallowing their eternal-victims propaganda while at home they persecute and kill many innocent Palestinians with support from the US.

If genocide is so terrible, let's also talk about the Armenian genocide and the massacres suffered by Indian peoples in Central and South America and the one that occurred in Rwanda just a few years ago.

No offense intended.

Xhorxh

[Hooligan]

I think we all agree that there are good people and bad people of all nationality, creeds, and faiths, and that bad people have done bad things. The nation and its citizens fully acknowledge that horrors such as the holocaust and other genocidal acts throughout history have occurred, and they all sadden us and embolden us to work to ensure in all ways that those such acts in history do not repeat.

National and personal acknowledgement of all of these horrors is already a fact, and does not need to be written into law. Unfortunately, as has been pointed out, if we begin putting into law our national sentiments about all the bad things that have ever happened, we won't have time to write any other laws.

Let us all simply resolve to personally and publicly remember the past, and work for the future.

Hooligan

[Deleted]

timoliv said:

Minister Davis speaks the truth. I am not saying we make it illegal to deny any holocaust. I am simply saying that if we are making recognition of the Armenian Holocaust as, in fact, a holocaust official, shouldn't we do the same for the Shoah and perhaps any number of other genocides?

My apologies for misunderstanding.

The reason why I wrote this act (and worked to get it passed) was because of the uniqueness to Armenians. It is not necessary for many nations to recognize the Jewish experience as genocide because it is generaly accepted as genocide, no nation is actually denying (officially) what happened, Germany certainly is not. Whereas, in the case of Armenia, Turkey does not deny that sum 500k to 1.5 m people died, but they deny it was Genocide. I would support any legistlation to officially recongize the Holocaust as a genocide.

[Deleted]

While I don't think we need to recognize tragedies of the past, favoring instead to move on to a (hopefully) brighter future, I can respect your desire to recognize the Armenian Holocaust as genocide.

I'm just afraid of setting a precedent whereby people continuously draft legislation recognizing other tragedies of the past thus taking up all of our time acknowledging that bad stuff has happened in the world.

However, I don't oppose the proposed legislation.

[Xhorxh Asmour]

Well said, Tim!

[Deleted]

timoliv said:

While I don't think we need to recognize tragedies of the past, favoring instead to move on to a (hopefully) brighter future, I can respect your desire to recognize the Armenian Holocaust as genocide.

I'm just afraid of setting a precedent whereby people continuously draft legislation recognizing other tragedies of the past thus taking up all of our time acknowledging that bad stuff has happened in the world.

However, I don't oppose the proposed legislation.

There is a significant difference between this and say the holocaust. For instance, no country today denies the holocaust took place, or the holocaust was not a genocide. Because of the unique nature surrounding the Armenian experience, many other governments have been forced to pass similar resolutions. Such as France, and many other EU members. Not to mention an act sitting on the floor of the US House at the moment. 39 American States have enacted similar resolutions, my home state of NY being one of them.

[Deleted]

Think about that for a moment. 39 US States and one is sitting on the floor at the US House.

If it passes in the house, does it matter if the rest of the states pass similar measures? If these measures are passed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, has anything been done to improve our tomorrow? Not really, instead, 52 seperate legislative bodies spent time recognizing an event (which was probably going to be recognized by their national government anyway) all to simply say "Yes, this happened, and was a tragedy."

While your motives are good, I have no doubt, there are MANY injustices of the past that we would have to recognize for the sake of justice. Nobody in Talossa seems to be disputing that the Armenian Genocide is, in fact, a genocide, so who are we ratifying this for? I'm saying since we all recognize this as being a genocide ANYWAY, why pass legislation on it? Otherwise, it would be the same as passing a bill recognizing the Shoah, Blood Libel, Pogroms, the Rwandaan Holocaust and countless other genocides and atrocities that are overlooked by many governments and occurred much more recently.

[Xhorxh Asmour]

The big problem is, the UN is getting weaker and weaker
and most people in the world are so selfish and individualistic they just don't give a damn to other people's tragedies, unless they happen in their country or to someone they know or love.

[Deleted]

39 states passed it because the US gov't did not pass it back in '97 to appease Turkey.

Even if someone does dispute it, it is not denying their right to do so, just officially taking a stance on an issue. As far as this is concerned, it is a MAJOR issue in the EU with the possibility of Turkish membership. Hence why it is being brought up by many countries. Nobody denys what was experienced in Rwanda was a genocide. Turkey denies a genocide ever took place, this resolution takes a stand against politics deciding history.

[Deleted]

this resolution takes a stand against politics deciding history.

So, to combat politics deciding history we must use politics to establish the history?

What happened happened, this resolution will not alter that fact. As I said, since no one here disputes it being a genocide, we do we need a resolution stating such?