tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post1498712998305050844..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The Armenian GenocideAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-46643591741170719102007-10-31T17:52:00.000-06:002007-10-31T17:52:00.000-06:00The issue of apologising for past wrongs has been ...The issue of apologising for past wrongs has been controversial in Australia over the past decade. Many people believe, as you have stated, that modern Australians should not have to apologise for past moral injustices committed against indigenous Australians. <BR/><BR/>One argument in support of an apology is that it would be an apology <I>on behalf of the government</I> for crimes committed in the past <I>by the government</I>. So it would be the government apologising for its own actions. There is a precedent for this sort of thing. In 1993 the US government <A HREF="http://www.hawaii-nation.org/publawall.html" REL="nofollow">apologised for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii</A>. <BR/><BR/>If it is true that the Armenian genocide was committed by the Ottoman Empire and not the present Turkish State, then this argument probably doesn't apply in this case.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02807740289271448897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-85282730473141932962007-10-20T19:19:00.000-06:002007-10-20T19:19:00.000-06:00dcortesi,Apology and acknowledgement have very dif...dcortesi,<BR/>Apology and acknowledgement have very different definitions. Reread the article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-32686982469240451622007-10-18T18:05:00.000-06:002007-10-18T18:05:00.000-06:00I should add that, regarding air-space rights, my ...I should add that, regarding air-space rights, my friend pointed out that France was the last country to pass a resolution declaring the Armenian Genocide, and since then no, zero, French aircraft have been allowed in Turkish airspace. Not just barred from landing, but from crossing it. So that is not an empty threat.David Cortesihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06760661115101469280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-14646108864030812292007-10-18T18:00:00.000-06:002007-10-18T18:00:00.000-06:00By coincidence I was talking about exactly these s...By coincidence I was talking about exactly these subjects at lunch today with a very smart, well-educated American woman who happens to be married to a Turkish citizen. Here are some tid-bits from among the many interesting things she had to say, based on her experiences in Turkey and with her Turkish in-laws.<BR/><BR/>The Kurdish situation today has no historical connection to the Armenian history -- I tend to mix them up and asked about it -- The P.K.K., Kurdish Separatist party, is officially branded a "terrorist organization" by all nations including the U. S. Turkey feels insulted because in recent incidents within Turkey, P.K.K. guerillas were caught carrying U. S. - made weapons -- the assumption being, that they had been supplied by the U. S.'s very good friends, the Kurdish people in northern Iraq, who are about the only Iraqis that whole-heartedly like us. Anyway, enough on the Kurds.<BR/><BR/>Re the Armenians, Turks are at pains to point out that this was done by the Ottoman empire. After WWI, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and modern Turkey was created almost single-handedly by Kemal Ataturk (check Wikipedia). This entailed a huge renovation of the whole culture, including making everyone learn a new alphabet (many, a new language). Few nations have undergone such a thorough cultural revolution; to Turks, this represents a sharp watershed between the bad old past and the modern era. There is a real sense of "why should we apologize for what the Ottomans did? We aren't them."<BR/><BR/>Other excuses include: it was war-time; the Russians were threatening to invade through Armenia and the Armenians were not averse to that. etc.<BR/><BR/>A key question that nobody has clearly answered is: WHY NOW? The Armenian Genocide has been historical fact for a century; why in exactly this session do the Democrats find it necessary to bring a resolution to the floor?David Cortesihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06760661115101469280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-2950084264876649922007-10-17T09:39:00.000-06:002007-10-17T09:39:00.000-06:00GEORGE W. BUSH RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDEThat wa...<A HREF="http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=3" REL="nofollow">GEORGE W. BUSH RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE</A><BR/><BR/>That was when he was govenor of Texas.NALhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12244370945682162312noreply@blogger.com