Brilliant news that the U.S. Congress has declared that what happened to the Armenians in 1915 WAS a genocidal crime. http://bit.ly/bLQFfA Did they finally do so, however, in a number of cases at least, primarily to punish Turkey for its courageous strong line against Israel's war crimes in Gaza? That was my immediate first guess, and speculation along these lines does indeed turn out to be widespread.
[Recommended, by the way, if you want to understand the Armenian genocide and its impact better: Atom Egoyan's astounding feature film, ARARAT.]
We should never forget that Hitler said, in the mid-30s, as he began to plot the mind-boggling genocidal crime that was the Holocaust: "Who now remembers the Armenians?" We should remember them, remember what happened, and acknowledge all such true genocides.
[Recommended, by the way, if you want to understand the Armenian genocide and its impact better: Atom Egoyan's astounding feature film, ARARAT.]
We should never forget that Hitler said, in the mid-30s, as he began to plot the mind-boggling genocidal crime that was the Holocaust: "Who now remembers the Armenians?" We should remember them, remember what happened, and acknowledge all such true genocides.
Comments
Jewish Genocide;
what next . . .
Climate Genocide?
It is certain that we won't be able to forget that one as it happens unless we act coherently to prevent it now.
Of course there is the issue of intent on the first two on the part of those who perpetrated them.
Climate Genocide; surely there can't be 'intent'.
However, simply to go on as we are doing will lead inexorably to mortality on a scale without precedent.
At COP-15 [yes we are in the 15th year of the stand-off on climate-change at the UN]
On day 2 COP-15, a group of Governments including the UK, tabled C&C in the ‘Danish draft deal’.
The C&C rates prescribed were as in the UK Climate Act: -
“Emissions to minus 50% globally by 2050 with minus 80% by 2050 for Developed Countries to avoid > 2 degrees global temperature rise.”
Angry reactions by the G77 and China claimed it: -
“froze per capita emissions 2:1 in favour of Developed Countries in 2050 [with] the lion's share of what was left going to the Developed Countries.”
[The first point was wrong; it goes to equal per capita. The second was arguably correct and the rate of convergence was the issue].
Then the US [Todd Stern] said: -
“I actually completely reject the notion of a debt or reparations or anything of the like.
It's the wrong way to look at this.
We absolutely recognize our historical role in putting emissions in the atmosphere that are there now.
But the sense of guilt or culpability or reparations?
I categorically reject that."
So the stand-off defaults to awareness and 'latent-intent'.
Of all human crimes, genocide is probably at the apex.
We really need to sort this row out.
A C&C presentation about this is available on request to : -
aubrey.meyer [at] btinternet.com
We all know about climate change, so stop trying to look like you're the only one who knows who cares. Cos you don't really. You just like to sound important and scare people.
Go and live your life and be happy