Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
October 14, 2007 Sunday
Our distracted Congress
Did Ottoman Turks kill hundreds of thousands of Armenians around the
time of World War I, roughly 90 years ago? The consensus is yes,
though modern-day Turkey denies that the killings amounted to
genocide.
At any rate, the United States neither caused nor participated in the
slaughter.
Why, then, is the U.S. House of Representatives expending so much
energy on a bill that would put the United States on record as
declaring the nearly century-old killings genocide? Debate is raging
on whether the bill would harm U.S. relations with Turkey or whether
not passing the bill would slight the memory of the slain Armenians.
Certainly there is no reason to approve of the killings. But why
needlessly wade into a distant yet emotional topic when there are far
more pressing issues for Congress to consider?
Are pronouncements on the conquests of Alexander the Great and Julius
Caesar next on Congress’ agenda?