Author: Kamalian Hagop

STATE DEBT OF ARMENIA TO MAKE 2.2 BILLION DOLLARS IN 2009

Noyan Tapan
Oct 24, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2009, the state debt of Armenia
is forecast to amount to 2.2 billion USD which will make up 16.1% of
GDP – against 17.6% in 2008. The foreign debt will make up 81.5% of
the RA state debt (13.1% of GDP against 14.6% in 2008). The Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian announced this when presenting the
2009 draft state budget at the October 24 sitting of the standing
committees of the RA National Assembly.

He said that the qualitative indices of the foreign state debt will
be mostly within the level of the countries with a low and middle
debt burden.

"This will allow to maintain Armenia’s high solvency rating, which
naturally also raises the reliability of the country," the prime
minister noted.

ARMENIA’S POSITION IN NAGORNO KARABAKH ISSUE IS: MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN UNREASONABLE CONFRONTATION

Noyan Tapan
Oct 20, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Artur Baghdasarian, the Secretary of
the RA National Security Council, affirmed that the Armenian-Russian
relations are at the highest level. Answering journalists’ questions,
A. Baghdasarian as evidence of his statement mentioned the coming
official visit to Armenia of RF President Dmitry Medvedev scheduled for
October 20-21, over 170 interstate and intergovernmental agreements
signed between the two countries. According to him, more than 1000
Russian enterprises function in Armenia, more than 70 Russian regions
and autonomous republics cooperate with RA.

Commenting upon "the three main subjects speculated in Armenia’s
political sphere," A. Baghdasarian, in particular, said that
Armenian-Russian strategic cooperation is at the highest level: within
the framework of CSTO, Armenia has a military-political alliance with
country-members of the organization implementing military-political
programs.

Second, in the Nagorno Karabakh issue, according to A. Baghdasarian,
Armenia’s position is exact: "mutually acceptable mutual understanding
is much more important than unreasonable confrontation," and
President Sargsyan and the Armenian authorities have no aim to make
any concession in the Nagorno Karabakh issue.

Third, Armenia, according to A. Baghdasarian, efficiently works
with European structures and has a consistent course of deepening
cooperation with European structures, according to him, its evidence
is also the creation of the interdepartmental commission by the
instruction of the RA President.

And as for the home political situation in Armenia, A. Baghdasarian
considers it stable and normal.

YES TO ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS BUT ON AT EXPENSE OF NATIONAL AGENDA

Yerkir
23.10.2008 17:30

Yerevan (Yerkir) – ARF Bureau member Vigen Hovsepian, speaking before
Los Angeles Armenians and media, said that Turkey’s proposal to set
up a commission of historians to look into the Armenian genocide is
the trap that intends to prolong the issues on our agenda for months
and even for years and to split our forces.

The event that was held at the headquarters of the ARF Central
Committee, Western Region, on October 21, was opened by CC member Jean
Gosagian who said that the event was organized to present more clearly
the ARF position and approaches on the Armenian-Turkish relations.

Hovsepian spoke on the recent developments in the Armenian-Turkish
relations, focusing on the processes that – through a pressure on
the Armenian authorities – aims at forcing Armenia to accept the
historians’ commission and recognize the territorial integrity of
Turkey which actually means that Armenia should drop its rightful
territorial claims. "This unacceptable to the ARF, as well as it is
unacceptable to link the Karabakh settlement with the Armenian-Turkish
relations. In particular, any precondition aimed at abandoning the
Armenian genocide recognition efforts is unacceptable too."

"We are sure that if the issues are raise correctly, most Armenians
would agree with us. This means yes to the Armenian-Turkish relations
but not at the expense of the national agenda," he said.

TURKISH FM HOPES FOR MOMENTUM IN GARABAGH TALKS

AssA-Irada
October 15, 2008 Wednesday
Azerbaijan

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has expressed hope that talks on
settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict would
be accelerated after the presidential elections held in Azerbaijan
on Wednesday. Babacan told Turkeys TRT-2 TV channel that peace talks
were accelerated after Serzh Sarkisian was elected president in
Armenia. He voiced confidence that the negotiating process would be
intensified after the Azerbaijani elections. The diplomat said Turkish
President Abdullah Gul held talks for several hours at the request
of the Armenian government during his recent visit to Yerevan. During
the talks, the Armenian leadership demonstrated political will for the
solution of outstanding problems, he said. Babacan said that Guls visit
had also provided conditions for turning diplomatic talks with Armenia
into political dialog. Ankara has stated that Turkey-Armenia relations
depended on the relations between Baku and Yerevan. The Upper Garabagh
issue is very important, and Azerbaijan and Armenia continue talks on
settling the conflict, he said. The Turkish minister said that if peace
talks were fruitful, Turkeys relations with Armenia might develop,
adding that he had expressed this opinion during a recent trilateral
meeting with his Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts in New York.

SUSPECTS ON TRIAL FOR PLANNING TO INCITE COUP IN TURKEY
By Larisa Epatko

NewsHour
October 23, 2008, 2:05 PM ET

A massive trial underway in Turkey — involving retired military
generals, journalists, politicians and a university rector accused of
trying to create the conditions for a coup — might have far-reaching
political and military implications.

The lawsuit names 86 people allegedly connected to a secret
ultranationalist organization known as Ergenekon after the legend
describing the re-emergence of the Turks who successfully fought
their enemy using the cunning of a gray wolf. Forty-six of the 86
defendants are in custody.

A 2,455-page indictment says the group was behind the murders of a
prominent judge, a priest, Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and three
Christian publishing house employees, and the bombing of newspaper
Cumhuriyet’s offices in Istanbul in 2006.

Prosecutors claim the group was planning to target other prominent
figures, including Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk, in order
to spur a military takeover of the government in 2009.

The investigation began in July 2007 after police found hand grenades
and other explosives in a house in Istanbul. The case has riveted the
Turkish public’s attention because it feeds into the belief that a
"deep state" of military, intelligence and judiciary elements are
working behind the scenes to manipulate the country’s political,
business and education elite.

The trial opened Oct. 20 in a heavily guarded courtroom on the
outskirts of Istanbul and is expected to take months to complete.

Critics say the case is politically motivated and is being used
by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party to silence its
opponents.

The defendants include retired Brig. Gen. Veli Kucuk, nationalist
Workers’ Party leader Dogu Perincek, Cumhuriyet columnist Ilhan Selcuk,
former Istanbul University rector Kemal Alemdaroglu and nationalist
lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz.

Lawyers for the defendants are questioning the ties that prosecutors
are making between people from different and often opposing
backgrounds, the New York Times reported.

According to Turkish-born professor Henri Barkey, chairman of
the Department of International Relations at Lehigh University in
Pennsylvania, the suspects involved could be considered "the gang that
couldn’t shoot straight" for operating under the assumption that if
you create a little bit of violence, the army will intervene.

Although Turkey has had four military coups since becoming a republic
in 1923, the likelihood of Turkey experiencing another coup is
diminishing as it seeks to attract foreign investments and become an
international player.

"There is no question that if, for example, tomorrow there were to be
a military coup in a traditional sense in Turkey, the Turkish economy
would collapse," Barkey said. And now with the global economic crisis,
chances of a coup are even less, he added.

Still, the trial itself could have some serious implications, said
Barkey, and depending on which way the verdict goes, the case could
puncture the military’s untouchable persona. In a country where
the military is generally held in high regard, several four-star
and two-star generals, along with other military officers, are being
tried by a civilian prosecutor in a civilian court for the first time,
he said, and that could transform civil-military relations.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN RECEIVES HEADS OF CIS SECURITY AND SPECIAL SERVICE BODIES

armradio.am
22.10.2008 13:13

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the delegation of participants
of the Council of heads of security and special service bodies of
CIS countries.

Assessing such meetings as extremely useful, the President emphasized
their importance from the perspective of exchange of information and
experience, elaboration and implementation of joint actions against
dangerous phenomena.

In his words, the world is rapidly changing, new realities and
challenges come forth, which simultaneously leads to the change of
the requirements posed to special service bodies.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, the regular contacts of security
bodies contribute to the elaboration and implementation of measures
corresponding to existing challenges.

President of the CIS Council of heads of security and special service
bodies, Head of the Federal Security Service of Russia, General
Alexander Bortnikov presented the issues discussed during the 25th
sitting of the Council. It was noted that most issues referred to
fighting terrorism and their objective was to ensure coordinated
actions and a high level of cooperation.

President Serzh Sargsyan said the Council of heads of security and
special service bodies is one of the most active and effective bodies
of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

ACCORDING TO BILL SUBMITTED BY ARF, STATE EMBLEM OF REPUBLIC OF
ARMENIA SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO CHANGES

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Assembly "ARF" faction
has put three bills into circulation, and the first one envisages that
the state emblem of the RA should not be subject to changes, the
faction member Artsvik Minasian announced at the October 16 press
conference, adding that any person attempting to distort the state
emblem should be held accountable. The second bill envisages declaring
officially August 11 and the following 5 days as holiday days
(Navasard). The third bill proposes cancelling the law’s provision, by
which the head of an institution may dismiss a person who has reached
the age of 65 (pension age) from his/her job.

Speaking about the address of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, A.
Minasian said that appealing to the people and the parliament by means
of such an address is praiseworthy. In his opinion, although the
address fell short of the society’s expectations in connection with the
inquiry into the March 1 events and the imprisoned persons, it is not
ruled out that these issues will be included in future addresses.

As regards the former NA speaker Tigran Torosian’s recently published
article, A. Minasian refrained from making comments, saying he is not
well familiar with the article.

TURKEY’S TRUE COLORS

;Lan gID=1
10/16/2008

Turkey is "guest of honor" at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair but
top novelists, including Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, are not just
publicizing their books. They are shining a spotlight on their
country’s murky human rights’ record.

Under the motto "Turkey in all its colors," this was meant to be the
moment the country flaunted its creative diversity to the world. But
the opening ceremony at the most important event in the book-publishing
year was a far cry from the literary love-in organizers had hoped for.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul with his wife and Nobel Laureate Orhan
Pamuk at the opening of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

When Orhan Pamuk took to the stage at the Frankfurt Book Fair
earlier this week, addressing an influential audience including
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, he was quick to list some of the less
attractive "colors" of his homeland. "A century of banning and burning
books, of throwing writers into prison or killing them or branding them
as traitors and sending them into exile, and continuously denigrating
them in the press — none of this has enriched Turkish literature,"
Pamuk said. "It has only made it poorer."

"The state’s habit of penalizing writers and their books is still
very much alive," he told the crowd.

The winner the 2006 Nobel Prize fo r literature was speaking partly
from personal experience. He has had his own clashes with the
government. Pamuk was accused of "insulting Turkishness" after an
interview published in 2005 voiced his condemnation of the genocide
against Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I and the killing
of Kurds by Turkey in the 1980s. The charges were eventually dropped,
but many nationalists retain a grudge against the famous novelist.

In his speech, Pamuk highlighted how the controversial Article 301
(which forbids insulting Turkishness) "…continues to be used to
silence and suppress many other writers, in the same way it was
used against me. There are at this moment hundreds of writers and
journalists being prosecuted and found guilty under this article."

He also criticized the censorship of information in his
homeland. During research for his latest work, "Museum of Innocence,"
he used YouTube to research Turkish films and songs. But now YouTube,
along with a host of domestic and international Web sites, are not
accessible in Turkey "for political reasons."

When Gul took to the stage at the opening ceremony he did not directly
respond to Pamuk’s complaints. Instead he said Turkey was "really
proud" of the Nobel Prize and the fact that Turkish literature was
gaining recognition. Sticking to generalizations, he expressed his
happiness that Turkey had "gradually" brought about political and
economic reforms, but admitted20that there was "a lot yet to be done."

And observers said Pamuk had kick-started a long overdue debate. "His
every word should be translated into Turkish and made loud and clear
in Turkey — his statement conveys an important message," said Claus
Schönig, a professor at the Turkish Institute in Berlin.

Turkish Writers Shun Book Fair

And the Nobel Laureate was not alone in using the world’s biggest
book fair to focus the public gaze on freedom of expression. While
international editors ink deals and readers peruse the stands, around
20 Turkish authors are notable for their absence. Literary critic
Fusun Akatli explained the mass-boycott as a protest against the
ruling conservative AKP government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. In her view, the government is ill suited as an ambassador
for Turkish culture. She believes Erdogan’s party wants to overturn
80 years of progress and modernity in Turkey.

"Participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair goes against my world view
and my political convictions," she wrote in a declaration published
in the daily Milliyet, adding that she did not want to assist the
government in presenting its "culture veneer."

And the international defender of human rights, Amnesty International,
has also repeatedly underlined Turkey’s failure to guarantee free
speech. In its 2008 report on the country it concluded that the
"peaceful expression of opinion" continued to be restricted in l
aw and practice. "Lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders and
others were harassed, threatened, unjustly prosecuted and physically
attacked," it found.

In particular it noted that tensions had increased in the wake of the
fatal shooting of journalist and human rights defender Hrant Dink in
January 2007.

Dink was one of the most prominent voices of Turkey’s shrinking
Armenian community. Like dozens of writers including Pamuk, he had
been charged under the controversial laws for insulting Turkishness.

And some say the controversial law is counterproductive, given
its impact on Turkey’s international reputation. "There is a broad
range of people in Turkey using the "insulting turkishness" laws in
such a way that they themselves could be seen to be insulting the
country — after all they are making Turkey into a laughing stock
internationally," Schönig said.

Meanwhile, within Turkey, the pressure is on to clean up its rights’
record, to support the AKP government’s longstanding European Union
aspirations.

And in the massive halls of the Frankfurt trade fair, political
hot potatoes remain part of the program. On the schedule are podium
discussions on women’s rights, freedom of speech and Islam in Turkey:
maybe all Turkey’s "colors" will be on show after all.

–Boundary_(ID_gR0HvGhLU6amrl868Zf8xQ)–

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 10-16, 2008

HIGHLIGHTS:

"PRESS CLUB" AND "PRESS CLUB+": PUBLIC COUNCIL PERSPECTIVES AND THE ROLE OF
POLITICAL PARTIES IN LOCAL SELF-ADMINISTRATION BODIES ELECTIONS

SUIT OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CENTER VERSUS HRAZDAN MUNICIPALITY

FOUNDER OF "HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK" LITIGATES THE DECISION OF KENTRON COMMUNITY
COUNCIL OF ELDERLY

"ARMAUTHOR" DEMANDS RECOVERY OF LEGAL SERVICE EXPENSES BY "YERKIR MEDIA"

JUA ANNOUNCED THE AWARDEES OF "AZDARAR"-2008

ASSOCIATION OF PRINT MEDIA DISTRIBUTORS CREATED

"PRESS CLUB" AND "PRESS CLUB+": PUBLIC COUNCIL PERSPECTIVES AND THE ROLE OF
POLITICAL PARTIES IN LOCAL SELF- ADMINISTRATION BODIES ELECTIONS

On October 15 another show of "Press Club" cycle went on air of "Yerkir
Media" TV company. It is produced by Yerevan Press Club with support of the
Open Society Institute Human Rights and Governance Grants Program. The
guests of the "Press Club" host, the President of Yerevan Press Club Boris
Navasardian, were Director of "Political Economy" Research Institute
Andranik Tevanian, founder of the Institute of Human Rights and Democracy
Armine Arakelian and Head of the Armenian Civil Servants Union Vache
Kalashian. The topic of discussion was the process of establishment and
perspectives of the Public Council that is being created by the initiative
of RA President.

The next program of "Press Club" cycle will be aired by "Yerkir Media" on
Wednesday, October 22, at 23.00.

On October 11 another show of "Press Club+" cycle went on air of "Yerkir
Media". It is produced by Yerevan Press Club with support of the Embassy of
Great Britain in Armenia. The "Press Club+" host, YPC President Boris
Navasardian, and the program guest, Chairman of Liberal Party of Armenia
Hovhannes Hovhannisian, discussed the role of political parties in the
elections to the local self-administration bodies. The audience composed of
representatives of civil society of Armavir and Vanadzor also participated
in the discussion. The talk show was aired in an incomplete format: it was
expected that the second guest will be a representative of one of the
leading coalition parties, but none of those addressed by the program
organizers responded to the invitation.

The next program of "Press Club+" cycle will be aired by "Yerkir Media" on
Saturday, October 18, at 17.40.

SUIT OF THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION CENTER VERSUS HRAZDAN MUNICIPALITY

On October 14 RA Administrative Court started hearings on the suit of
Freedom of Information Center versus Hrazdan municipality (Kotayk region).
The public organization applied to the court demanding to oblige Hrazdan
municipality to provide the copies of decisions of the Council of Elderly
and the mayor of Hrazdan for the second quarter of 2007, as well as to
publicize the legal acts adopted by the community management, in the
procedure stipulated by law and in the form accessible for the public.
Besides, Freedom of Information Center demanded to oblige Hrazdan
municipality to pay a fine of 50,000 drams (approximately $ 170) for
violation of Article 189.7 of the RA Code of Administrative Violations
("Failure to comply with obligation to provide information").

On November 2, 2007 Freedom of Information Center inquired the copies of the
above-mentioned documents from Hrazdan municipality. On November 22, without
getting any reply, the organization asked the RA Human Rights Defender for
assistance. The both addresses of the ombudsman to Hrazdan municipal
administration on December 17, 2007 and on February 14, 2008 remained with
no result. Then Freedom of Information Center applied to the court.

In the session of October 14 the defendant provided the required documents,
and thus one of the demands of the plaintiff was satisfied. Nevertheless, as
President of Freedom of Information Center Shushan Doydoyan stressed, the
organization is going to insist on two other demands – publicizing the legal
acts and the fine on Hrazdan municipality.

FOUNDER OF "HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK" LITIGATES THE DECISION OF KENTRON COMMUNITY
COUNCIL OF ELDERLY

On October 10 the RA Administrative Court started hearings on the suit of
LLC "Dareskizb", founder of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily, versus Council of
Elderly of Kentron community of Yerevan. The plaintiff demands to annul the
resolution of the Kentron community Council of Elderly of March 28, 2008,
according to which the future renting of the premises occupied by "Haykakan
Zhamanak" (37 Israelian str.) should be annulled and handed over to another
organization.

Attorney of "Dareskizb" LLC Tigran Atanesian informed YPC that, in
accordance to the contract, "Haykakan Zhamanak" editors’ office has been
renting the premises free of charge since 2003, and in August 2007 the
contract was extended for an indefinite period. The lawyer considers that
the resolution of the Council of Elderly was adopted with violations of
legislation, in particular, some provisions of the RA Law "On Local
Self-Administration Bodies", "On Principles of Administration and
Administrative Proceedings". The decision also contradicts a number of
principles of the European Charter on Local Self-Administration and Article
1 Protocol No.1 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Court decision on this case is scheduled to be announced on October 17.

"ARMAUTHOR" DEMANDS RECOVERY OF LEGAL SERVICE EXPENSES BY "YERKIR MEDIA"

On October 9 court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash
communities of Yerevan started hearings on the suit of "Hayheghinak"
("Armauthor") versus "Yerkir Media" TV company. Public organization,
defending copyright, demands to oblige the TV company to pay the expenses on
lawyer services in the amount of 600,000 drams (approximately $ 1950),
sustained by it during the previous litigation between the two parties in
July 2008.

On July 4 Civil Court of Yerevan secured the suit of "Armauthor" demanding
to oblige "Yerkir Media" to conclude a licensed contract on using copyright
objects. "Yerkir Media" Director David Hakobian told YPC that the TV company
is ready to sign a contract with "Armauthor", but, as the court decision
came into force, NGO representatives did not address them with this
question and applied to the court with a new suit – about recovering lawyer
service expenses. David Hakobian thinks that the sum required by "Armauthor"
is too huge. In his turn, the head of "Armauthor" Susanna Nersisian told YPC
that in order to defend the interests of its clients the organization
engages well-reputed lawyers on contract basis, including foreign advisers,
whose services are very expensive, and a need of a court suit would not have
appeared if "Yerkir Media" timely signed the contract.

The October 9 session was suspended due to the Court’s demand from the
plaintiff of the original documents proving the expenses on lawyer services.

Next session is scheduled for October 27.

JUA ANNOUNCED THE AWARDEES OF "AZDARAR"- 2008

On October 16, at the Journalists Union of Armenia "Azdarar"-2008 award
ceremony was held. Dedicated to the Day of Armenian Press, the award was
established in 2004 by the Journalists Union of Armenia and the members of
the Club of JUA "Gold Pen" Awardees.

"Azdarar" awardees for 2008 were: Arpik Misakian, Chief Editor of Armenian
newspaper "Araj" published in France; Ida Martirosian, Chief Editor of
"Yerevan" magazine; "Urvagits" program cycle of "Kentron" TV company;
"Yerevan" program of Public Radio of Armenia; Hamlet Khachatrian, Chief
Editor of "Talin Ashkharh" newspaper, and photojournalist Ruben Mangasarian.

ASSOCIATION OF PRINT MEDIA DISTRIBUTORS CREATED

On October 8 Association of Print Media Distributors was registered in the
RA Ministry of Justice. President of the Association Armen Davtian informed
YPC that this public organization was founded by the representatives of
seven agencies of periodicals distribution. The goals of the Association are
the following: defense of professional interests of the distributors and
editors of the print media, shaping of a new civilized press market and a
system of press dissemination in the country.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

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this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
_____________________________________ _______
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

ON BILL AYERS AND SMALL ‘C’ COMMUNISTS
By James Lewis

American Thinker
October 15, 2008
WA

Bill Ayers said in 1995 that he was just a "small ‘c’ communist." He
said it with a little laugh. And most of us aren’t even shocked. We’ve
heard words like that before. But we should feel shivers running up
our spines.

I know goofy liberals who moan about all the good intentions
demonstrated by Karl Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky. They’re all Obama
voters, for some reason. They are the same kinds of people who think
Jesus was a communist, and that George W. Bush is Hitler. They are
often the kind of people who try desperately to be completely nice in
their lives, especially to designated victims. But often they harbor
a belly full of rage — against conservatives, or big corporations,
or fundamentalist Christians, or anybody who challenges their belief
in their own saintliness.

In basic politics there are only two numbers you need to know. One
is Six Million. You know what that means. The other number is
not nearly as well-known, but it should be. It’s One Hundred
Million. Six Million is forever linked to Hitler’s Final Solution
to the Jewish Problem. Whether it was precisely Six Million, or
whether we should include the Armenian Genocide committed by the
Turks, or whether we should add the tens of millions of other people
killed by Hitler, not to mention all the other genocides in history
… all that comes later. The expression "Six Million" has come to
be a touchstone for human evil, and we fragile humans really need
our touchstones. Otherwise we get confused, and wander off into
perversity. We become suckers to political scam artists.

We need some kind of soundbite to remind us of deliberately chosen
human evil, and Six Million is just about the right size to keep in
mind. Six Million should stand for all the massacres of innocents:
In Rwanda, in centuries of African slave trade, in Nanking, in Turkish
Armenia, in the Partition of India, the list is painfully long.

One Hundred Million is the estimated number of people massacred by
Communists in the 20th Century, according to a definitive study by
French Leftist historian Stéphane Courtois and his team, published
in The Black Book of Communism.

One Hundred Million is the second soundbite every sane person on
earth should know.

Six Million and One Hundred Million — forget all the quibbles,
just listen to the sound of those numbers.

Now when your friendly neighborhood "small ‘c’ communist" comes along,
all smiles, and offering love and peace, we need to say just one thing:
One Hundred Million. If that doesn’t wipe the smile off their faces
they are beyond human reach. By that act of willed ignorance they
have exiled themselves from the company of decent people.

Try it some time: There are an amazing number of nominally sane people
who will try to explain that number One Hundred Million away. Vladimir
Putin is doing it even now in Russia, where many of the murderers
and their victims lived. That reveals what kind of man Putin really is.

In the same way, murderous racists need to be confronted with only
one number: Six Million. It’s not because those murder victims were
Jews killed by Nazis. It is just a gut-grabbing allusion to deliberate,
massive human evil — always performed in the name of some transcendent
ideal, of course.

So we only need to ask about two numbers to find out where people
stand.

If Professor Bill Ayers then comes along and says with his little
laugh,

"I am a radical, Leftist, small ‘c’ communist … [Laughs] Maybe
I’m the last communist who is willing to admit it. … The ethics of
Communism still appeal to me."

Well, right away we know who he is, don’t we?

Or take his lady wife, Bernardine Dohrn, who famously cheered on the
Manson murders in 1969: "Dig it! First they killed those pigs and
then they put a fork in their bellies. Wild!"

She’s sure no Governor Palin of Alaska, is she?

Or take the grinning minister who tells his people that "Jesus was
a Communist." (What about those 100 million, Reverend?)

Then there’s Obama’s Harvard Law backer, black supremacist Don Warden,
aka Khaleed Al Mansoor,

"…whatever you do to [white people], they deserve it, God wants
you to do it and that’s when you cut out the nose, cut out the ears,
take flesh out of their body, don’t worry because God wants you to
do it."

It’s kind of a twist on Sesame Street: Which of these is just like
the others?

They’re all the same, kids.

So if somebody — say, one of our presidential candidates — if he just
doesn’t get that, it really tells us all we need to know, doesn’t it?

I would never give the time of day to anybody who fills his life with
Nazis, Kluxers, or Maoists. Or with bloody-minded professors of any
stripe whatsoever.

And to Professor Bill Ayers: If you were just "a small ‘n’ nazi,"
instead of "a small ‘c’ communist" … you would still be just as
evil as you obviously are. You have convicted yourself out of your
own mouth.

See, simple touchstones are pretty useful.

–Boundary_(ID_m0sVNeVmVnkn6pBG6pYx2g)–