On the recordApril 27, 2010
April 24 marked the 95th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Last Saturday I participated with the Armenian community in Fresno to commemorate this horrific tragedy. I, once again, call upon this body to pass the Armenian genocide resolution. In my remarks before the Foreign Affairs Committee markup of House Resolution 252, I indicated that historians have clearly documented this event. Back home, as I grew up, my Armenian friends told me of the stories of the systematic approach to eliminate the Armenian communities from their farms, their homes, and their lives. It was the first genocide of the 20th Century. They believe it and so do I. Theodore Roosevelt once wrote: "The Armenian massacre was the greatest crime of World War I, and the failure to act against Turkey is to condone it." No one holds modern-day Turkey responsible for the past sins of the Ottoman Empire, but they should recognize their history, apologize, and move on to establish diplomatic relationships with Armenia. There is never a right time to recognize the genocide. We cannot wait around for a convenient time. I urge we pass this resolution.
