Political Quotes

“It brings me no pleasure to stand before you in remembrance of the tragedy that mars this day in history. But the silent denial of wrongdoing that continues to accompany this date 81 years after the fact underscores the importance of this special order. April 24 stands as a black mark on the historical calendar; for the victims of the Armenian genocide perpetrated by an unapologetic government, I must call attention to these horrible deeds. It was on April 24, 1915, that the Ottoman empire commenced a genocidal cleansing unlike any that had come before. In seizing 200 Armenian religious, political, and intellectual leaders on this date, the Ottomans announced that Armenians would no longer be considered worthy of the basic human rights which must be afforded to all humanity. For the next 8 years they would brutally demonstrate the extent of these beliefs as they slaughtered 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children, and forced another half million from their homes. On this solemn day, we must pay homage to the uncompensated families for whom this day brings nothing but sorrow. The genocide of the Armenian people has never been recognized by the Turkish Government; no apology or reparations have been made. Instead, 81 years later, the wholesale slaughter of human beings goes unrecognized and unpunished.”