Once again a few important members of the US Congress are trying to pass a resolution condemning a country that did not exist for a hundred-year-old atrocity that occurred during a war. Surely, given the state of the global economic crisis, there is a better use of the time of the Congress. Few, if any, of us were around when the war was waged. To quote a great US general, “War is hell.” But war is war and genocide is genocide.
Webster’s defines genocide as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group. In fact, the term was not even created until 1944. Scholars of history have come down on both sides of the issue over what happened and what we should call it.
My own views add very little to an age-old debate. But I do feel strongly that all of our energies would be much better applied to the future. Turkey is a great friend of the United States and a leader in Europe. Turkey’s contribution to spreading peace throughout the world is remarkable. All of her citizens should be very proud of the role Turkey is playing in the global effort for peace. Yet some congressmen wish us to ignore present-day Turkey and instead slap the Ottoman Empire for an event nearly 100 years ago.
I and a growing number of my colleagues simply refuse to go along with the attempts to embarrass Turkey. I value my country’s friendship with Turkey. I prefer to look forward to the future of relations between our two countries. I refuse to allow the deaths of hundreds of thousands on both sides to be used as a modern-day political football.
I regret that World War I occurred. I regret that all war has occurred. I pray for the ethnic Armenians who lost their lives as I pray for the Azerbaijani victims in Khojaly.
As a Christian, I oppose the persecution of any religion and those that practice that religion. As a member of the US Congress, I do not have the luxury of time to settle old scores. We live in a world where evil lurks in many dark corners across our planet. My country needs the help of those that are willing to stand with us to counter this evil. I am proud to stand with Turkey in bringing peace to the many troubled areas of our earth.
There are countless activities we can take together to make our world a better one. Until the day where peace has encompassed every corner of our planet, I will prefer to work to make our future safer for all of our children and grandchildren. The Congress can devote its time to settling political scores when our work is complete. What happened in 1915 must never be forgotten.
To quote the great poet Maya Angelou, “History cannot be unlived, despite its wrenching pain, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
*Congresswoman Jean Schmidt is a member of the US House of Representatives from Ohio.
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