Keghart
Berdge Manoukian, Montreal, 23 August 2015
The results are in. Viken L. Attarian has lost the investiture campaign and the establishment candidate, Mélanie Joly, was announced as the winner in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville riding's Liberal candidate nomination. Viken's contingent of volunteers, quoted as the best-organized team by numerous reporters and nomination process followers, unfortunately ended third among the four candidates.
Viken L. Attarian's Investiture Speech in 7 languages
Berdge Manoukian, Montreal, 23 August 2015
The results are in. Viken L. Attarian has lost the investiture campaign and the establishment candidate, Mélanie Joly, was announced as the winner in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville riding's Liberal candidate nomination. Viken's contingent of volunteers, quoted as the best-organized team by numerous reporters and nomination process followers, unfortunately ended third among the four candidates.
Viken L. Attarian's Investiture Speech in 7 languages
a) Viken had a respectable turnout of his registered members;
This is what we cooked and this is what we merit. A hidden agenda and behind-the-scenes negotiations was evident. One faction of our community succeeded in influencing
politically unsophisticated Armenians to vote for a non-Armenian.Արթնցիր Հայութիւն
Liberals in Ahuntsic—Cartierville pick Mélanie Joly as their candidate
Philip Authier, Montreal Gazette, 23 August 2015
It took three ballots, but former Montreal mayoralty candidate Mélanie Joly has been elected the Liberal candidate in the riding of Ahuntsic—Cartierville.
At the end of a day of last-minute campaigning, electoral hoopla and then endless waiting as votes were counted, Liberal officials declared the 36-year-old lawyer Joly, who placed a surprising second to Denis Coderre in the last municipal election, the winner.
Her closest opponent in what was a field of four candidate was project manager Grace Batchoun.
Officials did not reveal the final tally, but said a total of 2,065 votes were cast.
“It’s not the end, it’s the beginning,” a pumped Joly said taking to the stage before about 500 Liberals gathered at the Collège André Grasset on Crémazie Blvd.
“It’s Day One in our journey to re-win Ahuntsic—Cartierville.”
Joly faces the daunting task of entering the campaign three weeks after everyone else and the formidable opponent of Maria Mourani, the former Bloc Québécois MP turned New Democratic who holds the riding.
But the undercurrent of suspicion over the way the election unfolded and allegations the Liberal brass manipulated the election to ensure Joly, a personal friend of leader Justin Trudeau, were still hovering in the air as candidates packed up their posters.
While all the candidates took to the stage with Joly in a sign of solidarity, candidate Élie Kassissia, one of those who made the allegations and placed either third or fourth on Sunday, stood with his arms crossed. Later, he fled the hall refusing to speak to the Montreal Gazette.
Batchoun told a reporter while she will work with Joly, she was not backing down on her views on the way the campaign unfolded.
“I feel I’m a better candidate,” Batchoun said. “We know there was favouritism. Absolutely. This is the reality. We’ve seen it, but it’s the people of Ahuntsic who voted and we have to accept their decision.”
“Democracy has spoken,” said candidate Viken Attarian, who said he will work with Joly. “The truth of the matter is they counted the votes and most voted for Mélanie Joly.”
But one of his supporters, Ara Balian, did not hold back.
“Because of who she is and what the party wanted, that’s what happened,” Balian said, noting the party just wanted Joly to create good photo images with Trudeau. “It’s too bad.”
Joly later dodged the question about disgruntled Liberals.
“I’m sure that we can work together and I’m very proud of all the teams and candidates,” Joly said.
It’s Joly’s second foray into politics. A dark horse candidate in the last municipal vote, she placed a surprising second to Coderre.
After that loss, she swore she was staying on the municipal scene.
“I am here to stay,” she said repeatedly only to turn around in February and announce the would seek the Liberal nod, a move that irritated other candidates, some of whom had been working the streets for two years.
The vote was also seen as a test of Trudeau’s ability to not only attract star candidates in Quebec where his campaign is lagging, but actually get them nominated given his decision to allow free votes in ridings.
Other Liberal leaders retained the power, in some circumstances, to place key electoral figures.
The open vote policy backfired on Trudeau in the Toronto riding of Eglington—Lawrence, where Conservative defector Eve Adams, whom he welcomed to the Liberals, lost a nomination.
Over the last few weeks, Liberals have been openly squabbling with the party brass, with accusations flying the election was being manipulated behind the scene to ensure Joly wins.
60 comments
The Chestnut Tree
“Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me:
There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree.”
George Orwell, 1984
The actions by Norayr Serengulian parallel 1984. The above quote references Winston selling out his love interest, Julia, during his torture to save himself. The party succeeds in breaking up Winston and Julia, who were once a couple, and both now work for the Party and spend all their energy honoring and loving Big Brother. He works for the Party and often goes to the Chestnut Tree Cafe where he runs into Julia.
So, who is the Party in this case? Who is Big Brother?
Last and Most Important
Even the last and the most important lesson–the Armenian Genocide–didn't help the Armenian people unite.
–Collaboration with the Young Turks.
–Collaboration with the Nazis.
–Murder at the altar.
"Miatsek Hayer, Hayer miatsek" and keep doing exactly the opposite. And now this "voghpam zkez Hay joghovoort".
Shame on you.
Nicolai Romashuk Hairabedian
Disgusted Armenian
When are we going to learn to work together?
We are indeed a HOPELESS case.
Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Armenians uniting and working together will only happen in fake speeches. We are only good at talking. When it comes to action Armenians will never unite!
What a race to be proud of!
Very true! This will certainly alienate a lot of Armenians against Trudeau and voting or not voting Liberal in the next federal election. It will also disgust many other Armenians towards such fellow Armenians who worked against a knowledgeable and worthy Armenian, who for sure was going to voice Armenian issues and concerns as an MP.
But as said above, Armenians only talk about unity but do the opposite, and frankly we are fed up of hearing hollow speeches anymore because they are all lies. Deep down we do not like each other, we are not a loving people, we do not care about our national interests, we are jealous of each other. What a race to be proud of!
Frankly a disgusting race and on top of that bragging of having Christian values and being the first Christian nation on earth, bla… bla… bla..We will never learn, never change, never amount to anything as a nation or collective people, only as individuals which is not enough for survival, because when we lose our collectivity or unity or nation, that individualistic attribute will be worth nothing, like all those people who have vanished.
Don’t Feel Too Bad
Don't feel too bad Canadians and Americans.
We have the same Armenian stupidity here in California. Some guys perennially run for some seats with absolutely no hope of winning. But they siphon off enough votes to cause other viable Armenian-Americans to lose, sometimes by a hair. It is truly insane.
Viken’s lection Result
Berge,
Bravo. You've depicted perfectly our community's immature situation. Certain people (unfortunately) will follow their leaders' orders. They don't have proper opinion. It's good to obey certain orders that work during war, for example, but not when it comes to community's interest. This is called hatred toward fellow Armenians. Was this a vendetta against Viken? I don't know, and to say that I had thought (it seems I was wrong) to believe to see a change in their behavior, specially during the Genocide centennial.
Viken is an exceptional, educated, and correct person. The community would have been proud to have a person of his caliber as an MP. I know two Armenians endowed with the Queens's jubilee medal. He is one of them.
Nicola Romanshuk Hairabedian's comment are still valid.
Never mind Viken: a diamond shines nevertheless.
Antranik Chaderjian
Attarian Election
I was in Montreal (I am from Toronto) last weekend for a different event. However, following the facts of politics, the moment Trudeau moved Melanie Jolie to the riding, it was obvious to me that she was going to win. She obviously had the Liberal establishment behind her.
I speak from experience, based on my days in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. I was a member of the Liberal executive; we had a hard-working Liberal who ran for the nomination in 1980. Pierre E. Trudeau (father of Justin) parachuted Paul Demarais' cousin, Louis Desmarais, in the riding and he won the nomination. Most of the executive, including myself, resigned.
Last weekend I saw that many of my friends were going to vote for Mr. Attarian. So the community division accusation is not factual.
It is regrettable that Mr. Attarian lost but I doubt it will make much difference on election day on October 19.
Montreal Armenian Disunity Big Winner
Shame on us! How do we expect the world to listen to our cause when we, as a small nation, do not stand together?
But then, this isn't new. We have always been divided throughout history, and it seems that we haven't learned much from our past.
When will we learn that no matter what our Armenian political convictions, our priority should be to stand together: to stop licking "odar" boots and show a united front. Jews have the wisdom to always stand together in spite of their internal divisions… other nationalities have also learned this. Not us, not yet.
I don't know what Armenian political party Viken Attarian belongs to and I don't care. We should have elected him regardless, because who else would fight for the Armenian Cause? Not Mélanie Joly for sure.
Shame on us. The majority of us are still narrow-minded. If we continue acting this way, we will stay a minority or even worse: we will be completely assimilated in 20 years.
“Jews have the wisdom to stand together…”
"Jews have the wisdom to always stand together…"
Right: it has been my observation here in US also that marginal Jewish candidates have the political maturity to stand down, so the best candidate for Jewish concerns gets the most votes and wins.
My Affiliations – For the record only
Dear Alice,
I am NOT, nor have I EVER been, a member of ANY Armenian political party, or the Armenian branch of any other non-Armenian political party.
While being a baptized Armenian Catholic, I am NOT a member of any Armenian Church or parish organization. I am a member of the Armenian Catholic church simply by virtue of denominational affiliation, if we define the word church to mean all the faithful.
Like most people, I have a specific political worldview and ideas I believe in. For me, the closest match of those values can be found in the Liberal Party of Canada. As a Canadian, I believe that I would like to build a Canada that reflects those ideas.
That is why, I am only a member of the Federal Liberal Party of Canada.
It is not difficult to find out what I believe in. I am a very public person. Anyone can find out. What I think = what I write = what I say = what I do. Always.
Thank you
Paregamoren
Viken Levon Attarian
Addition for the Record
Sorry for one important omission.
The only Armenian organization I am a member of is the AGBU, since my maternal grandfather registered me sometime before my first birthday. He was a genocide survivor, who grew up in an orphanage supported by the AGBU.
I apologize for this omission.
Paregamoren,
Viken Levon Attarian
Welcome to Bourj Hamoud-sur-Saint Laurence
Hetoum
National Insult
"…..such as national interest,….."
That is an insult. What are you accusing Canadian-Armenians of ? Treason? I can't speak for Canadian-Americans, but here in the US, we occasionally hear the same thing.
Why should Armenian-Americans or Canadian-Americans bend over backwards so as not to allegedly put "national interest" first. Try to give the same lecture to any minority group, and see what happens.
Try to accuse Jewish voters, for example, who vote for candidates who are sympathetic to Jewish interests, of not putting that mythical "national interest" first, and see what kind of reaction you get.
Do corporations in Canada/US who lobby for laws to allow them to ship industries and jobs overseas putting "national interest" (i.e. welfare of ordinary Canadians/Americans) first?
Give me a break.
When everybody else puts "national interest" first, then you will have a case.
Liberals don’t appreciate Armenian Centre support
Dear Friends and compatriots;
Yes. It is too bad to lose an Armenian candidate who was running for the Federal election.
I would like to mention that I ran in the Fed. election in 1997; I was not supported by the Armenian center, since I was not running on the list of the Liberal Party. I was a candidate on the Reformist Party list, with Mr. P. Manning's electoral list, which was not supported by the Armenian center.
Until today the Armenian Centre supports only the Liberal Party, which is totally unjust. The result is very clear. Liberals have not appreciated the support of the Armenian Center to the Liberal Party for the last fifty years or more when it comes to differentiate between Liberal Armenian and French Liberal candidate running for election.
Hagop Karlozian
Well, I don’t know
Well, I don't know. It's one thing to be an intellectual and another thing to run for political office. People nowadays don't have time to delve deep into issues, read essays on political platforms. And let's admit: a young, hot blonde with almost 10,000 Facebook fans, with a simple message, will easily beat out a middle-aged man with very little social media presence and relying heavily on the notion that "because I'm Armenian, all Armenians will vote for me". Isn't this ghetto mentality? Isn't this the same thing people on this board are accusing the ARF of doing (because the leaders said so, you should do so?)
Isn't it naive to think only Armenians can fight for their cause on the political arena? (Valerie Boyer, Karygiannis, Adam Schiff, Frank Pallone and many others). Especially with the Liberals… When in fact, it was Conservative PM Stephen Harper who first said the word Genocide (and prior to that as leader of Opposition courageously voted 'Yes' on the Genocide motion), when all other Liberal PMs before him just chickened out.
Food for thought.
“Chickening out”
I am not a Canadian but I bet that Conservative PM Stephen Harper used the word Genocide for pragmatic reasons and not ideological, so does Adam Schiff or Frank Pallone or any other politician be it in U.S. or in Canada. After all, all politics is local and these politicians have come to accept that the Armenian voters in their districts constitute a base they would not afford to lose to their opponent.
I do not see why a Liberal candidate in Canada would be any less supportive of Armenian Cause if the Armenian voters would constitute a base he or she would also not afford to lose.
It would be naive to think otherwise.
Like Father Like Son
I have not met Viken but I have followed his writings and presentations. His seven languages in less than four minutes speech is definitively the hallmark of a uniquely gifted individual who has put his God-given talents for the public good. I thought he would make an ideal candidate in multi-ethnic Canadian society.
It seems it runs in the Attarian family. Few years ago I read an interesting remembrance written by Antranig Dzaroukian where he mentioned Viken’s father. Anyone interested may search the link in Keghart.com under "Dreamy Haleb".
Viken’s uncle Karnig
I never met Viken’s father, but when I was growing up, I knew his uncle Karnig and his wife Arpine. If there were few people whom I could refer to them as a man of high integrity, intellectual capacity and kindness, Karnig Attarian was one of them.
All Ganging up Against Viken
I think this is beyond just Armenian thing; it has to be the Liberal party too. Imagine, a few weeks ago, Justin Pierre James Trudeau giving a hug to Viken as a gesture of support. And later, Melanie Joly endorses Viken on Youtube as the best candidate, but on nomination day, they both abandon Viken. I guess Justin is not ready for leadership or he has not inherited some of the rare qualities of his father. On the other hand, Joly should have had some dignity and withdrawn her candidacy.
If winning an election is all about in life and if Viken wanted to win at all cost, he could have compromised on his integrity and may even asked Kim Kardashian to come and endorse him, or throw a party in one of hooka houses with belly dancing. That way, most of our compatriots would have voted for him.
“…Throw a Party…”
"…throw a party in one of the hooka houses with belly dancing…"
An Armenian who denigrates his/her people is lower than …Well, I don't want to be banned from Keghart.com. So….
Would you say the same thing about any other minority in Canada? Despite your self-loathing opinion of Armenians, any other nation which has experienced what we Armenians have experienced would do anything to get a vote.
We have a 5,000 plus years of proud history. Do you think this vote aberration is something? I live among and know a lot of other ethnic groups: Jews; Anglo-Saxons; Latins; Blacks; Chinese… Nobody can hold a candle to us Armenians. Nobody.
Please stop spreading self-loathing propaganda. If you do not want to be identified as an Armenian, it's your choice and your privilege. But please do not drag our great people through the mud.
Thank you.
Self-loathing Propaganda
I have the right to raise my flag and burn it, unless I live in the ghetto. If you subscribe to the Kardashian cult, that is your business, that is Hooka and belly dancing mentality that attracts unfortunately many Armenian organizations. Viken comes from a different line of Armenians and I doubt that many read Viken’s strategy writings, to which many cannot comprehend and will not relate. If we cannot point our weaknesses out in the open, then we should bury our mythical pride in the books.
This is typical Bourj Hamoud mentality that used to force people to think just one way. We are people like any other nation, and if you open the pages of our history, there are many shameful pages. It is our choice to discuss in the open and learn or deny and stay the way we are. I am proud of Viken as a friend and as an honest Armenian.
Self-loathing Hysteria
Self-loathing hysteria affects many Armenians; you're not alone. This has become even more public and obvious with the introduction of social media, where anybody can be a somebody and say whatever comes to mind (unfounded or otherwise).
"We will vanish", "we are a disgusting nation", "there will be no Armenian left in 20 years", "silver coins", "uneducated nation" and "I/he/she is too good to be an Armenian" …sound familiar? It's so funny to watch and hear the parade of these statements erupt as soon as something doesn't go exactly the way we imagined/wanted it would.
For me this is much more of a concern than our so-called disunity. It approaches collective psychosis.
I repeat: there is no place for intellectuals in politics today. This statement wouldn't hold even ten years ago. But now we find ourselves in this situation. Don't blame the Armenians for it. This is the world today; get used to it. Everything is measured by the number of followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and who shows what on it. People (I don't mean only the young. I mean the majority of the 50 plus crowd) have no time to read analysis, writings, plans, etc. They want it simple. Two sentences are already too long.
Sad? Maybe. But again, don't blame the Armenians for it. Despite all we've gone through we're still doing far better than many other nations. "Different line of Armenians"? Really? And you're talking about disunity when that's exactly what you're doing? Be proud that you're Armenian. You're part of a tribe which has survived against all odds, and will do so in the next 1,000 years as well.
Genatzt!
Let us be serious
Let us be serious. This is Canada, who recognized the Genocide. Our “friends” on the parliament hill have warned us that our support has been fading dramatically. We can either be serious or lose what we have. Let’s not take for granted the recognition of the genocide, it can be reversed. Already some politicians are in the pockets of Turkish lobby and have visited Azerbaijan. You need strong representation like Viken and that is what I was addressing. We cannot afford shallow (Kardashian type) people to represent us. This is not “something doesn’t go exactly the way…”.
I guess you are not aware what is going on here in Canada. In fact, you should have paid more attention on the US politics too. When a senator like John Kerry (and many others), who used to be 100% pro Armenian and suddenly change sides, then there should be something really wrong with what we have been doing. If that does not give you enough warning, then you may as well join the Kardashian band wagon and hang out in Hooka shops and watch belly dancing…
Seriously. Looking at
Seriously. Looking at Canadian politics vis-a-vis Armenian Genocide recognition in the last 10-11 years, the only people the Armenians should fully support are Harper, Kenney and the Conservative party. You might like them, you might hate them, but they did more good to the Armenian Cause than any Liberal Party PM or politician before them. So what's an Armenian candidate doing in the Liberal party?
About John Kerry: Even if he was Hovhannes Kerian (an Armenian), as Secretary of State he has NO CHOICE but to fight against Genocide recognition. As long as Incirlik airbase is important to America. Perhaps things will change with Iran deal.
Suddenly change sides: Get used to it, this is POLITICS, changing loyalties, interests and ambitions. One goes the other comes as long as you keep the Cause alive.
In fact, you'll hate to admit it, with her week-long visit to Armenia and Jerusalem earlier this year, Kim Kardashian (that you make fun of) brought more recognition and acceptance to our Cause, more than any politician (intellectual or otherwise), more than any PM or President, more than any Armenian political party or organization in the last 100 years. It's called fame, popularity and media influence, more powerful than all the politicians you mention, combined!
But it's typical of an Armenian. CRITICIZE,JUDGE, CONDEMN. Rather than seeing the most famous woman in the world today is passionate about her Armenian roots and our Cause.
For want of a nail
Artur and Avery,
Be advised, there's an old saying: 'For want of a nail, the horseshoe was lost. For want of a horseshoe, the steed was lost. For want of a steed, the message was not delivered. For want of an undelivered message, the war was lost.'
Warmest regards,
Ted
A nice old proverb; but the
A nice old proverb; but the optimist and the courageous Armenian in me will reiterate:
By finding the nail, the war was won. 🙂
Warmest regards,
Artur
Clarification by Viken Attarian
Thank you Hagop for your comment.
Let me say that Mélanie Joly never endorsed me on YouTube. That was a humorous PR stunt, when we wanted to inject some light-heartedness into a rather somber campaign. Also to show that our team was courageous and we could laugh at ourselves. We only claimed that Mélanie endorsed me, because there is a Mélanie who does. She is a Liberal party member who lives in the riding, who oddly enough has a physical resemblance to Ms. Joly. She proposed the idea and agreed to record three short videos for distribution on the last days of the campaign. She was even present at the Armenian Community Center, handing out my pamphlets.
I can also assure you that I had and continue to have many supporters within the various leadership structures of the Liberal Party of Canada, some of them came to help me on investiture day and wore my campaign T-shirts. Others endorsed me and were not shy to sign their names on my promotional brochures. Some of them sent statements of support which were printed in the brochures and posted on my website. At least one board member temporarily resigned from his position (as board members are supposed to be neutral) and publicly declared himself to be supporting me. Others actually donated money to my campaign and so on.
I am grateful to all who supported me and helped out. I appreciate the level of commitment they made to make me succeed. We have all grown and learnt from this experience–myself as the candidate and all the way to the youngest cheerleader who was waving my banner throughout the day.
Paregamoren,
Viken Levon Attarian
Intellectualism, Armenian Tribalism and Social Media Popularity
There are many interesting comments here, in particular, the ones posted by Avery and Artur who make valid points about why Armenians should have voted for me and whether that is not a manifestation of a ghetto mentality.
I suspect that neither of them know me in person nor have read my writings. I can appreciate their position.
In my defense, let me say that I abhor tribalism and I agree with them that I should not ask Armenians to vote for me because I am an Armenian.
However, there are several facts in this campaign that need to be clarified. This was an internal party nomination election. Only party members residing in the riding had the right to vote. The electoral pool was restricted to about 5,200 registered members of whom 1,000 were of Armenian descent. At the end, only around 2,000 electors showed up of whom about 600 were Armenian. This gives you an idea of the power of the Armenian vote. Had Armenian voters all voted for me as their first choice, I would have won this nomination in the second or third round. There is absolutely no question about that.
Why should they have voted for me you may ask? Because I presented a full electoral plan for the riding and a full detailed platform for all of Canada. I was the ONLY candidate in ALL of the 338 ridings of Canada to have such a plan (including timelines, expected expenditures and progress measurement targets). Why could I do that? Because I am not a "neophyte intellectual" in politics. I have been working in the Liberal Party policy matters for 10 years and I sit on the National Electoral Platform Committee of the party. I am the author of several of the policy positions of our party. I am also a known Armenian media personality (TV and radio) who has fought for Armenian causes all of his adult life with a very public record of achievements. The reason I asked Canadian-Armenian voters to vote for me is because I believe I was the best candidate for all citizens, including those of Armenian origin. Every single one of the Armenian voters knew me and what I stood for.
For the record, I do not believe there is anything wrong with being an intellectual politician. Winston Churchill was a Nobel Prize-winner in literature. Francois Mitterand was an essayist. Andre Malraux was a novelist. Vaclav Havel was a great author and playwright. These people marked the history of their countries and their intellectualism was never in conflict with what they had to do in politics.
Also for the record, the average age of the 5,200 members was above 50 with about 40% senior citizens, clearly beyond the social media following age. I am a middle-aged intellectual, that is true, but I can assure you that I had a very real chance of winning this nomination.
Finally, I am sure that you will not deny the fact that, call it what you may, there is a strange and arguably a very uncomfortable symbolism in the fact of an Armenian candidate being defeated by the vote of Armenian electors, in a voting station in the Armenian Community Center at the instigation of other Armenians.
Paregamoren,
Viken Levon Attarian
Statistics
Based on the figures Viken provides – 1000 eligible Armenian voters out of 5200 eligible voters and 600 Armenian actual voters out of 2000 actual voters – we come to the following statistics for the said district.
The Armenian Canadians’ constituted 19% of the eligible voters, 30% of the actual voters with 60% of the Armenian Canadians voting.
The Non-Armenian Canadians constituted 71% of the eligible voters, 70% of the actual voters with only 33% of the Non-Armenian Canadians voting.
The participation of the Canadian Armenians in that district is noteworthy (60% vs. 33%). Surely 30% of the votes play a decisive role in the final tally of votes.
Montreal “Hero” – Serengulian
Guetsess Norair.
Your name will be etched in the Canadian Armenian annals for your "heroic" efforts to make sure that you and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation supporting you and the Armenian Centre in Montreal delivered almost not a single vote to an Armenian compatriot candidate.
You appear to be very elated in support of Joly beside whom you were cheering at the closing of an orchestrated "democratic" vote. The picture does tell volumes of your love to Armenians and Armenian causes. What sort of silver coins were you promised?
Also….
One thing you should realize: It's inevitable that middle-aged Armenian men, especially the ones not born in Canada, automatically come with baggage. Even if they're not a member of any Armenian party, where they went to school in the old country, where they played basketball or football, which theatre group they participated in, automatically puts them in the ARF sympathisant or anti-ARF camp. This is the way it is, old habits on both sides die hard. A bit sad, but this is how our 20th century diaspora history has shaped up, let's accept it and move on.
Thankfully the new generation fares better. One intelligent thing Armenians in Canada can do, is to groom, nurture and put their money on 2 or 3 Harout Chitilians. That's the future! And see if everyone will not unite behind such young, bright, and modern-thinking candidates.
Thank you
Thank you for the kind remarks.
I am honored to serve for a second mandate the citizens of Montréal as a city councilor and vice-chairman of the executive committee.
I am and always will be grateful for all the unconditional support and encouragements I have received from all institutions and members of our community.
Harout
Kardashian
Artur (I am not sure what is your Armenian name),
Again, I am not criticizing her, she is free. I am criticizing us for endorsing her. Our youth is following her example and endorsing her lifestyle, our youth has already leading her foot steps. If that's your role model, you are free, then say good bye to something called Armenian values, Christian values, family values. We could have said that 100 years ago and converted to Islam and may be we may have spared 1.5 million lives. Again, I am not making fun of her, the world is making fun of her.
John Kerry, long before he became Secretary of State, he changed his colors. You have mentioned Canadian politicians, actually Jason Kenny has been warning us that we have lost our friends in Ottawa. You cannot win friends in one day, especially when you do not have the big pockets like the Turkish/Azeri lobby. I hope you do understand how lobbyists operate here.
Again, we failed miserably to harvest Viken's 20 years efforts. Harper is not leading in the polls and we may end up either with NDP majority or minority. NDP is infiltrated with Turkish sympathizers. In case it were Liberals, Justin Trudeau is not his father, and Viken would have been the only hope to stand up against this kid.
Hagop, why is Artur’s
Hagop, why is Artur's Armenian name an issue here.
Monte is not an Armenian name: how many Armenians do you know with Armenian names who have done anywhere near for our Armenian Nation what Monte Melkonian has done.
As to Kim having an influence on Armenian children:
The #1 influence on any child is his or her parents.
If Kim has more influence on a child than his/her parents, it is the fault of the parents, not Kim.
She could have changed her name to something else, e.g. Mike Connors (born Krekor Ohanian), and been just as successful, maybe more. Few would know she is Armenian.
But she is very proud of her Armenian father: she kept her last name as a statement. And wants to do whatever she can to help Armenia. Who are we to interfere ?
And since we are having a "battle of proverbs", here is one:
John 8:7 "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."
(not that she has sinned in any way, shape, or form).
Not About Kim
Again, you have not read what I wrote. Kim is free, but my warning is to us not to follow her lifestyle. Love the sinner, hate the sin!
Proverbs and Kim Kardashian
Artur,
I am glad you know some proverbs. Here is a proverb, that can best analogize our nation's continued support of Kim Kardashian. I hope you rethink your position with supporting her, and wise up my friend.
Proverbs 7:10-23
10 The woman approached him, seductively dressed and sly of heart.
11 She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home.
12 She is often in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner.
13 She threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said,
14 “I’ve just made my peace offerings and fulfilled my vows.
15 You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are!
16 My bed is spread with beautiful blankets, with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,
19 for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip.
20 He has taken a wallet full of money with him and won’t return until later this month.”
21 So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery.
22 He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,
23 awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.
Der Voghormya
Der voghormya, Der voghormya, Der voghormya.
Role Model
Artur,
You and I will have to agree to disagree on Kim Kardashian. If you believe she is a good role model, and has been invaluable to the Armenian Cause, and you do not find anything wrong with her lifestyle, then let her be your shining star–the example that your children, your familial relations, so on follow.
Warmest regards my dearest friend,
Ted
Let Us be the Best
Ted,
Let us be the best role-models we can be for our children and grandchildren so that our children and grandchildren won't search for other role models. Instead of spending your energy on judging and convincing people what's wrong and what's right through Bible quotes, or proverbs, improve yourself, and leave Kim alone to worry about herself and her children.
She is totally free to make millions of dollars by propagating that lifestyle. And the millions who idolize her are also free in their choice.
But that doesn't change the fact that what she did with her visit to Armenia was invaluable to our Cause. We could have spent a billion dollars and not achieved the same result. It's called