KeghartBy Avedis Kevorkian, Philadelphia, PA USA, 1 May 2009
On April 24, that was not rain that fell on the faces of the Armenians in America, it was spittle from The Liar In The White House, Mark 3.
Instead of living up to his promises regarding the Armenian Genocide, the Liar made a wordy waffle statement–not to the World, not to the Turks, not to America, but only to the Armenians.
By Avedis Kevorkian, Philadelphia, PA USA, 1 May 2009
On April 24, that was not rain that fell on the faces of the Armenians in America, it was spittle from The Liar In The White House, Mark 3.
Instead of living up to his promises regarding the Armenian Genocide, the Liar made a wordy waffle statement–not to the World, not to the Turks, not to America, but only to the Armenians.
That was evident by his use of the words "Meds [wouldn't "medz" have been better?] Yeghern." a term that I, for one, had not heard until earlier this year. It, no doubt, is the creation of an Armenian scholar who felt that a new expression was needed–and one of the Liar's flunkies must have picked it up and said to the Liar, "Hey, Boss, here is something that will impress those stupid Armenians!"
No one of my parents' generation ever used that term. In all his speeches and all his writings, my father used the term "chahrt"–"slaughter." As a child, I couldn't understand why he used an English word to describe the massacres, and he patiently explained to his idiot son the meaning of the Armenian word "chahrt."
When my parents and their friends would get together and the subject got around to 1915 (and before they resorted to Turkish so that we young children would not understand) they spoke of the "chahrt," not any "meds yeghern."
For the Liar to use "Meds Yeghern–and not explain it to the World, to the Americans, to the Turks–and not "genocide" is hypocrisy, plain and simple.
- The United Nations has not condemned "Meds Yeghern"; it has condemned "Genocide."
- What is going on in Darfur is not a "Meds Yeghern"; it is "Genocide."
- What Milosovic was being tried for was not "Meds Yeghern"; it was "Genocide."
- The international courts are not going to hear cases of "Meds Yeghern"; they will hear cases of "Genocide."
- The Ottoman Turks did not commit the 20th century's first state-conceived, state-planned, state-executed "Meds Yeghern"; they committed the 20th century's first state-conceived, state-planned, state-executed "Genocide."
My father knew a thing or two about the Armenian language and if he ever used the word "yeghern" (and I don't recall his having done so), he would have been referring to a "crime" or an "offense." Given the opportunity, he would have told the Liar that the murder of his entire family by the Turks was something more than a "crime" or an "offense." Those who have told the journalists that "yeghern" means "calamity" or "disaster" are playing the Liar's word-game. We recall the word-game played by Israel's Shimon Peres: "What happened to the Armenians in World War One was a tragedy but not a genocide," to which the proper word-game retort is: "What happened to the Jews in World War Two was a genocide, but not a tragedy."
It would be interesting to learn the name of the foolish Armenian who told the Liar that using "Meds Yeghern" would mollify the Armenians.
If the Liar in the White House has an aversion to using the word "genocide" (now that he is president), he could have used the word "holocaust" which was used to describe the Hamidian massacres of 1894/6 and also the Ottoman massacres of World War One (by Winston Churchill and Bernard Lewis, for instance), well before the Jewish genocide.
I don't expect anyone to agree with me, when I write these essays In fact, I would begin to worry if people did, but those who disagree with me because I am not impressed by "Meds Yeghern" are, to put it simply, fools.
Enough should be enough for the Armenians, and the message should go out to the Liar (and to all other candidates who lie for the Armenian vote), "If you want a 'yeghern,' we will give you one at the next elections." When they lose and slink home from Washington, let the Liar and his friends decide whether it is a "calamity" or a "disaster."
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Keghart
4 comments
Avedis, a couple of Comments
Avedis, a couple of comments. First, I have heard the expression Medz Yeghern. I don't know if it's a matter of geography, part of my family is from Western Armenia, the other from Eastern Armenia. But my grandmother used the term and she's been gone for over 10 years now. My great aunts (also from Eastern Armenia) used to use the term. But that's really besides the point.
The point is that his use of the term is a huge insult because, as you suggested, he thinks we are stupid enough to be fooled by such a lame trick. I suppose we were supposed to be dazzled into thinking he cares enough to have learned a couple of words in Armenian (like when they try to talk Spanish to kiss up to Hispanics!) I doubt it was an Armenian who suggested he do that, more like one of his snake advisors. One in particular comes to mind.
Here's the problem. I supported Obama big time in the election and not just because of his promise to the Armenians. Things like the war in Iraq, stem cell research, not wanting to bomb Iran and many other issues. I am still glad he won instead of the senile war mongering McCain. That's the rub. What do you do? If you work against him to try to make sure he's not reelected, as so many Armenians threaten, we are in a sense cutting off our noses to spite our faces. He is still highly qualified. Still, I CANNOT get past this betrayal. So, I have decided to just drop out of American society (not that I was ever that much into it). If Barack Obama did not keep his word to us, I don't think anyone will. So they can all go to hell as far as I'm concerned. I will not be voting in any future elections.
Word-games for Armenians
Barack Obama’s wafflying on "genocide" and his use of "Medz Yeghern" reminded me of this exchange from "Alice in Wonderland":
And the absurdity continues…
No matter how you cut it
No matter how you cut it, Obama demonstrated once again why he has been popular. It's the same reason why Bill Clinton has been popular. They are both master politicians and superb lawyers quite capable of playing word games, unlike the simple minded George Bush that everyone loved to hate. Say what you will about Bush, at least the man had his principal and did not mince words. This Obama word trick reminded me of the infamous "It depends on what the meaning of the words 'is' is".
The expression “Medz Yeghern”
The expression "Medz Yeghern" was used before the 50th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. There is nothing wrong in being used by Obama. The question I think is not the expression, it was the lack on Obama’s part to tell what is meant by it. Non-Armenians will not have a clue that for Armenians it means the Genocide. If he had done that, then probably there would have been less criticism. At any rate as it comes out in his statement, it is simply not acceptable from a President who in so many words promised that when elected he would use the term Genocide.
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