National, International, Armenia, and Community News and Opinion

10 The Armenian Reporter | October 25, 2008
Editorial
Support our friends running for
Alabama
Artur Davis (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
American Samoa
Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D.), a
member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, voted in favor of
the H.Res. 106.
Arizona
Ed Pastor (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
Gabrielle Giffords (D.), a member
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
voted in favor of the H.Res.
106.
Raul Grijalva (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
California
See last week’s Reporter.
Colorado
Diana DeGette (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Ed Perlmutter (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Salazar (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
Marilyn Musgrave (R.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Connecticut
Chris Murphy (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Chris Shays (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Joe Courtney (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Larson (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Rosa DeLauro (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
District of Columbia
Eleonor Holmes Norton (D.), a
member of the Armenian Caucus
and co-sponsor of the H.Res. 106.
Florida
Gus Bilirakis (R.), a member of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
voted in favor of the H.Res.
106. A member of the Armenian
Caucus, he spoke at the September
2008 Capitol Hill Karabakh event
Kendrick Meek (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Mario Diaz-Balart (R.), a cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Ron Klein (D.), a member of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee,
voted in favor of the H.Res. 106.
Georgia
Jack Kingston (R.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Jim Marshall (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Barrow (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Lewis (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
Guam
Madeleine Bordallo (D.), a cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Hawaii
Mazie Hirono (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Neil Abercrombie (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Illinois
Bobby Rush (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Dan Lipinski (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Danny Davis (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Donald Manzullo (R.), a member
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
voted in favor of the H.Res.
106.
Janice Schakowsky (D.), a member
of the House Caucus on Armenian
Issues and co-sponsor of the
H.Res. 106.
Jerry Costello (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Jesse Jackson (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Luis Gutierrez (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Mark Kirk (R.), a member of the
Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106. He supported
Rep. Knollenberg’s July 2008
amendment to eliminate a $3.9 million
allocation of military aid to
Azerbaijan.)
Melissa Bean (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Peter Roskam (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Phil Hare (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
Indiana
Julia Carson (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.
Mark Souder (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Peter Visclosky (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Iowa
Bruce Braley (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Kentucky
John Yarmuth (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Louisiana
Charlie Melancon (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Maine
Michael Michaud (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Maryland
John Sarbanes (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Steny Hoyer
The House majority leader, Mr.
Hoyer stood firmly for the Armenian
Genocide resolution
in the face of vitriolic attacks
jointly orchestrated last October
by the Bush administration and
the Turkish lobby.
Chris Van Hollen
Mr. Van Hollen is one of the
members of the House Democratic
leadership who stood on
principle and rejected pressure
to forsake the Armenian Genocide
resolution last October.
Massachusetts
Ed Markey (D.), a member of the
Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106. Mr. Markey cosigned
a letter asking for extra aid
to Armenia in the wake of the war
in Georgia.
James McGovern (D.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and
co-sponsor of the H.Res. 106. Mr.
McGovern attended the 2008 Congressional
commemoration of the
Genocide and co-signed a letter
asking for extra aid to Armenia in
the wake of the war in Georgia.
John Olver (D.), a member of the
Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Tierney (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Barney Frank
A member of the House Democratic
leadership, Mr. Frank
spoke at the September 2008
Capitol Hill Karabakh event and
co-signed a letter asking for extra
aid to Armenia in the wake of
the war in Georgia.
The Armenian Reporter and the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC) jointly urge
Armenian-Americans to support our friends running for the House of Representatives. Last
week, we focused on the California delegation. This week we consider the rest of the nation.
In our endorsements, as always we have given special consideration to members of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. We have considered candidates’ interest in and
support of Armenian-American issues, including co-sponsorship and support of H. Res. 106,
which affirms the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide. We have also noted where members
have taken additional steps to support the Armenian-American agenda in Congress.
In several cases, we urge Armenian-Americans to oppose members who have opposed or
withdrawn their support of House Resolution 106. The House Foreign Affairs Committee
adopted the resolution in October 2007 over the very strong opposition of the Bush administration
and the Turkish lobby. That led to an even more intense effort to kill the resolution
as it headed for the floor of the full House. The administration and the Turkish lobby mobilized
their resources across the country, making the fight for the resolution a top story for
most news organizations for a few days.
This was a seminal matter. Members of Congress were being asked by the administration and
a foreign state to suppress a proud chapter of American history – the efforts of the State Department,
Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, and U.S. consuls in the Ottoman provinces in 1915–17 to
save the Armenians, and the broad response of the American people to appeals for help. Why
Because an American ally, Turkey, was blackmailing the United States: If the resolution was
adopted, the Turkish prime minister wrote ominously in the Wall Street Journal for October 19,
2007, Turkey, would take action that would “not be in the interests of either the U.S. or Turkey.”
We could not and cannot accept that the appropriate U.S. response to such a threat would
be to coddle the Turkish government.
On Election Day, November 4, let the Armenian-American voice be heard loud and clear at
the polls.
f
Michael Capuano (D.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Niki Tsongas (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Richard Neal (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Steve Lynch (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106. Mr. Lynch
co-signed a letter asking for extra
aid to Armenia in the wake of the
war in Georgia.
William Delahunt (D.), a member
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
voted in favor of the H.Res.
106. He is a member of the Armenian
Caucus.
Michigan
Candice Miller (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Joe Knollenberg
A co-chair of the House Caucus
on Armenian Issues – in a competitive
race – Mr. Knollenberg,
a Republican, has tirelessly led
efforts to move the Armenian-
American agenda forward in
Congress. This summer he fought
to eliminate a $3.9 million allocation
of military aid to Azerbaijan.
(He had heralded his intentions
in an article for the Armenian Reporter,
“Enough is enough, Azerbaijan,”
June 21, p. 22.)
Thaddeus McCotter
The chair of the GOP Policy
Committee, Mr. McCotter cosigned
a letter asking for extra
aid to Armenia in the wake of
the war in Georgia.
Dale Kildee (D.), a member of the
Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Dave Camp (R.), a member of the
Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
John Conyers (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Mike Rogers (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Sander Levin (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Tim Walberg (R.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Minnesota
Betty McCollum (D.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and
co-sponsor of the H.Res. 106. Ms.
McCollum attended the 2008 Congressional
commemoration of the
Genocide.
Collin Peterson (D.), a member of
the Armenian Caucus and co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106. Mr. Peterson
Ashwin Madia
Mr. Madia, a Democrat, is running
for an open seat. In meetings
with Armenian-Americans, he
has spoken clearly of his support
for Armenian-American issues.
Tim Walz
A leader among first-term members
of Congress, Mr. Walz, a
Democrat, has been an outspoken
supporter of the Armenian-
American agenda. He spoke at
the September 2008 Capitol Hill
Karabakh event.
co-signed a letter asking for extra
aid to Armenia in the wake of the
war in Georgia.
Keith Ellison (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Michele Bachmann (R.), a member
of the Armenian Caucus and cosponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Missouri
Emanuel Cleaver (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Wm. Lacy Clay (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Mississippi
Bennie Tompson (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
North Carolina
G.K. Butterfield (D.), a co-sponsor
of the H.Res. 106.
Melvin Watt (D.), a co-sponsor of
the H.Res. 106.