The issue of contention is whether the deaths of Armenians during World
War I who revolted against the Ottoman Empire (more than once) was an
alleged genocide or casualties of war.  I choose to believe the latter
as an objective American with ancestral ties to the region.  As a
federal employee, I have traveled on official business to Turkey and
the neighboring Commonwealth of Independent States (Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Armenia).  During the course of my travels, I have
researched the issue of the alleged “genocide” and engaged in numerous
conversations with the layman of both Turkey and Armenia to determine
the root cause of the ongoing dilemma.

For nearly a century, the Armenians claim to have been victims of a
so-called genocide without merit.  An accurate account of the “event”
during World War I against the Armenians by the Ottomans was
retaliatory to the Armenian revolt/uprising.

..hence, an effort to
eradicate NOT exterminate!  There is no denying hundreds of thousands
of Armenians were deported a
nd/or lost their lives…but many thousands
of Turks were also killed.

You see, the Armenian Diaspora does not want the logical person to ask
the most fundamental and basic question of all…”Were your [Armenians]
actions thegenesis for the [Turks] reaction?”  The educated would have
to conclude regarding the Armenians siding with the Russians to destroy
the Ottoman Empire as an act of betrayal for nearly 600 years of
peaceful coexistence.

The Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were esteemed citizens of which a
grand portion achieved nobility by serving in official capacities
within the Ottoman hierarchy as diplomats, cabinet officials, as well
as scholars and literary icons.

We need not venture far into our own past to realize the tragic attack
on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese that directly threatened our national
security.  As the United States, we reacted accordingly to preserve the
integrity of a nation by creating internment camps to isolate and
contain the Japanese community in America.

I implore CNN, for the sake of journalistic integrity, to inquire
further  and research on the following:

The Armenian Revolt against the Ottomans (1890-1920)

www.tallarmeniantale.com (by American scholars)

I have been located extensively in both Armenia and Turkey on official
travel for over 12 years.  I must say in all sincerity neither
ethnicity wants to continue in defend
ing or advocating events of nearly
100 years ago; people want to move on despite political pressure.
Unfortunately, the Diaspora feels otherwise, thus hampering positive
and meaningful relationships in the land thousands of miles away from
Glendale, CA.

Regards,

Jim M. Kirdar

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On Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 10:06 AM, Volkan Duygun
<volkan.duygun@yahoo.com> wrote:

I just posted my comment.

Volkan Duygun

Los Angeles Turkish American Assocation President