Category: Authors

It will not happen to me. Guess What? It Will !!!

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It will not happen to Me. Guess What? It will!

Money Market Funds – The root of our problems.

When the money market funds started in the 1970’s they were greeted with great joy. One did not have to wait for a whole quarter to get interest. This was a neat deal. One could earn their monies on a daily basis, with no commissions either.

Brokerage firms loved them because they were able to keep all their customer funds in one firm.

All the funds sold for $1.00 there were some minimums, but when a large institution decided to withdraw their funds at one time everyone held their breath. The Partners of the firm put up the cash and the fund “never broke a buck”- until Lehman Brothers in 2008.

There was euphoria everywhere except at your local savings bank. Depositors were rushing to withdraw their monies from the banks to the new modern investment. This spelled the death knell for the savings bank industry.

The repercussions would be felt for decades to come. The savings banks were tightly regulated by archaic laws, which were passed thirty years before “for the common good”. The savings bank lobby was not as strong as the brokers’ lobby. Particularly, the congress did not think long term.

As the Savings Bank Industry started to fade, the government stepped forward with their socialist program of Fannie and Freddie Mae. So our local banks would file the paperwork to the government standards and dump it on the Washington GSE’s (GSE stands for Government Secured Enterprises- Implying they were protected by the US Government.)

As time went by, officers decided to go public and then they decided to issue stock options to themselves. Mind you, this is a government enterprise. The greed factor was working overtime at Fannie and Freddie Mae.

That was just one problem with the money market funds. In theory they would go out every day and buy 90-day commercial paper. 90 days from now that debt instrument would become due and would be rolled over so the funds were always liquid.

Here is the problem; there are more money market funds today than there is sand on a beach. So now everyone started buying any kind of short-term paper (debt). Consequently everyone started lending short and not long term. Banks would issue short-term debt (remember banks were supposed to be solvent and not borrow.) Governments would buy the debt to shore up the banks and then they would turn around and offer it to the money market funds.

Money market funds were delighted with the high rates and their high ratings. What could go wrong with a country? Everyone would have to back up the credit. Right? Wrong!

So here is the bottom line as I see it. Banks, world wide, saw easy money in selling their debt to the money market funds. As the situation became dire, different governments bought their debt in order to prop up their banks. They found it easier to resell the debt to the money market funds since these funds were clamoring for quality.

Now everyone was borrowing short, and the figures did not warrant long term lending despite the US Federal Reserve’s Operation Twist. That was an attempt to buy long-term bonds (20 to 30 year maturity).

So now we face a major test of the socialist state. When a nation announces a huge debt deal to liquefy their country and we wake up in the morning to discover no one bid on the bonds. Not even a throw away bid that could be thrown out as too high.

The possible solution is to bring back the usury laws and while those laws are in the process of being enacted worldwide, forgive interest payments.

If you had lent your neighbor money and he was in dire straits; wouldn’t you be delighted to receive your principal back? This would cut the enormous salaries that today’s bankers are making at our expense.

“Too big to fail?” If that is the case break them up. Socialism is when you are at the counter and the counterman tells the fellow ahead of you to order anything he likes because the guy behind you is going to pay. Or when NASA stopped the space shuttle and within two months a Dragon Spacecraft from California Exploration Technologies Corp, a private corporation, successfully docks at the International Space Station with supplies. That is American know how can-do spirit! Only the governments of Japan, China and Russia along with the United States have put vehicles into outer space. This is the first corporation using government seed money to get started. We now have a new private industry. Let us hope that the Congress enacts legislature that will encourage investment, but protect and encourage true investments and review the statues every nine years to insure honest competition. Our corporations can compete with foreign governments because we are free and not a bureaucracy. Our Congress should set the rules and then hire the “umpires” to enforce them. Just like pro sports. You hit the referee – you are banned for life!

When an industry like the money market funds have overstepped the boundaries of common sense the government must step in and run some and close some. When an industry fails at self-regulation it is time for our representatives to step in to protect public funds. We must limit funds to only quality and fee structure in competition for the common good for the general public. We as a country tend to overdo a good deal and in the long run bastardize it for all. When it comes to the almighty dollar greed will triumph over common sense unless we restrict their numbers.

There are too many market funds and not enough savings banks. We should simplify laws that will solve these problems without the aid of lobbyists. When tested in the court of law we will find out who passes muster.

These solutions might seem too drastic, but our backs are at the wall. Soon we will not have a choice.

May 31, 2012
Armenians Should Form a United Front Before Any Negotiations With Turkey

My latest column on Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s efforts to initiate a dialog with the Diaspora generated numerous reactions from both Armenians and Turks.

Turkish newspapers, TV stations, and websites gave extensive coverage to Davutoglu’s reported overtures to Armenians. The Turkish media linked the Foreign Minister’s initiative to Armenian plans for the commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of the Genocide in 2015.

Armenians posted dozens of comments on websites and facebook in response to my column which was circulated worldwide in English, Armenian, Turkish, French, and Russian. The Armenian reaction was understandably skeptical and cautious. Armenian government officials quietly followed the reports on Davutoglu’s meetings without making any public comment, while the Armenian press in Istanbul simply reprinted what the Turkish media had published on this topic.

Armenian readers raised two key issues: Who would represent the Diaspora if and when Armenians start negotiating with Turkey, and what should be the specific Armenian demands from the Turkish government?

These are highly complex issues deserving serious consideration by Armenians worldwide. Ideally, Diaspora representatives should be selected through elections in various countries, as proposed in my earlier columns. Those elected would have the right to represent Diaspora Armenians in any negotiations.

These representatives would have to coordinate their decisions and actions with the Armenian government, particularly on the critical issue of negotiating with Turkey, by forming a joint delegation. As Armenians learned from the recent fiasco of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, it would be unthinkable to reach a settlement with Turkey without the participation and agreement of both Armenia and the Diaspora.

In the absence of an elected Diasporan structure, representatives of the three main Armenian political parties, jointly with the Armenian government, could take the lead in forming a single negotiating team. To make the delegation more inclusive, several major community organizations and prominent individuals could be asked to join, including representatives of Armenians in Turkey.

Another critical issue is framing the agenda of negotiations with Turkish officials. What are the Armenians’ concrete demands from Turkey? This is an extremely serious and sensitive matter that requires in depth knowledge of the Armenian Cause and expertise in negotiating strategies and tactics.

It would be instructive for Armenians to review how Israel and 23 major Jewish organizations came together as the

Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, to obtain restitution for Holocaust victims; and how these organizations coordinated their positions with the State of Israel which signed a separate Reparations Agreement with West Germany? Over the years, as a result of their collaborative efforts, the coalition of Jewish Diaspora organizations and Israel received more than $70 billion dollars in restitution from Germany.

Additional lessons could be learned from examples of financial settlements resulting from mass torts, asbestos exposure and product liability, and claims arising from destruction of the World Trade Center and the Gulf oil spill.

There is, however, a significant difference between the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. While the Jewish people were exterminated in European countries under Nazi rule, Armenians were massacred and forcefully driven from their ancestral homeland. Therefore, no amount of monetary payment will fully compensate Armenians for the loss of their historic lands. Armenians should seek not only compensation for their personal losses, but also the return of Western Armenia as arbitrated by Pres. Woodrow Wilson — a claim Turkey has repeatedly rejected.

Should serious negotiations materialize, the joint Armenian delegation could ask Turkey to take the following preliminary actions to show its good faith:

— Compensate all Genocide victims;

— Rebuild and return all religious sites to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul;

— Return all confiscated private and community properties to their Armenian owners;

— Provide the Republic of Armenia with special access to the Turkish port of Trabzon for commercial purposes;

— Give Armenians visa-free entry to Ararat, Ani, and other Armenian historical sites in Turkey;

— Lift the blockade of Armenia;

— End Turkey’s official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide and annul Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code;

— Refrain from all hostile policies directed against Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh).

These measures, if agreed upon, would represent significant progress in the pursuit of Armenian claims from Turkey, whereas the issue of territorial restitution could be addressed separately through international legal action.

——FOLLOW UP ————————

Armenians Should Form a United Front Before Any Negotiations With Turkey

Harut Sassounian,

Harut Sassounian

My latest column on Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s efforts to initiate a dialog with the Diaspora generated numerous reactions from both Armenians and Turks.

Turkish newspapers, TV stations, and websites gave extensive coverage to Davutoglu’s reported overtures to Armenians.

The Turkish media linked the Foreign Minister’s initiative to Armenian plans for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide in 2015.

Armenians posted dozens of comments on websites and facebook in response to my column which was circulated worldwide in English, Armenian, Turkish, French, and Russian. The Armenian reaction was understandably skeptical and cautious. Armenian government officials quietly followed the reports on Davutoglu’s meetings without making any public comment, while the Armenian press in Istanbul simply reprinted what the Turkish media had published on this topic.

Armenian readers raised two key issues: Who would represent the Diaspora if and when Armenians start negotiating with Turkey, and what should be the specific Armenian demands from the Turkish government?

These are highly complex issues deserving serious consideration by Armenians worldwide. Ideally, Diaspora representatives should be selected through elections in various countries, as proposed in my earlier columns. Those elected would have the right to represent Diaspora Armenians in any negotiations.

Ahmet Davutoglu

These representatives would have to coordinate their decisions and actions with the Armenian government, particularly on the critical issue of negotiating with Turkey, by forming a joint delegation. As Armenians learned from the recent fiasco of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, it would be unthinkable to reach a settlement with Turkey without the participation and agreement of both Armenia and the Diaspora.

In the absence of an elected Diasporan structure, representatives of the three main Armenian political parties, jointly with the Armenian government, could take the lead in forming a single negotiating team. To make the delegation more inclusive, several major community organizations and prominent individuals could be asked to join, including representatives of Armenians in Turkey.

Another critical issue is framing the agenda of negotiations with Turkish officials. What are the Armenians’ concrete demands from Turkey? This is an extremely serious and sensitive matter that requires in depth knowledge of the Armenian Cause and expertise in negotiating strategies and tactics.

It would be instructive for Armenians to review how Israel and 23 major Jewish organizations came together as the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, to obtain restitution for Holocaust victims; and how these organizations coordinated their positions with the State of Israel which signed a separate Reparations Agreement with West Germany? Over the years, as a result of their collaborative efforts, the coalition of Jewish Diaspora organizations and Israel received more than $70 billion dollars in restitution from Germany.

Additional lessons could be learned from examples of financial settlements resulting from mass torts, asbestos exposure and product liability, and claims arising from destruction of the World Trade Center and the Gulf oil spill.

There is, however, a significant difference between the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. While the Jewish people were exterminated in European countries under Nazi rule, Armenians were massacred and forcefully driven from their ancestral homeland. Therefore, no amount of monetary payment will fully compensate Armenians for the loss of their historic lands. Armenians should seek not only compensation for their personal losses, but also the return of Western Armenia as arbitrated by Pres. Woodrow Wilson — a claim Turkey has repeatedly rejected.

Should serious negotiations materialize, the joint Armenian delegation could ask Turkey to take the following preliminary actions to show its good faith:

— Compensate all Genocide victims;

— Rebuild and return all religious sites to the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul;

— Return all confiscated private and community properties to their Armenian owners;

— Provide the Republic of Armenia with special access to the Turkish port of Trabzon for commercial purposes;

— Give Armenians visa-free entry to Ararat, Ani, and other Armenian historical sites in Turkey;

— Lift the blockade of Armenia;

— End Turkey’s official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide and annul Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code;

— Refrain from all hostile policies directed against Armenia and Artsakh (Karabagh).

These measures, if agreed upon, would represent significant progress in the pursuit of Armenian claims from Turkey, whereas the issue of territorial restitution could be addressed separately through international legal action.

Հայերը Պէտք Է Միասնական Ճակատ Կազմեն՝ Թուրքիոյ Հետ Որեւէ Բանակցութիւն Վարելէ Առաջ

Հայերը Պետք Է Միասնական Ճակատ Կազմեն Թուրքիայի Հետ Ցանկացած Բանակցություն Վարելուց Առաջ

Armenians Should Form a United Front Before Any Negotiations With Turkey

Les Arméniens doivent former un front uni avant d’entamer toute négociation avec la Turquie

Армяне Должны Сформировать Единый Фронт До Любых Переговоров С Турцией

May 31, 2012
It will not Happen To Me. Guess What? It Will!

It will not happen to me! Guess what? It Will! Chapter 10

THE GREEDY STIR UP CONFLICT, BUT THOSE WHJO TRUST IN THE LORD PROSPER.

Proverbs 28:25

Chapter 10 The Greedies- There are many.

Editor’s note: I write these chapters on the theory that my recommendations in Part One were not followed and the entire world is sinking into an abyss that is mentioned in Revelations. That is the last book in the Christian Bible. It would behoove the dear reader to pass these chapters along to your politicians who are supposed to represent you. All nations must have a better understanding of our problems.

YOUR FRIENDLY BANKER IS NOT YOUR FRIEND.

I remember reading the Wall Street Journal about how the “friendly banker was calling people and saying , “want to borrow some money?” That was in the mid-1960s. My how times have changed!

The 1929 crash was blamed on too much easy credit. Margin for stocks was 10%. That means if one wanted to buy $1,000 of stock ; all one had to do was put $100.00. If a stock r5ose 10% one would double their money. Conversely if a stock dropped 10% one’s investment was wiped out There is an old rule on the Wall Street. “Never meet a margin call with cash – the stock is telling you something- SELL!”

Today Margin for stocks is 50%. This means if you want to buy on margin then all you have to do is borrow some money in order to pay 50%. I have seen margin rates in the 1960’s as high as 90%. The Federal Reserve used to raise or lower margin rates to curb enthusiasm or dampen speculation.

Today margin rates for US Treasuries are 10%. Many commodities are the same, but some are raised or lower in order to protect the players. When one is making a long term commitment in a commodity such as some precious metals they should pay cash and take delivery. Some firms provide storage space. This prevents the individual from getting whip sawed by professional traders.

So in 2012 the big problem has been in derivatives and collateralized mortgages or CMO’s. All these debt instruments are started off by buying a slug of treasuries at lowest possible margin rates and adding and mixing products with those moneys at enormous fees(all hidden of course). Then to add frosting on their cake they split it all up into several “tranches”( really layers) and pass some off to the unsuspecting public marked up even further.

There has been a feeble attempt for “transparency” which means the buyers want to know the commissions involved.

These so called debt instruments break another cardinal rule for brokers. If it is to complicated to explain to your potential buyer forget it. It is

called the KISS. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!”

It is almost impossible to track each part of these instruments since record keeping is at the kindergarten level. But all future trades should be banned and existing one allowed to mature whenever that may be.

All these problems are result of the Glass-Stiegel Act in the 1930s and rescinded in the 1990’s. The problem was that the Congress did not review this act for almost 70 years and it became a hindrance to the banking industry and eventually the public. Times change and industries mature and acts like this one should be reviewed by a bipartisan commission every 12 to 15 years.

Congress should revisit the Federal Reserve Act and realign the Federal Reserve districts so that each one has equal dollar weighting.

Immediately, banks and brokerage firms should be segregated the old fashion way. Split from each other. It is the Volker rule with force. A banker is a banker and loves reserves. A broker is a broker and a risk taker. He loves to trade and take risks. A banker is not a broker and a broker is not a banker.

When a major player can disrupt the steady flow of income and earnings of a normal investment by using manipulating strategy that are unavailable to the general public – they should be banned.

The banking industry has to take a big hit in order to restore fairness and an even playing field for the public and long term growth.

The government must be in control of a financial system with hard and fast rules that must be enforced with a vengeance. They should be the umpires or referee’s that professional sports enjoy. Have you ever seen a professional hockey player take on the referees that are on the ice breaking up fights?

The only referees that I have seen step back were the ones working Wayne Gretzky games. He had an enforcer on his line that would go “ape” if anyone took a cheap shot at Hockey’s greatest star. I even saw a player he was after run off the ice and never came back on the ice

Business should have similar rules and then we should all prosper.

Our Congress is the body to make the laws to help for the common good. It is up to the Supreme Court to determine whether that law is valid. This is our check and balances that the founding fathers had faith in. The lobbyist have become to powerful force that denies the citizen his individual rights in favor of the larger corporations.

May 28, 2012
How Should the Diaspora React To New Turkish Overtures?
I have been informed by reliable sources that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is continuing his efforts to initiate a personal ‘dialog’ with the Diaspora on Armenian-Turkish issues. Earlier this month, Davutoglu met with Armenian-Americans, as follow up to the meetings he held in Washington last March.

During their conversation in May, the Armenian interlocutors frankly advised the Turkish Foreign Minister that Ankara must address Armenian demands for genocide recognition and restitution before any ‘reconciliation’ could be achieved. The Turkish side reportedly indicated a willingness to discuss these thorny issues with Diasporan representatives.

Despite the seeming openness of Foreign Minister Davutoglu, Armenians have well-founded reasons to mistrust such overtures, given Turkey’s decades-long denial of the Armenian Genocide and its antagonistic policies toward the Diaspora, Armenia and Artsakh. Armenians also suspect that Turkish officials may exploit meetings with the Diaspora to score propaganda points with world public opinion.

Nonetheless, one wonders why the very busy Turkish Foreign Minister has invested so much of his precious time and effort to hold a series of private meetings with Armenians in recent weeks.

One possible explanation is that Turkish leaders are seriously concerned about the upcoming 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ankara may have realized that unless it took proactive measures, it could not stem the tide of anti-Turkish publicity generated in 2015 by Armenian commemorative activities worldwide.

The second likely reason why the Turkish government may want to talk with Diaspora Armenians is its long-standing interest in joining the European Union. As the newly-elected French President Francois Hollande warned, unless Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide, France will reject its application for EU membership.

The third possible explanation for the Turkish overtures is that Prime Minister Rejeb Erdogan has a freer hand in tackling Armenian-Turkish issues at a time when his ruling party controls the Parliament and many of his hard-line military adversaries are under arrest.

Regardless of why Turkey is reaching out to the Diaspora at this time, Armenians have to make their decisions based solely on their own national interest, as to whether this is an opportune moment to test Turkey’s resolve to deal with the disastrous consequences of the Armenian Genocide.

However, before Diaspora’s leaders react to Davutoglu’s persistent efforts for ‘dialog,’ they should ask Turkish officials to clarify their true intentions by making some positive gestures, starting with the return of the Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey. This historic church is currently designated as a museum belonging to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Furthermore, the Turkish government has to do much more than renovating a couple of churches for touristic purposes and returning a handful of properties to the Armenian community in Istanbul. There are thousands of confiscated churches and community properties throughout Turkey that must be returned to their rightful Armenian owners.

An initial test of Turkish sincerity in pursuing ‘reconciliation’ with Armenians would be putting an immediate halt to genocide denial, eliminating Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, and ending all adversarial behavior toward Armenia and Artsakh.

In view of the fact that the Turkish government will not willingly and unconditionally meet Armenian demands, and that all outstanding issues would have to be resolved someday through direct negotiations, Diasporan organizational leaders should prepare for such an eventuality. In this regard, it is important to review the records of the 1977 meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, between Turkish Foreign Minister Sabri Caglayangil and representatives of the three Armenian political parties.

Here are some preliminary thoughts to consider before any further meetings or discussions are held between Turkish leaders and Diaspora representatives:
1. In the absence of an elected Diasporan representative body, major Armenian organizations, with assistance from experts in diplomacy and the art of negotiation, should start drafting a common strategy and a list of demands from Turkey. No Armenian organization or individual should be involved in separate negotiations with Turkey, to deny Ankara the opportunity to create disunity in the Diaspora.
2. It is imperative that Diasporan representatives coordinate their negotiating positions with leaders in Armenia and Artsakh to assure a common stand vis-à-vis Turkey.
In normal circumstances, Turkish diplomats would have dealt with Armenian issues in direct negotiations with their counterparts in Armenia. However, given Azerbaijan’s obstruction of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols, pending the resolution of the Karabagh (Artsakh) conflict, Turkish leaders are left with no choice but to reach out to the Diaspora and address its legitimate demands.
May 27, 2012
It Will Not Happen to Me! Guess What? It Wll! Chapter 9

Chapter 9

WHY SOCIALISM WILL FAIL OVER THE LONG TERM

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” Winston Churchill

Socialism is a noble cause for those pure in heart. Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR) President of the United States from 1932- 1945 used it to try to pull the United States out of a depression.

His programs had universal appeal and once the economy started to recover he raised taxes to pay for the programs. The recovery would have been working at a slower speed until WWII changed the course of history.

Once a government starts giving entitlements to the public it becomes accustomed to them. The problem is how does one pay for these services?

One can raise taxes on the wealthiest, but they soon start looking to “tax shelters”. Raising taxes of any kind creates other avenues of avoidance.

The underground economy is where one provides a service or product for a credit. Then one uses those credits with another member. This will ultimately create more government debt as tax receipts fail. These deficits weaken an economy and encourage politicians to accumulate vast sums of “compensation” for running the country.

It also demoralizes the public in their desire to improve ones lot through hard work and effort. It is the individual that provides growth to an economy by wanting to earn more through an extra effort to succeed.

Countries with limited surplus or assets use a peaceful solution by hiring foreigners as cheap labor. Eventually these labor pools increase in size and start demanding more equal pay and benefits. They can appease them for a time, but the cinders will start burning the fires of resentment and hatred.

As time starts to diminish funds, the wealthy are the first to feel the pinch as their taxes are raised. “It is their civic duty and pride” to partake in this noble effort.

After that the sales taxes are imitated or increased. Now everyone feels poorer. The sales tax hurts the poor most. A 6% sales tax on dollar leaves only $.94. If a dollar is all one has – ouch. 6% of a hundred dollars amounts to $6.00, but one still has $94.00 left.

During this time the country has been borrowing, and at first their costs were low, but as the debt builds up the costs rise and suddenly the borrowing is to mainly pay the interest charges.

The next to get hit is foreign companies who have local plants that will have a tax on them. They will find all kinds of ways. If it is hard assets, then they will find a way to nationalize them.

Then as the situation becomes dire, the governments become bolder and greedy in ways to find moneys. Mind you, in the 13^th century the French monarchs had the habit of inviting domestic creditors to dinner and for desert they were beheaded. This was called “bloodletting”.

A better example of heavy debt load is when the credit-card companies start adding interest penalties to ones debit balance and there comes a point of no return. Socialism will self-destruct if you have assets because the government will want them to pay for various entitlement programs. The “poor” will now be in force to protect their entitlements so they can remain on the gravy train. The wealthy will soon become poor and the nouveau rich will be “our representatives” in Washington and various state capitols across our nation.

When the flow of funds ceases is when the riots would expand from the inner cities out to the suburbs.

If it is not too late, governments can slowly wean thy public off the welfare rolls by delisting people who are not legal citizens of the community and cannot speak the common language of the area. This makes the employers honest and also assures they are not using public funds for their corrupted earnings.

May 15, 2012
AS HE LAY DYING by Cem Ryan

AS HE LAY DYING

By Cem Ryan

As he lay dying in those autumn afternoons of 1938, Atatürk had one abiding desire. He longed for those distant days on horseback, just one more afternoon riding in the hills above the Bosphorus. He would go again with his military academy classmate, Ali Fuat, to the sultan’s hunting lodge in Alemdağ. They would once more picnic in that nearby meadow. Oh those cadet days, those days of youth. To be twenty-one again, rejuvenated. But by then the lodge was in ruins and Ataturk could barely walk.

Such is Turkey today. The nation of Atatürk is in ruins, his legacy near death. Think otherwise? Go see the ruination that today is Alemdağ. Go see where once grew the forests on the hills above the Bosphorus.

An emasculated army, a captive media, a politically compromised judiciary, and incompetent political opposition have sealed the fate of secular Turkey. These are the hammer blows to Atatürk’s dream.

Like Alemdağ, Turkey is a ruined landscape. Political corruption and environmental plunder have risen to the level of popular culture. Hundreds of those opposed to the ruling power are in jail. Listening devices and wire taps abound. Comments and demonstrations are stifled. The tone of public political discourse remains rancid. Insults, sex tape disclosures, threats and arrogant boasts are the fare fed to the passive Turkish public. The prime minister and his business cronies propose vast and bizarre infrastructure plans. They will dam all the rivers in order to generate electricity. They will dig a ridiculous canal from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. And they will do it, the Turkish public being what it is. Money. Money. Money. Capitalism on amphetamines.

Meanwhile the needs of the vast armies of the unemployed and the impoverished go unaddressed. The ruling party presents outlandish schemes as fait accompli, so confident is it of an election landslide. Imagine a canal that circumvents the Bosphorus. Imagine two new cities built to extend the already polluted and seething Istanbul. Why? To make Istanbul safer from earthquakes, they say. Such is what passes for logical thinking. Bizarre? Yes, well then consider the prime minister’s plan to build a nuclear reactor along a fault line. Dangerous? Not to worry. It’s no more dangerous than the cooking gas container in your kitchen assures the prime minister at the top of his lungs. So much for the land that Atatürk started on the path to science and knowledge. Turkey lies dying, its natural resources plundered, its brain lobotomized.

Even Atatürk’s Address to Turkish Youth is attacked by the media jackals. Undemocratic, intolerant, authoritarian mentality, illiberal, paranoiac, racist, fascist, are some of the labels that these hacks use to describe Atatürk’s words. How sensitive these petty scribblers are to his cautions about internal enemies, and those in power collaborating with foreign governments. They throw their words, these so-called journalists without being aware of time, history or treacherous religious underbelly that has always prevailed in Turkey. It is no mystery why the Turkish society has been so violent. Just observe the way they drive their cars, cheer on their favorite football teams, conduct their political discussions. It is really ludicrous.

Among many other things—military leader, tactician, strategist, political scientist, social philosopher, educator—Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was a revolutionary thinker. He placed his trust in education and science. He trusted the future. For him, the future resided in the nation’s youth, not only in age but in mind. Such “youth” saw the way to a better world through the enlightened, founding principles that Atatürk embraced and applied to the new, revolutionary Turkey. That Turkey is dead.

The Turkish War of Independence was a great struggle for survival. The improbable victory was against all odds. The occupying great and not-so-great powers were sent away as they came. The backward, repressive five-century rule by religious dictators called sultans was consigned to the garbage dump of history. Youth was served. Instead of dark-minded ignorance there was the promise of education and enlightenment. Turkey was a young, revolutionary country, rid at last of the exclusive claims of religion, structured and heading towards a democratic future. But guess what? Turkey has a new sultan now, one with a sour face and an attitude to match. And the likes of him and his army of business jackals and covered women have the field to themselves. The treacherous political opposition works for its archaic itself. Turkey heads headfirst into the abyss, sleeping all the way.

A parting word on the political opposition. On Election Day, 12 June 2011, twenty-three separate parties stand in opposition to one party, the ruling party, the AKP. Representation in parliament requires gaining at least 10 percent of the total vote. The leading opposition party, the CHP, the party of Atatürk was the only opposition party sure of gaining some representation. It takes a special brand of ineptitude to be unable to find common ground to unify the opposition, an opposition that represents the majority of the total vote. The CHP, like Nero, fiddles around in nonsensical internal fights and petty arguments. But take a bold, active stand? Never! Rally the people? Impossible! It has been the best friend AKP. Who could imagine, a political weakling bearing the name “Ataturk’s Party.” Shameful!

Atatürk’s Turkey is in an existential struggle against the forces of fascist Islam. The Turkish army, the guarantor of Atatürk’s legacy, licks its wounds in silence. It’s generals run to America for help and instructions. The political opposition is doomed by its smug, selfish arrogance. The Turkish people, Atatürk’s beloved people, stand paralyzed, like the sheep on the eve of Kurban Bayram. Whither Turkey? Don’t ask.

Atatürk’s close friend, biographer and confidant, Falih Rıfkı Atay, wrote in 1968: “What would Atatürk do if he were alive today? Shall I tell you? He would curse the lot of us.” *

Cem Ryan

Istanbul

15 May 2012.

*Atay, Falih Rıfkı. The Atatürk I Knew, Yapi ve Kredi Bankasi, Istanbul, 1973, p. 252.

May 15, 2012