U.S. REPRESENTATIVES STRESS VIGILANCE AS THE KEY TO ENDING THE CYCLE OF GENOCIDE

Members of Congress, speaking to anti-genocide activists from around the nation at a Capitol Hill program hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), urged continued civic education and advocacy to bring about the types of U.S. action and international response needed to end the cycle of genocide.
The activists were gathered in Washington, DC for three-days of Congressional meetings as part of Capitol Hill Advocacy days held from March 12th to 14th. They were joined by local activists from the Greater Washington, DC area.
Nine House Members, among them Representatives Jim Costa(D-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Laura Richardson (D-CA), and John Tierney (D-MA), joined the citizen activists, many offering poignant remarks regarding the importance of vigilance in recognizing past genocides, even as the world works to stop the current genocide in Darfur and prevent future genocides.
"What you do in keeping that issue [the ] alive, making sure that all of us stay involved in it and that we don't let it slide to the back burner is exceedingly important," noted Rep. John Tierney in his opening remarks for the evening.
Rep. Patrick Kennedy concurred, noting that, "Armenia has always met our values but they've been discarded in favor of Turkey, for expediency purposes, and that's something that we've always got to fight against because it goes against our values as a nation."
Many Members of Congress expressed frustration at the Turkish government's worldwide campaign of genocide denial, citing the Turkish threats used to delay the full House's consideration of the Resolution (H.Res.106) following its passage last October in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "I am sad to say that Congress didn't have the backbone to stand up to a well-financed lobby by the Turkish government and do the right thing, but we're going to come back, and come back, and come back until we do the right thing," noted Rep. McGovern. "This isn't over so anyone who thinks it is, is wrong."
Rep. Napolitano concurred, noting that "If they [Turkish lobbyists] want to challenge me, fine, challenge me. But I'll back it up with whatever I know, and I know this [the ] to be a fact and the truth. That's why I am very, very supportive and continuing to work on this."
Rep. Richardson, who cosponsored H.Res.106 within weeks of joining Congress in a special election, stated, "I've made a commitment to support [H.Res.106] and you can keep me on that list until we get this done."
Commenting on the often-repeated refrain that it is not the right time to recognize the , Rep. Costa noted that, "the timing will never be 'right' and therefore we must continue. We must continue these efforts because, eventually, Turkey will have to deal with the reality of its history... It's important to recognize the because, sadly, man's inhumanity to man continues."
Rep. McCollum summed up Congressional and anti-genocide advocate concerns alike, stating "I'm very proud of the leadership that your community has taken with what is happening in Darfur... You're an inspiration for all of us to be here to stand up for what is best in human beings when they try to save one another's lives and stand up for basic human rights. That's what your movement is all about and the only way we can do that, as a former history teacher, is by recognizing our history. You can't go forward until you know where you've been."

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