Letters
Daily has responsibility
to research the truth
To the Daily:
As editor of a prestigious and large
American university youandyourstaff
have a responsibility to seek out the
truth and report information as factu-
ally as possible. I am referring to the
recent clash you had in Ann Arbor over
the AnnenianTurkish relationship and
history.
Unfortunately, finding the truth is
not always aneasy task, especially when
one party is coercing with an enonnous
amount of power and is also attempting
to rewrite history. All your staff has to
do is to review the Archives of the U.S.
government to lean the truth. Many
other nations recorded the massacres of
1894-96 when 300,000 Arnenians were
butchered by the Turks; in 1909 when
30,000 were slain by the order of the
"Young Turks" with their slogan of
"Liberty,EqualityandFratemily"(what
a farce); in World War I when 1.5
million were murdered; and even after
the war, when Ataturk, the modern
progressive George Washington of
Turkey, ordered another carnage of
30,000 deaths. You will find all of the
above very well documented. You will
findnothing about the Armenians mur-
dering the Turks. If there was any kill-
ing itwas only inself-defense when the
Armnenians were only trying to protect
themselves.
Make no mistake about the truth.
There was a genocide and there was a
massacre. Your Turkish students are
only being told to carry the Turkish
governmentlie. Ask themhow many of
their grandparents or great grandpar-
ents were murdered. If you get true
answers, you will find there were very
few.
You and your staff have to be ac-
countable in searching for facts and in
reporting it as it really happened.
George Mouradian
Milford, Mich.
Has Moscow moved?
To the Daily:
Last week's Daily Sports Trivia
question asked: "What was the last
Europeauncity tohost theSummerOlym-
pics?" The answer you printed was
Munich (1972). The correct answer is
Moscow (1980). Most geographers
agree the Ural Mountains divide Eu-
rope from Asia, and since Moscow is
west of that range, it's in Europe.
Wayne Adam
Daily provides helpful
guide to local elections
To the Daily:
I would like to compliment you on
the excellenttreview of candidates and
issues in your Wednesday, July 29 is-
sue.
Your report was unbiased, thought-
ful, and well-researched. It provided
Daily readers with specific facts and
figures, as well as specific actions each
candidate has taken to back uphis or her
platforn. I wasn't going to vote due to
ignorance of the main issues.
Now I have the tools to make an
inforned decision. I've cutout the piece
toshare with family and friendssothey,
too, will be infonned and inspired to
vote.
Thank you! I look forward to read-
ing more of the same as each election
approaches.
Natalie Chernomordik
School of Education
Vi otint .s
Aortion issue. deeds, not words
by Katherine Metres
The much-hyped Penitsylvaiiia
abortion ruling, the appearance of pro-
choice Republican womenat theDemo-
cratic convention podium and dte
Quayles' confusion over t/e imaginary
unwanted pregnancy of their daughter
resolve only one thing: the abortion
issue will continue to divide the Ameri-
can people. Neither side will take all,
and neither women nor the unborn will
benefit from the debate.
Abortion always has been attd al-
ways will be an insoluble issue. That is
why abortion must remain a legal op-
tion. Women must be able to choose
how to handle an unwanted pregtncy
privately, in consultation with their
doctor and in accordance with their
own convictions and lifecircumstances.
Abortion is not murder, but it is taking
a life, however undeveloped. Almost
20 years after Roe vs. Wade legalized
abortion nationwide, most Amemcans
still feel somewhat uneasy about abor-
Katherine Metres is an LSA junior.
tion, even if they support its legality.
So what's an aspiring - or scared
incumbent - president to do? the an-
swers of both candiat/es are predict-
able election-year pandering.
Clinton, admittedly hoping to ride
on the coattaits of pro-choice senatorial
candidates, last month areed that his
plan to uphold Roe vs. Wade throughm
Supreme Court nominations anouss
to a litmus test. Clinton has repeatedly
criticized President Bush for his reli-
ance on such a limited criterion in ap-
pointing judges.
Bush's strategyhas been to contrast
reproductive freedom with family val-
ues. The sertnonizing of Vice President
Quayle has been aimed at shoring up
the president's support on the right,
which has never redly trusted Bush.
In short, there's been toomuchpoli-
tics on both sides. That's why it was so
refreshing when the Quayles last week
publicly grappled with how they would
handle a hypothetical unwanted preg-
nancy in their own family. Suddenly
Quayle stepped offthisholier-than-thou
pedestal. His response-thattte would
counsel his daughter not to have an
abortion but would support her inde-
pendent final decision -- reflects the
hazy dilemma that millions of Ameri-
can families have had to face. To be
strictly consistent with his stated anti-
choice position he should have re-
sponded that tie could never accept tle
"murder" of his grandchild.
Still, given the contentious elec-
tion-year climate, there's little hope
that the Republican platfort will con-
cede that abortion should be a private
matter in which the interests of preg-
nant woman and future child are
weighed without the interference of
government. And Clintonmwillcontinue
to waffle on whether he supports a
litm s test on abortiongpere ortnetely
tie right to privacy, the legal basis of
Roe vs. Wavde.
In the midst of the political fire-
works, the human reality of abortion
gets lost. Abortion is a tought choice. It
is deadly and sometimes painful for the
unborn. anitdiis an ordeal for the preg-
nant women. Still, the freedom to make
this tough choice must be preserved.
Matkitgabortionillegalswouldnotelimi-
nate it; it would simply endanger the
livesof themillionssofdesperate women
who would tlen seek illegai abortions.
Likewise, the mountingrestrictions and
unavailability ofabortion result innmore
late-tern abortions (which are more
dangerous for die woman and more
tragic for die unborn) and unwanted
children.
The rig/ht to abortion ought to re-
main a legal, safe, viable option. Those
who abhor abortion should work to
eliminate die root causes of abortion,
rather than restrict its availability.
Does anyone ever address why the
national abortion rate is so high? I can-
not believe it is because American
women are careless and callous. Have
eidier of die candidates spoken about
improving access to cuffrdable contra-
ception and realistic sex education?
Have either of them linked die need to
abort to econominic discrimination
against women, the unavailability of
quality childcare, and the /iresponsibil-
ity of men who ipregnate and then
ruin? Do either of them pledge govem-
ment support to agencies which help
house, feed, clothe, and educate women
who become mothers too young?
Until they give these issues some
hard thought and sincere advocacy, I
don't want to hear any more from die
candidates, the activists, and the pun-
dits about die abortion issue. Toomany
women and children are suffering as
them ootd dbate drones on. .
Wednesday, August 5, 1992 - The Michigan Daily Summer Weekly - 5
Genocide allegations
based on forgeries
by Tayfun Akin forgeries.Andonantmadesontanytmis-
A number of letters by Armenians takesinpreparingtthepapers, however,
have been printed in the Daily follow- that it ispossible toprove with absolute
ingafullpage ad commemorating April certainty that they wereforgeries, even
24, 1915 as Armenian Martyrs' Day. without the originals... Togivejust one
They were angry at the Daily's refusal example, Andonian has the governorof
toprinttheten "genocide." They refer Aleppo signing documents at a time
to elderly Armenians' experiences and when ie had not vet been named to the
to telegrams allegedly written by Otto- post and was still in Istanbul.
man Minister of the Interior, Talaat Some Armenians still question the
Pasha, as historical proof of the "geno- validity of these scientific works, sim-
cide" charge (they usually refer to the ply calling them works of the Turkish
Ottoman govermnent as the Turkish government. Andonian's"documents"
goverunent to draw a parallel with the have been available to scholars since
current Republic of Turkey). Further- 1920; however, the majority of schol-
more, they call any study challenging ars do not seem to accept them as valid
their interpretations of the events that sources, and neither do they accept the
took place in Eastern Anatolia during genocide allegations. When a resolu-
World War I "anti-Armenian Turkish- ion was brought to tie U.S. Congress
goverrinental generated propaganda." to commemorate April 24, 1915 as
I do not wish to minunize the scope Armenian "Genocide"Day, the major-
of the sufferings of the Armenians, but ity of American academic experts on
I am also aware of the suffering experi- late Ottoman history declared theirop-
enced by non-Armenians in the samne position. Those 69 scholars wrote in
place, during same time. In 1915, Ar- The New York Times: The weight of
menians in Eastern Anatolia joined to evidence sofar uncoveredpoints in the
die Cztuist Russian army during its direction of serious inter-comiutna
invasion of die Eastern Anatolia as an warifare (perpetrated by Moslem and
act of rebellion against the Ottoman Christianirregularforces),complicated
Goertnett.Theemsuimgevil wartud br uiseasefaiinesffeingand ias-
subsequent re/cationof civiltntpopu- sacres. They appealed tothe Turks/
lation of Eastern Anatolia had tragic politicalauthorities toopendtherelevant
consequences. Hundreds of thousands Ottomanarchiveswhich hadbeenclas-
of people - Armenians, Kurds, and sifled since 1914.
Turks, Christians and Moslems-cdied Prof. Heath Lowry, the editor of ie
in inter-communal warfare or because Journal of Ottomtua Studies, wrote the
of disease and famine. followingin The WallStreetJourmal:In
In fact, my great-grandfather and response to the appeal, the Turkish
some other family members werekilled Government... issued new regulations
by Armenians whilethey were trying to facilitating access to tens of thousands
escape from Van, a town in Eastern ofdocuients with relevance to the his-
Anatolia, before the Russian Army tory of Eastern Anatolia in the first
reached there. In addition, I heard of world war... Even tothe uninitiated, the
atrocities committed by Armenians, importance ofthese materials to deter-
massacres of Turks and Kurds, and mining thevalidityorlackithereofofthe
other outrageous stories.Unfortunately, genocide charge should be apparent.
thesenon-Armeniti peoplenevercame The arguments calling these scien-
to die United States and their stories tific studies Turkish government pro-
were not heard in the Western World. pagaida are weak and do not seem to
Unfortunatesuffering ofArmenians satisfy the scholarly work. Annenian
and one-sided reports on these events emotions about this tragic time have
are not enough evidence to satisfy the been fired by the stories from their
great majority of scholars to prove that parents, grandparents, great-grandpar-
the Ottoman Empire instituted a sys- emts, and by movies like The Forty
tematic, state-run program to extenni- Days of Musa Dagh. I understand the
nate the Armenian people. Armenian emotions, since I used tohave the same
allegations are mainly based on die kind of emotions when I heard stories
telegrams allegedly signedbytopOtto- of atrocities committed against my
mangovernenttofficials that appeared great-grandfather and other relatives,
in a book written in 1920 by an Anne- and massacres of Turks and Kurds by
niannamned AramAndonian, TheMeit- Armenians during those times of war.
oirsofNaiimBe: Turkis/m QficiaiDocu- These memories and emotions
mentsRelating totthe Deportations and should not be used to spread the seeds
Massacres ofAnnenians. of animosity, bigotry, and hatred be-
These telegrams, however, were tween Turks and Anmenians. The re-
proved to be forgeries by extensive suts of these emotions opened a chap-
scientificresearch.Thefollowing words term the world history known asArmne-
are from Erich Feigl's book A Myth of nian Tenrorism. The worldneeds a bet-
Terror; Armenian Extremism: Its terfuturewithunderstandingandfriend-
Causes andits Historical Contesz: The ship instead of hatred. I would like to
triginals of the papers copied by conclude by stressing that my intention
Andonian were never seen. Photo- is not to offend anybody or to spread
grap/hsoffourteen 'documents' appear "Turkish governmental propaganda,"
in his books. When askedfor the origi- rather to tell how I and the majority of
nals, he claied they were lost. Not a historians view the issue.
singleoneofthedocuments reproduced
by Andonian can be found today. They Tayfun Akin is a Rackhau graduate
were probably destroyed to make it student and the for/er president of
more, difficult to prove at istey lre UniversityTurkis bStudentAssociation.