[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 12, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 12, 2008

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, the 20th century was a time of 
unprecedented, historic gains in human rights, freedom, and democracy. 
But it was also a century of unprecedented oppression, carnage and 
bloodshed.
  Millions of families were exiled, tortured and executed because of 
their faiths, their beliefs, and their ancestries. Countless innocents 
were marched to camps, slaughtered in streets, and had their blood 
spilled as though it were nothing more than water. This religious and 
ethnic genocide is a permanent stain on the history of man.
  From 1915 to 1923, Armenians were expelled from their 2,500-year 
homeland by the Ottoman Empire. To achieve this travesty, the Ottomans 
murdered 1.5 million innocent adults and children, and raped and 
brutalized many more. Yet to this day, this act of genocide has been 
widely overlooked. In fact, it is officially denied by today's Turkish 
government. This is unacceptable.
  As we pledge ourselves to fighting evil and preventing genocide in 
our modern world, we must keep the past alive. For if we allow 
ourselves to forget the unthinkable crimes of the 20th century, mankind 
will be condemned to bear witness to many more.
  As we dedicate ourselves today to ending the cycle of genocide, it's 
important to realize that education is a crucial step in preventing 
future horror. Groups like the Armenian National Committee of America 
and others work hard to raise this critical awareness, and I pray that 
the monstrous horrors of yesterday and today are all the lesson we ever 
need to end the cycle of death and suffering.

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