Does Congress Have Any Sense of Priorities?

I was reading several articles on CNN where they reported that the House Foreign Affairs Committee
voted on a resolution declaring the deaths of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey genocide. The tragedy
happened in 1915, ninety five years ago. Turkey is a strategic ally of the United States and provides
supply routes to U.S. forces in Iraq; additionally, Turkey provides a source of stability in the Middle East.

The issue was brought up previously during the Bush Administration and was wisely defeated in
committee. This week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee narrowly passed the measure and now
the resolution will go to the full House for a vote. The Turkish government has expressed its
dissatisfaction with the resolution and has called their Ambassador home. The fact that the House is
dealing with this issue begs the question if Congress has any priorities and are they focused on the
real issues facing the American people.

The economy is in a shambles, people are losing jobs and homes. The government is bailing out Wall
Street and big banks while the folks on Main Street have seen their retirement savings dwindle. The
deficit is in the stratosphere, spending and taxes are out of control, social security is in serious
jeopardy. The President's major initiative is health care reform and that is currently stymied. The United
States is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The government of modern day Turkey is quite different from the government of the Ottoman Empire. No
one in power in Turkey today was alive when this event occurred. I know of no other legislative body of
any other country that is addressing this event.

If this were a contemporary incident, I would fully agree that Congress would have a moral obligation to
take a stand. The resolution will not change the past and the only benefit is to give recognition of the
event mainly to people of Armenian heritage. There is a tremendous downside with the negative impact
the resolution will have on U.S.-Turkish relations. The Obama Administration has opposed to the
resolution.

If the crux of modern Turkish foreign policy towards the United States was based on resolutions
regarding African American slavery, the internment of Americans of Japanese decent and the My Lai
massacre the State Department would probably recall our Ambassador.

Perhaps Congress should consider action against President Wilson for not dealing with the event in
1915.

I am not unsympathetic to the tragedy; however the issue does not need to be addressed by the U.S.
Congress, it belongs in the history classrooms.

The 111th Congress needs to establish some priorities and work on resolving the issues impacting
the lives of this and future generation of Americans.

Sources: www.cnn.com/2010/Politics/03/03/turkey.armenia