Genocide, War, and the Human Way

We have recently been exposed to another human frailty by governmental entities. Our President of the United States of America is imploring Congress to withdraw the pending resolution that accuses Turkey of genocide against the Armenians about a century ago. Most historians clearly describe the Ottoman Turk empire of slaughtering over one million Armenians during the first world war. This was denied then by Turkey and is still denied by them. If our Congress were to condemn the genocide now it would at least be a long overdue recognition of another case of inhumane acts by government and people controlled by evil governments.

President Bush does not want to incite the Muslim radicals in Turkey and thereby hinder the use of Turkey bases and air space as the war in Iraq continues. Therefore he and his administration are opposed to admonishing Turkey for their basic violation of human rights. This stance is taken despite the oft repeated proclamations by the Bush Administration that we are in Iraq to provide a democratic pathway instead of a genocidal dictatorship that previously existed. Isn't it enlightening to discover that Sadam's genocidal acts were horrible but Turkey's were OK.

History, however also tells us that governments who preach the loudest about other people's inhumane acts usually are artfully denying or obscuring their own atrocities. Our war against Iraq is an example. We entered this war under the false pretense espoused by the Bush Administration and accepted our all-to-willing Congress that Iraq was about to send nuclear bombs our way. We know that this belief was unsubstantiated by intelligence that was ignored or hidden before the invasion. The result has been the slaughter of over 600,000 innocent Iraqi children, women, babies, and men and the displacement of about 2 million refugees in camps and other countries as a result of this "genocidal" war against Iraq and those of the Islamic religion.Thousands of US military personnel have paid the ultimate price and many thousands are forever physically or mentally disabled. And this senseless war continues as our Congress wringing its collective hands and promoting the continuing slaughter of military personnel and innocent Iraqis.

I truly believe that our war against Iraq amounts to genocide that is at least as horrible as what the Ottoman Turks committed against the Armenians. Both must be condemned. Inhumane behavior must not be condoned. We are as guilty as Turkey and the Iraq war is the latest example of genocidal actions by government under the pretense of some noble purpose.

The Human Way must include a pathway that eliminates destructive pretense and steers away from avoidable conflict and war. We must always opt for the peaceful path. Adopting selective definitions or semantics to justify hidden agendas must stop. Governments are responsible for leading or forcing their people into wars and atrocities, and governments must stop their genocidal actions on behalf of all the people who yearn for nothing more than peace and well being for themselves and their loved ones. We must always take the Human Way to peace.