World

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Congress to pass a resolution… World

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called on Congress to pass a resolution that labels the World War I-era killings of Armenians as a genocide. Turkey’s top general warned that it will cut ties with the U.S., already strained by attacks from rebels hiding in Iraq, if Congress passes the resolution, according to the Associated Press.

Giles: Although the genocidal crimes of the Turkish government are 90 years in the past, now is the time to set the record straight and officially recognize the first genocide of the 20th century.

Some things are more important than maintaining good relations with an ally and the faithful representation of history is one of these.

In Armenia, 1.5 million people perished in a series of forced marches and outright massacres deliberately planned by the Turkish government. By failing to adequately recognize these events as genocidal and not forcing the Turkish government to come to terms with its past, we risk allowing similar events to occur once again.

The Turkish government has an abysmal record of violating the human rights of minority populations within its borders, but perhaps our involvement in the Armenian issue would set the stage for greater world attention to these more recent episodes of repression.

Now is the time for our Congress and the President to send a message to the Turks. Let us not allow a few airbases to stand in the way of justice and historical accuracy.

Carolyn: I understand the sense of urgency that many World War I veterans feel in labeling the genocide. I respect the dedication they have shown to their country, and I admit that at the very least, they deserve this “favor” in return. However, the costs of passing the resolution seriously outweigh the benefits. Our relations with Turkey would be severely put at risk and honestly, the United States already has enough enemies.

Not passing the resolution isn’t the equivalent of believing it wasn’t a genocide. Already, 23 countries have recognized the Armenians’ murders as such, so surely there isn’t still much debate going on. The United States would just be another name on a long list.

Of course, the atrocities were extreme and terrifying for all involved. However, we must keep our priorities straight. As long as we remain socially conscious that genocide existed then – and take action against the genocide existing today in Darfur – there’s little need to label the actions of Turkey with this resolution. It’s dangerous and frankly, unrealistic.

Science

Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Oct. 12. The Norwegian Nobel Committee commended them “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change,” according to The New York Times.

Giles: Al Gore is the last person I expected to win this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. In fact, I haven’t expected Gore to win anything since the 2000 elections.

I’ll be the first to admit that his work on global warming is meaningful and important; however, isn’t there a prize for science or something like that?

Anyway, his work on global warming does not erase the terrible record of the Clinton administration. We should remember that Gore was vice president during the sanctions regime in Iraq that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and during the genocide in East Timor that was carried out with weapons supplied by the U.S. government.

In the past, this prize has been awarded to Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. I’m not sure that Gore belongs in their company or, more honestly, that they should have to suffer his.

Carolyn: I commend Al Gore (and the IPCC) for their hard work in raising awareness about the dangers of global warming. It’s easy to forget that before “An Inconvenient Truth,” global warming scared only the Sierra Club’s most faithful members. Thanks to Gore, almost every American today is aware that our everyday actions have serious and long-term effects on the environment. Yes, conservatives might claim that Gore is exaggerating. But, the issue is at least on the table.

Others believe that while Gore does deserve credit for raising awareness, he isn’t worthy of such a prestigious award as the Nobel Peace Prize, suggesting that he back up his words. Is that a joke? Because of Gore’s efforts, many groups have appeared in recent years whose sole purpose is researching a solution to climate change. Gore even donated his winnings – some $1.5 million – to the Alliance for Climate Protection, one such scientific panel. And Gore practices the research that has shown to work (i.e., every time he flies, he purchases a carbon offset; he drives a hybrid, etc.) What more can we ask for?

Agriculture

Senators from the Plains states are trying to persuade colleagues to create a permanent disaster fund for farmers. There have been objections, however, from some farm state senators, environmentalists and the White House, according to the Associated Press.

Giles: Establishing a permanent disaster fund for farmers in the plains states might sound like a good idea initially; however, the proposed $5 billion could be best spent better elsewhere.

Children’s health insurance, low-income housing and even the reconstruction of Iraq are more immediate concerns, and while they certainly receive federal funding, it never seems to be adequate.

So why do Plains state senators want to establish what their colleagues have characterized as a “slush fund?” Something tells me that lobbying interests and the desire to be re-elected has something to do with this newly proposed disaster fund.

These days, farm aid has far more to do with giving money to the large corporate landowners who fund election campaigns than saving small family farms, and I’m not sure that that should take priority over getting health care to needy children.

Now, I know that this issue might not seem that meaningful to a college audience, but just consider what this money could do to lower college loan interest rates or fund federal scholarship programs.

This is just one more example of the American taxpayer getting shafted by the lobbying industry and now that I have to pay taxes, I’m starting to get tired of these programs.

Carolyn: Bottom line: It is the government’s responsibility to protect its people. And when some of those people work in a field where their sole source of income relies on something as unpredictable as the weather, it’s ridiculous to think the government could leave them hanging.

All that the Baucus is asking for is a disaster fund. The money doesn’t go to farmers “just because” or “in the event of rain or shine.” It goes to farmers when climate conditions prevent them from bringing in a crop large enough to benefit them economically. Farmers need to support families, too. Without any money, they’re forced to turn to government aid. And since this bill requires farmers to purchase crop insurance in order to be eligible for the disaster assistance, it actually saves taxpayers’ money that otherwise would go to providing that aid.

In the era of office jobs and cubicles and skyscrapers, we often forget our friends out West who still make their living the old-fashioned way. Instead of leaving them in the dust, it is important that we show respect for their lifestyle, as different as it might be from our own.