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The Rebirth of a Nation
Image courtesy of Pixabay and Marsel Majid Some in silence and some in tears, the souls of great empires and the brave hearts of nations have left the stage of humankind never again to reappear. It is not for us, those who have lived and walked on an earth soaked in blood to decide the…
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Genocide by any other name
Many of you who will read this may not recognize their names. Some, including myself, can never forget them – for their sadistic acts were part of my nightmare for years: Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrick, Joseph Mengele, Ilse Koch, Adolph Eichmann, Talaat, Enver, Cemal Pasha. And, I can recall, before one of my book talks…
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A Message to the Kurdish People
My dear, dear, Kurdish friends…you may not remember me, but I can’t forget you. I am that “insane American” who, when hungry, you shared your bread and mason with. You may not remember me but one of your elders may. He is the one who called me crazy because he knew I was an American…
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Why We Will Never Forget
She seemed tall, I was so small, and board-shouldered, with raven-black and shining hair, that reached all the way down her back when she took it out of a bun, nestled at the nape of her neck. The lines on her round face added to her somber air. She has seen too much. She had…
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Never, Never Shall We Forget
There were bits and pieces of information spreading throughout the Armenian communities. It was whispered that the Turks were rounding up and arresting Christians. But no one would confirm the rumors. With each passing moment, more information was being shared, but the community leaders were not available to confirm or deny. The Armenians, in the…
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How Quickly We Forget
During my lifetime the world has witnessed the rise and fall of many sadistic dictators. Topping the list of 20th Century despots are Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Hikedi Tojo, Mao Tse-tung, Francisco Franco, and Ho Chi Minh. It seems, as in the gang drug wars, when one drug lord is executed, another quickly…
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Should we not be helping those who need help now?
In the eyes of each and every Syrian refugee fleeing their war-torn homeland today, I can see the face of my mother. My mother, orphaned before she was 10 during the 1915 Turkish genocide of Christian Armenians, walked hundreds of miles over hostile, mountainous terrain, leaving behind her the ancient and sacred waters of the Euphrates. The…