#turkeyisguilty

April/Abril is what I have come, for at least this year and last, my month of rest, remembrance and reflection. On April 24, 1915, my great grandparents and their families were directly impacted by the "great calamity" which would later come to be known as The #ArmenianGenocide, the word "genocide" coined in 1934 by Jewish/Polish attorney Raphael Lemkin during a televised or filmed conversation, and later in his 1944 book, AXIS RULE IN OCCUPIED EUROPE. Most of us on this planet are aware by now of the horror of this word, genocide. We must not forget the mid 1990s Rwandan genocide, as depicted in HOTEL RWANDA, nor the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. The Armenian Genocide, however, not only holds a PERSONAL & GENETIC place within me, but a political one, so be warned before I proceed: I may say things that will disturb or upset you.

The Ottoman Empire, an Empire which rivaled the Romans in its power and geography for centuries, had finally decided, after a long time of debating the pros and cons of doing so, to rid their territory of minority Armenians. After decades of taxing these Armenians unfairly and refusing them certain rights (owning horses, owning firearms), the Ottoman Young Turks, headed by the infamous 3 Pasha brothers, decided once and for all, to get every last Armenian out of the Ottoman Empire, by deportation, conversion from Orthodox Christianity to Islam, or by STRAIGHT UP MURDER...IOW, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

This happened 103 years ago today, if you live in the far West like I do. It happened yesterday if you live elsewhere in the world. Today in the city of Los Angeles, a great #marchforjustice will be held. The final destination? The Turkish consulate in L.A., California, USA, to demand #Justice for those 1.5 million souls who were brutally, mercilessly, and systematically raped, tortured and murdered 103 years ago: April 24, 1915. The only movie I have reviewed on this matter is "1915: The Movie" in November 2017. My hope is that one day soon, Turkey will feel the pangs of guilt, but more so of love, for their fellow man. Who cares what name you call God? God is God and if you believe upon God with love and faith, that's what should matter. Let the tears of love flow for the pain their ancestors inflicted upon the souls of those 1.5 million. There were men there, but there were women, the elderly, and even babies and children. I have a great uncle who was murdered as an infant. Was that a just thing to do? #TurkeyIsGUILTY #NeverAgain #WarCrimes#MarchForJustice #Armenia