Denny Hastert Rally

[rosesaylavee]

>Sorry if this has been posted already<

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/top/batchAU28_HASTERT_S1.htm

Rocking Denny's boat
System of a Down rallies outside Hastert's office


By Matthew DeFour
Staff writer

BATAVIA — Politics in music hasn't changed much since the days when Neil Young lamented "four dead in Ohio," but politics in practice has.

Heavy metal rockers System of a Down headlined a political rally at noon Tuesday outside U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Batavia office to bring awareness to the slaughter of thousands of Armenians by the Turks in the 1920s.

Lead singer Serj Tankian, whose grandfather survived the massacres, delivered a personal letter asking the speaker to call for a House vote on two controversial resolutions that would recognize the massacres as genocide.

"By allowing this vote, and allowing the will of Congress to be freely expressed, you will be doing the right thing morally and, at the same time, encouraging Turkey to deal honestly with its past and more openly with its future," Tankian read though a megaphone to a crowd of about 125 people, including elderly Armenian descendants of the survivors and young fans who will see the band perform Friday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

Tankian handed a copy of the letter across a police line to a sergeant who took it inside to Hastert's office. Hastert himself was in Washington and unable to make an appearance, but a spokesman said the speaker was attentive to the demonstrators' concerns.

"He's allowing the House to move through the process and he's listening to different viewpoints," spokesman Brad Hahn said. "As a speaker he has an obligation to build consensus."

The question of whether to recognize the atrocity as genocide has divided Americans of Turkish and Armenian descent for decades, and the U.S. relationship with Turkey, especially during the Iraq War, has complicated the matter.

Demonstrators emphasized that Hastert promised the Armenian community in August 2000 that he would allow the House to vote on a resolution, but since then he has had two opportunities to do so without result.

>snipped<


(Demonstrators) brandished signs that read "You can't rewrite history" and chanted "You can't buy the truth."

Read between the lines, that last chant could have been a reference to a recent Vanity Fair magazine article in which a translator alleged that Hastert had received campaign contributions from Turkish officials to stymie the House vote in 2000. But aside from murmurs in the crowd, organizers never mentioned the article or allegations in their speeches or as part of the program.

"I think that speaks to the validity of the Vanity Fair report," said Hahn, who reiterated Hastert's position that the article had no credence.

>snipped<
___________________________________________________________________
I truly doubt that Denny has ANY intention of honoring their request or the Armenian dead by calling for a vote. Any one have any updated news about the Turkish campaign story?

[dogman]

1. I was at the rally.

I was working in that town that day and was able to drop in during my lunch break. It was really non-political because they were trying to influence Hastert to let this vote come up. I believe if he holds the vote they will be back on a more confrontational basis. He blamed Clinton (what else from the GOP) for stopping him before. I was able to talk with a couple of elderly gentlemen whose parents had been purged.

[rosesaylavee]

2. Funny how he blames Clinton

when Clinton wasn't there in office to oppose him since 2000.

Do you know of anyone other than Rubin Zamora planning on running against Denny next year?

[dogman]

4. I mention, when I get the chance, that he never did anything for Clinton.

John Laesch is running against Ruben in the Primary at this time.

[Moderator]

3. rosesaylavee

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[rosesaylavee]

5. Ok. n/t

[reprehensor]

6. Cool!

Go Armenian descendants!

Just because Hastert says the VF article has no credence, doesn't make it so.

The press has been staying far away from this story.

The Armenian Genocide: 90 Years Later Turkey Continues to Deny the Extermination of a People

[dogman]

7. At least the story has been covered in the local paper.

That is the most important, since these are the people that vote for him in the next election. The hard part is that his district is so gerrymandered that it is nearly impossible to beat him.

[reprehensor]

8. Has there been any follow up in your local paper?

Do you have a link to an online story?

[dogman]

9. Here are a couple, first is pretty good journalism.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/features/au23_ed_s1.htm
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/features/au06_ed_s1.htm
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/top/au17_hastert_s1.htm

[reprehensor]

10. Thank ye. n/t