Yegparian: Sarkisian Wins Spit-Rain Award

Spit-Rain III

It’s been a while since someone earned a Spit-Rain Award, but this one’s a real lulu! As a reminder, this is something I award, irregularly and infrequently, to someone or an organization whose depravity is such as to defy easy description. It is inspired by the Armenian saying, “He’s so shameless, if you spit in his face, he’d think it’s rain.”

This time it’s the pathetic excuse for a president of the Republic of Armenia (RoA), Serge Sarkisian, who has earned this dishonor. In case the reasons aren’t obvious, let me explain.

This guy goes around claiming that black is white, up is down, and right is left. How? While stating that he doesn’t know English (not a crime or even remotely a problem in itself), he insists that the protocols he’s about to sign don’t say what they say. They don’t contain preconditions; they don’t create a forum (the historical commission) wherein Turkey will endlessly delay genocide recognition; they don’t de facto give precedence to the principle of territorial integrity over that of self-determination (read: giving Artsakh away); they don’t firm up a border, RoA-RoT (Republic of Turkey, don’t you like the way the acronym works out?), that doesn’t legally exist and give credence to the Soviet-imposed Treaty of Kars that no independent Armenian government has ever signed.  And in all this, why does the “English” aspect matter? Because that’s the language of the governing version. Armenian, Turkish or any other versions are secondary.

So in all this, either Serge-ig is incompetent, his subordinates are incompetent, or he’s a liar. As it stands, by all accounts he’s quite shameless and arrogant. That probably explains his hastily announced “listening” tour in the diaspora. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he probably thought he could “woo” the descendants of the genocide whose families’ martyrs’ memory is being mocked by the protocols, whose legal rights and claims to ancestral property in Western Armenia the Turks hope will be signed away by these protocols.

The greeting he got in France when hundreds of our compatriots denied him access to the statue of Gomidas should have come as no surprise.  Well, he did eventually pay his respects at that monument…but only hours later, after French police had physically removed the protesters (watch the youtube video).  We owe these protesters a debt of gratitude. They paved the way and set the tone for the reception Serge-ig got in NY, LA, and Beirut. (As of this writing, I have no news from his Russian visit.)

Sarkissian, during the Oct. 4 meeting with community representatives in LA, outside of which an over 5,000 strong demonstration was shouting “voch,” plaintively asked: “Have you ever seen another president being called a traitor?” Besides the obvious answer of “yes,” it demonstrates the pathetic level of his discourse.  He displayed “no political thinking, not even bad political thinking,” I was informed. Another example is his comment to the effect of “Tell me who, and I’ll take care of them…” when this president was told that some of his own officials have reservations about these protocols. I spoke to some of those invited to that meeting. One insisted my article be titled “The Emperor’s New Clothes Tour.”  Fortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of us pointing out how unclad this “emperor” is, but he just smirks and goes on. This wasn’t a listening tour of the diaspora but an “I can placate them” tour. The entirety of his commentary has been “trust me” and “we must stand unified”—empty platitudes to go with the empty suit he has turned out to be.

Sarkissian claims “there’s no pressure from anywhere” on him to sign these protocols. Oh yeah? Then what’s the rush? Why the “we can’t change anything in the protocols” approach? Why not make modifications? (Erdogan just stated that Turkey would only sign the protocols if Armenia didn’t want them changed.) Why not sign them on Nov. 10 instead of Oct. 10?  Or Oct. 10, 2010, after they’ve been properly, honestly, patriotically, self-interestedly vetted and modified?  Who opposes establishing regular diplomatic relations with Turkey? But these must be without preconditions, as even Obama just gave lip service to.

Of course some dark humor has emerged over all this.  Two jokes are:
What’s the difference between Serge-ig and Talaat?  One’s still around.
Why didn’t Serge-ig show up at the Montebello Martyrs Monument?  He was too busy applying for refugee status at the Turkish Consulate.

Regarding the last joke, on the mornings of both Sunday and Monday, over 400 people assembled to deny Serge-ig access should he actually show up to defile the monument with his faux-respect. Word was he wanted to visit, and this was later confirmed by the H1 TV channel’s reporting. So this guy, who is so confident he’s chosen the right path, can’t even face his own people, unless the odds are stacked in his favor. This is proven by the array of non-political and relatively minor (though productive in their own specialized fields) organizations invited to the LA meeting mentioned above.

Now do you see why Serge Sarkissian has earned the Spit-Rain III?

A number of interesting points worth mentioning remain, though the information is somewhat incomplete.  During the Oct. 4 demonstration, at one point some 300 people dashed across Wilshire Blvd. from the main demonstration to the entry of the Beverly Hilton Hotel (Serge-ig was inside).  Something was going on, as shouts could be heard while the demonstrators were receiving a report about the meeting with him, before something triggered the crossing. I haven’t yet been able to establish the cause of this incident, though things ended quietly without a major police confrontation.  Also, I was told that at an earlier demonstration in Hollywood, clashes among demonstrators and Serge supporters led to injuries. Again, I lack solid information. Most heartening though is the attendance at the Hilton demonstration. Not only did it look impressive (more so than the previous week’s numerically larger rally in Glendale), but the solidly more than 5,000 people is significant.  Why?  This action was held well outside our ghettos, our typical gathering places, outside our community’s geographic “comfort zone.”  This is an important step in political maturation, akin to what has been going on with the April 24 marches held in Hollywood the last several years.

We must keep up the pressure, even if/when Sarkisian signs the protocols. Just keep turning out and also telling Obama, (Hillary) Clinton, and all our federal elected representatives how much we disapprove of this course of events and the role the U.S. has played in disenfranchising Armenians worldwide. Turn up the heat!

Garen Yegparian

Garen Yegparian

Asbarez Columnist
Garen Yegparian is a fat, bald guy who has too much to say and do for his own good. So, you know he loves mouthing off weekly about anything he damn well pleases to write about that he can remotely tie in to things Armenian. He's got a checkered past: principal of an Armenian school, project manager on a housing development, ANC-WR Executive Director, AYF Field worker (again on the left coast), Operations Director for a telecom startup, and a City of LA employee most recently (in three different departments so far). Plus, he's got delusions of breaking into electoral politics, meanwhile participating in other aspects of it and making sure to stay in trouble. His is a weekly column that appears originally in Asbarez, but has been republished to the Armenian Weekly for many years.
Garen Yegparian

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1 Comment

  1. President, How Can You Sell Our Precious Blood?
     Can you sell your ancestors blood?
    Tell me how you can sell.
    How can you collect and sell.
    From which sand you can collect.
     
    Think and tell.
    Open names of endless dictionaries.
    In Who is Who Books
    From past century—
     
    Who left their souls in their land.
    Without beloveds, how can they breathe?  
    Without cloths and motherly hands.
     
    Remember their agonized faces
    Emaciated, anemic,
    Huge skins piercing the bones
    Dehydrated, asking to seed.
      
    Their tears bleeding, yet not dried
    Dripping at night on pillows wet
    Dreaming horrible seen of genocide
    How can you collect and sell their lost blood?
     
    Who authorized you to do such bet?
    If you do so
    Our cohorts will never forget.
     
    Put you self in grave
    And remember your genes of populate
    Who are still waiting to be graved
    In Derzor sands watching the skies
    Our laments wouldn’t see end.
     
    Each soul had an Art
    Could not be found
    Each kind gene went
    Cannot be replaced.
    Drawback you words before regret.
     
    Sylva Portoian
     October 9, 2009

    Written instantly
    Please correct if you see mistakes,with thanks

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