Yegparian: Blood Money: This Oughta Get You Moving!

This week, we’re back to the local level with a Turkish twist.

A group parading under the moniker of Pax Turcica has engaged in an effort to support, at least financially, Christine Essel, Paul Krekorian’s opponent in the Dec. 8 runoff election for LA’s 2nd District City Council seat.

Of course you notice the oxymoron, the utterly incompatible, internally contradictory essence of the term “pax turcica”—Turkish peace. It must be a reference to the growing Al-Qaeda participation by Turks from various countries reported by the LATimes on Oct. 17; to the Azeri massacre of Armenians as the USSR broke up; the now almost century-long persecution, massacre, and forced relocation of Kurds in Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s so-called republic; Turkey’s brutal invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus (with 30,000 “disappeared” still unaccounted for); Azeri policies of the Soviet era that denuded Nakhichevan of its then-remaining Armenian population; the sacking of Shushi and other massacres by Azeris (then called Tatars) during and immediately after World War I; the massacres of Assyrians by the Turks in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire; of course, the Armenian Genocide; the countless massacres and all kinds of persecution of various minorities, of all religions, living under the Turkish yoke of the Ott
oman era; and heck, why don’t we throw in the original Turk, Tamerlane. Yup, it must be this kind of “peace” that Pax Turcica supports. Your belly should be aching from the laughter this absurdity engenders.

But now, get over your hysteria and get to work. Christine Essel should be contacted by everyone and urged to return the blood money she’s taken. The two pieces found online at www.alaturkaonline.com/yazi.asp?4485/champagne-brunch-on-saturday– and www.today.az/news/politics/56701.html don’t mention how much was raised at an Oct. 17 fundraiser for Essel. But, we do learn that she attended.

So she can’t deny knowing that she got the blood money, the way Ohio Congressman Jean Schmidt can’t “remember” the Turkish dollars she’s received. I have to wonder what’s going on: Is it the same kind of Turkish (and in this case Azeri, too) governmental money laundering that is at the heart of the issue leading Schmidt to slimily sue her opponent, David Krikorian (more on him in a few weeks), for revealing these truths supported by whistleblower Sibel Edmonds’ explosive revelations?

Maybe we should even give her the opportunity to come clean and return whatever funds she’s gotten. But meanwhile, contact all her supporters, tell them what she’s done, and ask them to withdraw their endorsements. Check out the listing at www.essel09.com/endorsements and focus on the electeds (get contact info from their websites). But most of all, write or call the LATimes, which has endorsed her (letters@latimes.com, 800/548-4637 ext. 74511), and urge them to withdraw their endorsement. This should be couched in the language of consistency with their own policies, which now properly refer to the genocide as such.

The Turkic groups involved are genocide deniers. Ask anyone you contact if they’re OK with candidates accepting blood money.

Most importantly, get out and support Paul Krekorian. Those living close by should make it a point to go in as often as possible to help with canvassing and phone banking, i.e. contacting voters to get their support. Those who can’t should at least donate. You can contact the campaign through the website or by calling (818) 849-5200. In particular, the campaign is targeting Nov. 7 for a huge drive—“2009 in 2009”—with the goal of reaching 2009 voters that day. Go for it, you’ll be surprised how much you enjoy the work if you haven’t tried it yet.

This will be a VERY low turnout election. People will be at holiday parties, gift shopping, or at home—understandably nursing their globalization-and-Wall-Street-inflicted financial wounds. Every vote turned out for Paul Krekorian matters, and that’s where each and every person’s efforts matter. The last time this seat was seriously contested, the difference between winner and loser was only 225 votes.

As I’ve implied before, Paul’s election is a crucial test of our community’s political growth. Let’s do it!

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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.

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