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Metal Hammer, UK
Sept 30 2005
System Of A Down get policital
30 Sep 2005 System Of A Down go to senate on Armenian genocide
legislation
System Of A Down are to visit the office of Dennis Hastert, speaker
of the American House of Representatives, in an attempt to sway
pending Armenian Genocide legislation. The Armenian-American band,
who have always campaigned to raise awareness of the genocide of
1915-1923, in which 1.5m Armenians were killed by the Turkish
government, will join the Armenian National Committee of America,
Axis of Justice and the Armenian Youth Federation in a convoy
designed to put pressure on Hastert, who, as a member of the house's
International Relations Committee, has twice prevented the
legislation from coming to a vote.
If Hastert says yes to the resolution it means that the 435 members
of the House will be able to cast their ballots on the issue, which
will lead to recognition of the genocide. However, Hastert, it is
alleged, consistently works against legislation that the Turkish
Government disapproves of; in this case, Turkey still maintains that
there was no genocide as such, the deaths being the result, they
posit, of the turmoil of the First World War.
The members of System Of A Down, who lost family members in the
genocide, patently don't agree with that position. The band's Serj
Tankian told
reporters: "Dennis, do the right thing...I just visited my 97-
year-old grandfather, my only link to the far past, and promised him
that I would go and try to talk to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House, and make sure that he takes this opportunity to bring up the
Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor of the House of
Representatives. This is a personal issue to me and System."
http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/article.asp?ID=8845&type=NWS
Sept 30 2005
System Of A Down get policital
30 Sep 2005 System Of A Down go to senate on Armenian genocide
legislation
System Of A Down are to visit the office of Dennis Hastert, speaker
of the American House of Representatives, in an attempt to sway
pending Armenian Genocide legislation. The Armenian-American band,
who have always campaigned to raise awareness of the genocide of
1915-1923, in which 1.5m Armenians were killed by the Turkish
government, will join the Armenian National Committee of America,
Axis of Justice and the Armenian Youth Federation in a convoy
designed to put pressure on Hastert, who, as a member of the house's
International Relations Committee, has twice prevented the
legislation from coming to a vote.
If Hastert says yes to the resolution it means that the 435 members
of the House will be able to cast their ballots on the issue, which
will lead to recognition of the genocide. However, Hastert, it is
alleged, consistently works against legislation that the Turkish
Government disapproves of; in this case, Turkey still maintains that
there was no genocide as such, the deaths being the result, they
posit, of the turmoil of the First World War.
The members of System Of A Down, who lost family members in the
genocide, patently don't agree with that position. The band's Serj
Tankian told
reporters: "Dennis, do the right thing...I just visited my 97-
year-old grandfather, my only link to the far past, and promised him
that I would go and try to talk to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House, and make sure that he takes this opportunity to bring up the
Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor of the House of
Representatives. This is a personal issue to me and System."
http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/article.asp?ID=8845&type=NWS