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ANC of Wisconsin Endorses Senator Russ Feingold

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  • ANC of Wisconsin Endorses Senator Russ Feingold

    Armenian National Committee of Wisconsin
    4100 N. Newman Road
    Racine, WI 53406
    [email protected]
    www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE
    August 4, 2004
    For Immediate Release

    Contact: A. Zohrab Khaligian
    [email protected]


    ANC OF WISCONSIN ENDORSES SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD

    RACINE, WI--The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Wisconsin is proud to
    announce their endorsement of Senator Russell D. Feingold (D-WI) for
    reelection to the United States Senate.

    "In his two terms in office, Senator Feingold has demonstrated to be a
    strong advocate of Armenian-American issues," stated ANC of Wisconsin
    representative Zohrab Khaligian, "which is evident by his support of many
    Armenian-related initiatives before the local Armenian community even
    contacts him."

    "Additionally, Senator Feingold's offices in Washington, DC and Wisconsin
    maintain regular contact with the Armenian National Committee to ensure the
    Senators' continued support of Armenian-American initiatives," continued
    Khaligian.

    The following is a brief look at Senator Feingold's recent record on
    Armenian issues:

    * On June 12, 2003, he co-sponsored S.Res.164, which marks the 15th
    anniversary of the US implementation of UN Genocide Convention, and calls on
    the United States to learn from the lessons of past genocides--including the
    Holocaust and the Armenian, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides--to prevent
    future atrocities.

    * On January 27, 2004, Senator Feingold joined Senators Barbara Boxer
    (D-CA), George Allen (R-VA), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), John Kerry (D-MA), and Paul
    Sarbanes (D-MD) in co-signing a letter encouraging President Bush to renew
    his call for Turkey to immediately lift its decade-long blockade of Armenia.
    This letter was sent in anticipation of a meeting at the White House between
    President George W. Bush and visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
    Erdogan.

    * On April 20, 2004, Senator Feingold sent a statement to be read at the
    commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the Wisconsin State Capitol. This
    year's statement read:

    "Today, we remember the Armenian men, women and children who lost their
    lives during the Armenian genocide. 89 years ago between 1915 and 1923, the
    Ottoman Empire undertook a policy to isolate, exile and eliminate the
    Armenian population. One and a half million Armenians were systematically
    murdered in this campaign. Hundreds of thousands more were forced to flee
    their homes.

    The Armenian genocide must not be denied or forgotten. We have an
    obligation to remember and remind others of the horror that occurred. As
    seen by the killings in Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda over the past decade,
    targeting people for their ethnicity is still a frequent occurrence. Its
    repetition demands that we speak out and inform others in order to prevent
    future atrocities . . ."

    * On April 23, 2004, Senator Feingold joined 21 of his Senate colleagues in
    cosigning a letter to the President Bush, which urged him to characterize
    the Armenian Genocide as "genocide" in his annual commemorative statement.

    * On April 27, 2004, Senator Feingold submitted a statement to the United
    States Senate in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. This year's
    statement read:

    "People around the world are joining together to solemnly remember and honor
    the men, women and children who perished in the Armenian genocide. 89 years
    ago, one and a half million Armenians were systematically massacred at the
    hands of the Ottoman Empire . . .

    Throughout the 20th century, the international community failed to acts as
    governments in Germany, Yugoslavia and Rwanda attempted to methodically
    eliminate people because of their religion and ethnicity. Minority groups
    were abandoned by the international community in each instance to be
    overwhelmed by violence and despair. In Armenia, as in Rwanda and the
    Holocaust, the perpetrating governments scapegoated their minority groups
    for the difficulties they faced as societies. They justified their
    campaigns of hatred with political and economic reasons in an attempt to
    rationalize their depravity.

    This is why we must remember the Armenian genocide. To forget it is to
    enable more genocides and ethnic cleansing to occur . . .

    In the shadow of the Holocaust, in 1948, the United Nations adopted the
    Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide . . .
    The Convention required its parties to create domestic legislation to hold
    perpetrators of genocide accountable for their actions and to place these
    perpetrators before domestic courts or international tribunals.

    The international community has a long way to go in punishing and
    especially, preventing genocide. But we have made the first steps. As we
    move forward, we must learn the lessons of Armenia's genocide. Can we
    recognize the rhetorical veils of murderous leaders, thrown up to disguise
    the agenda at hand? Have we, the international community, learned that we
    must not stand by, paralyzed, as horrors occur, but to work collectively to
    prevent and stop genocides from occurring? We owe the victims of the
    Armenian genocide this commitment."

    "We are truly fortunate to be represented by Senator Feingold and we
    encourage every Wisconsin Armenian American to support the Senator so he may
    continue to be our advocate in Washington," concluded Khaligian.

    Russ Feingold began his political career in 1982, when at the age of 29 he
    was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate representing the 27th District.
    In 1992, after two successful reelection campaigns for State Senate,
    Feingold defeated two-term incumbent Senator Robert Kasten to represent
    Wisconsin in the United States Senate. Currently he is vying for his third
    term in the US Senate.

    The Armenian National Committee is the largest Armenian American grassroots
    political organization in Wisconsin and nationwide. The ANC actively
    advances a broad range of issues of concern to the Armenian American
    community.
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