Comments on: What Good Would It Do? http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/10/07/what-good-would-it-do/ n. the principle of good order<br /><br /> "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:07:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Gordianus http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/10/07/what-good-would-it-do/comment-page-1/#comment-33929 Gordianus Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:26:48 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/?p=10188#comment-33929 Hmmm. I knew no such thing. My impression was that you were in favor of our Congress sharing its moral insight on this century-old matter. If I knew of your final position on this, I never would have written that. That said, I'm fond of the Dalai Lama and have never minded when our presidents meet with him. The Chinese know full well that we have no intention of fomenting an uprising in Tibet. He is also a religious leader preaching non-violence and a kindly harmless soul. Too bad I'm in DC this Monday as I would very much like to attend the event in McCosh and make your acquaintance. Do yourself a favor. When it's over avoid the tourist traps on Nassau Street and go out to the Main Street Bistro at the near-by shopping center. Much better grub in an adult atmosphere (no TV), also they have Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest on tap. Hmmm. I knew no such thing. My impression was that you were in favor of our Congress sharing its moral insight on this century-old matter. If I knew of your final position on this, I never would have written that. That said, I’m fond of the Dalai Lama and have never minded when our presidents meet with him. The Chinese know full well that we have no intention of fomenting an uprising in Tibet. He is also a religious leader preaching non-violence and a kindly harmless soul.

Too bad I’m in DC this Monday as I would very much like to attend the event in McCosh and make your acquaintance. Do yourself a favor. When it’s over avoid the tourist traps on Nassau Street and go out to the Main Street Bistro at the near-by shopping center. Much better grub in an adult atmosphere (no TV), also they have Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest on tap.

]]> By: A-gu http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/10/07/what-good-would-it-do/comment-page-1/#comment-33928 A-gu Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:18:38 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/?p=10188#comment-33928 I would remind every one that this incident has been portrayed as Obama brushing off the Dalai Lama either as a preemptive surrender to China's non-existent protest, or as some sort of long term political strategy; it seems that everyone has forgotten one key fact, namely that the Tibetans were involved in the decision and believe postponing (not canceling) the meeting is in their interests. Nothing really happened here, as far as I can tell http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603464.html I would remind every one that this incident has been portrayed as Obama brushing off the Dalai Lama either as a preemptive surrender to China’s non-existent protest, or as some sort of long term political strategy; it seems that everyone has forgotten one key fact, namely that the Tibetans were involved in the decision and believe postponing (not canceling) the meeting is in their interests. Nothing really happened here, as far as I can tell

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/06/AR2009100603464.html

]]> By: Daniel Larison http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/10/07/what-good-would-it-do/comment-page-1/#comment-33927 Daniel Larison Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:15:23 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/?p=10188#comment-33927 Very droll. As you know, I supported the decision not to acknowledge the genocide this year in the hopes that it would create a better climate for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and the opening of their borders. As things stand right now, that seems to be working. On the question of genocide recognition, we normally do not let other states' self-serving revisionism dictate what officials of our government are allowed to say about historical events. The cases would be comparable if we allowed China to tell our government how to refer to the conquest of Tibet, Mao-era famines or the Cultural Revolution. The one concerns meeting with a dissident leader of a region inside China's de facto borders, and the other is a matter of historical record over which Ankara has no final authority. Very droll. As you know, I supported the decision not to acknowledge the genocide this year in the hopes that it would create a better climate for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement and the opening of their borders. As things stand right now, that seems to be working.

On the question of genocide recognition, we normally do not let other states’ self-serving revisionism dictate what officials of our government are allowed to say about historical events. The cases would be comparable if we allowed China to tell our government how to refer to the conquest of Tibet, Mao-era famines or the Cultural Revolution. The one concerns meeting with a dissident leader of a region inside China’s de facto borders, and the other is a matter of historical record over which Ankara has no final authority.

]]> By: Gordianus http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/10/07/what-good-would-it-do/comment-page-1/#comment-33926 Gordianus Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:46:52 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/?p=10188#comment-33926 "What good would it do?" About as much good as commemoration the Armenian Holocaust Id say. “What good would it do?” About as much good as commemoration the Armenian Holocaust Id say.

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