The Ignorance of Amer Zahr

Amer Zahr, of the University of Detroit-Mercy, is foolish.

I had the displeasure of watching Mr. Zahr spew ignorance as Tucker plowed him over like a bulldozer.  While on the show, Zahr claimed the media has a bias against non-Caucasians when they commit crimes.  Clearly, he was most concerned with how Arabs and Muslims are portrayed.  He insinuated it was wrong to assume terrorism when Muslims commit crimes such as mass shootings, bombings, etc.  Well, Mr. Zahr, let's take a look into why, shall we?

The fact of the matter is the overwhelming majority of terrorism stems from Muslims, and the religion is by far the most fundamentalist [1].  To add to this, there is a deep support for extremism.  According to data from Pew Research, there are 680,030,000 radical Muslims in Muslim-majority countries and nations with large Muslim populations - meaning the research does not cover the world as a whole, so the number is lower than it should be [2].  Some highlights from the research includes:

Pakistan - 76% of the people want strict Sharia Law in all Muslims countries
Bangladesh - 2/3's support honor killings of women
Turkey - 32% state honor killings of women could be justified
Egypt - 70% hold a positive or mixed view on Osama bin Laden

Perhaps this is the reason we are able to understand why Muslims committing such crimes have a motive, or maybe it's the fact the perpetrators yell "Allahu akbar" ("God is the greatest) and/or make claims their actions are for various terror organizations. 

On to the conflation of religion and race/ethnicity.  For a man who is a law professor at the University of Detroit-Mercy, you sure seem to be void of common sense and logic.  First and foremost (as Tucker so clearly pointed out), Islam is a religion, not a race/ethnicity.  There are Muslims from all walks of life, ethnicities, and races.  To add to your ignorance, you asked Tucker what he considers the Boston Bombers.  The Boston Bombers were Muslim - no one cares if they are Arab or Chechen.  Their ethnicity is irrelevant.  When focus is taken from the true root of the problem the problem grows and remains unsolved.  This is not a race issue, it's an ideological issue.  You've put yourself at the same level as the Huffington Post who publishes false headlines such as:

Mr. Zahr, I suggest you use a bit more logic in the future.  No one is falling for the "we are the victim card" in regards to Islamic extremism.  The use of terror by Islam is not something of new, but something of old - let us not forget events such as the Muslim invasions of the Levant, Armenian Highlands, and Europe.  Let us not forget the Armenian Genocide, Greek Genocide, Assyrian Genocide, and others.  It's time for Islam to address itself, as Christianity had to do so long ago. 

You've done a massive disservice to the university you instruct at.  Stick to comedy, Amer, because you're clearly inept to be involved in academics.

Standing Rock and the Armenian Genocide

"The Hye-Phen Magazine and Collective" is at it, again.  This confused group of pseudo-intellectuals, who are "artists" or have obtained challenging degrees in humanities fields such as Women and Gender Studies, has been disseminating what they refer to as "journalism" to the Armenian public for roughly 2 years.  Like most liberal outlets their "news" is riddled with words such as misogyny, "intersectionality" (which doesn't exist), Islamophobia, racism, sexism, bigotry, ...you get the picture.  These cherished epithets combined with the habitual use of profanity and deflection of responsibility create the most ignorant and embarrassing publication Armenian society has ever had the displeasure of being exposed to.

In their most recent article authored by Stefanie Kundakjian, Hye-Phen compares the current situation at Standing Rock Indian Reservation, where protests have erupted over an oil pipeline, to the the Armenian Genocide. The lines Kundakjian attempts to draw between the two events resemble a severe epileptic's connect the dots puzzle.  Here are each of her arguments and why they are ignorant:

1. "The ancient city of Samosata (in Armenian: Շամուշատ) was flooded by the Atatürk Dam"
2. "Surp Giragos Armenian Apostolic Church in Diyarbakir has been expropriated"
3. "Traces of old Yerevan are being demolished"
4. "The old mining town of Alaverdi has become extremely cancerous"

Indeed, all of the events mentioned in the article are factual.  Samosata was lost in 1989, and Surp Giragos (along with others) was expropriated by Turkish authorities in 2016.  It is also true historical buildings are regularly demolished in Yerevan, and Alaverdi is an absolute mess.  However, what is happening with the Dakota Access Pipeline is no way, shape, or form comparable to these.

The difference between these events is crystal clear for anyone with even a partially functioning frontal lobe:  

1. The path of the pipeline has been carefully selected in order to avoid harming any historic or spiritual sites, and the pipeline may be rerouted if other sites are identified
2. The land being expropriated is being bought at a fair market value from the deed holders, in Turkey no one has been compensated and it's not only land but historical buildings
3. No towns or cities are being disrupted by the pipeline
4. Alaverdi is the result of loose or nonexistent regulations and outdated technology, while the pipeline is under strict regulation and being built with the newest technology and materials

It is also important to point out the difference between the governments of Turkey and the United States of America.  The U.S.A. has recognized the atrocities committed against the Native Americans, provided the Natives self-governed land, and rights not available to other American citizens.  While in Turkey the Armenian Genocide is violently denied by the government, outside of Istanbul Armenians still live in fear and are threatened, and not one area has been designated for Armenians on land that is rightfully ours.  Also, expropriation in Turkey serves to erase evidence and invalidate Armenian land claims - something the pipeline is not attempting to do. The simple fact these protests and legal actions were even allowed to occur should provide further understanding as to why the two are so very different.

This is not he first time Hye-Phen has brought disgrace upon themselves and it won't be the last.  Their addiction to "intersectionality" and "solidarity" has driven them to marginalize the Armenian Genocide and to treat its meaning with outright levity by making unjust comparisons.  They are using the Armenian Genocide as a tool to push their agenda, something which should cause anger and offense in every Armenian.  The Armenian Genocide is not a prop to be used on their stage of absurdity in order to add gravity to their otherwise featherweight notions.  

Hye-Phen really is the "Inter Semiotics"* of Armenian "journalism" - leftist, void of logic, commonsense, and reasoning.  They should be ashamed of themselves for publishing such ludicrous pieces and we, as decent individuals, should take them to task for it.  It's time for us to steamroll this monstrosity before it's allowed to spread its virus any further.
*Your disdain for the leftist millennials will increase

"...you're a tyrant and not as open-minded as you claim to be."

Those are words I read from a close friend, yesterday. I had a long time to think about those words and came to a few realizations.

In my 32 years on this Earth I have had the time to analyze what I will support, stay neutral on, and fight against. I have traveled to many places around the world, been surrounded by various cultures, ideologies, and societal structures, and have had experiences which the greater populace has not. Point being, I have an ample amount colors on my pallet to paint my positions.

At this point, the aforementioned colors have shown me some definite things:

1.) I am a Christian; although I am not even close to being the "model Christian", I do try to be. And as I grow older, this is becoming more and more important to me. So yes, I do believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I do go to service (or as we call it in the Armenian church "badarak"). I do believe Christ's message to love all people, but that doesn't mean the world is pity party for those who choose not to contribute or help themselves if able. I do believe in charity, if it is out of the kindness of the heart and soul, not if someone if forced into it. And, of course, I believe in the morals set forth by the religion.

2.) I am a conservative. No, not the evangelical Christian conservative that tells everyone they're damned to hell if they have a belief counter to mine. I am the type of conservative that believes in civil liberties, the right of choice (within certain limits), and minimal government interference is one's life. I believe in family values, hard work, and commonsense. I believe in the free market, capitalism, and am completely against socialism in any form.

3.) Unless you are family or a close friend, I don't care about your feelings. Feelings do not take precedence over fact - ever. The more we entertain emotion over truth, the more we travel away from fact-based common sense and logic. As an example, the Armenian Genocide is factual historic event, with evidence as far as the eye can see; however, in the current state, is it the best move for the United States to recognize it? On the political stage, probably not so much; morally there is no question - the answer is yes.

4.) Not sharing certain opinions doesn't automatically make someone a "bad" person. Outside of views on extremes such as pedophilia, rape, non-justifiable homicide, abuse of people/animals, and a few others which automatically make people complete scum if they are party to them - differentiating views do not generate an automatic negative epithet. Let's take the very words which spurred this, "tyrant" and "closed-minded" (condensed from "not as open-minded as you claim to be"). Would those labels have been given if views were in-line, regardless of the approach? My gut feeling is they wouldn't have been. Not aligning with your beliefs doesn't make me any more closed-minded than you telling me I am "closed-minded" for not believing what you do.

5.) It's important not to label people until they have actually committed an action which warrants the label, especially, when with epithets such as "racist", "sexist", any "-phobic", "bigot", etc. If you label someone without evidence, you’re actually the one worthy of the label.  If you come across someone like this, it’s most likely not worth your time to engage them in discussion, as they are void of reason.  Ad hominem attacks are the weapon of choice for the left. They will use them regardless of politeness or substantiated evidence. There is simply no détente.


6.) Again, there is no détente. Knowing this truth, speak bluntly and to the point. Do not concede simply out of fear of being labeled, disliked, or even of losing a friend. No matter what, you are going to deal with this is one way, shape, or form, so just say what you mean and mean what you say. Beating around the bush will only prolong the discussion and open the door to “so what you’re saying is”, and your words will quickly be twisted into an abridged version of “Mein Kampf”. (Disclaimer: I am not evoking Godwin’s Law.  I am, however, using Hitler as he is the only person the left seems to be aware of.)


7.) Religious views follow everyone to the voting booth, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s when the government starts directing religious establishments or vis-à-vis that we have a problem. No one should be forced by the government to go against their religious views if no one is in danger, period.

I could add more, but I am simply short on time. 

While writing this I came to the understanding I have been pushed into to many of these realizations by my personal debate experiences or dealings with leftists, because of how they are quick to judge based solely on emotion.  Till this day I have never ended a friendship with someone who was a leftist, and I have never labeled someone without evidence. On the other hand, I can name at least a dozen times this has happened to me.  Whatever you do, don’t fall into these types of traps or display the same behavior.  Stay calm, provide evidence, and don’t let emotion take over. Let them degrade their own argument and character through your composure.

P.S. To my friend who was the catalyst for this piece – don’t take everything I have written on your shoulders, as much of it doesn’t apply to you.

BLM and the Armenian Genocide

BLM and the Armenian Genocide

I was going to bite my tongue on this issue, but the absurdity behind this movement and the ignorance of bringing the march to Tsitsernakaberd must be addressed.

 The story can be found here: http://hetq.am/eng/news/69272/black-lives-matter-solidarity-at-the-armenian-genocide-memorial-in-yerevan.html

Black Lives Matter, also known as BLM, is an organization founded on the idea African-Americans are treated unfairly by police in the United States, including being over-represented when it comes to brutality and death by police. This couldn't be more false. Overall in the United States, Caucasians are killed more by police than any other race. In 2015, 581 whites were killed by police, compared to 306 blacks. So far in 2016, 297 whites have been killed compared to 148 blacks. With the numbers adjusted (per capita) more blacks are killed than whites per 1,000,000 people - 2015: 7.27 (black) to 2.93 (white); 2016 3.52 (black) to 1.5 (white). One only needs to look at the crime rate and have an elementary understanding of basic mathematics to understand why these numbers fall right in line with what's happening on the streets, and the fact no one is being "unfairly treated".

*Statistics from 2012-2013*

Overall, whites commit more crimes than blacks - 4,091,971 (does not include Hispanic crimes) to 955,800, respectively; these numbers cover violent crimes only. The numbers of all crime is - 6,502,919 (includes Hispanic crimes) to 2,640,067, respectively. The total number of crimes committed by all races in 2012 was 9,390,473. Based on the 2nd set of numbers this would mean whites (which includes Hispanic crimes) committed 69% and blacks committed 28% of the total crimes in the U.S. Now, let's bring in population size. Whites make up 72.41% (includes Latino/Hispanic population, 12.5%) of the U.S. population and blacks 12.61%. So, 72% of the population is committing 69% of the crime (whites) while 12.61% of the population is committing 28% (blacks). Now, let's look at the per capita numbers pertaining to violent crimes, per 100,000 people: White: 265,754 = 107 per 100,000; Black: 179,636 = 473 per 100,000. Blacks are committing 440% more violent crimes than whites. In 2012, the FBI reported the following on black crime:

49.4% of all murders

32.5% of all forcible rapes

54.9% of all robberies

34.1% of all aggravated assaults

This is not an issue of race, it is an issue of crimes being committed. Blacks are not being treated unfairly, they are committing an overabundance of crime. To add to this, the movement was started due to bona fide criminals dying at the hands of police - only in the case of Walter Scott was the police officer clearly wrong in his actions and he is paying for it. Castile is another case under investigation.

"Institutional" or "systematic" racism is nothing more than a ghost in the machine term. Since before the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s there has not been one piece of inherently racist legislation enacted. However, since that time the rate of black single-motherhood jumped from 20% to 70%, black teens are killing each other at staggeringly higher rates than whites, while graduation rates are substantially lower. This has everything to do with culture and nothing to do with racism. For this to be true it would mean the U.S. has become more racist since the 1960s; I invite anyone to attempt to prove that theory.

The idea one is able to relate this ridiculous and unsubstantiated movement to the innocent slaughter of millions of people is disgusting at best. The Armenian Genocide memorial is here to commemorate those lost in a genocide which is substantiated and accepted by an overwhelming majority of historians and scholars. The people that organized and participated in this should be ashamed of themselves. What a foolish thing to have done. You have made a mockery of the Armenian Genocide and the memorial, and done nothing more than dilute the events and their memory.

It's the ill-informed millennial social justice warriors like you that are tearing people and nations apart and who make a mockery out of the true struggles of the past.



https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-43
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_01.pdf
http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-the-american-family-today/