THAT’S DEBATABLE:

A House committee approved a bill Wednesday recognizing the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 as genocide. Turkish officials warn the U.S. that if Congress approves this resolution, Turkey may cut logistic support for U.S. troops in Iraq. Where do you stand on this resolution and why?

Clearly a huge number of innocent Armenian civilians were slaughtered in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. That should be admitted, and that chapter should be closed. Had the Turks been less disruptive of our Iraqi strategy to begin with, we might be more concerned about their sensitivity to admitting to the atrocities of the past. The Turks are America’s friends, but the truth is the truth, bottom line.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

R-Newport Beach

These sorts of diplomatic issues are never black-and-white. It is clear the government of Turkey is ignoring a well-documented genocide that occurred almost 100 years ago. It is also clear Turkey is a key NATO ally and friend of the United States. While I believe it is important that nations confess the sins of their past, it is also important for the United States to have allies in that region of the world. I will support this resolution because denying that these events even occurred is simply and emphatically wrong.

Honesty must form the basis of any genuine relationship, whether between people or nations. The victims of this genocide deserve to have their suffering acknowledged; they deserve an apology much like the apology the United States gave to Japanese-Americans for the forced internments of World War II. We’re asking that Turkey recognize the events of 1915 as Genocide, while acknowledging that these events occurred a long time ago by an undemocratic government that in no way reflects Turkish society and culture today. This should not affect our ongoing relationship with Turkey’s modern, Democratic government.

Rep. John Campbell

R-Newport Beach