By Edmond Y. Azadian
Every time we recite the unsavory adage that Armenians are their worst enemies, a new case emerges to confirm that unfortunate statement. As if we had not suffered enough embarrassment with the exploits of the Armenian Power gang, now we have to face other public scandals, this time hitting the very core of Armenian interests, and not merely reputation, like in the first case.
For a long time, the scapegoats and the bad guys in the community were the political parties, who supposedly fomented antagonism and in-fighting within the community.
But times changed and new players entered the scene, this time with even worse records. One such case is the issue of the Armenian Genocide Museum. The community was elated that a full century after the destruction of the Armenian nation and loss of our historic homeland, some kind of restitution would come to do justice to the memory of 1.5 million Armenian martyrs.
A few generous benefactors had come forth with unusually large contributions to build a Genocide museum in Washington, DC, a few blocks from the White House. We were led to believe that this was a dream come true. Finally Armenians had demonstrated the vision and the fortitude to make an eloquent statement in the heart of our nation’s capital, to the chagrin of Turks who continue to deny the 20th century’s most monstrous atrocity.
After the initial euphoria, a period of eerie silence reigned, followed by accusations and lawsuits between the Armenian Assembly and Gerald Cafesjian.
