chaos

it's difficult to write under the circumstances. professonalism contradicts with feelings. most of the public opinion makers are directing the hatred towards new targets. anyone who has an opinion against the common ideology is threatened by chief editors and op-eds of major dailies. pictures and videos depicting so called public servants with murderers are being debated.
nobel prize winner writer left the country. he is teaching at columbia, but how about the spring break.
everything, everybody and all thoughts are being supressed,and one wakes up in the morning with an unbearable painin the heart.
identity criris is mounting in a country of seventy plus millions of people.
it is difficult to write under the circumstances.

convoluted

today I walked. I walked the streets where thousands walked on tuesday. I was out of town that day. I no longer live in istanbul. I followed their footsteps in reverse direction. I stopped and paid my respects, even uttered a prayer at the doorstep of Agos. A newsancor approached me and asked what are my thoughts. thoughts? what can one think but murder!

I cannot cry out loud. there is something stuck in me. it does not work since last week.

its's so convoluted. I read the first issue of Agos after Mr. Dink's death. every thought very idea born by his death apperead there. one prominent turkish writer said Turks, who consider themselves a part of the 'state' but not really a part of the 'people' since the birth of the republic must recognize that 'the state' is responsible for the genocide and the murder of Mr. Dink, not 'the people'.

it's so convoluted. My conscious could not spare anyone off the guilt of the death of a man who was so pro-peace, so sentimental, so human. I am guilty. who did not act, who did not protest, who did not throw himself between the bullet and the man is guilty.

but mourning shall end at one point. there is his legacy. we must all do our share albeit too late. is it too late? it never is.

I call upon everybody around the world who is Armenian, American, Greek, Turk, everyone WHO IS HUMAN to support his ideals. we can start by subscribing to his legacy, to his ideal, Agos Weekly and make sure that his opinion will continue to be represented in Turkey.

Subscription is easy. in Turkey, send YTL 96 to Garanti Bank Harbiye Branch A/C No:6200720-8 and fax the receipt of transfer to fax no: +90 212 247 55 19 for a yearly subscription. In Europe, it's €55 and in the USA and Australia $180.

Support the voice of equality and fight against all kind of suppression.

ps. this author is not related to Agos newspaper or Turkish Armenian community.

they caught the guy

Media reports the authorities have caught the guy who pulled the trigger based on a pilot picture taken by a security camera on 23:00 hours local time.

One Ogun Samast, a native of northern town of Samsun, close to where a catholic priest was murdered last year was taken into custody by security forces supposedly coming out of a bus that took him from Istanbul, the city where he allegedly killed Mr. Hrant Dink.

He is said to carry all artifacts that can put him to the place of murder and can be seen on the pilot picture. He is said to be a worker in a northern town municipality.

This author still believes that all will be blamed to this guy and to this guy only and they will claim that he was acting alone and is solely responsible from this murder.

It is this author's view that, every Turkish citizen who turns his head against injustice, double standards and ignorance, who thinks that minorities are not citizens but foreigners, and they should be deprived off all human rights is the murderer, is the real murderers' accomplice.

But that is a matter of tomorrow. Today is the day for respect and mourning.

As I was writing these sentences, on TV the mayor of Istanbul was thanking the security forces for acting so quickly to take the alleged murderer into custody. I protest this hypocrisy. People whose job is to protect citizens cannot boast on catching some criminals. Shame on them, shame on all politicians right or left who fuelled these double standards and ignorance for 90 years now.

newsscope

on national dailies in turkey, sometimes I come across to many weird news, I'd like to share some with you. Weird ones and common sense ones alike...

• Gerald Ford dies at 93. Noone to be direct witness of Nixon era, no more.
  
• arrested for allegedly downloading images of child pornography from child porn websites whilst working as the head of the languages department at a famous school, Claude Joel Fortin was eventually sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for having drugs in his home. the court postponed Fortin’s sentence due to there not being any previous cautions on his record. the original case put forward against Fortin was for up to 24 years imprisonment for having and spreading 12,110 pornographic photographs and video clips on his computer of which 491 consisted of child pornography.



• a guy cought with 7 rape and abuse videos recorded live on his cellphone including youngsters and boys. he allegedly introduced himself to young girls as a man with superpowers and then drugged them and raped them and videoed his acts.
  
• another guy beat and strangled his wife because she prepared the breakfast late. their son of 2 years was a witness to the act. there is no evidence apart from what he said to the police. but what's next?
  
• a young counselor commited suicide after sending her son to school. papers claim that it was because of her arguments with her husband.

in the last three "news" articles one common factor is the journalist "knew" who, where, when and why. there are no news of this kind in turkish media that claims the reasons are unknown. the papers always "know" why it happened. and it is not a matter of rhetoric. There is no hint of the narrative to be about "allegations". they just "know" what happened.

• many iraquies are applying to be the executioner of Saddam. even little children are applying. this is a long and mysterious road I guess, where a martyr would be created out of an old and weary dictator. and he is quoted as saying: "I am sacrificing myself. If Allah permits, I will find myself next to true heroes and men in heaven. The enemies of our country, the invaders and the Farsis, have constructed a barrier between you and those who would lead you. And for this reason, they are trying to plant the seeds of hatred between you. My faithful people, I bid you farewell as my soul rises to the great Allah. Long live Iraq. Long live Iraq. Long live Palestine. Long live the jihad and the fighters for the jihad. Allahuekber."



• in a very heated session in the national assembly, opposition leader baykal said referring to a previous speech by prime minister: "He was part of a pathetic, painful tableau. He is the one who has started this entire 'harem' argument. And yesterday he reflected the problems deriving from having started up this controversy." Baykal yesterday again asserted that Erdogan was not a suitable choice for president of Turkey, reflecting on the tension which has risen in Ankara following his own statement that "headscarves may cover hair, but not the sins of spouses," a statement apparently interpreted by Erdogan and his close circle to be a jab at the AKP.

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