To my Turkish friends: You are a beacon of hope in the world. Moslems everywhere look to you for guidance as the First Democratic Nation of Islam. Many Christians regard you as the lonely and progressive voice of reason in your sphere of influence. Your courage, vision, and zest for life as a nation inspires the weak of heart, and your quest for moderation and fairness tempers and calms the rash and wilful. You are not alone in your struggle for justice. Stay strong and stand for what you believe in. I am not fully versed in the laws of Turkey. But I do have some small idea of how Democracy can work, when used as the proper tool it was designed for. I do not know how many Turks are aware of the power of the Turkish Law 5816 against Hatirasi of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, defined as "Insults to the memory of, or destruction of objects representing" him. This law made major worldwide headlines with the Youtube debacle a couple of years ago. Ataturk commissioned the Taksim Gezi Park during his presidency, he replaced a symbol of war and oppression with a symbol of peace, unity, and a haven for calm and relaxation in an urban jungle. If the people who are passionate about the well-being of what should rightly be considered as an inviolate national monument, it would be a brilliant coup for them to use a tool of the state to smash the advance of monetary greed. Americans reserve the legal right to answer our government with organized resistance of all manner, when the government fails us so drastically that we are actually roused from our stupor long enough to do so. But where we have the pen and the vote and the gun, you are somewhat less able to use these means to their potential. But as the rest of the world is taking notice, you have your voices. You have your independent/underground media. You have social networking and access to some small, but influential representation in your Parlaiment. Petition and lobby to have Taksim Gezi Park declared a national monument in honor of Ataturk - and use your democratic process to take Erdogan to task for endorsing and suppourting the vandalization of a beloved and respected historic site. God bless and protect Turkey and her people in this hard time. May the spirit of Ataturk guide his people in wisdom and peace, and may cooler heads prevail. May Erdogan finally come to his senses and listen to the people who put him where he is today, or may a suitable replacement be found quickly.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:18:32 +0000
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