Rep. Adam Schiff,
D-Pasadena, speaks Sunday to a crowd at the Armenian Community
Center in downtown Fresno. He said he and several others in Congress
are reviving the Armenian genocide resolution.
A Los
Angeles-area congressman stopped by Fresno on Sunday, vowing to once
again sponsor a bill blaming the Ottoman Empire for the Armenian
genocide of 1915.
But
this time, said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, he has high hopes that
the bill will pass Congress despite fierce opposition from Turkey,
and finally will be signed into law by the nation's new president.
Schiff, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told
reporters that he came to Fresno at the urging of Reps. Jim Costa,
D-Fresno, and Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. Both have told him about the
San Joaquin Valley's water crisis, widespread foreclosures and
transportation needs, he said.
The
Appropriations Committee makes yearly money-spending decisions for
federal projects, including roads and water projects.
Schiff said he visited a family farm in Del Rey, toured an
unfinished road project in Fresno and met with community groups and
elected officials.
The
Fresno City Council held a rare Sunday afternoon meeting just to
speak with Schiff, a member of Congress since 2000. The meeting was
held in a small conference room at City Hall and was attended by
five council members -- Cynthia Sterling, Blong Xiong, Henry T.
Perea, Andreas Borgeas and Paul Caprioglio -- as well as Fresno
County Supervisor Phil Larson.
Schiff told the gathering he is one of the "blue dog" Democrats, a
group of fiscally conservative House members that includes Costa and
Cardoza.
He
said Congress is focused on the economy to the exclusion of almost
everything else, and he hopes Congress will empower bankruptcy
judges to "cram down" onto banks lower house payments so homeowners
facing foreclosure can stay in their homes.
He
also acknowledged the potential harm to the California farm economy
posed by water shortages.
"It's
seen as the overshadowing crisis" in the farm belt, he said.
Larson, who represents the west side, said he was encouraged by
Schiff's words.
"He
has to listen," Larsen said. "If he doesn't, we'll have a disaster."
Later, about 75 people from the Armenian National Committee Central
California Chapter warmly welcomed Schiff, whose own district boasts
a strong Armenian and American-Armenian presence. Schiff pledged to
reintroduce his genocide resolution soon.
As
before, Turkey will hit Washington with "an onslaught" of lobbying
against his bill, he warned. Turkey, a key U.S. ally, regards the
mere suggestion of genocide as an affront to its national identity.
But
Schiff said virtually every member in Congress knows that the
genocide is a fact of history, and that President Barack Obama
understands the issue.
"Obama
spoke out against the firing of the ambassador," Schiff said,
referring to the dismissal of the American ambassador to Armenia for
publicly using the term "Armenian genocide."
Still, the Armenian-Americans in Fresno expressed frustration that
genocide recognition bills have repeatedly failed while other
genocides of the last century easily get recognized.
"We
are still grieving," said Astghik Ajemian, whose grandparents were
genocide survivors. For years, Ajemian said, she has had a
recurring dream of hiding under a table with her children "so the
Turks don't see us."
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