As I understand it, the Human Rights Commission is an advisory board. It recommended to that the Town sever ties. Now the Board of Selectman must make the final decision.

In Belmont, the Board Selectman is comprised of 3 members. For those of you unfamiliar with quaint “Yankee” municipalities, many communities are run by a legislative body called Town Meeting and an a handful of Select Man which head up the executive branch.

It is now up to the Armenian population of Belmont (which is significant) to apply pressure on their elected Selectman.

Michael,

Her statement starts out and remains a prayer throughout the text you quote. There in lies her faith and redemption. Would she be crying out to God is she did not believe he was there??

Faith is not a feeling, nor is it a spark.   Biblical faith the Greek word Pistis is more than an assurance that is felt in mind or the heart. It is obedience done without knowing.

This woman despite her inner doubts acted in faith, even if she didn't feel it.

That is faith in action.

So he admits that Ottomans committed massacres. And later on he says the end result was genocide. But he does not admit that the intention was the extermination of a people. It just happened to turn out that way. Oops sorry guys, we didn’t mean to try and wipe you out, we just want to massacre 1.5 million of you.

Now add to that his statement in today’s Globe. "So if that word [genocide] brings the community together, that's fine,"

Talk about arrogance! He’ll use the word genocide if it will make us feel better. Oh how magnanimous!!!!! Who the hell does this guy think he is?

I was a big fan of Berlesconi, he was the first Italian President that wasn't a lefty in long time.  I had not idea he was an anti-Semite. 

 Unfortunately the anti-Semitism in Europe is almost an epidemic. Even my friends and relatives in Itally have those tendency. It's really sad.

In response to Zippy the anonymous poster who admonishes me to “take a step back”

Watertown didn't have a "No Place For Hate" program, because we didn't need one. We are one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Mass.

We didn't need social engineers to teach us how to get along. We just settled here and learned how to respect one another.

The politically correct mentality that drives NPFH borders on Orwellianism.

The sign and the program was an insult to the good people of Watertown.

It's gotten so bad, that a citizen of the Town was ruled out of order for daring to use the term: Illegal Immigrant. Heaven forbid we use a pejorative nomenclature to describe lawbreakers. I suppose we shouldn’t refer those who drive under the influence of alcohol as drunk drivers. Perhaps we use a less judgmental phrase like “attitude enhanced motorist”!

Give me a bloody break! This is nothing but mind control by those that fancy themselves as the “new thought police”.

The commonsense majority in Watertown rejects this twaddle. We got along just fine. We know the meaning of respect. And we want kids in school to learn how to read, write, add and subtract. Human decency is taught in our homes. We don't want social engineers indoctrinating our kids with an agenda
driven brand of quote –tolerance- end quote.

You want to know what tolerance is? Allow me to use someone else’s words.

Aaron Sorkin wrote these words for Michael Douglas’s character in “The American President”:  “America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say,"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center-stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

Translation:

The price we pay for freedom is recognizing the right of your neighbor to be freaken jerk. And the price he pays is your right to call him one. Moreover, freedom means we don’t need to accept ivory-tower inquisitors purging out those they consider heretical threats to their political correct cabal. (And for the record Zippy, that wasn’t an anti-Semitic slur. It’s a literary devise known as alliteration)

But let’s get back to the Anti-Defamation League. It has become apparent that NPFH is public relations scam for the ADL. Look at the people they’ve conducted illegal surveillances on: the NAACP -- Act Up, -- to name just 2. These groups represent the very minorities NPFH is claiming to protect.

No it’s more than hypocrisy. It’s an outright scam.

Finally: As for Watertown, I suppose at some point some of the well-intentioned people that were involved with NPFH will regroup and put together a program designed to celebrate the NATURAL diversity that exists in our wonderful community. I am hopeful that  a new program will address the concerns of those, who for the aforementioned good reason, rejected NPFH;
long before the Armenian Genocide was part of the discussion.

We certainly want to continue our tradition of celebrating diversity and genuine tolerance. We want to pass down those values and fight actual bigotry. But we’ll will resist any return of the “sensitivity Stasi”. And yes Zippy, that’s more alliteration.

First to Izzy’s query, the man flying the Confederate flag was chose that flag because it was the only symbol of rebellion he could think of.

Like many of us, we’ve been concerned with the “ultra-politically correct” mentality that permeates some in the NPFH advocacy circle. The language in the NPFH proclamation is just vague enough to be abused in a very Orwellian manner to stifle free speech and the freedom to express religious convictions.

Let me be clear, I’m not accusing the local NPFH committee of trying to be “Big Brother”. But the concern is legitimate.

Many others also believe that our municipal government ought to stick to fixing potholes, running schools, police, and fire. They have little time to waste on feel good measures, foreign intrigue, and pandering to Kumbaya Commissars.
Now, moving on to the Anon.

That absurd comment above by the Anon above speaks for itself. Watertown is not now, never has been, nor will it ever be anti-Semitic.

And for the record, neither am I.  If anything I’m Zionist, who like Menachem Began, refers to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria.

So Mr. or Ms. Spineless Anonymous, you can take your trumpet up charge of Anti-Semitism and do with them what a true “Rectal American” like yourself can do best.
Stick it!

Watertown MA has always been a welcoming community to everyone. We are a City of 4 square miles. All you need to do drive down our streets and see all the different ethnicities represented by the family owned businesses.

While Watertown does not have a particularly large Jewish representation, our neighbors directly north and south (Belmont and Newton respectively) has thriving Jewish Communities. These municipalities are directly adjacent and Watertown is so small that you can you drive from through it and no know if you are in Belmont, Watertown, or Newton.

Ethnicity, diversity, religious or ethnic tolerance has never been a serious issue in any of these Communities; we just treat all people with respect. The notion that we need ADL social engineers is anathema to us.  The only reason we’ve had to deal with twaddle like this is because of the influence of the neighboring Soviet directly east of us –- commonly known as the “The People’s Republic of Cambridge”.