A safer gun?: 'Smart' pistols headed to US market



Smart' pistols – designed to restrict who can fire them – are poised to hit the booming US market this year, taking aim at spiking gun deaths as national lawmakers remain deadlocked on firearms restrictions (AFP/Ginger CHANDLER)

Joshua MELVIN
Fri, January 14, 2022, 6:23 PM·4 min read


"Smart" pistols designed to limit who can shoot them are poised to hit the booming US firearm market this year, taking aim at spiking gun deaths as federal lawmakers remain deadlocked on any new restrictions.

Questions over reliability and political fights have bedeviled the technology for decades, but backers say it's a chance to prevent children, criminals or people considering self-harm from pulling the trigger.

Yet whether the deadly weapons will be embraced by buyers, perform as intended in real-life, or deliver on their pledge to increase gun safety are questions that could be years from a definitive answer.


"I don't have a crystal ball to know whether it's going to be good on balance, bad on balance or ultimately like other smart guns in the past -- kind of a dud," said Adam Skaggs, chief counsel and policy director at gun control advocacy group Giffords.

The system from entrepreneur Tom Holland's company SmartGunz uses RFID chips -- similar to the emitters many people use in their car to pay tolls -- installed inside rings.

When shooters grip the gun with the hand wearing the special ring, a safety mechanism unlocks, allowing the gun to fire.

Holland sees applications in protecting police officers who could have their pistol wrestled away by a suspect; or parents worried their kids could find their firearm.

"This is only about gun safety," he told AFP. "For those consumers that want a 'safer gun'...they can have access to this if they feel they have the need for lethal protection on their property."

He expects his pistol, which he said is being tested by some police in the United States, to begin selling to civilians by April or May.

- A gun-owning society -

Any sales would arrive in an unprecedented context in the United States, where some 40 percent of adult Americans live in a gun-owning household, according to the Pew Research Center.

Firearms sales set a record in 2020, with nearly 23 million sold, according to the Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting consultancy.

Following racial justice protests and the onset of the the pandemic, the United States saw in 2020 its biggest rise in homicides since national records began in 1960 –- though overall levels of killing remained below the 1990s.

The recurrent horror of America's mass shootings provoke intense bursts of attention, but over half the roughly 40,000 annual firearms deaths are suicides.

Ginger Chandler, the co-founder of smart gun maker LodeStar Works, said the user authentication steps are a physical buffer against accidents, suicides and crimes -- and a psychological barrier.

"In times of stress, somebody who is authorized is going to pick up the firearm but they have to do that (extra) step," she said. "Maybe it makes them pause and go 'Hey, do I really want to be doing this right now?'"

The 9 mm pistol her firm is developing, which it plans to have on the market by 2023, can unlock in three ways: fingerprint sensor, smartphone app or a keypad to enter a code.

- Gun rights lobby -

These new entrants arrive after years of turbulence for "smart" weapons.

US firearms maker Smith & Wesson agreed with then president Bill Clinton's administration in 2000 to make gun violence-reduction reforms that included developing smart guns, but the deal withered under a backlash from America's powerful gun rights lobby.

A 2002 New Jersey state law that would have banned pistols without user-authentication technology sparked a furore –- and was recast in 2019 to require state firearms shops to sell smart guns once they become commercially available.

Then came the case of the smart pistol developed by the German company Armatix – which was derided after a hacker showed in 2017 the safety technology could be defeated with magnets.

Also, while the smart gun concept has received support from gun control advocates, some experts point out that it's still a deadly weapon.

"The whole smart gun argument ignores the most common way guns are used to kill in the US – suicide by the person who bought the gun," Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, told AFP in a statement.

Yet the technology has an appeal especially as political polarization appears to guarantee no new federal restrictions on guns in the near future.

LodeStar co-founder Gareth Glaser said the company has tried to stay out of the politics of gun rights, and their product seeks to avoid that debate too.

"It's a workaround," he said. "We would really rather the government stay out of it and allow the consumer to make the choice."

jm/des/bgs

Gun safety through mandatory arms insurance

John Gear
Fri, January 14, 2022

We can fix the gun problem and make America safer without an expensive, dangerous, and futile “War on Guns.”

To solve the problem of keeping guns out of the wrong hands we must use an idea that limits losses from many other hazards: insurance.

Mandatory insurance makes people be responsible for choices that impose risks on others. We must require gun owners at any instant (maker, seller or buyer) have liability insurance to cover any harms that weapon causes.

Insurance payouts would go to the crime victims' compensation fund, whenever a crime involving guns is committed or a gun mishap occurs. The more victims, the bigger the payout. The greater the damage (from intimidation to multiple murders and permanent crippling), the greater the payout.

Insurers will also pay for other claims, such as when a minor commits suicide or kills a playmate with an unsecured weapon.

Another view: Too many kids lost to gun violence, and for too many years

Insurance is very effective in getting people to adopt safe practices in return for lower premiums. And when gun crimes occur, the firm insuring it pays the claim. If no gun is found or the gun is uninsured, every fund will pay a pro-rated share of the claims based on how many guns they insure.

This will motivate insurers and responsible gun owners to treat uninsured guns as poison rather than an unavoidable result of the Second Amendment. Mandatory insurance will re-unite everyone’s interest in fighting the real problem with guns: guns in the hands of criminals, the reckless, the untrained, and juveniles.

The insurance will be from a private firm, not the government. Each insurer will seek to earn more premiums with fewer claims.

Guns aren't the problem: People like Rep. Lauren Boebert and the NRA are

So gun owners will ultimately choose the controls we will tolerate and the corresponding premiums. Rates will vary according to the gun we want to insure, our expertise, and claims history.

Newer, younger shooters and those who choose weapons that cause more claims will pay higher premiums so other owners, and with more training and claims-free history, will pay less.

Soon, the firms will emphasize cutting claims by promoting gun safety and fighting black market gun dealers, which is where many criminals get guns. And every legitimate gun owner will have a persuasive reason -- lower premiums -- to help in the fight.

Gun-control advocates will hate this because it forsakes the failed prohibitionist approach. But the evidence is clear: There is a way to prohibit guns without destroying our civil liberties. The organized gun lobby will hate it too because its power comes from sowing fear of gun prohibition.

This won't work instantly, but it will work because it breaks the deadlock about guns and how to keep them away from the wrong people, without denying anyone’s rights. It will end the lethal political deadlock over guns.

John Gear

It's time for everyone, people who own and people who don’t, to work together to fight firearms in the wrong hands by fighting fire with FIRE: Firearm Insurance, Required Everywhere.

John Gear is an attorney in private practice in Salem. He first wrote about his proposal for mandatory insurance for guns in 1999. You may reach him at gearjm@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Gun safety through mandatory arms insurance

Airport security confiscated 5,700 firearms in 2021, the most ever



Nicole Goodkind
Thu, January 13, 2022

The Transportation Security Administration confiscated 5,700 guns last year, the most in the agency's 20-year history. And many of those firearms were loaded.

"The reason, I think, is just that there's more firearms carriers in the country," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said at a press conference this week. "Generally, what we see in our checkpoints, in terms of what people carry, that reflects what's going on in the country."

The previous record for firearms confiscated by the TSA was 4,432 in 2019. Meanwhile, the rate of TSA detecting firearms doubled to 11 per million passengers in 2021, from five in 2019.

Carrying firearms or ammunition in carry-on luggage through airport security checkpoints is banned, though TSA regulations allow unloaded firearms in checked baggage.

Gun purchases accelerated dramatically during the pandemic, with more than 5 million adults becoming first-time gun owners from January 2020 to April 2021. That was more than double the 2.4 million adults who first purchased guns in all of 2019, according to a recent study on gun ownership.

More than 11 million people, including 5 million children, were newly exposed to weapons because of the increase in purchases, according to a study by Matt Miller, a professor of health sciences and epidemiology at Northeastern University.

“In going from zero guns to one gun, the risk of dying a violent death increases dramatically—not just for the gun owner, but also for the other people in the household as well,” says Miller, who published the study with Deborah Azrael of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.

Highlighting the gun problem in airports was an incident during the busy Thanksgiving season in November, when a gun was accidentally discharged at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Three travelers sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the chaos and panic that ensued. "We've had many more incidents where there are passenger disturbances both in checkpoints and onboard aircraft. That makes it more important that there are no guns involved," Pekoske said in an interview, referring to interactions between airline officials and passengers who refuse to comply with COVID-19 mask regulations.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, which fights for public safety measures to prevent gun violence, told Fortune, “The record number of firearms being recovered at airports across the country is the logical outcome of the NRA’s dangerous agenda to allow guns for anyone, anywhere, any time—no questions asked.”

The federal background check system for all gun buyers became overwhelmed during the pandemic, with 43% more checks being processed between March and November 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group that advocates for gun control.

If background checks, processed by the FBI, take longer than three business days, sales may proceed without them, in what’s known as the Charleston loophole. While data is not yet available for 2021, the FBI never finished over 316,000 background checks during the first nine months of 2020 alone, more than in any other year on record. Those numbers don’t include data for October, November, and December, which are typically the busiest months for gun purchases.

“Where guns are, gun violence follows—whether it’s unintentional discharges, like in the Atlanta airport, or tense situations that turn deadly, like the surge in road rage shootings and gun violence at sporting events,” Watts told Fortune. “If more guns and fewer gun laws made us safer, America would be the safest country in the world. Instead, lax gun laws have led to us having the highest level of gun violence among all peer nations.”

The gun homicide rate in the U.S. is 25 times higher than that of other developed countries.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Video emerges of New York police running away, looking on, after setting a man ablaze with a taser, resulting in his death

Jacob Crosse
12 January 2022

WSWS.ORG

More than three weeks after 29-year-old Jason Jones, of Catskill, New York, succumbed to injuries he suffered while in police custody on October 30, 2021, the New York attorney general’s office released horrifying security footage showing the unarmed Jones bursting into flames after a police officer shot him with an electric Taser.

In the first video, a seemingly inebriated Jones can be seen pacing in the police lobby for over 30 minutes, the majority of the time with his shirt and shoes off, as anywhere between one and three Catskill village police officers look on.

In the second video, Jones briefly leaves the lobby room with three police officers, before returning. Within 30 seconds of entering the room, Jones grabs a jug of ethyl alcohol–based hand sanitizer off the floor and begins dousing himself, in full view of all three police officers, rubbing the liquid on his back, face and scalp.

Cops flee as Jason Jones is engulfed in flames (New York State Attorney General)

A recent article from the University of Texas at Austin on fire prevention notes that “Ethyl alcohol readily evaporates at room temperature into an ignitable vapor and is therefore classified as a Class 1 Flammable Liquid, which means they have a flash-point of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Despite Jones rubbing the flammable liquid all over his body, one unidentified cop unsheathes his taser, points it at the cornered and outnumbered Jones and fires, sending him to the ground.

Police Tasers have two modes of operation; the localized “stun gun” mode is less severe and can only be used by pressing the weapon directly against the victim, resulting in a painful shock to the affected area.

The second “Taser” mode requires the actual firing of the weapon. Using carbon dioxide as a propellant, the device fires a pair of hooked electrodes tethered to insulated wires from a distance of up to 20 feet. Once the electrodes have impacted their target, usually by embedding their hooks into a person’s skin, the Taser sends a five-second “pulse” of roughly 50,000 volts. The device will continue to send five-second shock “pulses” through the wires as long as the firer keeps their finger depressed on the trigger.

Approximately 50 seconds into the second video, near the end of the first “pulse,” Jones erupts into flames. The officers, thinking of themselves first and foremost, panic and quickly run out of the room and shut the door, leaving the terrified former standout Catskill High School track and basketball athlete to try to put out the flames by himself.

Roughly 14 seconds later, one police officer returns, without a towel or any firefighting equipment, to assist Jones by patting down his body. Once the flames are extinguished, the terrified and distressed Jones, suffering from severe burns all over his body, reaches out to embrace any nearby police officer.

Instead of embracing him, each of the officers backs away in disgust/fear, until one man in civilian clothing, his image blotted out in the released video, comes into the frame and embraces and comforts Jones until paramedics arrive some 20 minutes later.

As Jones’s attorney, Kevin Luibrand, said in an interview with CBS News after the footage was released, “Jason was unarmed, in the police station, and not threatening anyone when the police hit him with 50,000 volts of electrical current and he ignited.”

“Instead of helping Jason, the police ran out the room, shut the door and let him burn,” added Luibrand. “Jason was clearly having an emotional issue when he was at the police station lobby. He was not harming anyone or threatening anyone.”

In addition to leaving the room after setting him ablaze, in a fact that has been omitted in the press accounts of events, one unidentified cop is observed returning to the room and passively watching Jones writhe in agony while on fire for approximately six seconds, before leaving again without offering any assistance.

After the flames were extinguished, no thanks to the police, Jones was eventually transported to an intensive care unit at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse where he spent 48 days before being taken off life support and passing on December 15, 2021, according to Luibrand.

As is standard practice in police-involved fatalities, the cops have been exceedingly tight-lipped about the exact circumstances that led to Jones’s death. After the two videos were released by New York Attorney General Letitia James last Friday, Catskill police have refused to issue a statement or comment to the press.

James, who announced that her office was launching an “investigation” into the incident, claimed that releasing the footage now (which the police have been in possession of since at least October 30, 2021) was done “in order to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.”

Far from increasing “transparency,” the release of the videos only confirms the class character of the US justice system. In the nearly four months since Jones was set alight in the Catskill police lobby, no officers have been charged in his death, much less disciplined.

In the few comments made by Catskill Police Chief Dave Darling regarding the incident, it is clear that the police knew Jones was more of a threat to himself than to the police.

“I think they were afraid he was going to hurt himself, and that’s what started it,” Darling told the Times Union in November. “There are still details that we’re trying to develop.”

In an interview with the New York Times last month, Joseph Stanzione, the Greene County, New York, district attorney, claimed that officers were responding to a call at a local bar at around 1 a.m. on October 30. Stanzione told the Times he was not sure if Jones was involved in whatever prompted the call to the police but that Jones had “made his way” to the police station while cops were still at the bar.

Despite being marketed as a “less-lethal” alternative, according to research by Reuters, as of 2017, at least 1,000 people have been killed after police shocked them with a Taser or stun gun.

Roughly two weeks before Jones was set ablaze by New York cops with a Taser, on October 13, 2021, 54-year-old Jim Rogers of Pittsburgh was assaulted by multiple Pittsburgh police officers during an alleged bicycle theft incident. In addition to their fists, police brutalized Rogers with a Taser, shocking him eight times.

In a likely preview of the Jones “investigation,” a December internal Pittsburgh police review board found “a series of procedural failures” contributed to Rogers’s death.

Despite this finding, no officers have been fired or arrested. This is despite the fact that Rogers, according to the report, asked for help and medical attention at least 13 times after police assaulted him.

Ignoring his requests for help, Rogers sat alone in the back of a police cruiser for 17 minutes where police body camera audio recorded Rogers telling anyone that would listen, “I need a hospital, I can’t breathe, get a medic, help me.”

Rogers died the following day.

VOA Unpacked: Root Causes of Central Americans’ Migration to US

Many of the people attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border are asylum seekers, and the vast majority come from three Central American nations: Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. In 2021, migrant arrivals to the U.S.-Mexico border reached multi-decade highs, but border surges are not a new phenomenon and are the product of a complex set of factors, the roots of which span generations. This video explores the roots of Central American migration to the U.S.

ARMENIA

Liberalism, Realism and the Demise of National Values

January 5, 2022 Annette Moskofian Opinion, Op-Eds 

Nikol Pashinyan, 2018 (Photo: Sofia Manukyan/The Armenian Weekly)

Color revolutions, such as the Arab Spring, had the support of the masses who wanted to create a just society. The revolutions strived to create an ideal society where corruption and nepotism would be eliminated, a fairer judicial system, individual rights, gender rights would be established, and liberal and democratic values achieved.

People took to the streets and rejected the status quo of corrupt authoritarianism in favor of a democratic civil state. However, social media globalized the support for these protests, galvanized the masses to come out and gained the support from the involvement of outside groups to mobilize in solidarity with the protests. Protesters demanded dignity, civic rights and the ousting of the regime whom they deemed responsible for their oppression. 

The revolutions were void of a national agenda and national values. They believed by demanding their rights, a better country would soon emerge. But these ideals of individualism created a breeding ground for the demise of national security, particularly in a dangerous geopolitical climate.

The epitome of this is the Velvet Revolution in Armenia and how the country transitioned from a secure (albeit corrupt) country to war and turmoil. 

The revolution in Armenia did not bring the changes it promised, resulting in mass distrust and disengagement from politics. Nepotism and corruption are still a sad reality in Armenia. The oligarchy is funding the present government, and some of them are elected MPs.

We have seen figures from the past regime still having influence in politics and control of the economy.

There is evidence of more political oppression and imprisonment of individuals who don’t agree with the current leader. The brutality of the police in treatment of protesters post-revolution is as bad as pre-revolution. The country has become a police state, and the PM is unable to walk freely without being surrounded by hundreds of security guards.

The decision making is centered around one person and his circle of cronies. The opposition is sidelined and rendered impotent. The media has been hounded and some of their rights taken away.

Liberalism did not improve the lives of the ordinary people. Liberal belief of a moral society was followed by the neoliberal mentality, which led to social fragmentation. These imported values of western liberal democracy caused chaos in the world, where society was not ready for these changes.

Liberal democracies are affiliated to conditions such as friendly neighbors and high education and living standards. Societies in western countries are more individualistic. These values cannot be implemented in societies that live in volatile and hostile regions, high poverty, with strong traditional national values and a more collective culture.

The liberal revolution destroyed Armenia as did the Bolshevik revolution 100 years ago. Both ideologies are against national values and beliefs. However, the latter brought security and acceptable living standards for the masses, whereas the liberal revolution brought war, instability and 30-percent poverty with huge territorial losses.

During the short-lived First Republic of 1918-1920, democratic values and civil liberties and equalities were combined with socialist ideology of fairness and social justice with a strong national ideal. Since the creation of the third republic and the Artsakh war of the nineties, and the national liberation movement, the national goals and ideals glued and united the society even to the heavy cost of democratic values and social justice. 

We had national pride and dignity, but the society was corrupted by post-soviet free market malice. The soviet-controlled economy was replaced by the oligarchy and neo-colonialists. 

It is the lack of forward thinking and greed that brought us to the fake revolution of 2018 and the subsequent national disaster.

Capitalism and liberalism are political doctrines that believe in protecting and enhancing individual freedom and rights. By contrast, nationalism believes that each nation should govern itself, free from outside interference and that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests. Every nation’s natural and inalienable rights include its homeland – historical, territorial habitat – as its distinct environment. This must be protected as it is crucial for creativity, survival and development. 

The problematic relation between national identity and democracy distorted the emergence of healthy democratic institutions and social justice.

It is important to create a balance between nationalist, socialist and democratic values.

What is the way forward?

A society that is being controlled and manipulated in believing that individual rights are more important than national values cannot be saved by liberal values. Consequently, a young generation was lost during the 44-day war, and the country has become numb to the current tragedy and disconnected from its threatened reality. The society is fragmented, losing hope in a bright future. Pride and dignity have been taken away and replaced with a false promise of peace, better economic opportunities and the pride of realism over idealism. 

Salvation is having a truly strong, national leader or a political force that will bring social justice and fair democratic values in the country. A leader who has a strong national agenda and vision, who doesn’t view enemies as friendly neighbors. A leader, who doesn’t preach empty peace, unattainable when you are surrounded by genocidal neighbors. A leader who doesn’t have a corrupt past or is affiliated with external forces. A leader who believes in a secure and independent Armenia, without being a slave to any other country. A leader who celebrates the nation’s victorious past, instills pride but takes lessons from its bitter history. A leader who believes in a united Armenia but is fair and wise and has practical policies in achieving a glorious future and strengthens the crumbling national and state institutions. A leader who will unite the nation and use the potential of the diaspora in state building and championing the Armenian cause. 

When the nation identifies such a leader, Armenians will follow and unite to change their destiny. If that leader doesn’t come forward soon, then our destiny will be tragic leading to the demise of the state. People are not to be blamed. It’s the political elite that need to wake up for the national good and make way for a leader who will save the nation.

The future leader should advocate for individual freedom, national self-determination, independent, sovereign statehood, social harmony and economic well-being to secure unobstructed, multifaceted and sustainable development of both the individual Armenian and Armenian nation.

The stress is on the importance of a leader rather than a political party, as sadly the present reality in politics is such that people follow an individual rather than an ideal.

Excerpts from the ARF Manifesto

Capitalism, authoritarianism, and colonialism are all different expressions of domination and exploitation and are manifested in oligarchy, as well as economic, ideological, and cultural expansionism. The results are economic monopoly, disregard for national rights, neglect of human rights, ecological and environmental degradation, and political abuses often in the name of protecting human rights.

We need to create a sovereign state with national and democratic values to create a harmonious nation. Democracy is anchored by respect for human and civil rights and freedoms. It provides legal protection to freedom of opinion, the existence of multiple political parties, and complete freedom of speech. It also entails a separation of power between legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government on the principle of checks and balances.

The goal of a free, just, independent, and united Armenia will be through the rebirth of national liberation struggle!

Annette Moskofian was born in Tehran and grew up in London. She has a masters in international relations and democratic politics. Annette is the chair of the Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom.

The ARF Oath and its Revolutionary Tactics, Methods and Operations

January 4, 2022 Garo Madenlian Opinion 

«Կ՛երդնում պատուոյս եւ Հայրենիքիս վրայ՝ միշտ հաւատարիմ մնալ Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութեան Ծրագրին, Կանոնագրին ու որոշումներուն եւ բոլոր ուժերովս – իսկ եթէ հարկ ըլլայ՝ նաեւ կեանքիս գնով – ծառայել Հայաստանի եւ Հայութեան ազատագրութեան դատին:» Translated into English it states, I swear on my honor and my homeland to forever remain faithful to the program, Bylaws and decisions of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), and with all my might, and if necessary with my life, serve the cause to liberate Armenia and the Armenian people.

These words make up a powerful, bold, unwavering and relentless lifelong commitment and dedication to serve the liberation movement of the Armenian people and Armenia (the cause) via the ARF; more specifically, adopting the ARF’s revolutionary tactics, methods and operations (Bylaws, decisions and unwritten rules) to realize the ARF program (goals). In other words, it’s about continuously working through the organization for a lifetime to bring about a dramatic change, or series of changes, liberating or leading to the liberation of Armenia and the Armenian people.

The ARF oath incorporates a revolutionary mindset with revolutionary tactics, methods and operations

The ARF program is the “why” and the Bylaws and decisions of the organizations are the “how.” The ARF oath incorporates both the how and why as two inseparable demands of the ARF member from his or her first day of joining the ranks. The ARF has adopted revolutionary tactics, methods and operations as the preferred way to function in order to achieve the revolutionary goals outlined in its program. Thus, the ARF oath is unrelenting and unwavering as to both, and is revolutionary in nature with both substance and functionality as two complimentary parts of the whole.

To have revolutionary ideals and goals without adopting the revolutionary tactics, methods and operations necessary is to be a wishful thinker, hoping that someone else will create the ideal situation we all desire for Armenia and the Armenian people; at best a dreamer letting others work, and at worst a hypocrite who condemns those willing to be responsible, take action and accept the accompanying risks. 

Conversely, to engage in revolutionary activities without accepting the revolutionary ideals and goals outlined in the ARF program is a meaningless exercise that can lead to various outcomes, not necessarily the liberation of Armenia and the Armenian people. These are at best adventurers or thrill seekers who may help the ARF along the way at various points of the struggle, but since their actions are not driven by the ARF program, their goals vary and are not completely aligned, their path is uncertain and they can diverge at any given time, and even become enemies of the cause.

The ARF is a revolutionary organization that engages in a wide range of activities

Revolutionary describes the acts, actions or operations undertaken to bring about an abrupt change of the status quo to establish a new and better reality for Armenia and the Armenian people, and ultimately their liberation. The ARF’s revolutionary tactics, methods and operations lead to the realization of the Armenian cause, oftentimes equated with an armed response, rebellion or revolt as the quickest and most obvious, or overt, ways to bring about such an improvement to the Armenian reality. 

However, the ARF’s activities are not simply limited to that, and can also incorporate a myriad of other types of work as long as they stem from the revolutionary methods and operations that are the basis of its operations. Thus, the ARF is not precluded from engaging in political, social, community, organizational, educational or philanthropic activities but clarifies that all these ‘other’ initiatives stem from its revolutionary core in preparation for, in support of, and implementation of the revolution to realize the Armenian cause as stated in the oath and outlined in the ARF program.

The tools of the ARF’s revolutionary tactics, methods and operations are wide ranging

The ARF’s tools of the revolution include traditional weapons for the current, ongoing and continuous battle(s), and the inevitable ones that lie ahead; traditional weapons can be firearms or knives on the battlefield; pens or keyboards and the written word to educate, explain and encourage, or to disseminate information; politics such as elections, campaigns or alliances to garner support and establish allies; humanitarian assistance to improve social conditions to benefit the people; fundraising to financially support the revolutionary activities; organizational activities to rally the people into various components and necessary tasks to continue the struggle and be victorious on the battlefield(s); education to enlighten and prepare the youth and the masses for the revolution. But they must all stem from the ARF’s revolutionary tactics, methods and operations and be revolutionary in nature, leading to the upheaval of the status quo and replacing it with a better reality for Armenia and Armenians, as stated in the oath and outlined in the ARF program.

The ARF’s revolutionary path is grounded in and reinforced by its revolutionary activities and work

The ARF’s revolutionary mindset with its revolutionary tactics, methods and operations, including its wide range of activities utilizing the appropriate tool(s) necessary and at its disposal are all incorporated into the work it does and why; but it’s the work that its ranks do and the sacrifices each makes that brings it all together and transforms theory into practice creating a new reality based on its ideology.

Each rank and file member has knowingly and voluntarily chosen this long and hard revolutionary path and accepted the lifelong arduous journey dedicating his or her entire life to work to bring about advances and achievements for the cause. All the work stems from the ARF’s revolutionary core. It is based on revolutionary tactics, methods and operations, regardless of the arena or type of activity, and is realized by the commitment and dedication of its disciplined ranks working in unison for the same cause. 

Stepan Zorian

«Յեղափոխութիւնը նախ գործ է, յետոյ՝ գաղափար, այս է ճշմարտութիւնը: Աւելի ճիշդ՝ յեղափոխութիւնը գործ է գաղափարի համար» by Rosdom (Stepan Zorian); translated to English he states the “Revolution is first work, then an idea/concept. More correctly, revolution is work for an idea/concept.”

ARF Bylaws, Decisions and Unwritten Rules

The ARF Bylaws are its operating procedures, how the organization functions is consistent with and reinforces its adopted principle to utilize revolutionary tactics, methods and operations. The decisions of the various executive bodies also incorporate the revolutionary mindset and work as the basis for its activities. The ARF also has an abundance of “unwritten rules” stemming from its vast experiences over the past 131 years incorporating its traditions, passed on from its inception to today. These are not incorporated into the official Bylaws because the ARF is not a legislative body, but a revolutionary organization. It is not a government, parliament or city council but rather a revolutionary mentality translated into action by revolutionary methods. It is not a court of law and its Bylaws are not equivalent to statutes or codes. Its decision-making authority is vested in its executive bodies during their respective terms who oftentimes have to make quick decisions to be implemented by their ranks. The party is in a perpetual state of revolt and rebellion against the status quo similar to a military unit on the battlefield with no room for dissenters during the fight.

Of course, the ARF also has its plenary meetings where its activities and work are evaluated, proposals are heard and resolutions are passed, and new bodies are elected. Once elected the body makes the decisions, secures their implementation and leads the organization with supporters and sympathizers along the revolutionary path.

Thus, the Bylaws are more of a guide for the bodies and membership on how to function and should remain lean as to not restrict, constrain, or restrain the working bodies; the decisions are the specific activities, acts, action items, which are revolutionary in nature and incorporate the traditions and history of the party (“unwritten rules”) in both the decision-making process as well as their implementation.

The ARF is a revolutionary organization that takes swift action based on revolutionary tactics, methods and operations with a strict disciplinary order. It’s not one that simply has conferences and seminars, debates and discussions, makes announcements and conducts interviews, holds posh events or is preoccupied with appearances and popularity, but of action and doing the revolutionary work necessary to advance the Armenian cause. 

Garo Madenlian

Garo R. Madenlian joined the ARF in 1988 and has served on various local ARF bodies including gomidehs in Montebello and Orange County. He has also served a few terms on the ARF Western USA Central Committee. Garo has also been a member of several local ANCA chapters and previously served on the board of the ANCA Western Region Board. Garo is a practicing attorney and partner with the Kevorkian & Madenlian LLP in Costa Mesa, California.

ARMENIA

Time for Straight Talk: Are we chronic victims or do we have a vision?

January 12, 2022 Stepan Piligian In Sight, Columns 

‘Diaspora is part of Armenia’ (Photo: Scout Tufankjian)

The 30 years of Armenian independence have been at best bittersweet for the global Armenian nation. The euphoria of sovereignty was short lived as the geopolitical reality of Turkish aggression was immediately highlighted with the Artsakh liberation struggle. The windows of freedom for Armenians have been limited and unpredictable. Who would have forecast the First Republic in the vacuum of a concluding WWI during the Genocide? Incredibly, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent emergence of the Republic of Armenia were a liberation struggle with the withdrawal of the occupying forces. For a people with limited opportunities, the timing of these events was not optimal as the readiness for governing as a free state became less than perfect. The First Republic was plagued by the impact of the genocide, famine and resurgent aggressors. The current republic was unprepared for the market economy transition and resulted in migration, poverty and leadership. One of the unfortunate byproducts of a nation in almost a constant state of oppression is the emergence of a victim mentality in the core of our thinking. Some of the classic attributes are blaming others for our shortcomings, a lack of vision due to a survival mentality, an overdependence on others and a subordination of our thinking. If this sounds familiar, it is because it describes the rollercoaster of the last 30 years.

One lesson we have to learn if we are to grow as a nation is to look inward for the answers to our problems. Often we articulate the symptom, but not the cause. An example of this is our frustration with the lack of international support during the recent Artsakh War. It feels good (for about 10 seconds) to blame others, but the cause was really our inability to build a world class diplomatic network that cultivated our interests, military parity and acceptable compromises that protected Armenia/Artsakh while avoiding wars that we cannot win. The pain of the 44-day war was compounded by the depressing “blame game” that has followed, but none of these factions are truly willing to advocate for the changes required to solve these problems. We are truly at a crossroads. The victim bandwagon has taken us to the edge of the cliff. There are only two choices: continue to focus on excuses that will only delay our redemption or use this moment to embrace a new vision aligned with a prosperous future. As a hopeless optimist, I believe that moments of adversity are opportunities for growth. Most of our learning takes place when the challenges are the greatest. The dark clouds can sometimes produce life giving rain. In the depths of our current despair, we can also discover not just a silver lining but a gold vein. After 30 years of manipulation, subordination and estrangement, it is time to build a vision that embraces the entire global Armenian nation.

Prior to 1915, our nation and indigenous population on historic lands were essentially the same. There were Armenians living outside the homeland, but it was either considered temporary or was not organized into what we call today a diaspora. The crime of genocide committed by the Turkish government changed that definition.

The first several years of independence in the nineties were euphoric despite the transitional hardships. Our dream of an independent Armenia had been achieved in our lifetime. I subscribe to the vision that Armenia, whether on the current territory or on all of our historical lands, is a home to all Armenians. It is a place where all Armenians around the world and those living in the sovereign state can find identity. It is our answer to the unnatural state created by the Genocide when our people became separated from much of their historical land and became a majority dispersed people. Our recovery was quickly subordinated by our old enemy: not the Turks, but our craving for division. In the past, we were fueled by Ramgavar, Hunchag or Tashnagtsagan. The modern version became those from the diaspora (spyurk) or those living in the newly independent state. Other conflicts arose between the oligarchs who inherited the economic and political legacy of the former Soviet republic. After decades of survival and victim behavior, it seems our vision is simply to exist…nothing more, nothing less.

It’s obviously not quite as binary as that, as there are thousands in the diaspora and Armenia who have a greater vision for the homeland. The challenge remains whether they have the will and power to prevail. It is both amazing and frustrating that the diaspora and Armenia have been unable to unite in a collaboration of mutual need. How long can Armenia survive without the full capability of the diaspora, and how long can the diaspora remain vibrant with a fulfilling relationship with the homeland? We tease ourselves with rhetoric and pseudo visions when we are in crisis, only to recede to previous behavior when the “event” subsides. Our Catholicoi, for example, came “together” in 2015 and shared Holy Communion with all the people, yet have continued the power struggles to this day. During the Artsakh War, millions of dollars were raised in days to support our people in need. Shortly thereafter, the mistrust and accountability issues became the dominant theme. Pashinyan promised a free and open society, but has fallen into the political trappings of governing. I feel the diaspora taking a small step back and pondering the current chaos to determine whether their “investment” is appropriate. The problem lies in the lack of a unifying vision. You cannot expect the diasporan community to be all in when they are structurally outsiders. On the other hand, one cannot expect the people of Armenia to have their country run by diaspora remote control. The absence of trust and a unifying vision enables the extreme perceptions to become a reality. The one common thread is that these examples are not from external enemies; they are self-inflicted. Our only future is to build a unifying vision that all Armenians can identify with regardless of where they reside.

In order for Armenia to truly become the center of the global Armenian nation, we must all embrace change to create a new paradigm. Armenia’s laws should be amended to encourage repatriation, government service and most importantly erase the limitations. The trend in Armenian legislation over the last 25 years has been to liberalize the dual citizen requirements and rights, but there are still significant residency requirements for elected service. The issue is complex, but the main goal should be to give the homeland full access to the incredible talent base of the diaspora. It matters little if the constraint is a constitutional limitation, a legislative amendment or a reflection of behavioral bias. All the walls should be removed. If Armenia is the “homeland,” then it should be as welcoming as a home. Concerns about national security and loyalty can be resolved through normal vetting processes that should be applied equally to all who serve. Our achilles of mistrust must be surgically repaired. This matter has been debated and argued by distinguished legal and constitutional minds. The solution should be judged on its ability to bring the best resources to bear from the global Armenian nation. One of the great tragedies to date has been our collective inability to bring the national security, scientific, legal, economic, diplomatic and intelligence resources from around the globe into the republic. Armenians are renowned in every nation for their work ethic, resourcefulness and success in virtually every field known to mankind. In addition, generally Armenians are patriotic and care deeply about their heritage. It makes absolutely no sense that we are struggling to integrate our nation. Half of the equation of change is for the Armenian government and economic infrastructure to create more of a “pull” mentality. If Armenia begins behaving as the sacred gatekeeper of the 4,000+ year-old civilization, we can make remarkable progress and begin to erase our victim legacy of the Genocide.

The diaspora has an equal responsibility to make the marriage successful and eternal. If we wish to speak of the engagement of the “diaspora” with the homeland in a manner other than the presence of hundreds of nonprofits, NGOs and individuals investors, then we should make serious efforts to consolidate the communication and decision-making mechanisms to facilitate not only investing in the homeland but to make the best resources of the diaspora available. This will not be a popular notion as it connects to our eternal weakness: subordinating ourselves to a greater goal. It does not require a loss of identity but rather a mechanism to optimize the diaspora with the homeland. There has been occasional dialogue about a diaspora council or organization. I would advocate more of a confederation to channel and communicate effectively with the republic. The absence of sustained communication between parties has hampered progress. As citizens of the diaspora, we need to acknowledge this as a challenge that must be addressed. Any concerns in Armenia/Artsakh about a diaspora control can be easily quelled with an acknowledgement that rights and obligation must be balanced. There should be a tiered approach to the rights of those in the diaspora with residency and citizenship at the higher end. It is critical, however, that “rights” start with your heritage and continue from that point. This is the common denominator that all Armenians should be given to the homeland—a welcome mat that is constitutionally and legislatively based that will open the flow of participation in the life of Armenia/Artsakh, increase service in the government and mend the fabric torn apart by the Genocide. When we live a vision that all Armenians can identify with, we will be building not only a secure nation but a sustainable civilization. Our leaders both in the diaspora and Armenia can start with defining a common vision.

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Stepan Piligian

Columnist

Stepan was raised in the Armenian community of Indian Orchard, MA at the St. Gregory Parish. A former member of the AYF Central Executive and the Eastern Prelacy Executive Council, he also served many years as a delegate to the Eastern Diocesan Assembly. Currently , he serves as a member of the board and executive committee of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR). He also serves on the board of the Armenian Heritage Foundation. Stepan is a retired executive in the computer storage industry and resides in the Boston area with his wife Susan. He has spent many years as a volunteer teacher of Armenian history and contemporary issues to the young generation and adults at schools, camps and churches. His interests include the Armenian diaspora, Armenia, sports and reading.