Why did US congress make such a silly vote?

My opinion of this week(547):

"WASHINGTON ? Turkey recalled its ambassador to Washington on Thursday and denounced as "unacceptable" a congressional panel's vote declaring the early 20th century slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a genocide.

Even as the Bush administration scrambled to try to stem the diplomatic fallout, Turkish President Abdullah Gul castigated the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday for its 27-21 vote, saying the decision "has no validity and is not worthy of the respect of the Turkish people."　
-Los Angels Times Oct 12 2007

When I read this article of Los Angels Times, I remember the same kind of vote by US Lower House to condemn Japan on the issue known as wartime comfort women on July 30th of this year. The existence of such fact in war time was confirmed by a former cabinet which expressed a regret for what happened during the war time. But due to the lack of careful consideration of the then Prime Minister Abe and advocacy advertising made by some group of Japanese diet members expressing their views on the issue to stop such vote by Lower House, the vote to condemn Japan was finally made at US Lower House.

The decision itself has no validity, and Japanese government accepted it very calmly and people showed almost no reaction against it. But it is true that there were a number of people who were concerned with the fact that US ,the most important allied country for Japan made such vote to condemn Japan on the issue happened 60 years ago. Many Japanese might have been hurt in some way and felt adverse sentiment against US.

I understand what happened in Turkey at this time. The total nation showed such a great anger against the vote of US congress. While the case of comfort women happened 60 years ago, the case of Turkey happened 90 years ago, almost a century ago. It is a part of history of very very long time ago.

History of human being and human societies is a history of wars, in other words a history of murders between various territories and countries, domestic or foreign whatever they may be. There are a great number wars and cases of slaughter in many of those territories all over the world including Europe, America, Middle East, Asia and so on. Parties concerned with any of such wars and disputes share various kind of views from historical, cultural religious, and ethical point of views. Historian mainly work on them.

It seems that US congress often acts like a judge evaluating a foreign history in such manner. How can they condemn the case in Turkey which happened almost a century ago? I just don't understand why they do this. What is their purpose to do this? How do they relate such denunciation with the current diplomatic relation with Turkey?

I remember what I wrote in my BLOG on August 1 the day after US Lower House made a condemn vote for wartime comfort women case. In my BLOG, I suggested Japanese congress to make a condemn vote against such an inhuman act of dropping atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Nothing can be comparable with such nhuman act like dropping atomic bomb when it comes to historical slaughter.

I don't think it is just a emotional reaction but it is quite fair way to warn against US congress to stop such unreasonable votes against foreign countries.

2007/10/13
Tadashi HAYASE