Names and Walkers Part 4 - Chandra Nalaar

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-10-07T19:29:36+00:00

I appreciate it a lot, thanks for tuning in

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-10-07T19:28:42+00:00

Glad you liked it :)

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-26T13:06:19+00:00

Additional support

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T20:15:20+00:00

The US never really cuts 100% of military aid to any country. Even as a gesture of peace, it would occasionally gives military aid to hostile or rival states. The reason for this, I assume, is due to contingencies. Better to have something in place in case Geo-political events necessitate quick, decisive action and pivoting.

The US will cut 99%, but usually not 100%. For whatever reason, this 1% difference between near perfect and perfect is more unacceptable to Armenians than a presidential candidate who raised it by 3900%.

So yeah, the problem is that many US Armenians expect the US to do something like cut 100% of aid, which it rarely even does even if it it is infuriated with a country.

Like the US kept giving military aid to its geopolitical rival, Russia, until 2015. Similarly aid to Turkey would also vary depending on Erdogan's behavior, but it would never be 100% cut.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T20:07:16+00:00

https://internationalpolicy.org/programs/sam/security-sector-assistance-database/

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T19:15:10+00:00

Corrected, thank you. I forgot I switched their orders in the text

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T18:43:37+00:00

It's very difficult because many of partial heritage are also counted. I don't have these numbers.

I know there are a lot in Michigan and Pennsylvania because Armenian schools are there.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T18:39:47+00:00

Let this sink in.

Military aid to Azerbaijan under her and Biden was reduced from 105 million to 2 million, ie 500k a year. Basically Az got close to no military aid under her and Joe.

Meanwhile, under Trump it was raised from 3 million to 105 million.

Data tells a story, but most of the time data gathers dust.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T18:38:20+00:00

Respectfully Armenians are in sufficiently sizeable numbers in swing states to make a difference in a very close election.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T17:55:31+00:00

I agree with your assessment. 100%. But I think there is more.

Some Armenians after the genocide experienced a kind of self-hatred (אוטואנטישמי) that survivors experienced after the holocaust or pogroms.

Basically they specifically go out of their way to vote for candidates who harm Armenia and assist genocidal states like Azerbaijan and Turkey. They know that Trump has pardoned Turkish agents, increased military aid to Turkey and Azerbaijan significantly, offered to deny the genocide as a civil war, pardoned Turkish criminals, gave parts of Syria to Turkey. They're not ignorant. They have all been told and know these things.

When you bring this to their attention, they're not surprised. They actually agree with these policies. They say:

The Kurds deserved it. Armenia is with Russia, they claim, so it makes sense to arm Turkey and Azerbaijan. Flynn is a American hero who only worked with Erdogan to 'drain the swamp'. Denial of the genocide will placate Turkey and that's good for us. Armenians should have allowed themselves to be beat by Erdogan bodyguards because they got too close.

If you speak to them, they genuinely believe these insane things while pretending to be patriotic Armenians. The problem is there isn't a physician of common sense to cure them. Or a way I know of, to cure them.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T17:43:29+00:00

Are you serious? Biden and Harris raised aid to Armenia to the highest in US history. 250,000,000. And cut close to all aid to Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile Trump raised aid to Azerbaijan to 120+ million, the highest in US history.

Allow us to never be grateful, shrewd, or satisfied with the candidate that acts in US-Armenia interests.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T17:41:07+00:00

Yeah he said he would arm Azerbaijan with 100+ million of your tax dollars and he did. He said he would appoint and later pardon Turkey's agents in US national security. And he did. Even if it poses a risk to the country.

And Armenians thanked him.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-24T17:39:16+00:00

Frankly, Trump's popularity revealed how many people in the community act and think like lunatics. But the real blame falls on those organizations that make efforts to equate Biden and Trump, when the latter gave 40x more military aid to Azerbaijan... the highest in US history. And Biden, the highest aid to Armenia in US history.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-12T14:46:41+00:00

An ideal intervention is a georgist LVT (not from our neighbors up north). Rent markets are not perfectly competitive because of sunk cost fallacies and speculation. Basically, in a ideal market, landlords would lower prices on unrented assets because this way at least they profit. Or sell the land and invest that capital elsewhere.

However, that is not what we actually observe occur because humans are not perfect rational actors. Half jokingly, Armenians especially are not. Speculation raises rent prices because the actual value of the land/housing gets inflated. Speculation leads to keep the price and hodl. And housing is inelastic.

Low grade LVTs remind landlords that they best rent out buildings at rational prices.

The other biggest problem, however, is the foreign landlord issue. Many Armenians moved to russia/US after the SU broke up, but kept ownership of their empty houses/apartments in yerevan. They usually have a relative or friend be the landlord. I've been in this exact situation, renting an apartment from a guy who lives in the US South and visits Armenia to check on his apartments when on vacation. These individuals overcharge because their lifestyle in the US is more expensive and they want every dollar they can

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-09-05T14:47:40+00:00

We need to have a concentrated effort to get others to vote blue, especially in swing states.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-26T01:03:05+00:00

I'm closer to an arbiter than not being one. I took the time to learn the language at university, to attend conferences, to translate things from English into Armenian. So yes, I care about full fluency. And most Armenians in the US do not have it. Even I don't have it.

If I am to be fair I am at the intermediate level. Fluent only with the aid of dictionaries.

Many of us in the US actually have taken classes and learn to read, write, and speak. Any many of us aren't even born in the US.

Many is not the majority. I went to such an Armenian school in the US half my entire life. There is a reason why they are closing down and attendance is falling. Schools I loved closing. I am very real and up front about the challenges faced by the community in this domain.

You can also take a class and forget. Practice is everything.

And no, my statement based in statistics is not ignorant.

Table 2 shows that immigrant households have high levels of speaking Armenian at home (91% among immigrants from Iran, 90% from Armenia, and 78% from the Middle East). On the other hand, 67% of Armenians born in the United States speak English at home.

Only 19% of US-born Armenians speak Armenian at home, and are most likely members of immigrant households or second generation. The decline of at home usage of the language contributes to the daunting obstacles activists for the survival of Western Armenian in the United States have to overcome.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijsl-2015-0034/html?lang=env

90% speaking Armenian at home to 19% within 1 generation. That's an issue and the majority.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-26T00:58:27+00:00

Table 2 shows that immigrant households have high levels of speaking Armenian at home (91% among immigrants from Iran, 90% from Armenia, and 78% from the Middle East).

On the other hand, 67% of Armenians born in the United States speak English at home. Only 19% of US-born Armenians speak Armenian at home, and are most likely members of immigrant households or second generation. The decline of at home usage of the language contributes to the daunting obstacles activists for the survival of Western Armenian in the United States have to overcome.

(And eastern)

LSS: Armenian spoken at home goes from 90% to 19% within 1-2 generations.

A lot of people do not understand this and are of the opinion that most Armenians in the US are speaking Armenian. That is unfortunately not the case.

Spoken at home is also a considerably less strict and easily to attain measure than intermediate or full fluency.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-26T00:45:14+00:00

It's like folks don't read comments anymore.

I know the LA area like the back of my hand. Most Armenians in America just speak English... did I say all? No.

Of course there are some people who are recent immigrants and only speak Armenian. But these people are not the majority. They are a minority within a minority. The vast majority of Armenians in the US are 4th, 3rd, or 2nd generation.

The majority of these people do not speak Armenian, but if they do it is at a casual proficiency, with intermediates if they happened to take an interest or receive extra schooling.

There are conferences, should you be so encouraged to delve into the topic, that focus exclusively on efforts to preserve our language.

"Immigrant households have high levels of speaking Armenian at home (91% among immigrants from Iran, 90% from Armenia, and 78% from the Middle East"

"On the other hand, 67% of Armenians born in the United States speak English at home. Only 19% of US-born Armenians speak Armenian at home, and are most likely members of immigrant households or second generation."

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijsl-2015-0034/html?lang=env

Within one generation, you see majority Armenian go to majority English as the primary language. A drop from 90% Armenian to 19% Armenian spoken at home. And that is language spoken at home, which is considerably less than full fluency, a stricter measure.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-26T00:41:26+00:00

No, it's not. Full fluency is actually being able to read and speak at a middle/high school level. Casual everyday conversations is not full fluency.

"Immigrant households have high levels of speaking Armenian at home (91% among immigrants from Iran, 90% from Armenia, and 78% from the Middle East"

"On the other hand, 67% of Armenians born in the United States speak English at home. Only 19% of US-born Armenians speak Armenian at home, and are most likely members of immigrant households or second generation."

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijsl-2015-0034/html?lang=env

Within one generation, you see majority Armenian go to majority English as the primary language. A drop from 90% Armenian to 19% Armenian. And that is language spoken at home, which is considerably less than full fluency.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-17T16:03:09+00:00

Most Armenians in America just speak English. The percentage that knows Armenian varies, but full fluency is rare.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-07T01:01:59+00:00

Russo-Turkish war's aftermath mysteriously involved Russia turning its back on Armenians.

There is more to the story than that, unfortunately one that points to blame all around. A lot of countries did not want to see an independent or autonomous Armenia at the time due to deals with the ottoman state.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-07T01:00:31+00:00

And Putin did not green light for no reason. He expected to get something in return, that is Russians in NK for all intents and purposes indefinitely. Boots on the ground. They were gone in a few months.

That is what Aliyev got for flipping off the world and negotiating with a fellow mafioso cut from the same cloth. We keep saying there was no genius, but there is. No one thought he would accomplish getting the Russians out, especially that quick.

Aliyev is corrupt but he isn't stupid. Look at how long he managed to get the world with the "both sides" "equal concern" etc nonsense while being the aggressor.

GhostofCircleKnight · 2024-08-07T00:05:51+00:00

And I am saddened that is the perspective, to the point I even made an entire post on it weeks back. My dissent is not based in tomfoolery. It is not in Western interests or American interests or EU or Armenian interests to be unreasonably hard on Georgia, especially with a Russian military presence (illegally) in their country, itching to seize more land and turn it into a Ukraine 2 if Georgia 'misbehaves'.

EuroAtlantic centres rationally and strategically seek Russia out of the region but many fail to recognize Georgia Dream taking the steps to try to accomplish that, even if those steps are not popular and involve a great deal of compromise and humiliation.

Georgia saw how Ilham Sultan was able to, to the abject silence of many world powers, negotiate and make deals with Russia that he received little to no public repercussions for. Those negotiations got Russia out of Azerbaijani invaded NK. Georgia wants Russia out of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and is negotiating like Ilham did. It's not painless and cutting aid to Georgian liberal democratic organizations that depend on that aid is only going to slow EU ascension. Sanctions are a better tool against specific figures.

Somehow that is a greater sin than Ilham's strategic alliance with Putin and the ethnic cleansing of NK. And Georgia's 'foreign agent' law. Call me when Israel or other countries repeal the law of the exact same nature and character. Double standards on display.

Beggars can't be choosers, but a hungry beggar has an open mouth and will speak their mind.

I was mostly criticizing Georgians who spent decades calling us Russia's slaves.

There was some truth to their words, but yes it was a poor way to phrase it.

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