SYSTEM OF A DOWN LOBBY HOUSE SPEAKER FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LEGISLATION

System Of A Down is arriving in Chicago today, well in advance of their Friday show, to ask House Speaker Dennis Hastert to “do the right thing” when it comes to legislation surrounding the Armenian Genocide.

Hastert has the sole discretion of bringing Armenian Genocide Resolution to the House Of Representative for a vote, where most think it will pass. Hastert, despite leanings towards the bill, has thwarted it twice, and a third denial would probably kill the resolution, which officially recognizes Turkey’s destruction of 1.5 million Armenian lives during World War 1. To vocalist Serj Tankian, one of the four System members of Armenian descent, it’s personal. His grandfather was a victim and Tankian said that the stories he tells are unbelievable.

“A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to get this organization called the Genocide Project to come in, interview my grandfather, and get his memories down and talk about his life and his suffering through the genocide and surviving through it. And it was…I’ve got six hours of footage of him talking on my own video camera and it was — I don’t have an adjective for it. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was incredible. I heard stories I’d never heard in my life, even growing up knowing about the genocide.”

Today’s rally and lobby session starts at 12 noon and runs until 2:00pm. Those who cannot attend are urged to fill out a web fax and send it to House Speaker Hastert. Fans can find it at sonybmgemail.com and at capwiz.com. The measure is opposed by both Turkey and the Bush Administration.