Genocide, Volkerenmoord, Genozid, Genocidio, Génocide

Regardless of the language, "Genocide" has a mind numbing connotation. One only has to look at some of the concentration camps in eastern Europe during World War II, or some of the mounds of skulls in Cambodia following the reign of Pol Pot to understand the anathema the word conjures.

Wikipedia:

Genocide is defined by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG) Article 2 as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group; Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

In the last century alone (1901-2000) the following acts of genocide occurred:

Bosnia-Herzegovina: 1992-1995 - 200,000 Deaths
Rwanda: 1994 - 800,000 Deaths
Pol Pot in Cambodia: 1975-1979 - 2,000,000 Deaths
Nazi Holocaust: 1938-1945 - 6,000,000 Deaths
Rape of Nanking: 1937-1938 - 300,000 Deaths
Stalin's Forced Famine: 1932-1933 - 7,000,000 Deaths
Armenians in Turkey: 1915-1918 - 1,500,000 Deaths

The number of citations for "Never Again" are numerous, in fact, each word in this sentence is a separate link to a "Never Again" article.

Yet, here in this day and age, a group of folk are preaching genocide in at least two areas of the world.

First, Iran and it's madman president claims there was no genocide during WWII, (if he said that in Germany, would he be prosecuted? In Germany denial of the Holocaust is a crime) yet, he also says that Iran will wipe Israel off the face of the earth and kill all the Jews. Genocide is actively taking place, also in Darfur where the Janjaweed are activly killing as many African nativists and Christians as possible, while the world stands by. The United States, Russia, France, England, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, South Africa, Brazil, Japan all stand by, watching it happening in Darfur, and afraid to stop it in Iran, either because the Mullah's might unleash that monster or the riots in the arab street might start.

At this stage of the game, who gives a damn? Concepts such as "Never Again" have lost meaning if we don't collectively, as a people, step in and do something. Kofi Annan calls it genocide, but stands by while such stalwarts in human rights as Sudan and Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Ethiopia, are placed on the Commission On Human Rights of the United Nations. The Commission also has some real members such as Germany and England, the United States and Hungary and others, but don't expect any real action there. In spite of the ongoing genocide in Darfur, the commission voted overwhelmingly to censure Israel for essentially taking the war to it's attackers.

Never Again? Well, it's happening again in Sudan at the hands of the Janjaweed and will happen again in Israel at the hands of the insane Mullahs of Iran. And, of course, the UN says self defense is not a human right so, Israel, bend over and get ready.

UPDATE: My friend Gail at Crossing The Rubicon 2 has more including this sad little bit of anti-semitism.