I was thinking

[thearabchildren]

Middle class Turks (of various political views, including those who recognise what the government is doing to the Kurds as deeply wrong, in fact also some middle class Kurds, Armenians and Jews), often accuse me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, of being too "extreme" on the Kurdish issue, or treating it with too much "urgency" (I know many people on here view me as a Kemalist, so while they suggest I'm too pro-Kurdish, Kurds are accusing me of being anti-Kurdish). It occurs to me that if İzmir or Edirne looked like Colemêrg, it would be the end of the world to these people. That is, the people who accuse me of being too pro-Kurdish are treating the Southeast as... another country.

Therefore, I think a new standard should be applied when talking to Turkish citizens (Not only Turks, but also Kurds and other minorities): Anyone who doesn't think bringing peace and stability under whatever rubric to the Southeast trumps all other political issues, when we know they WOULD give such urgency if there was the sort of daily violence (both fatal violence and arrests, etc.) in the Northwest of the country, is treating the Southeast as a foreign country and as such, we should regard them as supporters of a referendum on all Southeastern provinces regarding their future either in a Turkish or Kurdish state.

[thearabchildren]

As if reading my mind, my wife just showed me this: