A Conversation with a “Turkish Poet”

…by Jonas E. Alexis

I got a message last night from a Turkish lady by the name of Fide Korkmazer Erken (she describes herself as a ‘Turkish poet’) saying that I have attacked her beloved president in my article, “Putin to NWO Agents: ‘You Can Go to Hell.’” I was quite confused because I did not know what she meant by that.

Did she mean that she did not like the facts that were presented? Or did she mean to say that I personally attacked Erdoğan because I have nothing else to do?

I have no interest whatsoever in ad hominem attack, for it goes nowhere and generates no serious discussion. But an argument has to be examined under the light of logic and reason and the available evidence.

Furthermore, if words such as “prostitute” or “slut” or “whores” are apt descriptions of what a person actually is, then this is not ad hominem attack at all.

For example, one of the definitions of a whore is “A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.” It could also mean “an immoral person.” Aren’t those apt descriptions of people like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Sarah Palin, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, etc.? If McCain starts defending the bombing of an Afghan hospital, isn’t that immoral? If Sarah Palin starts mouthing that “water-boarding is how we baptize terrorist,” isn’t that immoral?

In any event, I responded to Erken by saying that I did not attack Erdoğan as a person, but I attacked his ideology because he ended up supporting the Syrian rebels/terrorists. She still could not get that point. “You say you don’t attack a particular country or person but you attack the president of my country.” I responded again by saying that I attacked the ideology that post beneath the surface.

She moved on to say that Assad is indeed a dictator and “has killed more than 300,000 people…” I did not want to go down the rabbit whole here. Then she moved on to deny that Erdoğan has supported terrorist groups such as the Syrian rebels. “Our president,” she said, “never helps terrorist groups.”

I told Erken to do a little research on her beloved president and see what he has been up to lately, to which she responded, “I will not because I am sure [he doesn’t support the Syrian rebels. But you should!”

I then started laughing because this was too good to be true. My last message to her was: “You will not research this? And you are interested in the truth? Very good!”

I had to stop the conversation because she was not really looking for a serious and truthful answer. She was looking for something that actually supported her preconceived notion. She could not even entertain the possibility that her beloved president could be involved in covert activity which probably would lead her to abandon her cherished belief and idol.

Erdoğan has been supporting the Syrian rebels/terrorists for years, but he certainly had a second thoughts when things began to get out of control.[1] Even the New York Times, of all places, admitted back in 2013:

“From the start of Syria’s civil war, rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad have had no better ally than Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has effectively kept Turkey’s border with Syria open, allowing fighters a haven in the south of his country as weapons, cash and other supplies have flowed to the battlefield. He has even fired on Mr. Assad’s forces.

“Mr. Erdogan was one of the first world leaders to call for Mr. Assad to step down, and from the start he provided a lifeline to the rebels. But with radical Islamists controlling territory along the Turkish border, and the United States working with the Assad government to rid it of chemical weapons, his policy is in turmoil and his country without a viable ally in Syria. Mr. Erdogan has himself been criticized for allowing weapons to get into the hands of jihadists.”[2]

This year, Turkey and the United States agreed to support and fund the Syrian rebels/terrorists.[3] So, Erken had good reason to say that she did not want to know. She obviously did not want to see things the way they really are.

This has been one of my frustrations with many people over the years, particularly those who espouse the view that the Jewish behavior is genetic. It has been one big disappointment after another.

[1] See for example Neil Clark, “Turkey to see more bombings as Erdogan’s support for Syrian rebels backfires,” Russia Today, May 19, 2013; “Turkey bombings prompt outcry over support for Syria rebels,” LA Times, May 13, 2013; In Turkish border city, Alexander Christie-Miller, “Erdogan’s backing of Syrian rebels draws ire,” Christian Science Monitor, August 28, 2012.

[2] Tim Arango, “Erdogan, Syrian Rebels’ Leading Ally, Hesitates,” NY Times, October 17, 2013; for related reports, see “Ankara and Washington agree to train 2,000 Syrian rebels in Turkey – report,” Russia Today, November 15, 2014.

[3] Sebnem Arsu, “Turkey Will Help Train Moderate Syrian Rebels, Diplomat Says,” NY Times, January 5, 2015; Desmond Butler, “Turkey, U.S. sign deal to train, arm Syrian rebels,” USA Today, February 19, 2015; “Turkey and US agree to train and arm Syrian rebels in fight against Isis,” Guardian, February 19, 2015; “​US and Turkey agree to train, equip Syrian rebels against ISIS,” Russia Today, February 20, 2015; “US, Turkey to arm and train Syrian rebels,” NY Post, February19, 2015; Greg Miller and Karen DeYoung, “Secret CIA effort in Syria faces large funding cut,” Washington Post, June 12, 2015; Syrian fighters to begin training in Turkey despite divide over mission,” Washington Post, April 20, 2015.

Jonas E. Alexis, Assistant Editor

Jonas E. Alexis has degrees in mathematics and philosophy. He studied education at the graduate level. His main interests include U.S. foreign policy, the history of the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the history of ideas. He is the author of the new book Zionism vs. the West: How Talmudic Ideology is Undermining Western Culture. He teaches mathematics in South Korea.

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