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Date:         Wed, 12 Aug 1992 23:33:03 -0500
From:         "Velibor M. Marenovic" <VMARENOVIC@MACALSTR.EDU>
Subject:      Friends responce....
X-To:         mideur-l%ubvm.bitnet@ksuvm.ksu.edu

I have been asked to post the following. Professor (author of the message)
wisches to remain anonymous.

Velibor

>
> Dear Velibor,
>
> Would you post the following:
>
> 1.  Kosovo was CONQUERED by Turks after the Kosovo battle in 1389. Before that
> it was a part of Serbian empire.  So, consequently, it was LIBERATED by Serbs
> in the Balkan wars (1912-1913). It is not only a semantic question and it does
> not depend on point of view. The fact is that Kosovo was NOT AWARDED by big
> powers to Serbia. The truth is, that Serbian and Montenigrian forces WERE
> FORCED to withdraw from norther-central Albania (cities of Skadar and Dures).
>
> However,these facts do not imply that only Serbs should live in Kosovo.
> (The reference to such statements can be easily found in the press of the
 neigh
> bouring republics: "Croatia to Croats", "Slovenia-my Country" (not yours is
 imp
> lied) etc. etc.).
>
> 2. Again, the fact that Yugoslavia never was a centralised country is not
> a matter of opinion. The real financial power was  vested in the bureaucracy
> of the republics. There were not a decision that could've been made without a
> consensus - and each republic, regardless of its relative size and power could
> have easily vetoed any action ( just imagine that two Senators from North Dako
> ta or Delaware were able to veto the decision of entering the war aginst
 Iraq).
> The very same holds for the military powerSince the mid-60 the Yugoslavia
> defence strategy was based on the conception of "armed people" ( so called
> Teritorial Defense Units). In practice, it became the policy of armed nations.
> In plain English, the Commander of Slovenia's teritorial defense units was a
> Slovenian, in Croatia it was a Croat, an so on... (The FACT is that 2/3 of
> military budget was spent on teritorial defense units and only 1/3 on
> regular (JNA) army.).  So, the fact is that Yuogoslavia was a HIGHLY
 DECENTALIS
> ED COUNTRY ( the reference to that is easily available in any serious literatu
> re about Yugoslavia).
>
> 3. There were 3 major  camps in occupied Serbia (Nedich Serbia) during the
> WW II: Nis (so called Red Cross Camp), Staro Sajmiste and Banjica (both in
> Belgrade). ALL OF THEM WERE RAN BY NAZI GERMANS. The Jews in particular were
> imprisoned on Autokomanda (big square in Belgrade),the prison under the German
> control.
> (Of course, that there were some Serbs who sided with Nazis and against their
> own people. However, Serbia was an occupied teritory during the war, not a
> state. So, blaming Serbs for running camps is the same as blaming Checz for
> destroying Lidice).
>
> 4. Scots and Irish who live in England are NOT ENGLISH.  So Serbs who live
> in Croatia and Bosnia are not Croats or Bosnians. It is dispeakable that
> these people who were Croats, Slovenes, Muslims, Macedonians etc. and than
> (if at all) Yugoslavs , now suggesting that Serbs are to be Bosnians first.
>
> 5. I do not want to quote Volter about the merits of statistics. However,
> the national structure of JNA was considered as the TOP SECRET.
> In that respect, what we really need as a complete check of the representation
> of Croats, Serbs, Slovenes, etc. at the top level. At this point of time,
> I am only going to say that Airforce, Corps of Engineers, and to the lesser
> Armored units were dominated at the top level by generals of Croatian origin.
> So-called "political" structure of JNA was dominated by generals of Slovenian
> origin.
>
> 6. There is no need to demolish every building in the world where Swastika is
>    ornamented. It is an old sign (of an Indian origin, I think).  The same is
>  in the case of the Croatian  checkboard (sp.). However, someone should be
> a real ignorant or (more probably) a Nazi if he/she chooses Swastika as a main
> simbol of his/her state. The same logic applies to Croatian flag.
>
> It is true that Ustasha flag was somewhat different (checkboard started with
> a white field, while today it starts with a red field). However, it is not
> true that a letter U was ALWAYS a part of the ustashi flag. It was "reserved
> for an elite forces called "Black Legion" and "Devil's Brigade". Anyhow, at
> very beginning the ruling party in Croatia (Croation Democratic Union) was
> gathering under the flag with the checkboard that started with the white
> field (comments are more than welcome).
>
> Red-White  or White-Red  is perhaps a very sensitive question to historians.
> To people who were lucky enough to survive Swastika and/or dreaded checkboard
> this discussion is scholastic.  It really is.  Please, consider the following:
>
>            *    ******                   *******    *
>            *    *                              *    *
>            ***********                    ***********
>                 *    *                    *    *
>                 *    *                    *    *
>           *******                              *******
>
>
> Big difference, ain't it.  Especially for these people whose families were
> exterminated under the rule of the people who worship these insignia.
> Perhaps, the above picture is the one way to represent differences between
> the Ustashi flag and current Croatian flag (white-red, red-white dillema).
>
> This is the reason why I have wrote that NAZI FLAG FLIES HIGH. It really does.
> Where in the US? In the front of the building of the UN, in the Rockefeller
> Center....
>
> I am not implying that all Croats or Germans are Nazis.  Neither are all
> people who live in PR China communists because of the flag of PR China.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Pen
>
> P.S. I sincerely appologize for posting the above pictures.  I simply
> used them as a graphic way to express the real meaning of the simbols,
> not to hurt anyone feelings.

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