From: tanya@mtha.usc.edu (Tanya Vassilevski)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bulgaria
Subject: The Iron Curtain; some idle thoghts..
Date: 16 Apr 1992 11:51:51 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: mtha.usc.edu


OK, Svilen , Luben, what about "osadeni dushi"? 

Luben Boyanov makes a review of some newspapers.
The following was written before I read Luben's posting in which he
notes that Demokratsia and Duma have changed their tone of biting
each other. I also noticed this. In my opinion however this has made
Demokratsia look better now. Unfortunately I dont have some late
issues of Duma and I cant tell whether I see a change there. 
Encho Mutafov, the new editor-in-chief of Demokratsia in an interview
in 24 chasa talks about his intentions to change the entire policy of Demokratsia.
The reason is that this newspaper was losing the competition with
other newspapers like 24 chasa and Duma (no wonder!). Now Demokratsia has started
publishing less heated but more analytical articles in my opinion.
I have translated for you an article by Dimitar Paunov, published in
the 2nd of april issue of this paper.
I wonder what you think about it?


THE IRON CURTAIN

by D.Paunov

Without the powerful support of the West the socialist brotherhood
wouldnt make it for 40 years. The socialist brotherhood woudnot have 
existed. The conference of Yalta gave as a present half of the continent 
to Stalin and this was the treason (predatelstvo) of this century :
the Westerners decided that the enourmous bone will suffocate the Russian
bear. The were right. Unfortunately, it was us that played the role
of the bone. 

Stalin surrounded his new property with an iron curtain and the West could
take a deep breath. He took for himself the milliards of the Marshal plan 
that were meant for all europeans. The economic wonder started and the war
was forgotten. In the meantime the east Berliners came out in the streets to
demonstrate, the Hungarians uprose but the Russian tanks crushed them.
The Chech president was thrown out of a window, the Bulgarian opposition
was hanged, in the Polish woods guns were roaring. But all these seemed to
concern nobody, this was taken as an interior problem of the Russians
and their servants from the Commintern. 

The Westerners used to scare their children and dogs with Communism. The 
fear of the communists smoothened the national differences and created
the Common market. The Iron Curtain eliminated the competition and burried
the easteuropean economy. Socialism does not produce. Socialism only
redistributes. (prerazpredelia) 

On the other side of the curtain the freedom of thought (svobodomislieto) 
awakened under the mask of trade and the West was terrified.  Its peace
seemed to be threatened. Then the Germans and their socialdemocrats came to
the stage with the new eastern policy of Brandt: only its name was
new. Following their tradition the Germans were late in conquering
of colonies and markets. Now they accumulated capital and they had to put it to work
so the loans started their way towards the socialist brotherhood. 

The loans saved the power of the communists and prolonged the agony of the
system. This is the truth. The Easteuropean stores were full with goods, we all 
started living on credit and when the Checks uprose again the brotherhood
armies crushed them. The West was silent again. They were silent before
because the communists are enemies and the real gentleman does not speak 
with the enemy. Now they closed their eyes because the communists became 
friends. 

The seventies passed as a fairy tale and Europe remembered them for ever.
The Western politicians crossed the continent kissing and embracing their
communist collegues, the communist collegues built palaces: this is where half 
of the loans drowned. The other half was taken back in the West under the mask
banks, secret accounts and joint ventures. It was left to the average
European to pay these loans. 

And today we are all paying the treason of Yalta, the silence of the west,
the loans. The West declares against the national determination and
supports Gorbatchov who was kicked out. The West seems to have forgotten 
how were the borders designed at Yalta. The politicians protest
against the abolishment of the communist parties. But they were silent
for 40 years when all other parties were prohibited. The financial media
are throwing at us pennies and  are putting conditions that they never
required from the communists.

The Iron Curtain went down and the West built a new one in only months. 
The curtain of Stailin looks like a spider's web in comparison with  it. 
Because the East Europeans must stay there where they were, until their desire
for equal rights disappears , until they give up, until they pay their loans.
Until they stop threatening the grocers from Munich and the British farmers.

The author only does not understand how the east europeans will
calm down (miriasat). Until everyone absorbs his own guilt.
#################################################

The above lines were translated as accurately as I can. The expressed 
views seem interesting although they may be argued upon. I myself find
them logically true and different from all the writings (pisania) I have
seen in Demokratsia up to now. Are we finally sobering down?


Luben wanted to start a discussion on the the way people change in the
industrialized society. Nobody responded. I donot want to be the only
and first to start all this. I have the feeling many people will feel offended
by a discussion like that, no matter that we may be right in what we say.

I would only say this: Yes, you  have to calculate even how much your 
health costs. If they tell you that to pull out yout tooth will cost you
10 times less than to cure it and if you dont swim in money, you would
prefer to have it pulled out. 


Best regards,
Tanya