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Newsgroups: bit.listserv.slovak-l
Date:         Tue, 8 Sep 1992 15:42:33 MDT
From:         Jan Szelepcsenyi <janszel@POSEN.MFF.UNIBA.CS>
Subject:      Re: "Re: Constitution of Slovak republic"

Hallo, Mr Rysavy:

On Tue, 8 Sep 1992 08:57:24 BST,
"Francis Rysavy x3292" <frysavy@mrc-crc.ac.uk> wrote:
> >
> > Jan Szelepcsenyi wrote:
> >       (deleted)
> > >     As I  could learn from your  address you are working  at the
> > >     Slovak Academy of Sciences  - the highest research institute
> > >     in Slovakia.  I suppose if you  enter the area of  policy or
> > >     history  you  have  to  keep   the  same  rules  saving  the
> > >     objectivity  and  validity  of  information  provide by you.
> > >     Otherwise you are in danger  to sell poison as an "innocent"
> > >     drug.
> >       (deleted)
> >
> >      Only a short comment: It is  personal attack, or not? I have
> > recognized that it is typical  for nationalists in Slovakia. That
> > is why I cannot support them.  It is too dangerous for the future
> > of   our   common   state   (the   state   of   nationalists  and
> > non-nationalists).
> > Martin Masek, Bratislava
>
> I beg everyone in this discussion to "bat the problems, not the
> persons", please !

> Kind Regards, Francis R.Rysavy, UK, Harrow


Mr Masek announced a "list of national enemies" collected in
Bratislava during the preparation of the new contribution.  I'm
living in Bratislava, too, having some background information,
too, but I never heard about any "list of national enemies",
collected by an official board. I have to stress the "official"
character of such an undergoing, because we were discussing not
about terrorists, underground fighters etc., but about our
contemporary government and the constitution, which passed the
parliament.

I suppose in the framework of an academic discussion I've the
right to ask for some details, concerning the origin and the
purpose of this list. Till I don't get this information, I have
to regard the delivering of such a news as a destructive
attempt, especially if it is forwarded in the context with the
new constitution. It meens, I've to stand by my last posting.
Last but not least, we are more or less professional - not all
in history, but in scientific research or work. This means,
we got used to a way looking for facts and for presenting facts.
It means, we don't sell vegetables with some gossips at the
Central Marketplace, but we try to discover and spread trusty
facts. Than, we don't have to behave like at a marketplace...

Nobody is asked to celebrate the new constitution. I can well
understand that somebody may see in it a step toward the
division of CSFR, which he doesn't accept. Everybody may look
for mistakes in the texture and critisize them. But it isn't
correct, if he denies the links between this constitution and
the humanistic and democratic documents of the present time,
including the humanistic and democratic ideas of Mr Havel. The
Czechs have found it and published, the Slovaks not. It's
symptomatic, that to this part of my posting Mr Hasek didn't
answer any line.

Briefly sad, I don't bat the person, I disagree the method. As
far as I see that's the aim of this group, isn't it?

A propos, the method: did you notice the labeling? Thanks an
urgent question concerning facts I recieved the label
"nationalist", i.e. one of the people who are dangerous for our
common state. Labeling is everytime connected with prejudices
and prejudices are the spirit background of concentration
camps...

By the way - nationalists: I'm sure, many nationalists did for
the common state more, than any federalist, who was weakening
the CSFR by his unjusty social, economical and cultural policy.
When I'm forced to make this proclamation, I would like to claim
that I'm convinced that the process of separation is at the same
time the first period of reconstruction of our common state.

> We will have to live peacefully and cooperate in the
> united Europe in the future, I hope.

You may see, to unify Europe, isn't such a problem as to unify
a nation...

> May be that it is a question of
> language and background but I am finding rather contraproductive to
> accuse someone in a generic way of "selling poison as an "innocent"
> drug". If this were so, I would prefere to be more specific.

Could you, please, go back to my previous posting? The problem
is, that Mr Masek doesn't react to the matter of my
reservations! Please, believe, everybody is after the four
decades of communist psychological terror taking care about his
and others personal freedom. A statement announcing a "list of
national enemies" - as Mr Masek did - is a serious accuse,
indeed. If he is going to provide us trustworthy information
about this list I'd be glad to apologize myself for any harsh
formulation.  But my requirement that this kind of statements
have to be supported by evidence will be still valid.

>
> "Slobody kto hoden, slobodu zna vaziti kazdou"
> Jan Kollar, Slavy cera

That's my belief, too.


Jan

--
Jan Szelepcsenyi                        	Telephone: + 42 7 220863
janszel@posen.mff.uniba.cs              	Address  : ul. A. Mraza 4
                                                	   821 03 Bratislava
							   Czechoslovakia
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