http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A nenad@nenadbach.com Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:21:56 -0800 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9542/1/Letters-to-Amnesty-International-and-the-Financial-Times.html  Croatia seems to always be looked through a microscope while others are treated with kid gloves in the media and in the political world. Hilda Foley (left) has written two letters addressing these concerns, to both the Financial Times and Amnesty International.    hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9428/1/Western-powers-stood-silently-by-while-Croatia-was-attacked.html In a recent letter to the Monthly Review, Hilda Marija Foley (left) writes" By now, 17 years after the wars in former Yugoslavia, one could assume that most people interested in its history would have come to the same and correct conclusion as to who started the wars." hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9399/1/The-actual-historic-facts-must-be-recognized-once-and-for-all.html In a recent letter to the International Herald Tribune, Hilda Marija Foley (left) writes "In your article 'EU proposal lays out steps on Kosovo independence' by Dan Bilefsky and Stephen Castle Dec 12, 2007 the commentators make the often quoted but erroneous statement when writing that the early recognition of an independent Croatia accelerated the breakup of Yugoslavia." hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9151/1/Answer-to-British-MP-article---British-MPs-total-ignorance.html   The largest resistance to German and Italian occupiers was carried out by Croatians, forming  partisan brigades already in June 1941, that eventually with Bosnians numbered 34 units....by Hilda Foley hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9120/1/New-York-Times-article-re-Thompson-concert.html     hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Tue, 03 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8901/1/Letters-to-the-Editors-of-The-Baltimore-Sun---Everybody-is-entitled-to-their-opinion-but-not-to-their-facts.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8849/1/Brian-Gallagher-analyzes-The-Trial-of-Domagoj-Margetic.html     brigall@yahoo.co.uk (Brian Gallagher) Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8722/1/Letters-Zinfandel--Senator-Migden.html     Hilda Foley (at left) submitted two letters regarding the discussion of California to adopt the "orphan" Zinfandel grape as its official grape. DNA testing has shown the variety to come from Croatia.   Read more ... stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8548/1/E-Is-there-really-any-question-who-was-the-villain-Travel-Section-article.html Is there really any question who was the villain? From: hmfgsf@juno.com To: ctc-tribletter@tribune.com Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 Subject: Travel section article Dear Editor, While the travel article "Croatia with 40 nice people" ( June 25) by Robert Cross was quite interesting and informative, one sentence was out of place, not just because politics do not belong in the travel section, but because it was also quite inaccurate. Mr. Cross writes: "Who exactly were the villains and the heroes in Croatia's bid for independence and its conflict with the Serbs is still a matter of debate across former Yugoslavia." As the tourists traveled through some areas of Croatia, mainly in the vicinity of the beautiful Plitvice Lakes National Park, they could see destroyed homes and pockmarked buildings caused by the aggression of the Serb Yugoslav army and the ethnic Serb collaborators, who occupied one third of Croatia during the war. In contrast, tourists traveling to Serbia would not see any kind of destruction caused by Croatia in Serbia, since Croatians never put a foot on Serbia's soil. They only defended their own country, wishing independence from Serb domination. Secession was their right under the Yugoslav Constitution, but the Serbs and Montenegrins would not permit it. Since they could not keep it they tried to destroy Croatia - from Vukovar in the east to Dubrovnik in the south. Is there really any question who was the villain? Sincerely, Hilda M. Foley 13272 Orange Knoll Santa Ana, CA 92705 714 832-0289 nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6578/1/E-Letter-to-Newsweek-re-Death-of-a-Monster.html  To: Editors@newsweek.com Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006Subject: Death of a MonsterDear Editor:In your otherwise excellent article "Death of a Monster", March 20 issue,the very first sentence needs correction. It was only in the eyes of theWest that Yugoslavia was viewed, as the journalist states "Yugoslaviawas the freest, most prosperous country in Eastern Europe." No, it wasnot free. People who did not agree with communism were imprisoned, manysent to the "Goli Otok" ("Bare Island") a harsh gulag on an bare islandon the Adriatic, and many were executed. People learned to keep theiropinions to themselves. The West closed its eyes to it all for coldpolitical reasons of their own, namely to keep Yugoslavia out of theSoviet sphere. Yet Tito's Yugoslavia vote at the UN nevertheless always supported Russia and the rest of the Soviet communist Block countries. And no, Yugoslavia was not "prosperous" because of Tito's "type" ofcommunism, but because Tito, for the above mentioned reason, received agreat amount of monetary support from the West, enabling him to "employ"100 workers where 10 could have done the job. Also, much of the"prosperity" that was seen came from the money sent home to the familiesof the Yugoslav "Gastarbeiters" - "guest workers", mostly from Germany.In that regard Tito was smart, he let people go to work out of thecountry, bringing in foreign money and at the same time avoiding massunemployment!Sincerely,Hilda M. Foley13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705, USA714 832-0289  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6581/1/E-Balkan-Melodies-for-Accordion---NEEDS-SERIOUS-EDITING.html  A SHALLOW AND SUPERFICIAL BOOKIn 2005 a booklet under the title"Balkan Melodies for Accordion", 56 pp (42 songs),was issued by Mel Bay Publications, www.melbay.com  Inc. The authorof the book is Dr. Frances M. Irwin.Description of the booklet can be seen athttp://www.melbay.com/contents.asp?ProductID=95986&Heading=&category=&catID=&head1=&head2=&sub=&sub1=&author=&contpage=95986f.html&mode=&q=&r=&s=&next=This is a shallow and superficial book.The author knows next to nothing about the subject.First, it is strange that the book under the title"Balkan Melodies..." has no songs from other Balkancountries, like Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro,Albania, and Turkey. This shows that the author isignorant about the meaning of the notion of the"Balkans". The mentioned countries can rightfully bedissatisfied for not being represented in the book.Here are a few of ugly misrepresentations concerning Croatian songs. A well known Croatian song"Sve Pticice Iz Gore" is claimed to be Slovenian.Another well known Croatian song - "Vehni fijolica",is claimed to be a song from Bosnia-Herzegovina.And let us not forget that there are also niceCroatian songs from that country as well. Eight songs are correctly grouped as Dalmatian songsin the book, but as if they were not Croatian.Altogether twelve songs in the book are indicated asCroatian, but actually as many twenty two songs in thebook are Croatian, that is, more than a half of songslisted in the book!E-mail of Mel Bay is:email@melbay.com by phone: 1-800-863-5229We all know that the Mel Bay is a famous publisher. It is strange that they issued such a low qualitymusical edition. I myself had a great pleasure toenjoy excellent previous editions of the Mel Bay,published decades ago. Mel Bey has been for me asymbol of high quality musical editions, until thisstrange edition appeared in 2005. It is possible that the Mel Bay will undertakepublishing a more reliable book dealing with Croatiansongs. If so, I can recommend them to contact Mr. Nenad Bach (www.nenadbach.com), Croatian composerworking in New York, and maybe even Dr. Katarina Livljanic, visiting professorat the Harvard University. Information about the two mentioned top professionalscan be found at my web page devoted to the history ofCroatian music:www.croatianhistory.net/etf/et12.html Hoping that this e-mail might result in publishing ofa better product about Croatian music than the one wehave described, I send this e-mail to the Mel BayPublications Inc, and also to the the Croatian WorldNetwork (www.croatianworld.net), directed by NenadBach, New York.Darko Zubrinic, Zagrebwww.croatianhistory.net nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6580/1/E-The-War-of-the-Words-by-Dr-Tomislav-Sunic.html  The War of the Wordsby Tomislav Sunic24 October 2005The hybrid "Serbo-Croatian" language was not only an oxymoron -- it was primarily a political ploy for bringing two different peoples into a unitary unnatural whole.Even before a war starts shaking up a new country, fights about national languages abound. The endless debate surrounding the Croatian language may have been the prime motive that turned the former Yugoslavia into a pulverized powder keg. For every nation, language and religion constitute two main pillars of national identity; without its language, the nation melts away into a wider structure of anonymous denizens using often bizarre idioms. The hybrid "Serbo-Croatian" language was not only an oxymoron -- it was primarily a political ploy for bringing two different peoples into a unitary unnatural whole. With the establishment of the new state of Croatia in 1991, there was a public outcry to purify the Croatian language of all Serbian words, and to show the world Croatian distinctiveness -- often at the expense of doctoring up new and bizarre words. The effort regarding the purity of the language is not only symptomatic of Croatia, but is a hallmark of all smaller nations in search of an identity. Every small nation goes through similar birth pangs in an attempt to foster its peculiar linguistic character. Approximately five million people speak the Slovak, Norwegian, Georgian, Albanian, and Danish languages, respectively -- and as long as their languages are shielded by strong state bureaucracy, there is no fear that they will die away. Very different is the story regarding the Chechen, Abkhaz, or Islandic languages, which are spoken by half a million citizens respectively. Many of these peoples do not have solid states in sight, and are still searching for world recognition. Chances are, though, that with no state, their language may well disappear. The battle of the languages always precedes the battle of the guns. All new governments, once entrenched in power, must first tackle the language issue. It is worth recalling that immediately after the French revolution, in 1792 (probably one of the most fateful political events in European history), early Jacobin revolutionaries, including their rabble-rouser mouthpiece Barrère, adopted a law stipulating that "the German language is the language of counterrevolution, Spanish that of inquisition and the papists, and Italian that of run-away aristocracy." Side by side with massive genocides carried out by French revolutionary self-proclaimed world-improvers, all dialects and regional languages in France were wiped away. Yet, despite all of that, until mid-19th century over 50 percent of French citizens spoke different dialects that had nothing in common with the modern Parisian French. Similarly, after the Passion Play of Bleiburg in 1945, the Yugocommunist commissars enacted decrees that would thoroughly emasculate the linguistic treasure trove of the Croatian language. The rooted Croatian language was considered "counterrevolutionary." Moreover, the usage of some popular regional idioms and expressions from the cakavski or the kaikavski dialects was viewed as provincial, "hickish," or at best, primitive. Meanwhile the titophile intelligentsia, in search of careers, started to popularize the new hybrid of "Serbo-Croatian language."In 1886 one unitary language was also designed for citizens of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Following the annexation of Bosnia-Herecegovina by the Austrian authorities, an attempt was made to create a common language for the three different peoples and cultures. This attempt soon came to a pitiful end. Likewise, there is a tendency today, encouraged also by the international community, to introduce the "Bosnian language." Most likely, this centralized attempt will also fail. The Balkan peninsula, and particularly its center known as the former Yugoslavia, is not the only case of an attempt at crafting an artificial language. After the peaceful departure of Norwegians, Danes and Swedes into their own separate states, in 1904, the new elites in Norway began to cultivate their own idiom, cleansed of Danish and Swedish verbal residues. The new political class turned to the Norwegian countryside in order to replenish the Norwegian vocabulary. The Landmal thus became a code word for the Norwegian language, as opposed to the Swedophile Bokmal, the language of the books. The opposite side can best be observed in the former Soviet Union. As early as 1922 the early Bolsheviks adopted the language policy which aimed at forceful russification of all other languages in the newly created multiethnic communist empire. The cyrillic script was imposed on muslim peoples, who had previously used the Arabic script, such as the Kirghis, the Turkmens, etc. This was also the case in the former constituent Soviet republic of Moldova, which despite its Latin roots and Romanian origins, had to use the cyrillic script. Naturally, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent rebirth of new nation states, the first move on the part of the new elites was to establish their own national languages. Cases like this abound: Czechoslovakia, in 1920, imposed upon its citizens the Czech language as the only official language, although half of its citizens spoke German, Hungarian, and Slovak as their mother tongues. Nor is the situation different in Western Europe. The Irish language is on the verge of extinction. So is the old Gaelic in Scotland and the Breton language in France. In Croatia, not long ago, the peculiar Veliot language was spoken by a few old islanders ("boduli") on the island of Krk. Today the Veliot language is gone with the wind. The Croatian language is the hallmark of Croatian national identity; it has to be nurtured at all costs, notably by introducing into its vocabulary idioms and expressions from the local cakavski and kajkavski dialects. This "return to the roots" is certainly much more expedient than resorting to new words, i.e. neologisms which often leave a bad political aftertaste among domestic and foreign listeners and interlocutors. Of course, all Croats, particularly professionals, must work on their fluency in the English language, which has become, so to speak, the obligatory "lingua franca" all over the world. It is beside the point whether the American language is "bad" or "good", "nice" or "ugly" -- or a symbol of cultural imperialism. The American language has become a universal language, and must be learned by anybody who is considering a career or who wishes to understand the modern world. Thus, for example, Swedish professionals, working at large enterprises, when discussing business deals, serious economic or financial issues with their German or Portuguese counterparts, often resort to the American-English language. What the German or the French language was fifty or one hundred years ago, is now the role of the American-English language. This American language is increasingly losing its ties with the classical English language and its normative grammar. New cliches and new idioms are constantly made up, which makes American very graphic and a rapidly evolving language. The American language has many other advantages, notably phrasal verbs and an abundant colloquial trove, as well as the increasing trend towards phonetic transcriptions. Thus, for instance, even in official correspondence, some cumbersome suffixes and prefixes are dropped and double consonants are shrunk into one. "Thanks" has become "thanx," cool is "kool," etc. Of course, from working out hard to making out.. hardly... Dr. Tomislav (Tom) Sunic is writer, translator, author, and former US professor in political science. His website is here. Email Tomislav Sunic: tomislav.sunic@zg.htnet.hr http://www.intellectualconservative.com/article4681.html  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6584/1/E-Journalists-cant-be-blamed-for-someones-else-mistakes.html  JOURNALISTS CAN'T BE BLAMED FOR SOMEONE'S ELSE MISTAKES!  Porec, October 7, 2005We consider the recent apprehension and the arrest of the Croatian journalist Mr. Josip Jovic, who released and published the names of protected witnesses of the ICTY an extremely discriminatory act against Croatia and its people. We would like to explain to Ms Carla del Ponte that in Croatia there are laws stipulating free speech, freedom of thought and the free media. In case she ignores that, she might better have a look at the similar legislation of her country. The very fact that journalists can find out the name of the protected witness, means that this same witness is not protected at all! The responsibility for this should not be borne by some "folks of the pen," but rather by the organizational structure of the irresponsible Tribunal itself! Therefore, dear Carla, if somebody needs to be castigated, it should be your secretary, or your colleague from the next door office. And why not blame a custodian of the house or a cleaning lady in the Tribunal who spotted a piece of paper on the floor? Why do you sport so much arrogance and come down on these public figures who report in an unbiased manner about your garishness regarding our martyred, poor and small nation? This act of yours can also be understood as a dictatorial venture and a" ukase" of yours. Croatian World Assembly considers this move of the Hague Tribunal a hypocritical act and detrimental to the internal affairs of  Croatia. As our homeland is teeming with all sorts of crime and banditry, the judiciary (both foreign and domestic) cloth with the garb of "crime" our liberators and our poor journalists. The repressive attitude of the "international " Hague institution, which seems to be more enamored with politics than with justice and ethics, demonstrates with this act that is opposed to free speech on the territory of its much cherished " world province " of Croatia. We are using this opportunity to alert all worthy and honorable members of our people, all our politicians, and especially those who sit at the summit of political power, to reexamine from other perspectives, their own attitudes, their own servile stance regarding the matter of this imposed task of our cooperation with this institution. If we are not allowed to write and to think, how much "independent" are we? Who will consider us a serious people if we don't consider ourselves serious? www.hssd.hr PresidentNiko Soljak prof. ing.,   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6583/1/E-UN-Prosecutors-Double-Standards.html  UN Prosecutor‘s Double Standards.By Brian Gallagher 5 October 2005http://members.madasafish.com/~opus/Croatia/Brian.Gallagher.051005.html More information has arisen regarding the case of theCroatian journalists who have been indicted by UNprosecutors for disclosing the identity and testimonyof a protected witness in the Blaskic case. (For moreinformation, please see here:http://members.madasafish.com/~opus/Croatia/Brian.Gallagher.300905.html It transpires that the London based Institute of Warand Peace Reporting has repeatedly disclosed theidentity of the witness; shamefully not mentioned intheir recent reports on the journalists.It is known that a 1997 decision relating to thewitness has been on the ICTY website for eight years,identifying the witness. See it herehttp://www.un.org/icty/blaskic/trialc1/decisions-e/70606PM113306.htm In relation to reporting to that decision, IWPRmentioned the name in their Tribunal Update 32 of June9-14, 1997.See it herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_032_3_eng.txt In regard to that particular affair, the ICTY alsonamed the witness in their summary of a press briefingin 2003 on their own website.See it here (last paragraph)http://www.un.org/icty/briefing/2003/PB170703.htm The IWPR directly named the individual as a witness inthe Blaskic case in its Tribunal Update of 7-11February 2000. This is of considerable importance asIWPR named the witness before any of the datesmentioned in the indictments. Most of the indictmentsrelate to 2004. However, the indictment against JosipJovic is for dates in 2000, the earliest being 27November. The IWPR disclosure comes some months priorto that. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_163_3_eng.txt Mirko Klarin, then Senior Editor at IWPR, fullydisclosed the identity in Tribunal Update of 16-21September, 2002. Klarin specifically states the nameof the witness and that he had testified in the closedsession in the Blaskic trial, and something of thenature of that testimony. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_281_1_eng.txt Klarin named the witness again in IWPR’s TribunalUpdate of September 30 - October 4, 2002 report on theMilosevic trial. See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_283_1_eng.txt IWPR named the witness again this time written byEmir Suljagic in Tribunal Update of 23-27 June 2003See it here.http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_318_4_eng.txt The witness was named again by IWPR in a piece byStacey Sullivan in the 19 December 2003 TribunalUpdate. See it herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_338_5_eng.txt A number of the IWPR reports were also placed on theJUSTWATCH website by Andras Riedlemyer, who haspreviously appeared in trials as an expert witness forthe UN Prosecutors.See them hereTribunal Update 7-11 February 2000http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0002&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=75423Tribunal Update 16-21 September, 2002http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0209&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=49439Tribunal Update September 30 - October 4, 2002http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0210&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=15717Tribunal Update of 23-27 June 2003http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0307&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=11173Tribunal Update of 19 December 2003http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0312&L=justwatch-l&D=1&O=D&F=&S=&P=61294Recent articles on the indicted journalists by IWPRhave somehow failed to mention that they themselvesrepeatedly named the witness. See their latest reportof 30 September by Janet Anderson herehttp://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/tri/tri_423_1_eng.txt No action has been taken by ICTY prosecutors againstIWPR or their journalists - or indeed JUSTWATCH - fornaming the protected witness.This raises the most serious questions. How is it thataction was taken against Croatian journalists and notIWPR?The Croatian journalists have a strong public interestdefence: A recent article in the New York Times quotesProsecution documents as saying the witness is "ahigh-ranking politician who holds important stateresponsibilities." . If such a politician in theUnited Kingdom gave secret testimony at a UN courtagainst a British soldier the public would certainlydemand to know what was said and by whom. No doubtthe same would apply in the United States. Nobodywould accept protective measures. Why should it bedifferent in Croatia? Further, the public interestcase is strengthened by the fact that in the Blaskiccase, a miscarriage of justice occurred.No doubt the Croatian journalists concerned hadpolitical motives for publishing what they did. Thatis freedom of speech.IWPR has presented no explanation or defencewhatsoever for revealing the identity of the witness.Yet somehow, they have got away with it. And continueto do so - their reports have been on their websitefor years. There is no clear public interest case fortheir revealing it.IWPR is sympathetic to the ICTY. It also is Londonbased, and part funded by the British taxpayer. Nodoubt that is connected to their apparent immunityfrom indictment.Journalists are entitled to be pro ICTY. However,that does not mean the ICTY should consider them abovethe law. Why should these Croatian journalists facecriminal charges and the strain and stress that mustcreate in their lives, whilst IWPR and its journalistsdo not have to face that - despite naming the witnessprior to the dates of the mentioned in the indictmentsof the Croats?It is clear double standards, and the ICTY isoperating on a political basis; those that criticiseit face prosecution for repeating the name of aprotected witness, but those uncritical or evensupportive of the ICTY can do the same thing withimpunity.And what of IWPR? Their latest reports on thesituation shamefully fail to mention that theythemselves named the witness repeatedly. What kind ofjournalism is that? IWPR’s readers are fully entitledto that information - yet it was denied to them. Giventhat the taxpayer helps pay their wages, it is all themore appalling. IWPR’s silence is a disgrace.Of course, given that the witness himself has admittedfor years that he was a witness, the whole issue isridiculous. But that has not stopped the UNprosecutors, led by the much criticised Carla delPonte, whose double standards will no doubt berevealed in excruciating detail by the defendants.The trial will be very interesting indeed.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6579/1/E-NGs-Concise-History-of-the-World.html   Concise History of the WorldForumNational Geographic Society1145 17th St. N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036-4688 Oct. 5, 2005Dear Editor:I am writing to you in regard to the introduction of the National Geographic's "Concise History of the World". If it is as "concise" and correct as your description of former Yugoslavia in the February 2000 issue of the National Geographic magazine, in which on the map under the heading "Serbs" it said that Serbs settled in the seventh century into what is now Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia .. you will be making the same mistake again, besides a number of other mistakes that occurred in that article. You could have simply looked up under "Slavs" in the Encyclopedia Britannica, ed. 1970, vol. 20, which correctly states that "On the territory of modern Yugoslavia the first Slavic kingdom was Croatia". When Croatians voiced their complaints at that time, the truth was ignored by answering that the National Geographic stands by its experts. Wonder who those "experts" are? Facts are, the Croatians, not Serbs, settled in the seventh century in the area that is still to this day Croatia and was a kingdom from the tenth to the twelfth century. Only upon the death of the heirless last king did Croatia enter a "Personal Union" with the king of Hungary. Unfortunately things went downhill ever since for Croatia, becoming ruled by other nations, until it finally became independent again in 1991.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyHilda M FoleyAmerican Croatian Assn. of So. California13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705714 832-0289   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 05 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6582/1/E-Letter-to-Mr-Prosper-US-State-Dept.html  We wonder how you arrived at this totally false assumptionHilda M. FoleySo. California Chapter American Croatian Association13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA, 92705Mr. Pierre-Richard ProsperU.S. State DepartmentWashington, D.C. 20520 Oct. 4, 2005Dear Mr. Prosper:It has come to our attention that a few months ago Congressman Thaddeus McCotter submitted an Amendment to the Appropriation Bill in which he condemned the indictment of six Croatian journalists by the ICTY.These indictments are indeed unjust because these journalists are accused of publishing the name of a "protected witness" - in this case now Croatian president Mesic, while his name was already revealed several years prior on the ICTY's own web site and was only subsequently picked up by the Croatian journalists. It was also previously disclosed by the Serb Veritas organization, which works closely with ICTY's Prosecutor Del Ponte, even though its leader Strbac was a high official of an illegally occupied Croatian region from 1991-1995, called the "Republic of Serb Krajina", where Serbs committed untold atrocities and ethnically cleansed the entire Croatian population, looting and burning their homes. The ICTY called it a "criminal enterprise", yet uses their lies and false accusations in order to "equalize" the guilt by bringing indictments also against Croatian generals. Furthermore, Del Ponte never indicted Strbac for the disclosure of the "protected witness". Why??In view of all this, we are dismayed that the State Department pressured Congressman McCotter to remove his Amendment, by telling him that the indicted journalists are "not really journalists".We wonder how you arrived at this totally false assumption. We want to inform you that they are indeed professional journalists, not only by Croatian but by standards of any Western country. Two areeditors-in-chiefs of their newspapers and Mr. Margetic is the founder and president of the legitimate Society of Journalists of the Republic of Croatia (UNHR). There are several journalists' societies and one of them, from whom you might have received the false information, is a leftist leaning competitor. That should explain their position, painting anyone who is not a "former" communist asbeing ultranationalist. They are willing to ruin anyone who dares to have a different opinion from their own.Sincerely,Hilda M. Foleycc. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 04 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6585/1/E-Croatias-map-on-Google-needs-correction.html  Your border between Croatia and...From: hmfgsf@juno.com To: earth.support@google.com Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 Subject: Croatia's mapDear Earth Google,Your border between Croatia and Serbia/Montenegro is incorrect, givingSerbia/Montenegro part of Croatia. This is too serious to ignore, as abitter war has just been fought in this area recently, when Serbia usedmilitary aggression as it tried to expand into "Greater Serbia". I understand you already received complaints and answered them by sayingthat it will take quite some time to correct that. If you would put theborder between the U.S. and Mexico inside the U.S. south of San Diego, Idon't think it would take you very long to come up with the correction!So again, please make that correction promptly. Prevlaka peninsula is inCroatia.Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans132372 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 25 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6587/1/E-Croatian-journalist-indicted-by-ICTY-asks-for-help.html  Croatian journalist indicted by ICTY asks for helpHelloI attach 3 items below concerning the outrageousindictment of 4 croatian journalists by the ICTY, whomay face imprisonment. The first is a letter to theICTY from Reporters Without Borders. The other twoare appeals from Domagoj Margetic(domagoj_margetic@yahoo.com), one of the journalistsindicted. As can be seen, he is threatening to go onhunger strike.The Veritas organisiation, mentioned in the belowletter from Reporters without Borders, alreadypublished the testimony by Croatian President StipeMesic - which led to the indictments - some yearsprior to the indicted journalists. This organisationhas been publicly endorsed by the ICTY(http://www.veritas.org.yu/engleski/icty.htm). Clearlythisis evidence of favourtism - they have not indictedtheir friends for doing the same thing.I would also point that Strbac, in charge of Veritas,took part in the occupation of Croatia which the ICTYcalled a criminal enterprise. The ICTY has notinvestigated Strbac, but has endorsed him. This makesthe attack on these journalists even morequestionable.Kind regardsBrian GallagherReporters sans frontières5, rue Geoffroy-Marie75009 Paris - FranceTel. 33 1 44 83 84 84Fax. 33 1 45 23 11 51E-mail : rsf@rsf.orgWeb : www.rsf.orgThe Clerk of the CourtInternational Criminal CourtChurchillplein 12517 JWThe HagueNetherlandsDear Sir,Reporters Without Borders, an internationalorganisation that defends press freedom, would like tovoice its concern as to the consequences for pressfreedom of the trial of three Croatian journalists,Ivica Marijacic, Stjepan Seselj and Domagoj Margetic,who are accused of contempt of the InternationalCriminal Court in the Hague for failing to respectcertain protection orders and who face a maximumsentence of seven years in prison and a fine of100,000 euros.We think a symbolic sentence would be the mostappropriate decision as regards these journalists inorder to avoid setting a dangerous precedent andbecause of the priorities of the InternationalCriminal Court, of which the chief task is to try themost serious international crimes.Furthermore, these three Croatian journalists were notthe first to reveal – in November 2004 in HrvatskiList, Hrvatsko Slovo and Novo Hrvatsko Slovo – theidentity of a protected witness, namely the currentCroatian president, Stipe Mesic, and the secrettranscripts of the 1997 trial of the Bosnian Croatgeneral, Tihomir Blaskic. This confidentialinformation had already been published on the VeritasCentre for Collecting Documents and Informationwebsite (www.veritas.org.yu) in 1999, and by theBosnian daily Bih Dani on 1 June 2001.Finally, the fact that the protected witness isCroatia’s president means that the publication of hisname, although a breach of the law, does not endangerhis safety.We trust you will give this matter your carefulconsideration and will appreciate the points we havemade.Respectfully,Robert MénardSecretary-GeneralURGENT INTERNATIONAL APPEAL FOR HELP TO CROATIANJOURNALISTS INDICTED IN HAGUE TRIBUNALFrom public sources, You probably learned that theICTY in The Hague has indicted three prominentjournalists in Croatia—Ivica Marijacic (editor inchief Hrvatski list Zadar), Domagoj Margetic (formereditor in chief of Hrvatsko slovo and Novo hrvatskoslovo) and Stjepan Seselj. It is also ourunderstanding that another Croatian journalist, JosipJovic, the former editor-in-chief and current popularcolumnist for Slobodna Dalmacija, is also in theprocess of being indicted by the ICTY. Thesejournalists are being indicted for the alleged crimeof contempt of the tribunal, pursuant to Rule 77 ofthe ICTY’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence, forpublishing the identity and statements of protectedwitnesses in the Tihomir Blaskic case. Thejournalists face a possible punishment of a 100,000Euro fine and seven years in prison.In part, the indictments appear to be based on thepublication of "secret testimony" given by CroatianPresident Stipe Mesic to the ICTY. It is ourunderstanding that at the time of the publication, thetestimony was already available on the Internet andthat the fact of President Mesic's testimony hadalready been publicly admitted by him. Even if thiswere not true, it would also appear that it is theresponsibility of the tribunal, and not that of theCroatian or international media, to make sure thatsecret witness testimony is not leaked to the public.As you know, it is a common tactic of dictatorialregimes to prosecute journalists who criticize publicofficials by using what appear to be accepted legaldoctrines, such as defamation. Thus, we areparticularly disturbed that some of the journalistsindicted have heretofore written articles critical ofthe ICTY.It is the role of journalists in a free society tohold public officials accountable for their actions,and to reveal sensitive, even privileged informationin order to inform the public. The public’s right tobe informed, along with the rights of journalists topublish their reporting free of any censorship, is atthe core of an open, free press. We believe that these indictments clearly fall withinthe definition of what constitutes “attacks on thepress”.We therefore request Your urgent action and help toindicted Croatian journalists and we ask You toinvestigate the ICTY's actions and determine whetherthey are consistent with generally accepted notions offreedom of the press that prevail in truly democraticsocieties.Domagoj Margetic, journalistIndicted in ICTY-Hague International TribunalI am indicted by The Hague International Tribunal forwar Crimes, because of the contempt of Court, asCroatian journalist and publicist. In last several months I warned Croatian Governmentand other relevant institutions that I don’t havefinancial sources to finance my defense at The HagueTribunal, but they ignored that information.As I wrote I don't have financial sources to finance mydefense and in Croatia political situation is not goodfor the journalists which are indicted in Hague, so Icannot get any place to work, to write, and to earn mypay check every month. I am on so called BLACK LIST OFJOURNALISTS. So I don't have even financial sources formy every day life.Now The Hague Tribunal refused to register myattorney Zeljko Dumancic from Zagreb, out of unknownreasons. So now I am left without any legal assistanceas the indicted journalist at The Hague.I demand from the Government of Croatia, as ex deputyprime minister dr. Andrija Hebrang said that theGovernment secretly finance some of the indictedpersons at the Hague, but the others doesn't have thatprivilege, so I demand that the Government of Croatiaequally finance my defense. At this moment my rights are in dangerright to justice at the Tribunal,right to defense and legal help,they are breaking the rules of the Hague TribunalStatute,the Government put me at the list of those indictedpersons ate The Hague which they are not to finance,out of their secret reasons.If they don't find the solution for these problemsuntil the Friday 26.8.2005., I'll start hunger strikeuntil the end.The Government is not respecting our human and citizenrights by strange and non transparent financing ofsome indicted persons and not financing the others. Iam put in the unequal position at the Tribunal, andin the legal sense.I urge You again to help us, indicted Croatianjournalists at The Hague tribunal.Domagoj Margeticjournalistwww.domagojmargetic.com   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6586/1/E-Correct-Prevlaka-Border-on-Google-Earth.html  Google Earth needs correction on Prevlaka Case# 32045827Dear All, thanks to Martin Cvjetkovic and this map corrected by Matko Cvjetkovic, please send your polite complaint and ask for correction in the next 24 hours. Prevlaka is too sensitive to stay like this much longer.As far as I understood, red line is the corrected one, not yet on Google Earth, but done by Matko. Emails are below as well as first response to Martin Cvjetkovic from Google. Otherwise, Google has a great tool, compliment them as well.Nenad Subject: Re: [#32045827] Other_DataError Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 08:44:10 +0000 From: earth.support@google.com To: c.mateo@verizon.net To:           lastovac@inet.hr Thank you for your note on how we can make our database better. Weappreciate your feedback and use your feedback to improve both ourdatabase and our Help Center. We investigate all data errors and pass all imagery requests on to ourdata production team. Although we do update and/or add new data on amonthly basis, we do not have a list of when currently low resolutionareas or data anomalies will be updated.We're aware that some addresses are not roof-top accurate. This is theresult of how addresses are matched up to an exact position on the earth.We rely on a technique called "address interpolation," which is a fancyway of saying that we take our best guess. More specifically, we take thetotal number of addresses in a given block and assume an even distributionof the addresses along that block. For example, if there are ten addressesfor the 800 block of Main Street, we assume that the fifth address islocated at the halfway point. Ideally, we'd use a database that could precisely match addresses to theirrooftops, but unfortunately, such a database doesn't exist. We hope tohave a system in place in the near future that will allow users correcttheir location search results. We do, however, currently have a way to add and edit business listings:https://www.google.com/local/add/login nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6588/1/E-Letter-handed-to-Prime-Minister-Tony-Blair.html   Brian Gallagher & Jasna Celic The following letter was handed this afternoon to 10Downing Street. Photograph of the handing above.5 August 2005Prime Minister Tony Blair10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AADear Prime MinisterWe are writing to you on behalf of ourselves andconcerned members of the Croatian community in Londonas well as friends of our community.We are concerned over the indictment of CroatianGeneral Ante Gotovina and other Croatian Generals bythe International Criminal Tribunal for the FormerYugoslavia in the Hague as well as British policytowards Croatia. Today is the tenth anniversary of thecommencement of Croatia’s Operation Storm, effectivelycontrolled by the United States in 1995, whichliberated large amounts of territory and wasinstrumental in saving Bosnia-Herzegovina. Itstopped Slobodan Milosevic, Radovan Karadzic and RatkoMladic and brought about the Dayton Peace Accords.As you are aware, the British government has preventedCroatia from starting negotiations to join theEuropean Union due to Croatia failing to hand overGeneral Gotovina. However, no evidence has been madepublic suggesting that the Croatian Government isdeliberately not trying to find General Gotovina.We wish to bring to your attention a number oftroubling aspects of the indictment against GeneralGotovina. As is evident from the indictment, theTribunal is characterising Operation Storm as acriminal enterprise.Firstly, the Tribunal itself has contradicted thecharges against General Gotovina in their evidence atthe Milosevic trial. In particular, we refer to PeterGalbraith’s testimony for the prosecutors in which heexplicitly stated that no ethnic cleansing took place- charges that are at the heart of the indictment. Ifthe ICTY prosecutors are unconvinced by their owncharges, why should anyone else be? Furthermore, it is well known that Operation Storm wasin effect controlled by the United States in order tostop the Greater Serbia project and to bring peace. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was in Srebrenicarecently as part of the commemoration of the atrocitythat occurred there ten years ago. He spoke of thefailure of the international community. It is worthnoting that the UN safe haven of Bihac inBosnia-Herzegovina was besieged was by Serbian forces;had it fallen a Srebrenica style massacre would havefollowed. Operation Storm saved Bihac from that fate.Without the Croatian action, thousands would haveperished at Bihac.President Bill Clinton in his autobiography points outthat the United States had authorised a privatemilitary company to improve and train the Croatianmilitary. He points out that he was “rooting” for theCroats during Operation Storm and quotes a Westerndiplomat as saying that the United States used Croatiaas a proxy. As the ICTY is saying that a criminalenterprise took place, it would also be appearing tosuggest that President Clinton “rooted” for that. Thisis not true, and I am sure you would agree thatPresident Clinton acted properly to save the lives ofthousands and to bring a terrible war to an end. Hisactions should not be smeared by the ICTY.There are many other concerns regarding theindictments, such as the fact that Croat GeneralBlaskic was convicted of many crimes he did notcommit, as his appeal showed. This does not inspireconfidence in the ability of ICTY judges to throw outbad indictments such as the Gotovina one. Further,there are concerns over the use by the ICTY ofquestionable evidence from Serbian officials who tookpart in the occupation of Croatia.Characterising the liberation of Croatia andBosnia-Herzegovina as a criminal act could well leadto territorial claims against Croatia by GreaterSerbia proponents. The charges against OperationStorm, if they are upheld by a court that has alreadymade serious mistakes in the past, could lead toinstability in the region.For that reason, and the other concerns over theOperation Storm indictments, we believe the UnitedKingdom should press for a review of these chargeswith a view to dropping them. We also believe thatthe United Kingdom should drop its objections toCroatia joining the EU for the same reasons; theindictment of General Gotovina cannot be consideredreliable.Further information is available from us should youwant it. We hope you take our concerns seriously.In closing, we recommend Croatia to you personally asa holiday destination. Dubrovnik, Istria and Dalmatiaare considered some of the most beautiful parts ofEurope, indeed the world. We are sure you would enjoyvisiting Croatia with your family.Yours sincerelyBrian GallagherJasna CelicMarko Krznaric  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6590/1/E-A-Letter-to-the-Editor-of-the-Globe-and-Mail-by-Dr-Vranic.html  A Letter to the Editor of the Globe and MailA Letter to the Editor of the Globe and Mail: The “real storyâ€? behind the writing of General Lewis MacKenzie (Globe and Mail July 14th, page A17). The Economist on July 7, 2005, published a extensive article about the massacre of Srebrenica. To quote: “There is a small flowerbed, a simple open pavilion toped by tiny Islamic crescent and a plain stone slab inscribed with an invocation, may revenge be turned into justice, may mother’s tears be turned into prayers, that there should be no more Srebrenicas. Dignitaries from all over the world marked, on July 11th, the tenth anniversary of Europe’s worst mass killing since the second world war: the murder of up to eight thousand Muslim men and boys by Bosnian-Serb forces.â€? General MacKenzie describes this sad occasion “with much fanfare ceremonies focused on this massacre.â€? What does he mean by this word “fanfare?â€? Even the government of Republika Srpska recently officially reported that between seven to eight thousand men and boys were murdered in a few days following the fall of Srebrenica. General MacKenzie doubts this figure. This reminds me of so many attempts to diminish the crime of the Holocaust, an issue which I’m particularly sensitive about. How can General MacKenzie even imply the crimes committed by the Bosnian General Naser Oric’s troops raids against Serbs in the Bratunac region caused the onslaught on Srebrenica? To compare the Srebrenica massacre with the number of Serbs killed by Oric troops seems partisan, preposterous, and certainly uncompassionate. Most of these raids, for which Naser Oric is tried in the Hague, were committed more than 2 years before the Srebrenica massacre. General MacKenzie forgot the context of the aggression of the Bosnian-Serbian army with the essentially defenceless Muslim population. The Tribunal in Hague condemned the massacre as genocide. I’m concerned the Tribunal in Hague will have problems with their statement because General MacKenzie indicated that only men and young boys, an no women , were killed. As a proud Canadian, and non-Bosnian, I would try to express my disappointment on behalf of so many of my colleagues and friends, that the Globe and Mail published this article. I would urge the editors to write an editorial responding to the article of General MacKenzie to provide, at least, minimum justice to those effected. To quote again the Economist: “In this place every other women lost a husband, a father, and often several sons.â€? Mladen Vranic, M.D, D.Sc., FRCP(C), FRSC, professor and former chair of the department of physiology, and professor of medicine.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6589/1/H-Hoteli-za-ravnopravnost.html  'Hoteli za ravnopravnost'To: komentariimisljenja@slobodnadalmacija.hr Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 Subject: Za rubriku: KOLUMNEPostovano urednistvo, Upravo sam procitala clanak gosp. Kucica "Vojska duhova" u kojem je jasnoda on obozava krvnika Titu. Kako pise, Broz je 'pokrenuo svijest,vizionarski sagledavajuci svijet zasnovan na ravnopravnosti naroda ...'Nazalost je gosp. Kucic, i njemu slicni, zaboravio, ili ga se ne tice, kolike tisuce Hrvata je dao poubijati taj njegov idol. Pod Titomravnopravnost naroda je samo postojala za te koji su se slozili sakomunistickom diktaturom ili se nisu usudili u javnosti drugacijemisliti. U svibnju 1945 bio je tu Jasenovac, Bleiburg i Krizni put, aposlije Goli Otok i Lepoglava pored drugih 'hotela' za ravnopravnost alaJosip Broz Tito.Sa postovanjem,Hilda Marija FoleyKalifornija, SAD  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6591/1/E-How-much-more-absurd-not-to-mention-unjust-can-things-get.html  How much more absurd, not to mention unjust can things get?To: letters@independent.co.uk Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 Subject: article June 11 "Serbs hunting Mladic"E Independent article "Serbs hunting Mladic"Hilda M. Foleyletter to the editorJune 17, 2005Dear Editors, In your article of June 11. 05 written by Vesna Peric Zimonjic inBelgrade, "Serbs Hunting Mladic" it is stated that Croatia's GeneralGotovina has allegedly "orchestrated" Operation Storm in 1995, in whichsoldiers "raped, tortured and killed thousands of Serbs" in the Krajinaregion of Croatia.You should really be embarrassed to be part of such a blatant lie andexaggerations. Not even the ICTY has gone that far in its accusations inorder to equalize the aggressor Serbia with the victim Croatia. Theindictment against Gen. Gotovina mentions "command responsibility" forthe killings and "ethnic cleansing". General Gotovina was indeed thecommander of Operation Storm which, with the help of American militaryadvisors, finally liberated Croatia's Krajina region after five years ofbrutal Serb occupation during which time hundreds of Croatians weremassacred, some one hundred thousand ethnically cleansed and their homeslooted and burned to the ground. Even the UN personnel, which wassupposed to help return the region peacefully to Croatia, instead"helped" the Serbs with the expelling of Croatians. Their answer was thatthey saved the people who would otherwise have been killed!! General Gotovina never gave his army orders to kill civilians. Indeed, heinstructed his troops to respect international laws. There were some revenge killings by a small number of individuals, causing the death of some 150 Serbs. This number is a farcry from the "thousands of Serbs" your article implies. After theseincidents General Gotovina ordered investigations and a number of peoplewere tried and sent to prison. Furthermore, while the ICTY Chief Prosecutor Del Ponte knows full well from previous testimonies given by Serbs during the Milosevic and other trials, that some 150,000 Serbs left the Krajina on orders from their own leadership, she still insistson holding General Gotovina responsible for "ethnic cleansing". How much more absurd, not to mention unjust can things get?Very truly yours,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 21 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6593/1/E-Just-why-are-the-British-so-interested-in-Gotovina.html  Just why are the British so interested in Gotovina?For what it is worth, I sent this to the BBC newsnightfeedback page. Please distribute, publish etc as yousee fit.BrianDear Newsnight I was appalled by your item on Croatian General AnteGotovina (2 June). It was little more than MI6 andForeign Office spin. The public does not pay thelicense fee for you to put out the FCO/MI6 line withoutquestioning it.Just why are the British so interested in Gotovina?Why did you fail to mention Britain's pro-Serb roleduring the war in Croatia and Bosnia? Why did you notmention that Operation Storm - for which Gotovina hasbeen charged over - defeated Milosevic and Karadzic,angering many in the Foreign Office?Why did you not point out the fact that OperationStorm was controlled by the United States? Why did younot mention that the charges against Gotovina havebeen contradicted by prosecution witness evidence inthe Milosevic trial? And why did you not point out, as reported in theObserver, that British taxpayer's money has ended upin a firm run by one of Radovan Karadzic's supporters?No doubt these questions and points failed to appearbecause it would have shone a very different light onevents. One rather more critical and truthful ofForeign Office policy.It would seem the Hutton report has had its effect. Itappears the BBC will now unquestioningly put out anyline from MI6 and the Foreign Office. Yours sincerelyBrian GallagherLondon  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4530527.stm  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6592/1/HE-Who-dares-to-touch-the-Croatian-Wall-of-Pain-Tko-rusi-Zid-Boli-u-Zagrebu.html  Who dares to touch the Croatian Wall of Pain? Dear friends,Croatian leadership decided to demolish CroatianMonument Wall of Pain in Selska Street in Zagreb.I hope you know what that monument means to any Croatin the World. It was built in the War as reminder tothe UN and whole World about Croatian missing andkilled people in Homeland War.Please, arise your voice against that barbaric act ofCroatian leadership and help us to save the onlyCroatian monument built of tears and blood of Croatianmothers in black, who were praying and lightingcandles at that sad monument last 15 years.Please, help us, Croatian patriots, to keep thatmonument as a symbol of Croatian dignity and pride.Please, send this news to all media and all ourfriends around Globe.This night, Croatian poor veterans, mothers and ourfriends guarding that place against barbariccommunist's hate against anything Croatian.Please, help us to keep that place sacred forgenerations who will come.Thank you in advance. Tvrtko Branitelji zaustavili rusenje Zida BoliGrad Zagreb najprije udovicama poginulih u ratu organizirao odlazak na izlet, a onda pokusao skinuti zid boli. Naguravanjem s radnicama i dizalicama, Ivan Pandza iz HVIDRA-e s okupljenim je zenama, majkama i sestrama poginulih i nestalih sprijecio uklanjanje zidaZAGREB â€" Zid boli vise ne stanuje na raskrizju Ilice i selske ulice, gdje je gotovo 12 godina podsjećao na poginule i nestale u Domovinskom ratu. Dogodilo se to iznenada, ekspresnim uklananjem brojnih opeka u organizaciji zagrebackih gradskih vlasti koje je pocelo jucer ujutro, a zaustavljeno je tek dolaskom celnih ljudi braniteljskih udruga koji su nakon rjesenja »krizne situacije« od preostalih opeka ponovo poceli graditi zid. Dok su udovice boraca Domovinskoga rata jucer uzivale u suncu na Bjelolasici, na organiziranom izletu u aranzmanu gradskih vlasti, u zagrebackoj selskoj ulici zapocelo je uklanjanje zida boli sastavljenog od brojnih opeka od kojih svaka nosi po jedno ime zatocenih i nestalih hrvatskih branitelja i civila u Domovinskom ratu, od kojih se, prema neki podatcima, jos uvijek traga za 1.168 osoba. skupljanje opeka pocelo je već ranom zorom, oko 6 sati, kada su stavljene na palete i utovarivane u kamione. O događaju je od branitelja prvi saznao Ivan Pandza iz HVIDRA-e Grada zagreba. Bandić parafirao odluku?â€" cim su mi prijatelji dojavili da se nesto događa u selskoj, pozurio sam se i odmah pokusao sprijeciti micanje zida, svjedoci uznemireni Pandza, koji je u ratu ostao bez desne noge. Prema njegovoj prici, on se poceo naguravati s radnicima, i nakon sat vremena uspio ih je nagovoriti da prestanu utovarivati opeke u kamione, zbog cega je i promet selskom ulicom bio posebno reguliran, a sve uz prisutnost brojnih policijskih sluzbenika, onih uniformiranih i onih u civilu. Pri tome je Pandza mogao ostati i bez druge noge â€" na svoju je sreću uspio izbjeći nalet dizalice. Uskoro je dosla i dodatna potpora od dvadesetak građana, mahom zena koje su svoje najblize izgubile u ratu. â€" Imena moga poginuloga brata i bratića su na tim ciglama. Ne dopustam da one zavrse betonirane na Mirogoju, ne smiju ići pod zemlju jer tako bi se i nasa poruka zakopala, vapila je zdenka Farkas iz centra »Apel«, jedna od idejnih zacetnika zida boli, autenticnog svjedocanstva o razmjerima stradavanja u Domovinskom ratu, koji je spontano nastao nakon sto su građani 25. rujna 1993. godine pozvani da stave prve cigle s imenima svojih najmilijih. Poslije toga, kaze Farkas, trazila je pismenu dozvolu od MORH-a i dobila je. Pismenu odluku o uklanjanju zida, koju je navodno potpisao dogradonacelnik Milan Bandić, danas nitko nije imao. Ponovno slaganje opekaVerbalna prepucavanja pojacala su se dolaskom Miodraga Deme, nacelnika u gradskom Odjelu za branitelje. cim je u invalidskim kolicima stigao pred zid, oko njega se okupilo mnostvo. Dok je govorio kako podrzava odluku o preseljenu opeka na Mirogoj, bilo je dobacivanja da je svoja kolica »prodao« Bandiću. Među okupljenima se nasla i ministrica pravosuđa Vesna skare Ozbolt, koja je na nase trazenja da javnosti uputi poruku nakon, cini se, konacnog odlaska zida, rekla: »A sto da vam kazem? sve sam već rekla«, misleći pri tome, vjerojatno, na svoj prijedlog premjestanja spomenika na Trg pravde. Nesto kasnije na mjesto gdje se nekad zid boli nalazio, a gdje su ostali jos samo njegovi ostaci, stigla je i potpredsjednica Vlade Jadranka Kosor. Tom prilikom izjavila je da se jucer ujutro dogodila necuvena stvar te da nitko, osim onih koji su spomenik napravili, ne moze odlucivati o njegovoj sudbini. Nakon sto je poslijepodne dosla odluka iz Gradskog poglavarstva da se zaustavi daljnje uklanjanje i sve »ostavi na miru«, okupljeni su od preostalih opeka opet poceli slagati zid. Ivor FUKAMesić: zid ugraditi u jedan monument Na kraćoj tiskovnoj konferenciji u Gomirju predjednik stjepan Mesić je upitan da komentira uklanjanje zida boli u zagrebu te skori posjet srbiji. â€" smatram da je trebalo taj zid bola ugraditi u jedan monument â€" spomenik koji bi bio simbolika obrane Hrvatske, jer svaka ta cigla je neciji zivot. Mislim da će zid vrlo tesko opstati tako, na ulici, i u svakom slucaju treba traziti pravo rjesenje za njega, odgovorio je Mesić. N. T.http://www.novilist.hr/Default.asp?WcI=Rubrike&WcU=285D2863285E2863285A28582858285D286328962897289E286328632859285c285D285B285D286128632863286328592863Vzatim:http://www.vecernji-list.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/303969/index.do i:http://www.vecernji-list.hr/newsroom/news/croatia/303673/index.do?_vl_backlink=/newsroom/news/croatia/303969/index.doBARBARIZAMTvrtko  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6597/1/E-Croatia-and-the-EU-Gotcha.html  Croatia and the EU GotchaHow about that, my letter will be published in Ireland!! Amazing!HildaFrom: Brian Mulcahy < irishnews@donegal.net >To: hmfgsf@juno.com Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2005 Subject: Re: Croatia and the EU/GotchExcellent reply Hilda. Will appear in a short while on letters page undertitle 'Economist':http://www.cascarino.homestead.com/hf2.hml Regards,Brian.From: hmfgsf@juno.comTo: letters@economist.comDate: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 Subject: Croatia and the EU/GotchaDear Editor:Regarding your two articles of March 12, "Croatia and the EU,- "A GeneralProblem" and "Gotcha":The sheer idea of Gen. Gotovina being accused of "command responsibility"for his actions during the liberation of Croatia in 1995 even though henever gave any commands for deliberate destruction or the killing of some150 civilians, or for the "ethnic cleansing", when it is clearlydocumented that most of the Serb population left on orders of their ownleadership before the arrival of the Croatian army, is simply ludicrous.Especially when comparing it to the massacres and killing of tens ofthousands of civilians directly ordered by the Serb commanders Gen Mladicand their civilian leader Karadzic in Bosnia, as occurred among otherplaces in Srebrenica and the shelling of Sarajevo for three years. It isan outrage that such comparisons could be even made. One can only surmisethat it is the wish of the ICTY Prosecutor and some Western politiciansto pursue their policy of "all equally guilty" - the aggressor and thevictim, while deliberately ignoring that Croatia never set a foot on Serbsoil while everyone who followed the events of 1991-1995 would know whataggression was perpetrated against Croatia by the Serbs - from Serbiaproper with the Yugoslav army and from within Croatia by the Serbminority and paramilitary.While Croatia has extradited all but this one fugitive, who most likelyis not in Croatia, Serbia has still a number of the most importantindicted war criminals walking the streets in Belgrade or hidden by theSerb army, including Mladic and Karadzic. Considering the case ofBosnian Croat General Blaskic, who was falsely accused and because of itrecently released having served years in prison, it should not surpriseanyone that general Gotovina refuses to give himself up. He cannot beblind to the injustice and trumped up charges of a politicized Court. Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6596/1/E-Letter-to-Elton-Gallegly-from-Alliance-of-Croats-of-B--H.html  Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina19121 Wildwood AvenueLansing, Illinois 60438(708) 895-5531; cuv@netzero.com April 20, 2005 Honorable Elton Gallegly, ChairmanSubcommittee on Europe and Emerging ThreatsCommittee on International RelationsU.S. House of Representatives - Washington, D.C.Dear Mr. Gallegly,On behalf of the Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina* thank you for the hearing “Bosnia-Herzegovina: Unfinished Business” held on April 6, 2005 under your chairmanship. We are pleased that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has not entirely vanished from US foreign policy concerns.Please permit me to make several points regarding the testimonies given at the hearing and a few of my own observations pertaining to the “unfinished business” in the country that is dear to our members and friends.Regional vs. Individual EU IntegrationIn his testimony, Mr. Ivan Vejvoda appears to be arguing for regional, rather than individual, integration into existing Euro-Atlantic institutions. He portrays Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Macedonia as “as communicating vessels” that should not be disjoined. It is understandable that Mr. Vejvoda, as a former senior adviser to a Serbian government, should advocate a speedy integration of Serbia and Montenegro into the EU, but the Committee hearing should not be used to argue explicitly or implicitly that Croatia’s present candidacy for membership in the EU should be delayed until all other states “in the region” fulfill the EU’s admission requirements.Mr. Vejvoda also argues Bosnian Serbs’ recognition that a crime was committed in Srebrenica has “historic significance.” But the Serbs and Serbia have not fully acknowledged their role in provoking and sustaining the violence that accompanied the dissolution of Yugoslavia, and the recent victory of Vojislav Seselj’s party suggests that many Serbs have not yet had a “historic” change of heart regarding their national agenda. Recognition of the Srebrenica massacre and Serb cooperation with the ICTY is encouraging, but it is also limited, and there are strong indications that Serbs in RS and in Serbia would like to preserve the Republika Srpska, regardless of the cost to the rest of Bosnia-Herzegovina.Return of RefugeesWith regard to the return of refugees and displaced persons, Dr. Gerard Toal’s numbers are based on official Sarajevo calculations, and so they should be treated with caution. The reality seems to be less encouraging than these numbers suggest. For example, data collected by the Catholic Church indicates that 2,680,000 refugees and displaced persons had left their homes, 59.6% of the total pre-war population and 600,000 more than indicated in the data used by Dr. Toal. UN observers and local officials also appear to have exaggerated the number of people who have returned to their homes. Their data is based on the assumption that all refugees and displaced persons who claimed their pre-war property have returned with their families. But many refugees and displaced persons have tried to protect their property by registering as returnees, even though they continue to live outside the country. Most of those who have returned are older people; the younger ones have been moving to foreign countries. According to Oslobodjenje, roughly one million Bosnian citizens have applied for foreign citizenship, and various surveys conclude that roughly 50 percent of those between 18 and 35 years of age would leave the country if they had the chance to do so. (See Bishops Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commission “Justitia et pax”. Report on the State of Human rights in Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Year 2004.)Data regarding the return of Catholics, who are overwhelmingly Croats by nationality, are discouraging. Before the war, there were some 850,000 Croats/Catholics on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina; in 2004, there were only 465,000. The return of Croats to the Republika Srpska is resisted by all Serb-dominated institutions, including the Serbian Orthodox church. Consequently, of 220,000 Croats/Catholics who lived on the territory of the Republika Srpska prior to 1991, fewer than 12,000 remain today. The international actors in the country are doing virtually nothing about this appalling situation; they are not even willing to recognize that this acute problem for the survival of Croats in the Republika Srpska exists. Although Dr. Toal praises the accomplishments of the High Representative, in reality the HR has been a passive witness to the continuation of ethnic cleansing of Croatians by Serbs, but using “peaceful” means.Constituent Peoples vs CitizensDr. Toal correctly underscored the apparent dichotomy between the rights of the “constituent peoples” and “citizens” in the Bosnian constitution, that is, national rights of the three peoples (Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats) versus the rights of citizens as individuals. To some, this dichotomy appears irreconcilable, and they argue for the disappearance of the three national constituencies as a necessary step to securing the rights and freedoms of individual citizens.Many Bosniaks and other forces inside Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as influential groups and individuals outside the country, would like a unitary state. Even the name “Herzegovina” is seenas an obstacle to creation of a unified “Bosnian” nation-state. Some well-known experts on the region in this country have even called for a resuscitation of the discredited Titoist concept of “brotherhood and unity!” But the imposition of a Bosnian national identity failed during the Habsburg period, just as efforts to impose an artificial feeling of “brotherhood and unity” did under the Tito regime, with disastrous results for the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina. These failed efforts at social engineering should caution us against experimenting with people as if they were lab animals or abstract constructs. The reality is that there are three nationalities living in a Bosnian state, and only one sees it in its interest to impose a “Bosnian” nationality on everyone and organize Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “unitary” state. To force Croats and Serbs to trade their national identities for a Bosnian identity that is associated with the Bosniak community, is as dangerous for the country’s future as the separatism supported by radical nationalists.But there are forces in the country and outside who believe that disintegration is the only solution to the Bosnian riddle. Serbian and Croatian nationalists are usually lumped together as equally opposed to the existence of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but this is not the case. There are fundamental differences between Croat and Serb national aspirations in Bosnia. Croatia is moving to consolidate democracy within its current borders and is in the process of joining the EU; it has no interest in supporting separatist forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, the ghost of a Greater Serbia is very much alive, and this should disturb all observers of the region. The Chetnik movement, an instrument of violent Serbian expansionism since the beginning of the last century, was recently officially rehabilitated by the Serbian parliament. A “government in exile” has also been formed in Serbia by the former officials of the “Serbian Krajina” in Croatia to support the creation of a Serbian state there. About a week ago, newly drafted military recruits in the Republika Srpska refused to swear allegiance to Bosnia; instead they insisted on pledging their allegiance to “their own Serb state.” Even more ominously, the largest political party in Serbia openly champions a continued struggle for a Serb state that would include all of Bosnia-Herzegovina and two-thirds of Croatia. All major Serb political parties and institutions (in the RS and in Serbia) are determined to protect the existence of the RS, regardless of the fact that the entity was created through aggression by the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary forces and the brutal ethnic cleansing of its non-Serb inhabitants. For those who support the Republika Srpska, it is a crucial foothold for the future “unification of all the Serbs.”Although Croatian nationalism is often equated to Serbian nationalism by many in Bosnia and abroad, its nature and goals are quite distinct. There is no doubt that some Croatians would be happy to see Bosnia-Herzegovina disintegrate, but they are not the majority. In 1992, Croatians voted overwhelmingly for an independent Bosnian state, and throughout the war, neither the Croatian political establishment as a whole nor any significant Croatian institution, including the Catholic Church, in Croatia or in Bosnia-Herzegovina advocated the breakup of the country. Today, there is neither significant movement nor is there a major party among Croatians in Bosnia-Herzegovina that support its disintegration. Indeed, polls suggest that a majority of people in the Republic of Croatia would reject annexation of any areas in Bosnia-Herzegovina, even by peaceful  means. Those who worry that “Croat extreme nationalists” are a latent danger to the unity of Bosnia-Herzegovina need not do so. Not even the most nationalist of Croatian parties, the Partyof Right, ever advocated the disintegration of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Indeed, its militia, the HOS, fought alongside the Bosnian army and was recognized by Sarajevo’s government as a legitimate military unit defending the country. Those who view HDZ, the ruling party in Croatia and the leading party among Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a nationalist party ignore its continued efforts to take Croatia into the EU and its practical efforts to cooperate with the government in Sarajevo. The HDZ is concerned to protect Croatia’s national interests, but it is not an extremist nor a chauvinist organization. At present, there is neither clear consensus among Croat political parties nor Croat and Catholic institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina regarding possible constitutional changes in the post-Dayton period. However, a variety of recent publications clearly attest that, regardless of their apparent disunity, Croats do stand for the existence of the country in its present-day borders, for the dismantling of the RS and the Croat-Muslim Federation, which only reason for existence is as a counterweight to the RS, and for a constitution that would guarantee them both full national equality and individual rights. For its Croats, the crucial question is not whether Bosnia-Herzegovina should exist; that is a given. The crucial question is what kind of state it will be. Unfortunately, the Croatian position is often misrepresented or misunderstood by those favoring a unitary state, and Bosnia’s Croats are presented as dangerous separatists. But those who do not support a unitary state are not Bosnia’s enemies. It is rather those who insist on a unitarist point of view, which has already twice been tried and failed disastrously, who are now compromising Bosnia’s future.More on Nationalism and IndividualismThe opponents of organizing Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “constituency of peoples” fall into three main groups. The first is primarily comprised  of observers from abroad who are anxious to “de-construct” the national identities of Croats, Serbs, and Muslims, assuming that severing them from their roots will make them “pure citizens” who will embrace and support individual freedoms, progress, and an imaginary “native Bosnian cosmopolitanism.” Their goal is to maximize individual happiness by guaranteeing human rights and removing the causes of ethnic tension and strife, but by doing so they deprive people of their historic and national identities. They treat Bosnia-Herzegovina as a laboratory for an experiment of social engineering that, as noted above, has already failed on a larger scale, and there is no reason to assume that a Bosnian identity would be any more successful than a Yugoslav identity. Ironically, the promoters of this approach are at the same time ardent advocates of pluralism and diversity, conditions they deny to the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina.The second group of opponents appear to be guided by realism, practicality, and geopolitics. For them, the country’s complicated situation has to be simplified either by remaking it into a unitary state or by accepting the two existing entities, one of which is Serbian, the other a hybrid Bosniak-Croatian construct in which Croatians are a distinct minority, whose insistence on remaining who they are in their own homeland is often portrayed as unreasonable and even extreme.The third group are comprised largely of Bosniaks and seem to be inspired by their own nationalist beliefs. They employ a fashionable, politically correct terminology, but they are essentially arguing to a unitary state in which they would act as custodians of its integrity. But Bosnia-Herzegovina is a multi-national country, and there are constitutional systems throughout Europe that can serve as models of how to resolve the issue of ethos and the citizen. Cosmopolitanism does not have a monopoly on individualism and citizenship, and multinational states have robust civil societies. Nationality  and individualism, collective rights and individual rights should not be set at odds; they should be harmonized, as they have been in a number  of European countries. What is needed in Bosnia-Herzegovina is not forced de-nationalization, but the acceptance of everyone and every community for what they are. We should be searching for a viable constitutional model in which the law will be equally and justly applied to  all groups and individuals rather than condemning those who feel themselves to belong to a national group. The task is not as complicated as many make it to be, if we are willing to approach it honestly, with an open mind and in a spirit of fairness.Dayton RevisitedSome see the Dayton accords as a straitjacket imposed at a time of a horrific crisis that could have, and should have, been stopped in 1991, at the onset of the aggressive Serbian occupation of much of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dayton stopped the killing, but by dividing the country and imposing a plethora of contradictory constitutional provisions that created an abnormal and unsustainable situation. The Dayton straitjacket has to be untied and removed; crucial constitutional questions must be renegotiated in a rational and well-intentioned manner if Bosnia-Herzegovina and its people are to have a semblance of normal life.Unfortunately, many members of the international community and thousands of “experts” have built careers by turning Bosnia-Herzegovina into a laboratory in which they seek to construct a new for the sake of the people but without its three original peoples. The officials who were entrusted by the international community to guide the post-war reconstruction of B&H have use their unchecked power arbitrarily andselectively. They intervene at will in everything, including criminal indictments and court decisions. Instead of dealing with corruption and cronyism in a timely and decisive manner, they manipulate them for political ends. They have squandered a tremendous amount of foreign aid, because they are not held responsible for their actions. Their behavior recalls the behavior of Europeans who undertook to “civilize” the rest of the world in the nineteenth century, and Bosnia seems more a protectorate than a true state.The indigenous political elites stand somewhere between the unproclaimed protectorate and the people, especially in the Federation. Although their government positions have been legitimized by several elections since 1995, they depend on the will of the High Representative, rather than on the approval of those who elected them. They are coerced, exploited, and occasionally discarded by foreign officials; they are a ruling class that lives not for the people, but of the people.The first step toward normalization is to scrap the existing constitutional system and begin to build a new one built on firm foundations, so that people can start looking to a better future. People are tired of being pushed around by the international bureaucrats and local elites. They long for security, both for themselves and their property; they ask a chance to work and provide for themselves and their families, to feel free in their homes and in their country, to be who they are and what they are. Common people need to be once more to be able to hope.U.S. RoleAlthough the “case of Bosnia-Herzegovina” is being handed over to the Europeans, the US should be involved in bringing about a rational and just solution to the challenges there. The US helped to end the war by negotiating the Dayton Agreement. Now, ten years after, it is the time to make a few new and brave moves to revise the Agreement and help the three peoples in the country and all of its citizens find a constitution that will insure freedom and security for all, make a viable state, and put it on the road into the EU in the not-too-distant future.Sincerely,Dr. Ante Cuvalo, Professor of HistoryPresident, The Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina*The Alliance of Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina was founded in 1994 by American Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina. From its inception, the Alliance has been an active promoter of freedom, peace, and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6595/1/E-Open-letter-to-THE-MANAGEMENT-OF-JOURNALIST-SOCIETY.html  THE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETYSent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 5:47 PMSubject: ICTY court in Haag and media freedom - Open LetterOPEN LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT OF JOURNALIST SOCIETY AND TO THE CROATIAN PUBLIC ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF THE LIBERTY OF MEDIAThe statement made by the vice-president of the Croatian Journalist Society Zdenko Duka about the indictments against three Croatian journalists, Ivica Marijacic, Domagoj Margetic and Stjepan Seselj being appropriate, and his ²arbitrating² that these journalists should be brought to answer in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), because they have violated the ²Statute of ICTY², are juxtaposed to the existence and the fundamental principals of the journalist guild association. The shameful act of the Journalist Society Management is unprecedented in journalism in general.At the time when our colleagues are threatened by draconian, long-term imprisonments and penalties, it is logical to expect that the Croatian Journalist Society would offer them professional and fellow-like support, regardless of the fact whether these journalists are members of the Society or not.Through this act the Croatian Journalist Society has lost the ability to be a legitimate association defending the journalist profession, and it has ranged itself into the political elitist group subjecting thus the journalistic profession to its communist-colored ideological commitments. We call the management of the Croatian Journalist Society to withdraw its original statement and act according to the principals for which they got the mandate chosen by the majority of Society members, and these are – protection of all journalists and liberty of media. If not, we will demand unconditional withdrawal of the management of the Croatian Journalist Society.Zagreb, 1st May, 2005 THE INITIATIVE OF JOURNALISTS FOR THE LIBERTY OF MEDIA AND NONPOLITICAL CROATIAN JOURNALIST SOCIETY For the initiative:Davor Ivankovic, Tomislav Drzic, Diana Rexhepi Zagreb, Croatia  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6598/1/H-Stepinac-i-skidanje-svetaca-onozemaljskih.html  Stepinac i skidanje svetaca onozemaljskih Sloboda govora ne dopusta nikome da vice "VATRA" u punom kazalistu.glavniurednik@slobodnadalmacija.hr  http://www.slobodnadalmacija.com/20050419/kolumne02.aspPostovani Urednice,Vas clanak o Stepincu gospodina Marovica, govori o puno stvari. Jedna koja se mozda teze cita izmedju redova je ta da se sustavno skidaju onozemaljski svetci, nebi li "ovozemaljski" izgledali veci. Katolicka crkva nije bez grijeha, ali ni bez vrlina. Te vrline se tako rijetko spominju, a insinuacije o ljudima koji su zaista blizu svetome se rasprostiru ne samo pred kucnim vratima, vec i naokolo. Umjesto da reagirate na CNN vi se pridruzujete mediokritetima svijeta koji nemaju cak ni intelektualne sposobnosti analize i interpretacije vec samo kopiranja postojeceg. Bez sinteze znanja. Nekad je novinarstvo bilo vezano za intelektualnu znatizelju. Danas se to svodi na prepisivanje tudjeg neprovjerenog i vrlo cesto suprotno istini orijentiranog teksta.  Nenad Bach, New YorkSloboda govora ne dopusta nikome da vice "VATRA" u punom kazalistu.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6602/1/E-Cardinal-Alojzije-Stepinac-and-CNN.html  Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac and CNN Jutros dok sam gledala izravni prijenos Papine sahrane iz Rima, pred kraj sam dozivjela poprilican sok kad je CNN-ova novinarka Christine Amanpour izjavila da je jedna od kontraverzi po kojoj ce Ivan pavao II biti zapamcen i proglasenje kardinala Stepinca (po njenim rijecima suradnika nacista) blazenim. Ja sam uptila protest gospodji Ammanpor, a mozete i vi na slijedeci Link.Dokle cemo mi Hrvati morati braniti svoju istinu......U prilogu saljem materijal koji vam moze biti od koristi za obranu ove istine ubuduce.Pozdrav,Danica http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?1 Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac and saving the Jews in Croatia during the WW2© by Darko Zubrinic, Zagreb (1997) www.croatianhistory.netI will live a pure life in my houseand will never tolerate evil(The Bible, Psalm 101) Whoever saves one lifeis as though he had saved the entire world(The Old Testament; motto of Yad Vashem) The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, Jerusalem, or in Hebrew - Yad Vashem, was founded by the Israeli Knesset in 1953. Its main objective is not only to keep memory on the Jewish victims of the atrocities of the WW2, but also to keep memory on those brave people (non Jews) who risked their lives to save the Jews throughout Europe. Yad Vashem therefore established a special honour for The Righteous among the Nations. There are about hundred persons in Croatia who obtained "The Certificate of Honour" and "The Medal of the Righteous" from Yad Vashem in Jerusalem till now. Their names can be seen in "The Honour Wall in the Garden of the Righteous" in Jerusalem. We would like to mention only a few of these Croatian Righteous: rev. Dragutin Jesih, from Scitarjevo near Zagreb, killed during the WW2. The Jews he saved were sent to him by Croatian Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac. Also the local peasants helped to save their lives. prof.dr Zarko Dolinar, a well known Croatian intellectual (biologist) working in Switzerland, saved (together with his brother) about 300 Jews. dr Mate Ujevic, Croatian lexicographer and writer, editor in chief of the Croatian encyclopedia (1938-1945), who saved his close collaborator and friend Manko Berman from the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp, together with sisters Stefa and Hermina Müller, and took care about their property. sisters (nuns) Cecilija and Karitas Jurin. Ljubica Stefan, a well known historian (she also risked her life while staying in Belgrade until 1992, when Croatia was already in flames after the aggression of Serbia and the Yugoslav Army; there she managed to prepare in secret her richly documented books about the history of Fascism and anti-Semitism in Serbia during the WW2). See the list of Croatian Righteous. There is no doubt that one day the Croatian Archbishop (later the Cardinal) Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) will be included into this list. An official request to the Israeli Yad Vashem for the posthumous inclusion of dr Alojzije Stepinac to the list of Righteous has been sent by dr Amiel Shomrony and dr Igor Primorac, now both citizens of Israel. The request has been sent twice, for the first time in 1970, and then in 1994, and both times refused. Bear in mind that only saved Jews and their descendants have the right to nominate candidates to Yad Vashem. Official Jewish organization in Croatia did not send such a request yet. According to solidly based data he saved several hundred Jews during the WW2: either by direct action, or by secret rescripts to the clergymen, including mixed marriages, conversion to Catholicism, as did some Righteous in other European countries (in Greece for instance). Already in 1936 Stepinac began to support materially and by other means Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria in Croatia. In 1937, while only 39 years old, he became Archbishop. In 1938 he founded "Action for help to refugees." Archbishop Stepinac also founded Croatian Caritas. In January 11, 1939 he sent a request to 298 addresses of eminent Croats asking for help: Dear Sir, Due to violent and inhuman persecutions, a large number of people had to leave their homeland. They are left without means for normal life, and wander throughout the world... Every day a large number of emigrants contact us asking for intervention, for help in money and goods. It is our Christian duty to help them... I am free to address to You, as a member of our Church, to ask for support for our fund in favour of emigrants. I ask You to write Your free monthly allotment on the enclosed leaflet. Signature: Alojzije Stepinac, the Zagreb Archbishop In a confidential rescript sent to Croatian clergy in 1941, Archbishop Stepinac wrote: "The role and task of Christians is on the first place to save people. When this time of madness and wildness is over, only those will remain in our Church who converted out of their own conviction, while others, when the danger is over, will return to their faith." Archbishop Stepinac also gave another instruction to his clergy to issue the certificate of baptism to endangered Jews and Serbs whenever they asked for. This was done with all procedures maximally simplified, often with false names. To our knowledge, these efforts are unique in the occupied part of Europe. See also about amazing involvement of Croatian secondary school pupils in saving the Jews and Serbs in Croatia, which is without precedent in the history of WW2.At the same time the metropolitan bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church Josif Cvijic sent to all of his clergy a public rescript ordering the prohibition of conversion of Jews to Pravoslav (i.e. Orthodox Christian) faith. In this way the destiny of all Jews in Serbia has been sealed up, and after May 1942 there are no more Jews. Also an "Appeal to Serbian people" to support Nazi occupying forces in Serbia has been signed by 545 leading intellectuals in Belgrade in August 1941. Stepinac most resolutely defended mixed marriages contracted in the Catholic Church. Already in March 1941 he sent a letter to Ante Pavelic where he wrote the following: ...As a representative of Catholic Church, and following my holiest duty, I raise my voice against interference of the state into questions of lawful marriages, that are insolvable, regardless to racial affiliation. There is no state authority having the right to solve these marriages. If it uses physical power, then the state is perpetrating ordinary violence. On the other hand, it is known that also in the highest circles of our state administration there are similar marriages that are insolvable. He alluded on Pavelic himself, whose wife seems to have been a Jew (Pavelic's mather-in law was Jewish - Ivana Herzfeld), as well as 12 other highest state officials, whose wifes were either Jewish or Serbian, see [Kristo], p. 141, or [Stefan], p. 15 (the Jewish community in Zagreb has no available data). Kristian Krekovic, a famous Croatian painter, made several portraits of Pavelic. Krekovic's wife was a Jew (Sina Pevner), educated as pianist and polyglot, born in Paris, daughter of outstanding surgeon in Paris. She lived with Kristian Krekovic in Zagreb during the whole period of WWII (information by mr. Anto Cigeljevic). They both left Zagreb and Croatia in 1946 immediately after the humiliating mock trial (that is, soon after the Yugoslav communist rule started), with the status of displaced persons in their passports. And here is another letter of protest sent by Archbishop Stepinac to Pavelic in July 1941: As an Archbishop and representative of the Catholic Church I am free to call your attention to some events that touch me painfully. I am sure there will be hardly anyone having the courage to point to them, so it is my duty to do it. I hear from various sides about inhuman and cruel treatment of non-Arians... Among the Jews that Stepinac managed to save there were also 60 inmates of the Jewish Old People's Home in Zagreb, that the German authorities in Zagreb ordered in December 6, 1943 to leave within 10 days, otherwise they would be sent to a German concentration camp. Upon the request of the members of the Jewish community in Zagreb, Alojzije Stepinac organized their stay in archbishopric's building in Brezovica near Zagreb, of course with the knowledge of the ustasha officials. Archbishop Stepinac often visited them. It is interesting that the inmates stayed there until 1947, while the Archbishop was already in the communist prison since 1946. Five of the inmates died a natural death during this period. It is regrettable that the total number of saved persons is often unjustly reduced to 55, even by the official Jewish sources in Croatia (as was the case in the ``Voice of the Jewish Community in Zagreb'', in an article written by dr Ivo Goldstein). In the beginning of 1943 the Zagreb Chief Rabbi dr Miroslav Shalom Freiberger accepted an offer of Archbishop dr Alojzije Stepinac and entrusted him his very valuable private library. The Chief Rabbi had been killed in Auschwitz in 1943. He was arrested in 1943, when Himmler himself arrived to Zagreb, dissatisfied with the way the ustasha regime is "solving the Jewish problem" in Croatia. Stepinac immediately sent a request for his liberation to state officials, but without success. It should be noted that Chief Rabbi Freiberger did not accept an offer by Archbishop Stepinac to take refuge on his court until the end of war, since he wanted to share the destiny of his people. The library was returned to the Jewish community in Zagreb after the end of WW2. Already in the beginning of NDH in 1941, a group 83 outstanding Croatian physicians of Jewish nationality, mostly with their families, were moved to Bosnia, at that time a part of NDH, to be away from the eyes of German Nazists (see [Jasa Romano, pp. 95-99]). Otherwise they would be liquidated. This has been organized by the NDH minister of health, dr Ivan Petric, with the knowledge and approval of highest NDH officials, including Ante Pavelic (see Ha-Kol, 5960/1999, bulletin of the Jewish community in Zagreb, p. 11; the number of 71 saved Jewish families mentioned in Ha-Kol is wrong: there were 83 families, see the aforementioned monograph of Jasa Romano). An important role in saving these Jewish families had prof.dr Ante Vuletic, 1999 Croatian Righteous (awarded posthumously). The role of these physicians in Bosnia was to struggle against infectious diseases, and against endemic syphilis on the first place. One of the greatest German speaking actresses of the 20th century was a Jew - Tilla Durieux (1880-1971). In 1933 she escaped in front of the Nazis from Germany to Switzerland, and then to the town of Opatija. In 1941 she happened in Serbia, where chetniks killed her husband. She managed to escape to Crotian capital Zagreb, where (during the NDH period) her life had been saved. It is interesting that she collaborated in Kazaliste lutaka (Theatre of Dolls) in Zagreb. She lived in Zagreb until 1955, that is, for about 20 years, and then returned to West Berlin. Tilla Durieux wrote an interesting autobiographic book, and a little known theatre play "Zagreb 1945", which was performed in Luzern in Switzerland. There is a memorial room devoted to her in the Museum of the City of Zagreb. (Glas Koncila, 2. travnja 2000, p. 21). Dissatisfied with "solving the Jewish problem" in NDH during WW2, Himmler himself arrived to Zagreb in 1943. In an extensive raid that ensued many Jews were transported to Auschwitz. This has been witnessed by dr Amiel Shomrony, now Israeli citizen, personal secretary of rabbi Miroslav Shalom Freiberger. Even Eugen Dido Kvaternik, chief of the ustasha police (his grandfather was Josip Frank - a Jew), sent a secret message to dr Amiel Shomrony (his name in Zagreb was Emil Schwartz) to save himself as he can. Dr Juraj Vranesic, a well known Zagreb physician, was hiding two Jews - Milan Sachs (conductor of the Zagreb Opera) and his wife in his sanatorium from 1941 until the end of WW2 (personal information by Ljubica Stefan). Vranesic, who also saved Miroslav Krleza from ustashis, was sentenced to death by YU communists in 1947. There were no Jews to initiate his nomination at Yad Vashem, though he deserved it (and still deserves), like many other anonymous Croatian Righteous. It is also known that there were plenty of Jews in Zagreb wishing to witness in favour of Archbishop Stepinac in the process raised against him in 1946, but were not allowed to (see [Stefan], p 92). Moreover, Dr Amiel Shomrony was adviced not to arrive to Zagreb to witness in favour of Stepinac, under the cynical pretext that nobody could guarantee his return to Israel. Though it can in no way efface the shame of the ustasha regime, it should be said that the Jewish community in Zagreb was the only one in Europe that acted legally in NDH during the whole WW2 in the period 1941-45 (Tomislavov trg 4).According to a report of the British Naval Intelligence Division from 1944, the Croatian "Roman Catholic clergy, following the example of monsignor Stepinac, the Zagreb Archbishop, energetically protested against ustasha persecutions of Serbs and Jews, as well as against government's attempts for forced conversion to Roman Catholicism" (written by experts from Oxford and Cambridge in 1944, with note `only for official use'). See Stefan, pp. 127-131. Only two days after the arrest of Stepinac in 1946 a protest conference was organized by Louis Breier in New York (Bronx), at that time the president of the Jewish community in the USA. He declared: This great man was tried as a collaborator of Nazism. We protest against this slander. He has always been a sincere friend of Jews, and was not hiding this even in times of cruel persecutions under the regime of Hitler and his followers. Alongside with Pope Pius XII, Archbishop Stepinac was the greatest protector of persecuted Jews in Europe. (my translation from a Croatian source).His sermons were not allowed to be printed publicly during the NDH period (1941-1945), so that people multiplied and spread them in secret. Glaise von Herstenau, a German Nazi general in Zagreb, declared: "If any bishop in Germany were speaking this way, he would not descend alive from his pulpit!" And when Stepinac visited the Holy See in 1943, he was warned that his life is in danger from the Nazis. There he met Ivan Mestrovic, a famous Croatian sculptor, to whom he said: "With God (=farewell), we are about not to see each other any more. Either Nazists will kill me now, or Communists will kill me later." Here are some characteristic extracts from his public sermons held in Croatian churches during the NDH period (1941-1945): All people of all colors are God's children. All of them, without any discrimination whatsoever, be they Gypsies, black people, civilized Europeans, Jews or proud Aryans are equally entitled to say" `Our Father who art in heaven...' That is why the Catholic Church has always condemned and it still condemns any injustice committed in the name of class, racial or nationalistic theories. Gypsies and Jews must not be exterminated in the name of a theory which claim that they belong to an inferior race. (A part of the sermon delivered in the Zagreb Cathedral on October 24, 1942.) There is a diversity of peoples and nations on the Earth. Mankind represents a unique whole. All of them have their roots in God. And all of them, be they of Aryan or non-Aryan race, have the same human nature. We were always accentuating in our public life the principles of eternal life of God, regardless to whether Croats, Serbs, Jews, Gypses, Catholics, Pravoslavs were in question, or anybody else. Catholic Church knows for races and peoples as creations of God, and its respect goes more to those with noble heart, than to those having powerful fist. Archbishop Stepinac publicly condemned ruining of the Zagreb synagogue in Praska ulica in 1941 with the following words: "The House of God of any faith is a sacred place..." (witnessed in written by Dr. Amiel Shomrony, citizen of Israel). This sermon, as other, could not have been published in press. But it was copied in secret among ordinary people, and one copy had been sent by Archbishop Stepinac himself to Chief Rabbi Freiberger (see [Stefan], p. 54). In an unpublished letter sent to editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post in July 29, 1995, reacting on the statement of Reuven Dafni, vicepresident of Yad Vashem, that "Stepinac did not do anything to save the Zagreb synagogue" (Jerusalem Post, July 26, 1995), Dr Amiel Shomrony wrote the following ([Stefan], p. 55-56): Sir please allow me through your column to inform your readers truthfully about "Croatia's past stalks relations with Jews", written by Mr. Jan Immanuel. In doing so I hope there is no need to stress that I have no personal interest whatsoever above stating what really happened during W.W.II in Croatia. As former secretary of the Chief Rabbi of Zagreb Dr. Shalom Freiberger and his personal contact with Cardinal Stepinac I am in the position to point out various misinterpretations if not untruths in the above mentioned article of July 26th. ...The allegation that Archbishop Stepinac welcomed the Nazis is absolutely false; on the contrary, he publicly condemned the Nazis' racial theories as antireligious even before the state of Croatia became "independent" in 1941. ...There are in Israel and the U.S. people who were hidden in 1941 by Stepinac in monasteries during the war. More than 50 elderly Jews were allowed to hide and live until the end of the war on his estate when they were brutally evicted from the old people's home Lavoslav Schwarz. Also the Jewish community received money as well as sacs of flour on a monthly basis from the Archbishop for the inmates of the concentration camp Jasenovac. ...it is a fact that he condemned all laws against Jews, Pravoslavs, Moslems and Gypsis in his Sunday sermons in the cathedral house, "all of them are children of God". Also in his sermons he specifically denounced the destruction of our Synagogue as "being a house of God"; "the perpetrators will be dully punished by almighty God"... As to the danger to his life - we submitted relevant proofs to Yad Vashem, but the matters being sub judice, I shall refrain from mentioning them here... Allow me only one more pertinent point: I am today one of the very few survivors from the Jewish community of Zagreb of W.W.II and being honorary member of "The cultural society Dr. Shalom Freiberger" I surely am a more reliable witness than people who base their opinions and "facts" one hearsay. As for the Jasenovac camp, Stepinac declared in his sermon to be disgrace and shame for the entire Croatian people. He never payed a visit to the Jasenovac camp. There are documents proving that German Gestapo planned assassination of Stepinac, as a result of his brave sermons. Hans Helm, the public ataché at the German embassy in Zagreb, wrote in March 25, 1943 that Stepinac was a great friend of Jews (see Kristo, p 141). In his monograph [Les forces armées croates 1941-1945, p. 18] Cristophe Dolbeau mentions organizing and protecting the escape of three boats in the Black Sea to Turkey in 1944, overcrowded with Roumanian Jews: Peu expérimenté (au débout tout au moins) et plutot mal équipé, la Légion Maritime Croate s'est parfaitement bien comportée tout au long de ses trois ans de présence en Mer Noire où l'amirauté allemande n'a eu qu'à se féliciter de son action. Bon soldats, les marins croates ont combattu dans l'honneur et sans haine : ainsi, le 24 mars et le 21 avril 1944, ont-ils organisé et protégé la fuite en Turquie de trois navires (le Milka, le Marcia et le Bella Citta) remplis de Juifs roumains... De retour à Zagreb le 21 mai 1944, ces matelots auront droit à un bref repos avant de reprendre la mer, dans l'Adriatique cette fois, et pour défendre les rivages de leur patrie. And here is an example of brave behaviour of ordinary Croatian citizens. When professor Petar Grgec, at that time director of the Archbishopric's classical gymnasium in Zagreb, met a humiliated group of Jews on a street, with yellow armbonds on the sleeves, he took of his hat - expressing thus his deep respect, and silent protest against their suffering. This brave example, given by the old professor, must have left a deep imprint on souls of his pupils. Equally well, antifascist (and later anticommunist) example of Archbishop Stepinac left a deep imprint on the entire Croatian nation. Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac was beatified in 1998 by Pope John Paul II in Marija Bistrica near Zagreb. Ivan Mestrovic: ON RELIGIOUS ART (1954), excerpt: "...The head of that suffering Church is Cardinal Stepinac, my compatriot, my dear friend, of whom I and all Croats are proud. I am sure that our feelings are shared not only by all the Catholics throughout the world but also by all men of goodwill everywhere who cherish freedom of spirit..." Saving the famous Sarajevo Haggadah (Jewish Bible) in 1941 I dare ask You taking the trouble (especially if You are a Jew) to read the following: Let me repeat again, the ustasha regime in Croatia and the Jasenovac camp are the greatest shame in the history of Croatia. According to Vladimir Zerjavic, an upper bound of the number of victims is 85,000 killed in Jasenovac, out of which 48-52 thousand Serbian victims, 13,000 Jews killed in Jasenovac (also 6,000 killed Jews in other camps and ditches in Croatia, and 7,000 outside of Croatia), 12,000 Croatians, 10,000 Romanys (Gypses). There are views among Croatian scholars that Zerjavic's number of 85,000 killed in Jasenovac is exaggerated, see for example books of Jurcevic and Ivezic. It should be taken into account that altogether 62 Yugoslav concentration camps are known to have existed in the period from 1945-1951 (including the Jasenovac camp from 1945-1947), with unknown number of victims of communist terror, see here.The Serbian propaganda claims 700,000 victims in Jasenovac (and even 1.5 million, claimed by Serbian politician Vuk Draskovic in Paris in the 1990s), i.e. almost 10 to 20 times more than estimated by Zerjavic. It would be important to revisit uncritical statements and numbers written by Menachem Shelach in The Encyclopedia of Holocaust, IV, pp 1716-1722, New York (see Yugoslavia). Who was professor Menachem Shelach? Born in Zagreb (as Raul Spicer), he died as a university professor in Haifa in 1995. He said in an interview published in an Israeli weekly Hotam (December 30, 1994), that he "deathly hates the Croats" (in Hebrew: sin 'at mavet)!! Croats as such, the entire nation. We all know what is anti-Semitism, but what is this and how to name it? Due to Shelach's inventions and lies, even the University of Haifa published a letter (signed by a secretary of the University) stating that the rules of professional ethics cannot be applied to everything that Shelach published as a history lecturer at this University. Dr Milan Bulajic, Belgrade, was his close collaborator. And the article in The encyclopedia of Holocaust, written by Shelach, has been read and is still read by millions of Jews and others throughout the world. The last days of his life, dying of cancer, Shelach was able to speak only - in Croatian. The brilliant figure of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac is shining on, despite double refusal of Yad Vashem to acknowledge his courage and perseverance in saving the Jews in Croatia. Explaining the refusal, the spokesperson of Yad Vashem (Iris Rosenberg) wrote in an official letter to a Croatian weekly that "persons who assisted Jews but simultaneously collaborated or were closely linked with a Fascist regime which took part in the Nazi orchestrated persecution of Jews [compare with Shomrony's letter], may be disqualified for the Righteous title." We know of plenty of examples showing that this is not true. See some of them in the book "Stepinac i Zidovi" by Ljubica Stefan, p. 133-137: Giorgio Perlesca (Italy), Oskar Schindler (Poland), patriarch Papandreu Damaskinos (Greece), Georg Duckwitz (Denmark), Max Schmeling (well known boxer, Germany, member of Wermacht during the whole WW2). It is impossible to efface the truth about Cardinal Stepinac. We know that Belgrade was the only European capital with two concentration camps - Sajmiste (exclusively for Jews) and Banjica, and with the number of victims comparable to those in Jasenovac. But there are no memorial tablets as in the similar places elsewhere in Europe. No mention of Belgrade concentration camps is made in the Encyclopedia of Holocaust. To our knowledge, also the existing Museums of Holocaust in Israel and in the USA do not have Belgrade on their maps of concentration camps in Europe. Thus it turns out as if the ustasha regime in Croatia was the only one responsible for holocaust on the territory of former Yugoslavia. Probably the most outstanding falsfier of the history of the Jewish Old People's Home in Zagreb, that Archbishop Stepinac saved from German Nazis in 1943, was Dr Lavoslav Kadelburg, Croatian Jew born in Vinkovci (1910-1994). He was the president of the Union of Jewish Communities of Yugoslavia during many years, from 1965 to 1994, representative in many Jewish organizations in the world, vicepresident of the European Jewish Congress until his death. Also the judge of the Supreme law-court of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. Kadelburg himself sent a signed statement against Archbishop Stepinac to Yad Vashem. An unknown number of documents containing signed Jewish statements in favour of Stepinac during the process raised against him in 1946 was in the possession of the Jewish community in Zagreb and then sent to Belgrade. When Dr Amiel Shomrony asked Kadelburg (president of the Union of Jewish Communities in YU, Belgrade) to send him copies, he answered: "These documents have no importance, and I destroyed them." See [Stefan]. I kindly ask Jewish authorities to contact Igor Primoratz, Amiel Shomrony (both citizens of Israel), Ljubica Stefan, and Frano Glavina (Zagreb), who are without any doubt among the greatest connaisseurs of the subject covered by this web page. Memorial book of the Old People's Home in Zagreb published by the Jewsih community in Zagreb in 1960, does not even mention Alojzije Stepinac and his decisive role in saving the Jewish inmates during WW2, see [Kristo]. An appeal of my mother, related to a Jewish school-teacher that taught her to read, write, calculate, and draw in a small town of Sveti Kriz - Zacretje (near Zagreb) from 1941 to 1943. It was a very young person - Stefica Rubin, that all pupils adored (photo, 370 K). She was teaching there despite the existing ustasha regime. When she was killed by a partisan bomb in a train, all her classes were crying. Any information about her and her family would be most welcome. Another Jew of which all citizens of Sveti Kriz - Zacretje keep best memories was Mr Lemberger, a physician. And a nearby village bears the name Zidovinjak (roughly - Jewish village!), situated in Hrvatsko Zagorje, less than 40 km north of Zagreb. The name of the village, which bears witness about presence of Jews in this region so explicitly, was left unchanged also during the NDH period in Croatia (1941-1945). I express my gratitude to Ljubica Stefan for valuable information that enabled the creation of this web-page. For more details see: Related references and links Back to Croatia - an overview of its History, Culture and Science  www.croatianhistory.net   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6601/1/E-Christiane-Amanpour-statement-about-Cardinal-Stepinac.html  Letter to the CNN editor To:feedback@cnn.com Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 Subject: Christiane Amanpour statement about Cardinal StepinacDirector CNN International NewsDear Sir:Watching the funeral of Pope John Paul II we were shocked to hear yourreporter Ms. Christiane Amanpour making a remark about "the Pope'scontroversial decision of beatifying Croatia's Nazi-collaborator CardinalStepinac". It is appalling to hear such a false statement from a CNNreporter, made at the funeral of a beloved and respected Pope and heardby millions of people.Where does Ms. Amanpour come off to insult not only Cardinal Stepinac andby it the whole Croatian nation, but also the very integrity of the HolyFather, who never would have considered for a moment declaring a manworthy of sainthood, if there were even a grain of doubt in his mindabout the saintliness and martyrdom of Cardinal Stepinac.Even while some in the Catholic Church might not have done enough to helpstop Hitler's "Final solution"of the "Jewish question", Cardinal Stepinac courageously opposed theGerman Nazis and Croatia's puppet regime at his own peril, personallysaving many Jews by hiding them on the Church's estate and publiclyspeaking from the pulpit of the Zagreb cathedral against racism of anykind. He believed in the dignity of the human person, regardless of race,religion or nationality. Here are just a few excerpts from his statementsin letters to Croatia's WWII puppet state leader Pavelic:"I implore you in the name of humanity, which our people have alwaysvalued so highly, that you do not permit any of the remaining citizens ofour state to suffer unjustly. In the collection camps there are many whoare innocent or who do not deserve so severe a punishment... do notpermit irresponsible and uninvited elements to sin against the true goodof our nation". - March 6, 1943."This is a shameful stain and a crime which cries out for revenge, justas the whole camp of Jasenovac is a shameful stain upon the NDH. As apriest and bishop I say together with Christ on the cross: Father forgivethem, for they know not what they do!... Be assured that it is nothatred, but love of truth and of the Croatian nation which compels me towrite this letter." - Feb. 24. 1943 In spite of the Cardinal's open opposition to the actions of the Germansand the Pavelic regime, he was tried on false charges and imprisoned byTito's communist Yugoslavia, but, interestingly, only after he refused tomake Croatia's Catholic Church independent of the Papacy in Rome. Afterrelease from prison he died under house arrest several years later,evidently having been slowly poisoned.We expect an apology from Ms. Amanpour and CNN for her irresponsible anddamaging statements. This is not the first time Ms. Amanpour has tried todefame Croatia, as several years ago she seemed to be looking for aneedle in a haystack by reporting a "Nazi graffiti" somewhere in Zagreb.Of course the fact that such Neo-Nazi graffiti can be found all overEurope and even here in America, does not seem to hinder her for singlingout Croatia - again! One has to wonder - just what is her agenda?Listening to too much Serb propaganda? Sincerely,Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705714 832-0289   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6600/1/E-CNN---Journalism-was-once-an-intellectual-curiosity.html  Journalism was once an intellectual curiosity profession What I heard today from the mouth of Christiane Amanpour, is simply unacceptable. Where does that hate comes from? First, it is the biggest funeral ever... In the history of the human kind. Controversial Saints? If anything is controversial, that is Ms. Amanpour, actually not controversial, but BIASED to the fullest extend of the word. We remember when she stood in Glina, Croatia talking about WW2 when GENOCIDE against Croatian civilians was present time. My father fought Fascism and everybody that I know and I know a lot of people. We Croatians defeated Fascism. Not just fought, but defeated. You didn't do your homework, not just today but for the last 15 years. You are courageous to go to the war zones and I give you credit for that, but your lack of knowledge is incredible. The only reason, why you can sustain that position is because the rest of the people that surround you are equally ignorant. Journalism was once an intellectual curiosity. Today it is a "fast food" mentality of "me too" journalism. I myself am musician and if I may say so, oriented towards humanitarian causes and activism www.nenadbach.com  And if I say so as a rock musician, ( most of us are as tolerant as you can be ) - Shame on you - that means that , girl, you've got it wrong. Not just that sentence about Stepinac (man whom one nation can only be proud of) but the your whole life, you've missed many things that you are not even aware of. Hate comes from within. And you have it. I hope you lose your job and position very soon. Nenad Bach New York April 8th, 2005  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 17 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6599/1/E-NFCA-Protests-Jasenovac-Monument-in-NYC.html  NFCA Protests Jasenovac Monument in NYCSet forth below is the text of a letter on behalf of the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) to the New York City Commissioner of Parks and Recreation. We had recently learned that a monument to the victims of Jasenovac is to be erected in Holocaust Park in Brooklyn. As you can see from the text of the letter, the monument will claim that "hundred of thousands" of people died in Jasenovac. The people behind this effort, the Jasenovac Research Institute, are rabid supporters of Greater Serbianism (see their web site at www.jasenovac.org).I urge all who can, especially those resident in New York City, to write to their local representatives and to the Parks Commissioner to protest against this calumny against Croats. The Parks Commissioner's fax number is 212-36-1362. Shorter notes can be sent to him by email at http://www.nycgovparks.org/.I note that the Council of Croatian Organizations in New York is working separately to try to meet directly with the Commissioner on this issue.John P. Kraljic*******************************April 8, 2005Mr. Adrian BenepeCommissionerNew York City Department of Parks and RecreationCentral Park830 5th AvenueNew York, New York 10021Re: Holocaust Memorial Park - BrooklynJasenovac MemorialSir:I am an officer of the National Federation of Croatian Americans, a national organization representing 120,000 Croatian Americans. I am also a resident of New York City.We were outraged to read that the City of New York has approved the erection of a monument in Holocaust Park in Brooklyn for the victims of the Jasenovac Concentration Camp which will reportedly include an inscription that "hundreds of thousands" of victims perished there. We understand that the monument is scheduled to be erected on or about April 15, 2005.We certainly have no issue with commemorating the victims of the Jasenovac, who included tens of thousands of Croat victims as well as Serbs, Jews and Roma.However, Greater Serbian interests have purposely inflated the number of victims of Jasenovac over the last 60 years in a pernicious campaign to denigrate the Croatian nation as being "genocidal in nature," to obscure the collaborationist work of Serbian Chetnik units in World War II, to deny the participation of hundreds of thousands of Croats in the Allied cause, and to further their campaign to deny the right of Croatia to exist as an independent and democratic state.In this regard, the inflation of Jasenovac's victims played an integral role in the media campaign orchestrated by Slobodan Milosevic in preparation for his war on Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.No reputable historian has ever stated that the number of victims at Jasenovac was over 100,000 people. Indeed, the web site of the United States Holocaust Museum (www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/jasenovac) states that "[a]lthough further research may yield more exact figures, current estimates place the number of victims murdered by the [Ustasha] in Jasenovac during World War II between 56,000 and 97,000."To allow a monument to be placed on New York City parkland with any inscription which exaggerates the number of victims of Jasenovac is both a smear on the Croatian-American community and an affront to