http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Sun, 19 Apr 2026 09:19:40 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11218/1/Nenad-Bach-International-Newsletter-No-55-Livestream.html I will perform a few songs starting with a ping pong game that will go to 11 points, just one game then a song on a guitar, move to piano and at the same time you can send your questions opinions, desires, concepts, recommendations, connections etc., all live. The times for the livestream on Saturday April 25, 2020 will start at 10:00 a.m. New York Eastern Standard Time. This will be Midnight in Sydney, Australia, 11:00 p.m. Tokyo, 10:00 p.m. Singapore, 7:30 p.m. New Delhi, 4:00 p.m. Zagreb Croatia, 3:00 p.m. London, 11:00 a.m. Buenos Aires and 7:00 a.m. Los Angeles time. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 23 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11211/1/Luka-Krilic-poslao-otvoreno-pismo-predsjedniku-Republike-Hrvatske-i-predsjedniku-Vlade.html Luka Kriliæ: Struènjaci se sla¾u da æe se svijet poslije ovakve krize definitivo mijenjati. Moramo vjerovati u bolje, nadati se tom boljitku, toj promjeni na bolje, ali to jako puno ovisi o politièkim elitama i tome hoæe li biti spremne suoèiti sa sa ovakvim izazovima. Narod je uvijek spreman ako ima one koji ga dobro vode, ako ima voðe koji osobno daju primjer da se treba zalagati za opæe dobro i djelovati na zajednièku korist i dobrobit. ... lukrilic@gmail.com (Luka Krilic) Sat, 28 Mar 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11092/1/Croatia-2---1-England-media-reports-from-the-FIFA-Word-Cup-semifinals-in-Moscow-2018.html EUROSPORT: What an incredible achievement! Croatia are into their first ever World Cup final as a nation. England just couldn't see the game out. They had chances in the first half, Kane in particular missed a sitter, but you have to admire the way Croatia wrestled back control over the course of the match. "€ÂœFor Croatian football and for Croatia as a country, this is history being written," Coach Zlatko Dalic said. On the photo Dejan Lovren, one of the pillars of Croatian defense. The team is filled with stars from top to bottom, and the teamwork and determination has set this team apart from the rest. Meanwhile, England will face Belgium on Saturday in the third-place match. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 12 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11086/1/Luka-Krilic-DIJASPORA-Kuda-idemo-to-moemo-ueiniti.html Kao pripadnik Dijaspore osjeæam du¾nost izraziti nekoliko misli o tome da je do¹lo vrijeme da mi iz Dijaspore poðemo ususret realnosti; moramo se suoèiti sa golom istinom i sagledati stvarnost ba¹ onakvom kakva ona jest, jer nalazim da je prijeka potreba i nu¾nost da poku¹amo naæi pravilan i dobar smjer koji smo, prema mome iskustvu i saznanjima, odavno izgubili. Ako je Dr¾ava u krizi moramo priznati da to vrijedi i za nas. Vjerujem da svi jako dobro pamtimo ono ¹to su nas uèili o tome da se prvi masovni val iseljavljanja iz Dalmacije dogodio jo¹ potkraj XIX stoljeæa kao posljedica bolesti vinove loze... Ono ¹to nas nisu uèili... jesu Komercijalni ugovori koje je potpisao Beè sa Italijom. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Thu, 28 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11074/1/Nenad-Bach-interview---Glazba-je-jezik-duse.html Od svih hrvatskih umjetnika èija su imena postala poznata jo¹ poèetkom Domovinskog rata svakako je najpoznatije ime Nenada Bacha, roðena Zagrepèanina, odrasla i ¹kolovana u Rijeci. Bach je nadaleko poznat je po svojoj pjesmi Can We Go Higher?, koja se izvodila ¹irom svijeta i upoznala tada taj svijet s ratom u Hrvatskoj i Bosni i Hercegovini. Nenad Bach suraðivao je s brojnim umjetnicima kao ¹to su Luciano Pavarotti, Bono iz U2, Brian Eno, Garth Hudson & Rick Danko (The Band), Vince Welnick (Grateful Dead), John Malkovich, Ellen Burstyn, Martin Sheen, Michael York, i brojni drugi. Prenosimo intervju koji je s njima za Vijenac obavila Gloria Fabijaniæ Jeloviæ. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko ®ubriniæ) Fri, 01 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11049/1/Nenad-Bachs-article-World-Peace-in-One-Hour-published-by-the-Journal-of-Global-Health.html We, as the species that run the planet Earth, are at a crossroads of either self-destruction or an unimaginably progressive future as the Species of the Universe. Now is the time to make the right decision and focus our knowledge, resources, and talent towards the improvement of our lives on Mother Earth. Culture, Global Health, Education, Art, Science, Infrastructure, Environment, Music, Freedom of Expression, Beauty, and Wisdom will follow where there is no violence. Can you imagine unforeseen benefits? darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko ®ubriniæ) Tue, 06 Mar 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10481/1/How-do-Croatians-Communicate-By-David-Byler-8th-Generation-Croatian-American.html "How do Croatians Communicate" is a vital topic for many of us. Croatian musicians, poets, artists, politicians, preachers, and marketing people of all varieties, no less than those from any culture or from any ethnicity, are communicators. Our success depends on persistent and pervasive communication. A song heard only by a few birds in the forest, as pleasant and appreciative an audience as they may seem to be, is somehow unsatisfying to us. Our satisfaction is not derived from the wealth or power that our communication might yield but about our "voice" being heard and perhaps eliciting a response from our audience. slavonac46@gmail.com (David Byler) Tue, 12 Nov 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10357/1/Karolina-Vidovic-Kristo-distinguished-Croatian-journalist-on-HTV.html   Karolina Vidoviæ Kri¹to is producing an excellent program for Croatian diaspora, for which she deserves our deep gratitude. She is engaged, among others, in defending human rights of children in Croatia, and promoting deeper ties between Croatia and its diaspora. Her professionalism and honorable engagement ranks her among the leading figures on Croatian Television - Hrvatska televizija (HTV). darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko ®ubriniæ) Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10285/1/Open-letter-to-Michel-Platini-president-of-UEFA-from-Ante-Glibota.html Modern technologies offer a perfect possibility to see the wrong action on a football ground, and to check who is playing sportingly and who is unfair. This would eliminate all possibilities of unfairness suspicion and avoid unjustified results. But you and your organization refuse this solution, to make your occult games and plays, persisting with unfairness and generating false results, as a way to give advantage to your protected nations, your favorite ones. ante.glibota@wanadoo.fr (Akademik Ante Glibota) Sun, 24 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10200/1/Dr-Ante-Cuvalo-8211-Lakse-je-biti-poslusan-nego-samosvjestan-samostalan-i-odgovoran.html Dr. Ante Èuvalo, èovjek èiji su ¾ivotni put usmjerile dvije odrednice: politièki emigrant i akademski graðanin daje svoje viðenje dana¹nje Hrvatske. Doktorirao je povijesne znanosti (1987.) na Ohio State University u Columbusu, glavnom gradu dr¾ave Ohio. Predavao je nekoliko godina na Ohio State University, a potom 20 godina na Joliet Collegeu, u blizini Chicaga, povijest zapadne civilizacije, modernu rusku, odnosno sovjetsku povijest, povijest Bliskog istoka i kolokvije o nacionalizmu. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko ®ubriniæ) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9884/1/Konvoj-Libertas-plovi-prema-hrvatsko-slovenskoj-granici-7-studenog-2009.html Znameniti Konvoj Libertas plovi prema hrvatsko-slovenskoj granici 7. studenog 2009. Prikljuèite se! Kontakt: Zvonimir ©eparoviæ, na e-mail  adresu zvonimir.separovic@zg.t-com.hr (u zaglavlje staviti Konvoj Libertas). Ugro¾eni su hrvatski nacionalni interesi. A famous convoy Libertas sails to the Croatian-Slovenian border on November 7th, 2009. Join! Croatian national interests are in danger. zvonimir.separovic@zg.t-com.hr (Branka ©eparoviæ) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9751/1/Davor-Dijanovic-Da-je-Hrvatska-pokazala-malo-vie-samopotovanja.html Da Hrvatska politièka klasa nije slijepo jurila u EU, bespogovorno izvr¹avala svaki diktat iz Bruxellesa i da je pokazala malo vi¹e samopo¹tovanja i dala do znanja da Hrvatska nije nièija prèija niti kolonija, nema sumnje da bi se stvarili odvijale mnoge povoljnije po RH, ne bi bili ni koraka dalje od EU, dapaèe. davor.dijanovic@gmail.com (Davor Dijanovic) Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9593/1/Richard-Hortons-lecture-in-Zagreb.html Richard Horton is editor in chief of The Lancet, one of the oldest and most influential medical journals in the world, issued in Great Britain. In May 2008 he delivered a lecture in Zagreb concerning the problems of scientific publishing. He stressed outstanding achievements of the Croatian Medical Journal and scientific legacy of professors Ana and Matko Maru¹iæ. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9578/1/U-potrazi-za-domoljubljem---Anita-Malenica.html U Hrvatskoj je potrebno stvoriti prostor za nacionalni ponos - zavapio je kardinal Josip Bozaniæ. Tom reèenicom pogodio je u srce problema, i to vrlo jasno i precizno. Na¹i znanstvenici i intelektualni gastarbajteri obogatili su kulture i narode meðu koje su dolazili. Za¹to onda u Hrvatskoj nema tog ponosa u kulturi, knji¾evnosti, glazbi, umjetnosti? matko@matkojelavic.com (Matko Jelaviæ) Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9463/1/NATO-A-Chance-to-Cement-the-Peace-In-the-Balkans---and-Beyond.html For centuries, the Balkans and Europe's East have deserved their reputations for igniting wider European wars and have given to European history the place names of genocide and mass starvation. In 1949, the creation of NATO secured the post-World War II peace in Western Europe. foleycoinc@earthlink.net (Joe Foley) Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9382/1/The-West-and-the-UN-were-complicit-in-the-genocide-in-Bosnia.html Marko Attila Hoare (left) writes that the Western powers and the UN were undoubtedly complicit in the genocide in Bosnia, and nothing that they have done since 1995 has delivered justice to the victims. brigall@yahoo.co.uk (Brian Gallagher) Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9375/1/JAVNO-Column-Freedom-Food-and-Private-Property---Nenad-N-Bach.html What Croatia should take advantage of is an enormous knowledge base in its own 5-10 million disciples all over the world. We who live outside of Croatia are equal patriots for our new country, but the huge difference is that we know both and can analyze what is good, better, bad or worse. And we have knowledge of implementation and a heart to do it. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9310/1/Croatia-Wins-Vote-for-UN-Security-Council-Seat-Political-and-diplomatic-influence.html Should be good news for the further recognition of the region's new political and diplomatic influence on a range of issues where not only Croatia, but Bosnia & Herzegovina could impact a progressive influence. The UN Security Council offers such an opportunity. The influence of Croatia's Diaspora aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9283/1/Vukovar-is-THE-Croatian-sacred-ground-and-somebody-just-pissed-on-it.html The absurdly light or no prison terms handed out to the three most responsible for the Vukovar massacres and torture are not consistent with the crimes. It was not a lack of evidence but a devaluation of the crimes, or more accurately, the lives of the victims and all of us.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 30 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9282/1/A-Diplomatic-quotHunting-Partyquot---part-2-and-3.html On the plane, Holbrook from the outset began to pressure that we abandon or trade Gorazde. It struck me as rather strange at that time why Holbrooke had placed the emphasis of this conversation on "us" giving up Gorazde, the first hour of a 90 minute conversation. aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Sun, 30 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9261/1/A-Diplomatic-quotHunting-Partyquot---facts-never-published-before-by-Ms-Hartmann---part-1.html     Muhamed Sacirbey, Florence Hartmann and Sylvie Matton speak out. Ms. Hartmann makes damning revelations about the betrayal of justice in her new book "Peace & Punishment.". Were the Big Powers in complicity to ethnic cleansing? Twist of fiction and reality. Film "The Hunting Party" with Richard Gere talks about the same subject in the same manner...as fiction. The book "Peace and Punishment" talks about the same subject in the same manner...as reality with documents. And they came out at the same time. Coincidence, hard reality or historical materialism ? Hartmann, Matton and Sacirbey speak of the evidence and the consequences  for BiH, Croatia, the region and the victims. CROWN reports, you decide. aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Sun, 16 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9257/1/Croatian-President-Croatia-needs-highly-moral-people-that-will-solve-problems.html People who will keep saying everything is alright must not be in key positions, so that existing problems cannot be solved. Croatia needs people who will solve problems and enable faster development. Experts and highly moral people need to run the country. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9253/1/Betrayal-of-Justice---Will-New-Revelations-from-Within-The-ICTY-Bring-Consequences.html   Will the Region receive a new opportunity at unfiltered justice? Will Officials from the Leading Powers be held to Account for their Complicity with Milosevic and Betrayal of our Western Values? Are we that boring or just inept at protecting our rights and interests? ...in discussion with Ambassador Mo Sacirbey letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9191/1/Diaspora-Disenfranchised---The-Ethnic-Cleansing-of-the-8220Diaspora-Entity8221.html   Diaspora is called upon to invest or just spend and send money for BiH, the Government of BiH and the Office of the High Representative have exhibited no priority in addressing the needs and rights of the Diaspora community. By Prof. Ramic, Ing. Vrljicak & Ambassador Sacirbey aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Wed, 08 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9176/1/Who-wants-to-close-the-Embassy-of-Bosnia-Herzegovina-in-Buenos-Aires-.html   About the Bosnia-Herzegovina Embassy in Buenos Aires. A news item published in the Banja Luka Nezavisne Novine states that the Bosnia-Herzegovina embassies in Argentina and South Africa, as well as the general consulate in Bonn are going to be closed... a note by Joza Vrljicak. joza.vrljicak@gmail.com (Joza Vrljièak) Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9174/1/Kosovo-needs-a-conclusion-not-a-new-beginning.html    foleycoinc@earthlink.net (Joe Foley) Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 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 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9150/1/Onaj-koji-ne-vidi-da-su-nam-prodane-banke.html     hssd@hssd.hr (Niko ©oljak) Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9146/1/BiH-Croatia-and-Iran-according-to-Ambassador-Sacirbey.html     aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Sat, 21 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9139/1/Congressman-Chris-Smith-history-of-sincere-support-for-victims--BiH.html  Congressman Chris Smith (left) has been consistent in his efforts on behalf of justice and a genuine peace and multi ethnic society in Bosnia & Herzegovina. aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Fri, 13 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9118/1/Mo-Sacirbey-A-Convenient-Genocide-in-a-fishbowl.html   They preach but do not confess. They demand forgetfulness but ask for no forgiveness. Perhaps they believe that by preaching to the victims, they will then avoid accountability for their own failings. Their sermons cannot go unchallenged. These are efforts at rewriting history. aconvenientgenocide@mac.com (Ambassador Muhamed Sacirbey) Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9088/1/Michael-Kaufman-Power-Values-and-Reform-Through-the-EU-Accession-Process.html   The EU's efforts to promote democratic development are at odds with the incentives created by the accession process itself, where the EU gives priority to efficiency over legitimacy, which leads to questions about the potential of the EU to export its own democratic deficit...with a specific reference to Croatia. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9039/1/Nema-mjesta-maloduju---okupiti-drago-kamenje.html Znam, te¹ko je oèekivati povratak svakog pojedinog dragog kamena kruni kojoj pripada. Osobito je te¹ko izmoliti razmicanje svih oceana i mora koja dijele na¹e ljude u svijetu i njihovu Domovinu (Hrvatsku i BiH). Meðutim, dr¾avne se institucije moraju (na)uèiti svojoj ustavnoj du¾nosti - brizi o svakom svom èovjeku u svijetu. S druge strane, oni koji su aborid¾ine poticali na domoljublje znati æe ga prenijeti i na vlastitu djecu. Nema mjesta malodu¹ju! ivan.bagaric@zg.tel.hr (Dr. Ivan Bagaric) Tue, 01 May 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8859/1/Npr-salica-caja-kosta-3rp-a-to-je-oko-113-dolara-Davor-iz-Delhi-a.html     Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8761/1/Treba-hitro-energieno-jasno-nedvosmisleno-i-glasno-argumentirano-i-nesvadalaeki-pokrenuti-iroku-akciju-za-proglaenje-gospodarskog-pojasa.html Podrazumijevamo neprihvatljivim, bilo kakvo trgovanje nacionalanim teritorijem ili mlitavo (ne)branjenje dr¾avnih granica, te rasprodaju vitalnih nacionalnih bogatstava ili njihovo ne¹tiæenje. U Europu (i druge asocijacije) se ulazi glavom (i argumentima koji ¹tite interse RH) a ne na koljenima dodvornièki. ante@medri.hr (Prof.Dr. Ante Simoniæ) Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8701/1/Returning-to-a-Cuntry-in-Transition-is-Both-Challenging-and-Rewarding.html Returning home to Croatia after working as a postdoctoral fellow in the United States took preparation and patience. I had enjoyed my three years studying insulin resistance at two prominent US centres. Although I disliked the poor career prospects for postdocs and the lack of professional development, I loved my colleagues' competitive spirit and the generous funding of the laboratory. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8674/1/Jesu-li-zvijezde-iznad-Dubrovnika-o-R251de-drugacije-nego-one-iznad-Parida-tude.html Danasnji Dubrovcani bi se trebali sjetiti i meditirati izricje kanonika njihove stolne crkve Dum Ivana Stojanovica, koji dase dusu u Bozje ruke 1900.godine, a koji kaze da se na vratima prirode covjek treba svuci, kao zmija u premaljecu, onu nenaravnu kosulju skepticizma, u koju se nehotice, a pokatkad i silimice ogrnuo.Pise Ante Glibota rudolf.arapovic1@zg.htnet.hr (Rudolf Arapoviæ) Tue, 05 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8557/1/E-Giving-Tennis-suggestions-to-Mario-Ancic-from-a-Vietnamese-Fan.html Giving Tennis suggestions to Mario Ancic from a Vietnamese Fans   Hieu & Ngan    I really love Mario Ancic !! Ancic forever !! Op-ed: Dear Friend Friden Hieu,It is endearing to know that someone in Vietnam cares enough to find CROWN and write suggestions to our tennis players. Special? I call this special and I personally thank you for your kind thoughts and suggestions. Just a concept that you use music to encourage others is a higher consciousness in itself. I am sure that Mario will appreciate it as well as many tennis players and fans around the world. If anyone knows the height of the tennis net, please send an answer to Hieu  at friden_nvt@yahoo.com .All the best, Chuc moi dieu tot lanh, Svako dobro,Nenad BachEditor in Chief, CROWN www.Croatia.org  .Now read all Hieu's letters:Giving Tennis suggestions to Mario AncicHi everyone !I'm one of the biggest fans of Mario Ancic ( I suppose you all know him, your country's tennis player ). I will go straight into the subject. I'm writing this letter to you just to ask for Ancic's email, or address in order to contact him. You know, his most recent plays didn't make me feel good, because I think, he's got some trouble or things like that, and that made him to unable to play with his best. At this time, I just want to get his email and give him some suggestions about the ways to play better ( in my opinion, this may help !! ). That's about using geometry in playing. I'm looking forward to hearing from you !Best health to all of you !Yours sincerely.Friden.friden_nvt@yahoo.com My real name's not Friden ( because I'm a Vietnamese ), it's Hieu. And I'm not so special, I'm just a student in a secondary school, next term will be high school.I really love Mario Ancic !! Ancic forever !!Dear, How are you doing now ? - I just want to know I'm writing this letter to you just to give my suggestions about ways to play tennis !I don't know whether anyone had given this or not.This is about hitting a net point. In my opinion, if your opponent approach the net to get a net point, you should also get nearer the net - about 2/3 of the length to the net - than just stand right at your place in the back of the court . I think this will help much because the angle will be made narrower, then you may hit the ball back, in order not to let the opponent to win. I'm wondering if this would help, but the possibility would be 60% ( I think )I wish you all would have good health and so do your family !Hope to hear any good from you !Hieu.friden_nvt@yahoo.com P.S : I think all of your country's players should practice together with the serving ! Because they have the greatest, and strongest serve among others else. If practicing well, any No.1 won't bother them any more.I really love Mario Ancic !! Ancic forever !!Dear, I send to you all, with the players, this song as an encouragement for the next tournament, and all the plays after then.Your friend.Hieu. P.S : Can you tell me how tall the net is ? I tried to find out on the internet, but there's nothing !I really love Mario Ancic !! Ancic forever !! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8556/1/E-This-is-how-the-world-operates-no-mistakes-about-it.html Congressman Taped Taking $100,000, FBI Says   Op-ed at the bottom of the page  According to Court Papers, He Hid Cash in Foil in FreezerBy MATTHEW BARAKAT, APALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 22) - Allegedly scamming a Virginia businesswoman could prove to be a major mistake for a Democratic congressman from New Orleans.The FBI revealed Sunday that Rep. William Jefferson, under investigation for bribery, was videotaped accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded. Agents later found the cash hidden in his freezer, according to a court document released Sunday.At one meeting captured on audiotape, Jefferson chuckles about writing in code to keep secret what the government contends was his corrupt role in getting his children a cut of a communications company's deal for work in Africa.As Jefferson and the informant passed notes about what percentage the lawmaker's family might receive, the congressman "began laughing and said, 'All these damn notes we're writing to each other as if we're talking, as if the FBI is watching,'" he told the businesswoman, who was wearing an FBI recording device.Jefferson has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.As for the $100,000, the government says Jefferson got the money in a leather briefcase last July 30 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington. The plan was for the lawmaker to use the cash to bribe a high-ranking Nigerian official -- the name is blacked out in the court document -- to ensure the success of a business deal in that country, the affidavit said.All but $10,000 was recovered on Aug. 3 when the FBI searched Jefferson's home in Washington. The money was stuffed in his freezer, wrapped in $10,000 packs and concealed in food containers and aluminum foil.Two of Jefferson's associates have pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges in federal court in Alexandria. One, businessman Vernon Jackson of Louisville, Ky., admitted paying more than $400,000 in bribes to the lawmaker in exchange for his help securing business deals for Jackson's telecommunications company in Nigeria and other African countries.The new details about the case emerged after the FBI searched Jefferson's congressional office on Capitol Hill Saturday night and Sunday. The nearly 100-page affidavit for a search warrant, made public Sunday with large portions blacked out, spells out much of the evidence so far.The document includes excerpts of conversations between Jefferson and an unidentified business executive from northern Virginia. She agreed to wear a wire after she approached the FBI with complaints Jefferson and an associate had ripped her off in a business deal.Jefferson's lawyer, Robert Trout, said in a statement that the prosecutors' disclosure was "part of a public relations agenda and an attempt to embarrass Congressman Jefferson. The affidavit itself is just one side of the story which has not been tested in court."The affidavit says Jefferson is caught on videotape at the Ritz-Carlton as he takes a reddish-brown briefcase from the trunk of the informant's car, slips it into a cloth bag, puts the bag into his 1990 Lincoln Town Car and drives away.The $100 bills in the suitcase had the same serial numbers as those found in Jefferson's freezer.While the name of the intended recipient of the $100,000 is blacked out, other details in the affidavit indicate he is Abubakar Atiku, Nigeria's vice president. He owns a home in Potomac, Md., that authorities have searched as part of the Jefferson investigation.The Jefferson investigation has provided some cover for Republicans who have suffered black eyes in the investigations of current and former GOP lawmakers, including Tom DeLay of Texas, the former majority leader.Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California, a Vietnam-era jetfighter ace, was sentenced in March to more than eight years in prison for accepting bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress.5/22/2006 03:33:31Watch Video: FBI Raids Jefferson's Officehttp://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060520203409990002&ncid=NWS00010000000001   Op-ed This example is here, on this website, just as a testimony that we should not have illusions of how does the world operate. It is happening all over the world. Moral authority is silence or doesn't have a microphone. Civilized society should be civilized enough that once someone is caught doing things like this, lives as a poster boy for all of those who have temptations of such sort. As the world progresses, we see exactly opposite. People are being rewarded for stealing. Will someone with the microphone speak out, or is it up to us people, to do more and not let them go free? Once the crime is certified as a benefit and not as a shame, you lower the standards for all of us.   Nenad Bach, New York, June 14, 2006 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Jun 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6957/1/H-Kako-je-agresor-uz-pomoc-demokratskog-svijeta-postao-zrtvom.html ÂKako je agresor uz pomoc demokratskog svijeta postao zrtvomÂÂDok hrvatski generali bivaju optuzivani u Haagu po zapovjednoj odgovornosti za smrt ljudi koji kasnije bivaju pronadjeni zivi, dok ih se tereti za rusenje starih mostova koje su mozda rusili neki drugi generali i dok hrvatska sluzbena politika pokusava pod svaku cijenu ostvariti svoj strateski cilj ulaska u Europsku Uniju, mi nemocno gledamo kako se hrvatski branitelji sami ubijaju. Bolno je kada te kojekakvi likovi iz bajki optuzuju za nesto za sto nisi kriv ili kada nakon ostvarenja 'hrvatskog tisucljetnog sna' Hrvatska izgleda kako izgleda. Da li smo mi Hrvati doista zlocinci ili nas mozda bas zlocinci optuzuju?ÂÂI tako dolazimo do paradoksa da oni koji su obranili Hrvatsku zive unutar celija Haaga, a oni koji su Hrvatsku razarali, a Hrvate ubijali i protjerivali, zive slobodno u Hrvatskoj i neprestano traze svoja prava stecena, valjda, izdajom i agresijom na Hrvatsku. Teroristi bi u demokratskoj Americi bili osudjeni i pritvoreni ili mozda 'elektrizirani' ali Hrvatska je veci pop od Pape pa teroriste abolira. Pa neka nam i bude terorizam kada ga i sami na taj nacin podrzavamo. ÂÂDa se prisjetimo kako je tekao takozvani “udruzeni zlocinacki poduhvat”, za koji se danas sudi U Haagu hrvatskim generalima i herojima, ali i hrvatskoj drzavi pa ako bas hocete, indirektno i svima nama. Kako je zrtva agresije postala optuzena za 'planirani zlocinacki poduhvat'?ÂÂZlocinacki poduhvat doista jest postojao i rodjen je deklaracijom SANU. Provodila je zlocinacka organizacija okupljena oko Milosevica uz pomoc ondasnje JNA, dobrovoljaca iz Srbije i organiziranih teroristickih formacija pobunjenih Srba u Hrvatskoj i to na ocigled medjunarodne svjetske zajednice. Nije moguce ni zaboraviti postovanje i neprikrivanu sklonost vaznih faktora svjetske politike prema Slobodanu Milosevicu, a koji su ga tako ohrabrivali i podrzavali. Nije zanemariv ni embargo na oruzje kojim je Hrvatskoj nemoralno i protupravno onemogucena samoobrana, a niti slijed dogadjaja koji u pravom svjetlu otkriva o kakvoj se zlocinackoj igri radilo. Napad je najbolja obrana, i eto zato nas napadaju i sude nam, a mi pognute glave idemo prema svom uzoru - Europi.ÂÂVrlo rano, jos mnogo prije proglasenja hrvatske drzave zapocele su demonstracije srpske moci. 28.02.1989. u povijesnom hrvatskom gradu Kninu odrzan je takozvani 'srpski miting upozorenja'. Pojasnjenja radi, za one koji slabije pamte, i koji su te dane provodili na skijalistima Austrije i kojekuda, tek su godinu dana kasnije 22.01.1990. hrvatska i slovenska delegacija napustile 14. Izvanredni kongres SKJ. Valjda su hrvatski Srbi bili vidoviti i sve predvidjeli slucajno. Jako je bitan redoslijed kojim su se ta zbivanja dogadjala.ÂÂU Hrvatskoj zapocinju demokratske promjene i 22.04.1990. odrzan je prvi krug visestranackih izbora u Hrvatskoj te je najveci broj glasova dobio HDZ. Hrvatski Srbi nastavljaju homogenizaciju i stvaranje temelja svoje paradrzave na hrvatskom teritoriju, pa 01.07.1990. na Dalmatinskom Kosovu, kod crkve Lazarice, biva proglasena takozvana 'Zajednica opstina Sjeverne Dalmacije i Like'. Biti cu malo zloban i primijetiti da se, ipak na kraju, srpsko Kosovo ponovilo i na ovom hrvatskom Kosovu.ÂÂÂVrli su policajci 03.07.1990. vrijedni djelatnici SUPa Knin poslali protestno pismo Saveznom i Republickom SUPu kako ne prihvacaju hrvatsku povijesnu "sahovnicu" za svoj simbol, drugim rijecima ne priznaju demokratski izabranu vlast republike Hrvatske niti republiku Hrvatsku. Priznaju samo od Hrvatske primljeni novac. Unatoc tome neki od takovih danas na policijskoj kapi nose 'sahovnicu' koja im navodno vise ne smeta i primaju hrvatske kune. Sumnjam da takovi stite drzavni poredak i drzavu Hrvatsku od kriminala. Takova je hrvatska kadrovska politika i hrvatska politika uopce.ÂU Srbu je 25.07.1990. odrzan takozvani 'Veliki srpski sabor' na kojem su govorili: akademik Jovan Raskovic, Jovan Opacic, mr Mile Dakic i dr Milan Babic. Pocinje i formalno stvaranje srpske paradrzave u drzavi Hrvatskoj. Usvojena je 'Deklaracija o suverenosti i autonomiji srpskog naroda' i Odluka o formiranju 'Srpskog nacionalnog vijeca'. Jos mi i danas u usima odzvanja to ime. Srpsko nacionalno vijece. Cini mi se da se i danas spominje.ÂTako je 30.09.1990. to 'Srpsko nacionalno vijece', na osnovu plebiscita, svih onih koji su za misljenje bili pitani, proglasilo 'srpsku autonomiju'. Radja se nova srpska demokracija u Hrvatskoj pa su vec 03.10. 1990. blokirani su svi cestovni prilazi prema Kninu, a obustavljen je i zeljeznicki saobracaj. Kao u filmu o Pancu Vili.ÂDobro reziran film. 01.02.1991. Jedanaest zastupnika Sabora Republike Hrvatske, sabornici srpske nacionalnosti iz Dalmacije, Like, Korduna, Banije i Slavonije napustilo je Sabor RH. ÂÂVec 11.02.1991. u Kninu je odluceno da ce se mijenjati imena ulica. Predlozeno je da se glavna Ulica marsala Tita zove Ulica kralja Petra Prvog Oslobodioca. Zasmetao im je Tito pa je i njega kao navodnog Hrvata trebalo protjerati iz Knina. Cudno kako takozvani antifasisti nisu u tome prepoznali ono sto je odmah trebalo prepoznati. Neki nisu ni do danas, ili takovi antifasisti iz nekih samo njima poznatih razloga ne mogu prepoznati fasizam, etnicko ciscenje i zlocin. Pa da, mnogi su antifasisti zapoceli svoju partizansku karijeru kao cetnici do 1943, 1944. ili 1945. ÂSrpsko nacionalno vijece i Izvrsno vijece SAO Krajine (koje, zacudo, vise ne postoji) 28.02.1991. u Kninu, usvaja svoju Rezoluciju o razdruzivanju Republike Hrvatske i SAO Krajine, koja ostaje u drzavi Jugoslaviji. Pocinju i sukobi pa se 31.03.1991. specijalci MUPa i srpski teroristi sukobljavaju na Plitvicama. Bilo je tu i Borovo. Po svemu sudeci Hrvatska se trebala pomiriti s time da naoruzani teroristi ubijaju hrvatske policajce. ÂTek je 2-3 mjeseca kasnije 19.05.1991. u Hrvatskoj odrzan referendum o odcjepljenju Hrvatske od Jugoslavije pa su 25.06. Hrvatska i Slovenija proglasile potpunu drzavnu nezavisnost. Opet su hrvatski Srbi bili vidoviti i tocno predvidjeli sto ce se dogoditi.Â20.08.1991. takozvana Vlada takozvane SAO Krajine donijela je takozvanu Odluku da se uspostavi jedinstven sistem TO Krajine, kao dijela oruzanih snaga SFRJ. Time otpada i posljednja mogucnost odrzanja bilo kakve pa i labave konfederalne veze sa drzavom Jugoslavijom. Ustavom iz 1974. samo su republike dobile pravo na odcjepljenje, ali ne i samoproglaseni dijelovi republika. Neki su, dakle, vec tada krsili i Ustav SFRJ kojoj su zeljeli pripadati, ali optuzujuci druge za krsenje ustava i razbijanje Jugoslavije. Prisjetimo se autonomije Kosova i scenarija kako se autonomija ukida.ÂNakon tog bezvlasca 08.10.1991. Sabor je Hrvatske konacno donio Odluku o raskidu drzavotvorne veze s Jugoslavijom i proglasio potpunu drzavnu samostalnost Republike Hrvatske. Zgodno, a sada, petnaest godina kasnije prijateljska Europa kojoj toliko tezimo gura nas u nove unije i Cefte sa Srbijom i Crnom Gorom.ÂPovijest svijeta ima samo jedan Vukovar, grad koji se sistematski rusio pred ocima demokratskog svijeta. 18.11.1991. Poslije herojske obrane i visemjesecnih borbi, nadmocne agresorske jedinice JNA zauzele su hrvatski grad Vukovar i pocele ciniti ratne zlocine. Smaknuca civila na koje svijet ostaje prakticki nijem. Jugoslavija je vec tada mrtva, Jugo vojska ignorira predsjednistvo SFRJ, svog vrhovnog zapovjednika, pa 05.12.1991. Hrvatski Sabor opoziva predsjednika Stjepana Mesica iz Predsjednistva Jugoslavije. Postavlja se pitanje zbog cega su vojne vlasti Jugoslavije izvrsile drzavni odnosno vojni udar i odbile poslusnost svom “vrhovnom komandantu”, predsjednistvu Jugoslavije, te zbog cega, kada je to bilo uoceno predsjednik Mesic nije odmah opozvan iz Beograda. Cemu smo se nadali? Jesmo li previse vjerovali tom demokratskom svijetu?ÂÂA ja se naivno cudim kako taj demokratski svijet nije reagirao zbog Vukovara, Dubrovnika...., ÂÂHrvatska postaje medjunarodno priznata drzava koja time dobiva legalno pravo odbrane svojih teritorija od agresije druge drzave. Tako je 23.12.1991. Savezna Republika Njemacka priznala Sloveniju i Hrvatsku. Vec je 13.01.1992. Vatikan priznao Hrvatsku i Sloveniju, a 15.01.1992. Evropska je Zajednica priznala Sloveniju i Hrvatsku. Napokon 07.04.1992. i USA je priznala Sloveniju, Hrvatsku, Bosnu i Hercegovinu. Jugoslavije definitivno vise nema, ali to izgleda nije bio razlog da se okupacijska vojska povuce iz medjunarodno priznate drzave Hrvatske. Dakako i Bosne i Hercegovine.ÂÂ28.04.1992. Proglasena je i Savezna Republika Jugoslavija. Dakle, vojska koja je ratovala u Hrvatskoj nije vise bila takozvana JNA vec se radilo samo o slijednici JNA, okupatorskoj vojsci Savezne Republike Jugoslavije koja jest pocinila i nastavila agresiju te je odgovorna kako za vojni udar u SFRJ i raspad Jugoslavije tako i za krvave zlocine i nastalu ratnu stetu pocinjenu Hrvatskoj. Proglasena Savezna Republika Jugoslavija je prigrlila tu zlocinacku vojsku i sve vrijeme podrzavala i pomagala teroriste i terorizam u medjunarodno priznatoj drzavi Hrvatskoj. Vise nema dileme je li rijec o vojnom udaru, gradjanskom ratu ili pak medjunarodnom sukobu u koji su ukljucene clanice Ujedinjenih Naroda. ÂÂ23.05. 1992. Slovenija, Hrvatska, Bosna Hercegovina primljene u clanstvo UN. Unatoc tome UN nije zastitio Hrvatsku od okupacijske vojske druge drzave i teroristickih jedinica takozvane Republike Srpske Krajine. Naprotiv, nastavila se primjenjivati Rezolucija 713. Savjeta sigurnosti izglasana 25.09.1991. kojom je uveden embargo na isporuku oruzja za podrucje bivse Jugoslavije. Time je Hrvatskoj kao jedinoj clanici u povijesti Ujedinjenih Naroda uskraceno legitimno pravo na obranu svoje zemlje od agresije. Hrvatska je za razliku od okupatora bila slabo naoruzana i trebalo je ukinuti embargo na oruzje kako bi se izbjegla logicna i moguca optuzba za podrzavanje te agresije od strane UN-a. Unatoc poznatim zlocinima koje su Srbi pocinili UN to nije ucinio. Embargo ostaje. Ipak, priznavanje Hrvatske neosporna je potvrda da je rijec o medjunarodnom sukobu. To isto Vijece Sigurnosti je vec 22.02.1993. usvojilo Rezoluciju 808. i osnovalo takozvani 'Haaski tribunal' kojim se pomalo zamagljuju razlike izmedju toga tko je bio agresor, a tko zrtva. Sve se stavlja pod isti sesir cirkuskog klauna. I zlocinac i zrtva. Povijesna cinjenica o opravdanosti obrambenog rata dovodi se u pitanje, a time i sam smisao postojanja mirotvornog UN-a, a u isti kontekst stavljaju zlocini pocinjeni u obrambenom i pravednom ratu sa zlocinima pocinjenim u agresiji na drugu suverenu drzavu. Kukavnog li morala. Sud je osnovan ali Rezolucija glede embarga na oruzje ostaje na snazi. Vojska Savezne Republike Jugoslavije potmognuta dobrovoljcima iz Srbije, raznim Arkanovcima, Seseljevcima i teroristickim jedinicama lokalnih Srba i dalje razaraju suverenu drzavu kojoj je UN zabranio naoruzavanje pa i time mogucnost odbrane svog teritorija i ljudskih zivota. Virovitica, Karlovac, Karlobag i sve se zna i nista ne poduzima. Presedan i mrlja koju se ne moze oprati, u povijesti UN-a. Definitivno, to je produzilo stradanja Hrvatske i otegnulo rat u nedogled. Upravo je neshvatljivo kako se je Hrvatska u takovim okolnostima uopce uspjela obraniti i osloboditi. Nisu joj dali sansu, ali je uspjela uz strahovite gubitke.ÂÂ04.11.1992. Hrvatski sabor usvojio Zakon o zastiti Republike Hrvatske od teroristickih aktivnosti. Svijet ne reagira jer terorizam jest zlo ali za Hrvatsku vrijede nekakva drugacija pravila. Lopov je onaj koji krade, ali jednako i onaj koji drzi ljestve.Â01. 12.1992. Na dijelu 'suverenog' teritorija clanice UN i medjunarodno priznate drzave Republike Hrvatske 'zvanicno' je formirana i takozvana Srpska vojska Krajine, prevedeno u pravni kontekst –teroristicka vojska. Za demokratski svijet i novi svjetski poredak je i to sve, mislim terorizam, normalnaq pojava jer se dogadja u Hrvatskoj, a ne u njihovim zemljama. ÂUnatoc svemu Hrvatska trazi miroljubivo rjesenje spora, pa je 14.06.1994. u Kninu boravio Piter Galbrajt i ponudio pobunjenim Srbima takozvane RSK ogranicenu autonomiju, sto je rukovodstvo RSK glatko odbilo. Hrvoje Sarinic 03.11.1994. u Kninu pregovora sa Milanom Marticem, Milanom Babicem, Borislavom Mikelicem i generalom Milom Novakovicem koji ce u povijest uci kao general koji je u panicnom bijegu od 'Oluje' tenkovima pregazio kolonu srpskih izbjeglica. Bez rezultata. Vec 08.11.1994. u Zagrebu se ponovo pregovara i to sa hrvatske strane: Sarinic, Moric, Pasalic, Olujic, Mrsic i Stipetic, a sa pobunjenicke srpske strane: Mikelic, Petrovic, Draca, Kricka i Jaksic. ÂÂSvijet ne zna kako bi zadovoljio srpske zelje i nagradio agresiju na RH pa se 30.01.1995 u Kninu pobunjenim Srbima nudi vise nego velikodusan 'Plan Z-4' kojim bi oni dobili ogromnu autonomiju ali bi jedino koristili valutu koju izdaje NB Hrvatske, a sve bi ostalo bila drzava u drzavi pa bi imali svoje krajinske granice gdje je po popisu stanovnistva iz 1991. bila srpska vecina, pravo na biranje svoga krajinskog predsjednika na 5 godina, potpuno samostalno krajinsko sudstvo, krajinska ministarstva i ministre, pravo na ekonomsko vezanje za druge drzave. Hrvatska bi tim planom bila prisiljena priznavati krajiske zakone, Srbi bi imali pravo na upotrebu srpskog jezika i cirilice, zastavu i grb Krajine, Krajisnici ne bi sluzili hrvatsku vojsku.... Sve to je u suprotnosti sa ustavom Hrvatske, ali bi oni to bili dobili da su to zeljeli. Takvim Planom Z-4 Krajina bi prakticki postala drzava i s vremenom, vjerojatno samostalna i medjunarodno priznata drzava. Ni takav plan nije bio Srbima prihvatljiv iako bi bio poguban za Hrvatsku. Doista je tesko razumjeti sto bi ih zadovoljilo. Bio bi to kraj Hrvatske kakvu poznajemo. Krajinska je neumjerenost i glupost bila sreca za Hrvatsku koja je bila spremna i na takav kompromis kako bi se sprijecilo novo krvoprolice. ÂPregovori opet ne daju nikakve rezultate pa tri mjeseca nakon Z-4, 01.05.1995. U 5,30 sati pocinje oslobadjanje hrvatske konkretno Zapadne Slavonije, pod nazivom "Bljesak". Hrvatska vojska cini nemoguce, pobjedjuje. Ovoga puta krajinski Srbi nisu bili vidoviti kao mnogo puta do tada. Planirani plan pocinje odstupati od planiranog puta. Nedugo nakon toga SRJ pocinje masovnu mobilizaciju Srba krajiskog porijekla pa je njih vise tisuca ukljuceno u Vojsku RSK. 'Protjerani' Krajisnici vraceni su u 'Krajinu'. Da li se izbjeglice iz druge drzave smiju prisilno vratiti u rat? Ne ugrozava li se time njihov zivot?ÂÂ03.07.1995. Takozvani je predsjednik takozvane RSK Milan Martic, bivsi policajac, a sada poznatiji kao Haaski optuzenik, primio u Kninu Karla Bilta i Torvalda Stoltemberga koji pokusavaju spasiti sto se spasiti dade. Martic jednostavno nije mogao shvatiti o cemu mu govore. Glupost i bahatost Martica nemaju razumnu mjeru.ÂÂ04.08.1995 u 5 sati Hrvatska vojska nastavlja sa oslobodilackom akcijom pod sifrom "Oluja". Velicanstvena Oluja. Hrvatski predsjednik Franjo Tudjman uputio poziv Srbima da se predaju i ostanu u svojim domovima. Milan Martic je nasuprot tome potpisao akt o povlacenju iz RSK i naredio evakuaciju stanovnistva. Srbi su Martica poslusali. Opet dobro reziran film ciji reziser nije mogao, uz svoje skromne mogucnosti, biti 'predsjednik' Martic. Unatoc tome sto takav dokument postoji hrvatsku se drzavu u Haagu optuzuje za planirano etnicko ciscenje. Suludo i zlobno. Cak i tamo prisutni duznosnici UN-a svjedoce o tome da je evakuacija bila planirana i stanovnistvo spremno na nju nekoliko dana ranije, no to ne sprecava glavnu tuziteljicu da optuzi hrvatske zapovjednike za 'zlocinacki pothvat' i planirano etnicko ciscenje nehrvatskog stanovnistva. Nikakvo cudo kad je Savo Strbac, tajnik fantomske RSK, njen suradnik. Doista zna birati suradnike. Pa zar nije nedavno kod Pape trazila izrucenje generala Gotovine?ÂÂDa li bi Vi cekali dolazak onih koje ste protjerali, opljackali i kojima ste ubijali rodbinu. I u najdemokratskijim zemljama svijeta terorizam i oruzana pobuna strogo se kaznjava. ÂÂPrije je, cini mi se, zlocinacki pothvat onemogucavanje napadnutog da se brani i obrani. Puno prije. Embargo na oruzje nenaoruzanom a napadnutom. ÂNakon propasti fantomske RSK vec 09.08.1995. u Beogradu biva odrzan miting podrske RSK. Govorili su, mozete pretpostaviti, Antilohije Radovic i Vojislav Kostunica, danas veliki pravednik i demokrat, a uz to sadasnji hrvatski prijatelj i buduci europski partner. U to isto vrijeme nedaleko od Gline potpisana je i predaja 21. kordunaskog korpusa. Dokument su potpisali: hrvatski general Petar Stipetic, ministar unutrasnjih poslova RSK Toso Pajic, pukovnik Cedo Bulat, komandant Kordunaskog korpusa i potpukovnik Dragan Kovacic, komandant 11. kordunaske brigade.ÂCudna je podudarnost, i malo je poznato, to sto je dan kasnije 10.08.1995. Boris Jeljcin primio Slobodana Milosevica u Moskvi. Tako barem na svojim WWW stranicama tvrdi Savo Strbac, bivsi duznosnik 'Krajine', i sadasnji suradnik Haaga. Nista se, srecom, nije dogodilo, a moglo je. ÂI tako 12.11.1995. dolazi mir na ove nevinom krvlju natopljene prostore. U Erdutu je potpisan Osnovni sporazum o Oblasti Istocne Slavonije, Baranje i Zapadnog Srijema koji su potpisali Hrvoje Sarinic i Milan Milanovic, a kao svjedoci Piter Galbrajt, ambasador SAD u Hrvatskoj i Torvald Stoltemberg, posrednik Ujedinjenih nacija. ÂÂMozda je usporedbom broja zrtava moguce utvrditi tko je pocinio zlocin i tko je na pameti imao 'zlocinacki pothvat' te tko je planirano i ciljano ubijao civile. Hrvatskih je civila ubijeno trostruko vise nego srpskih. Hrvatski su gradovi i civilni ciljevi sistematski bombardirani i raketirani pa to nije nikakvo cudo, ali doista jest cudo da demokratski svijet to nije primijetio i stao u zastitu neduznih hrvatskih civila. Za navodno jesu. Barem da su dozvolili da se zrtva naoruza i brani. Takodjer je vidljivo koliko je slabo naoruzanih bojovnika poginulo za oslobodjenje svoje domovine. Nije to bila onda bas prava Pirova pobjeda ali bez sumnje Hrvatska je sloboda skupo placena. A hrvatski se branitelji sami ubijaju i leze u kazamatama svjetske pravde. Mozda i jest Pirova pobjeda.ÂÂÂPogledajmo statistiku: ÂCitiram podatke 'Veritasa' i Save Strbca koji kaze: 'Veritas je do sada (februar 2004. godine) verifikovao 6.780 poginulih i nestalih lica sa podrucja RH i bivse RSK, uglavnom srpske nacionalnosti (jedan manji broj su drugih nacionalnosti, a zivjeli su ili ratovali sa Srbima u RSK)'. ÂMedu njima je prema podacima Veritasa:ÂÂ5.837 (86%) muskaraca iÂ943 (14%) zena;ÂÂOdnosno:ÂÂ2.344 (35%) civila,Â4.142 (61%) vojnika,Â182 (3%) policajaca iÂ92 (1%) nepoznatog statusa.ÂÂZavrseno citiranje podataka 'Veritasa'.ÂÂCitiram prilog 'Vjesnika' glede 'Oluje' i doista mogu pohvaliti veliki trud koji je ulozen da se takav prilog sastavi. Podatci su iznenadjujuci.Â8147 poginulih hrvatskih braniteljaÂ6605 poginulih hrvatskih civilaÂ1218 nestalih hrvatskih branitelja i civilaÂÂDa sumiramo planirani zlocinacki poduhvat:ÂDakle ukupno 15970 poginulih i nestalih na hrvatskoj straniÂUkupno 6222 poginulih pripadnika vojske 'Krajine' i njenih civila (tvrdi Veritas)ÂÂUkratko receno na jednog poginulog sa srpske strane dolaze dva i pol poginula sa hrvatske strane. Skoro tri puta vise. Glede pokazatelja cinjenja zlocina nad civilnim stanovnistvom dovoljno govori podatak sto je broj svih poginulih sa srpske "krajinske" strane (6222), ukupno srpskih civila i vojnika 'krajine' manji od broja poginulih hrvatskih civila (6605). Dakle vise je poginulo i ubijeno hrvatskih civila nego sto je ukupan broj svih stradalih, i vojnika i civila takozvane 'Krajine'. Netko je sistematski tamanio civile, a netko drugi je to mirno gledao.ÂKako je sistematski cinjeno sa srpske strane granatiranje civilnih ciljeva u gradovima broj poginulih civila na hrvatskoj strani je uznemiravajuce velik. Ubijeno je tri puta vise hrvatskih civila. Pa tko je planirao zlocin? Tko nije sprijecio zlocin i zlocince, agresore i teroriste? Kazem uznemiravajuce velik, misleci to sa hrvatskog aspekta, dok sa aspekta medjunarodne zajednice izgleda drugacije pa se kompleks krivnje (i izjednacavanja krivnje) pokusava prebaciti na hrvatsku stranu. Neki cak "Oluju" zele okarakterizirati kao "planirani zlocinacki poduhvat" ili "zlocinacku organizaciju". Napad je najbolja obrana. Sram ih bilo. Ljudsko bice ima svoj obraz, a ne stotinu obraza i kriterija.ÂÂMedjunarodnu zajednicu nije uzbudjivalo ni etnicko ciscenje Hrvata koje su provodili Srbi planirano na pocetku rata, ali ih strasno zabrinjavaju srpske izbjeglice. Akcija ih nije uopce zanimala, ali reakcija -jest. Napad ih nije zabrinjavao, ali obrana suvereniteta Hrvatske -jest. Tko je otkrio magicnu formulu etnickog ciscenja i tko ga je pri tome podrzavao? Neki doista imaju dva lica, neki stotinu. ÂÂVidljiva razlika postoji i na dokumentarnom materijalu iz kojeg je vidljivo da su Hrvati koji su prognani sa svojih ognjista odlazili pjesice sa najlonom u ruci u 'pratnji' oklopnih vozila 'Jugovojske', a Srbi su 'proterani' skupa sa svojim traktorima, vozilima i imovinom u pratnji Americkog veleposlanika. ÂNije to ipak isto, gospodo. Onaj tko je protjeran s najlonom i onaj tko je 'proteran' s traktorom, koji je mozda nekoc i bio u vlasnistvu upravo onoga koji je prije otisao iz svog doma jedino s najlonom u ruci. Hrvati su pjesacili, Srbi nisu 'pesacili'. Pitam se da li se hrvatske vlasti boje reci da smo zrtve agresije i da je civilizirani svijet dokazivao svoju civiliziranost i mirotvorstvo upravo mirnim promatranjem zlocina. ÂÂKako li su Srbi dobili informaciju o pocetku akcije 'Oluja' pa su masovno poceli napustati 'Krajinu' poneki i prije pocetaka ratnog djelovanja Hrvatske Vojske - nije poznato. Kako su to Srbi, i neduzni civili i krajinski teroristi, bili spremni da budu 'proterani' i prije nego sto su dosli u kontakt sa hrvatskim braniteljima. Pa tko ih je poceo tjerati prije nego sto su Hrvati i pristigli. Valjda je ipak uzrok tome nalog za evakuaciju 'predsjednika' Martica.ÂStrasan je osjecaj kada ljudi prisilno napustaju svoje domove bez obzira da li 'beze' ili bjeze. To je isto i jednako grozno. Odlazili su sa suzama u ocima. A jesu li imali takovu tugu u ocima kada su protjerali sa najlonskim vrecicama svoje dotadasnje prijatelje i 'komsije' koji nisu sa sobom odnosili svoju imovinu traktorima koje su im vec bili otudjili, to samo znaju oni koji su i tada tugovali. Zlo je zlo i nazalost vraca se zlom, pa ne cini drugima ono sto ne zelis da ti se dogodi.ÂÂValjda svijet slabo vidi i sebe i druge. Pomracina? ÂÂI danas se ti naredbom za evakuaciju 'proterani' Srbi vracaju iz Srbije upravo onako kako su oni iz 'Krajine' otjerali Hrvate. Bez igdje icega, sa najlonom u ruci. Jedino sto ih dovoze autobusima. Ostali su tamo njihovi (i ne njihovi) traktori, kola, kamioni, auti, motocikli, autobusi, mrtvacki kovcezi, imovina, snovi i nada. Puka bijeda koju Hrvatska mora zbrinuti i nahraniti.ÂÂVjerojatno nas proglasavaju 'zlocinackim pothvatom' jer smo najprije morali zbrinuti protjerane Hrvate iz takozvane Krajine, pa Hrvate iz BIH i takozvane Republike Srpske, pa nakon toga i Bosnjake muslimane, i sada na kraju Srbe koji se bez igdje icega vracaju kuci. Stvarno dobro planirani 'zlocinacki pothvat' je zbrinjavanje milijuna izbjeglica koji su Hrvatsku vec ratom unistenu dodatno ekonomski iscrpili. Doslovno, tko tebe kamenom ti njega kruhom. Nikada nisam cuo da je zrtva agresije optuzena da planirala agresiju i zlocinacki poduhvat. Kao da je Hrvatska napala Srbiju na njenom teritoriju. Zlocinacki pothvat je kroz povijest civilizacije uvijek planirao agresor, a nikada zrtva. A onda je dosla Carla del Ponte i pocela razmisljati svojom glavom. Najgore i najjadnije od svega je poltronstvo onih Hrvata koji su spremni ta njena razmisljanja bez razmisljanja prihvatiti. Evandjelje po Judi. ÂÂkap. Darko Belovic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 17 May 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6958/1/H-Paolo-Sfeci-A-sto-je-decki-s-ostatkom-trzista-minornih-95.html ÂA sto je decki s ostatkom trzista, minornih 95%ÂPaolo SfeciProcitao sam u Jutarnjem lamentacije Aleksandra Dragasa i Ilka culica o turbo- folku. Naravno da se slazem da je to atomski otpad koji bi trebalo potpadati pod zakone o ekologiji i zastiti okolisa, ali mislim da su i Dragas i culic potpuno krivo detektirali uzroke i krivce proboja te glazbe u Hrvatsku. Naime, po meni je za sadasnju situaciju vise kriva iskljucivost tipova poput Dragasa i culica i njihovo agresivno nametanje samo jedne (vlastite) estetike nego Skoro, Thompson, Huljic i Urlicicka zajedno. Prije nego me odmah posaljete u p.m. probajte procitati do kraja. Dakle, glazba je proizvod ljudskog uma prvenstveno zamisljen da zabavi ljude. Mozarta je u svoje vrijeme placao kralj da ga zabavlja, Bach je u stvari bio slager, narodna glazba je sluzila da ljudi pjevaju i plesu kolo oko vatre, swing je bio plesna glazba, rock je poceo kao nesto uz sto se moze drmati i cagati. Svaka od tih vrsta glazbe se razvijala u raznim smjerovima a neki od tih smjerova se polako pretvarao u (manje ili vise) uglednu umjetnost i s plesnih podija selila u koncertne dvorane. I tu dolazimo do problema. Ako izuzmemo par posto ljudi u Hrvatskoj koja uziva slusajuci klasiku, jazz, sansonu, rap, hip hop, house, trance, acid i sve one stotine podvrsta kojima normalan covjek vise ne moze (a i ne zeli) zapamtiti imena, sto cemo s onih 4 milijuna Hrvata u zemlji i jos toliko u dijaspori kojima je ta glazba totalni gnjavez, kojima je glazba samo zabava i nesto sasvim usputno i ne tako vazno u zivotu. Valjda bi sve te milijune ljudi ciji se ukus ne poklapa s onim Dragasa i culica trebalo ukrcat na jedan veliki brod i potopit na sred Jadrana. Kad zbrojimo koliko u Hrvatskoj ima nepismenih, polupismenih, neobrazovanih.....pa onda onih kojima glazba sluzi kao povremena kulisa za svadbe i sprovode, izlaske subotom, pjevanje i plesanje uz cugu, ili kulisa uz kuhanje rucka, onih koji glazbu nikad nisu pozorno slusali vec je samo registriraju kao ugodu (ili neugodu)- ostaje mozda 5% (mozda sam tu i preoptimistican) publike koja uopce zeli ili moze pratiti ono sto rade Urban ili TBF ili Arsen ili Tamara Obrovac, a kamoli ono sto jos i na stranom jeziku proizvode gomile i gomile bandova o kojima ni ja nikad nista nisam cuo a Dragas iz tjedna u tjedan njima puni dvije stranice jednog po svim kriterijima (osim glazbenih) objektivno poprilicno zutog lista. Budimo realni, za najmanje 99% gradjana Hrvatske (a i za hrvatsku glazbu) jedina uporabna vrijednost onog cime Dragas puni taj dragocjeni medijski prostor potencijalna je mogucnost koristenja kao toalet papira u nedostatku nekog 3-ply ili 4-ply. (Sasvim usput, Nino, koji je tvoj interes kao kapitalistu da godinama placas ljude koji pisu o necemu sto skoro nikog ne zanima)?ÂA sto je decki s ostatkom trzista, minornih 95%. Sto je s onim dijelom pucanstva cije potrebe za glazbom npr. u Americi zadovoljava country (molim pucanstvo da ako zna engleski malo poslusa te tekstove, vecina je kao skinuta s ploce Dzo Maracica- Makija). Ako apsolutno ili gotovo nista od nase zabavne, pop i narodne glazbe ne valja, a po Dragasu i culicu kao 'opinion makerima' to je realnost, i ako svi hrvatski mediji kompletnu tu scenu tretiraju kao (politicki manje ili vise opasno) 'smece', onda je logicno da je nekakav PINK TV jednostavno popunio rupu (jer svaka se rupa na kraju napuni). OK, za potrebe teme i lakseg (spo)razumijevanja i ja cu ovom prigodom koristiti izraz 'smece', ako negdje zaboravim navodnike oni se podrazumijevaju. Postavlja se, dakle, kljucno pitanje: ako znamo da 95% publike voli ili zeli slusati smece je li pametno to uvoziti ili je bolje da ga proizvodimo sami? Kozmopoliti ce vjerovatno zakljuciti da je smece smece i da svejedno da li je vlastite ili tudje proizvodnje, iako sam sasvim siguran (da se s globalne vratimo na mikro razinu) da bi u slucaju krajnje nuzde puno radije kopali po smecu iz vlastitog kucanstva nego po susjedovom. Ali to je stvar gadljivosti, ajmo se vratit zdravorazumskoj ekonomskoj logici koja je sustina kapitalistickog sustava. Dakle, nedvojbeno u zemlji postoji potencijalno ogromno trziste za 'smece', imamo i znatne resurse za njegovu proizvodnju i pritom se ne radi o nikakvoj posebno sofisticiranoj ili jako skupoj tehnologiji. Stvar je elementarne logike da kad prodajemo proizvod baziran na vlastitoj sirovinskoj bazi, ili pojednostavljeno kad se umjesto uvoznog prodaje hrvatsko smece u hrvatskom (pa i stranom) ducanu onda novac ide u hrvatske lisnice, hrvatska zvijezda zaradjuje na koncertima i 'gazama' u zemlji i dijaspori i regiji, ide neka lovica i pratecem bandu, vlasniku razglasa, rasvjete, hrvatskom diskografu, plati se porez u Hrvatskoj, pa onda svi oni trose u hrvatskim ducanima za kruh i mlijeko, pa onda hrvatski proizvodjac kruha i mlijeka dobije placu, i trgovac u ducanu dobije placu pa moze kupiti svojoj obitelji kruh i mlijeko (a djeci mozda i CD Leta 3 ili Hladnog piva), mozda kupi i novine pa onda i culici i Dragasi dobiju placu i mogu kupiti kruh i mlijeko.....to se zove reprodukcijski lanac (gotovo pa i perpetuum mobile). Ekonomisti bi to nazvali i multiplikativnim efektom.U neka vremena kada je 'smece' imalo podrsku medija pa se i prodavalo diskografi su trazili po podrumima hoce li naci nekog mladog talenta da mu objave plocu, riskirali su jer su imali love pa je onda deset novih izvodjaca proslo na trzistu a deset propalo, od onih deset sto je proslo regeneriralo se i smece ali i ono sto i osjetljivi zeluci Dragasa i culica mogu svariti. Placalo se snimanje, spot, pristojna distribucija, marketing....Radili su klubovi, jedan vikend gazu dobije smece, pa drugi, pa treci, ali onda peti vikend eto i malo kulture, bilo je dobro pa moze gazda malo i pusit. I sve se to dogadjalo zahvaljujuci ekstraprofitu nastalom upravo prodajom 'smeca'. OK, sad kad smo nadasve uspjesno sve zatukli, vise smece niti proizvodimo niti prodajemo, a kako potraznja postoji (ponavljam, 95% trzista) normalno da se uvozi iz inozemstva, i to upravo iz bivse Juge jer povijest se uvijek ponavlja kad se ne nauci (iliti Historia est magistra vitae, obratite paznju i vidjet cete da je upravo nevjerovatno kako poslovice daju odgovore na gotovo sva pitanja). U bivsoj Jugi srpski su mediji (pretezno od smeca) stvarali zvijezde, a onda su briljantni i educirani hrvatski fenomenolozi popularne kulture poput Dragasa i culica (samo su se zvali Glavan i Vrdoljak) pisali traktate i s filozofskog stajalista pronicali u bitak. U osamdesetima je ugledni hrvatski list START koji je okupljao cvijet hrvatske inteligencije na celu s urednicima Kuljisem i Pavicem (opet se povijest ponavlja) nekoliko tjedana kroz pero barda hrvatskog novinarstva Darka Hudelista s puno simpatije i razumijevanja pojasnjavao hrvatskoj kulturnoj javnosti fenomen pjevacice kodnog imena Mica Trofrtaljka. U isto vrijeme Valjak u Hrvatskoj nije mogao dobiti naslovnu stranicu iako je punio dvorane i prodavao ploce, ja sam bio u bandu skoro cijele osamdesete i koliko se sjecam nismo imali nijednu (u stvari mozda jednu u STUDIJU kad je nas manager, danas pokojni Skrga, valjda nekom porucio da ce mu prebit noge). Jednostavno nije bilo mjesta od fenomena poput Brena i ostalih Lakih i teskih pingvina....... Bregovic je uvijek radio presicu nakon novog izdanja Dugmeta u Beogradu, nikad u Zagrebu, jer u Beogradu mediji oduvijek postoje da bi stvarali (od smeca) zvijezde a u Zagrebu da bi ih unistavali na braniku sofisticiranosti i srednjeuropskog kulturoloskog naslijedja. Ako su problem Huljici i Urlicicke, kao sto to tvrde Dragas i culic, sto danas kad se Huljic bavi sapunicama, Urlicicke odavno nema, Thompson i Skoro su rezultat vlastite karizme i nacionalnog naboja a ne rezultat sustavnog rada glazbene industrije (uostalom gotovo da ih nema u medijima osim u negativnom kontekstu) je li situacija bolja od one od prije nekoliko godina? Jesu li, Aleksandre i Ilko, odlaskom Huljica u sapunice oni koji su slusali Magazin odmah otisli u ducan kupiti novi hit Leta 3 'Kurcem u celo'? Ako se sutra dekretom ukine Skoro hoce li nevidjeno porasti potraznja za CD-ima s Mozartovom glazbom ili koncertima Zagrebackih solista? A i izjednacavanje Skore i turbo folka, zar nije donedavno bio hrvatski Blasevic i sto se u medjuvremenu dogodilo? Je li vas mozda smeta nacionalni naboj sa zadnje ploce, i je li zabranjeno biti nacionalno nabijen (sto cemo onda s Springsteenom)? cak i ovakvi glazbeni fasisti bi trebali imati toliko ljudskog postenja da priznaju razliku izmedju obicnog 'smeca' i atomskog otpada. A gdje je uostalom ta linija prihvatljive estetike koju brane Dragasi i culici, gdje je (sto kaze jedan moj prijatelj) nula na toplomjeru? culic godinama hracka po Gibonniju kao da je njegov ogroman uspjeh nesto najgore sto se uopce moglo dogoditi hrvatskoj glazbi. Ne samo da proglasava neukim idiotima one desetke tisuca ljudi koji kupuju Gibonnijeve ploce, vec i 1000 glasaca PORIN-a koji mu u ime struke dodjeluju nagrade. (U nastavku hipotetski ali sasvim moguci visokoumni dijalog Dragas- culic): 'Joj jebote, pa i taj PORIN, ima tu strasnih greski, se secas ono 1848. nisu trebali Gustafi bit debitanti, a i 1864. je Urban trebal bit nominiran za rock album a ne za alternativni album..... A i glasacko tijelo, pa to nis nevalja, si videl, jebote, LET 3 158 nominacija, TBF 235, Edo Maajka 497, Hladno pivo 654, ali jednu je dobil i Skoro, doduse ni dobil PORIN-a ali vec i nominacija je totalna kontaminacija...pa to je, jebote potpuno zgubilo dignitet............'.Sve sami povijesno vazni razlozi da se o PORIN-u napise sve najgore prije, a onda nis dobro poslije. Oni koji sviraju 'smece' ne vole PORIN jer ga ne dobiju, oni koji su 'urbani' ne vole PORIN jer je on zgubil dignitet (kao da stvaranje i rusenje digniteta nema veze upravo s vasim poslom, Dragas i culic). Onda Dragas napise u osvrtu koncerta Hladnog piva u Domu sportova da su tim koncertom Parni valjak i Prljavo kazaliste definitivno otpravljeni u ropotarnicu povijesti! Dva najveca banda koje smo ikad imali, trideset godina karijere i investiranja u 'brand', dobre, solidne i odlicne pjesme koje zna i pjeva nekoliko generacija ljudi, puno prodanih ploca, puno prodanih ulaznica, vrhunska produkcija, razglas, rasvjeta, odlicni muzicari, gomila obitelji koje od njih zive......sve to salje Aleksandar u ropotarnicu povijesti. Siguran sam da decki iz Piva ne bi neko slicno sranje napisali, znaju oni koliko kilometara u guzici treba da se postane velik, a koliko da se postane legendarno velik. Ej, Dragas, gdje je ta nula na toplomjeru? Tijelo da bi zivjelo mora imati i mozak i jetru i bubreg i crijeva i bar pokoji ud, a kad rezes odmah ispod glave gdje rezete ti i culic onda krepa sve i niti mozak vise ne radi. To zna svaka budala. I ta logika da moras nekog poniziti da bi se nekog drugog uzvisilo, koja je korist od takvog pristupa. Eto, Valjak je sad u ropotarnici povijesti pa je li nam scena zbog toga bolja, je li netko popunio tu prazninu (i financijsku i produkcijsku). Decki, GIBONNI, VALJAK I KAZALISTE SU U OVOJ ZEMLJI TESKA I VISOKA KULTURA, na njih se umjesto onih 5% zakaci mozda jos 10 ili 15% publike koja se polako navikava na drukciji zvuk, pa ce postepeno jednog dana mozda moci slusat i Pivo, mic po mic, ne revolucija nego evolucija jer se iz prvog osnovne ne ide u treci, a iz treceg na zadnju godinu faksa.Hrvatska je zemlja seljaka na brdovitom Balkanu, treba seljaka samo educirati pa ce seljak nakon oranja sici s traktora, skinut blatne cipele, najesti se graha i kupusa a onda se uz vrhunski hi-fi lijepo opustit uz novi CD Nick Cave-a. To je plemenita zivotna misija raznih Dragasa i culica. Ej, jebote, koji uzalud potraceni zivoti. ovo je clanak Paola Sfecija na www.vip.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6959/1/E-EU-expansion-privileged-partnership-not-membership.html ÂEU expansion privileged partnership, not membershipDear all,The Germans are now mooting 'privileged partnership' rather than membership for the so-called Western Balkans, which includes Croatia. This could be something along the lines of what is discussed for Turkey and Ukraine. (see article below)Both Germany and France are keen to work on internal EU matters rather than expansion, seeing expansion as secondary to ironing out the EU's problems.The European Parliament is also questioning enlargement, with a report due this year about the EU's "absorption capacity" for new states. (see second article below)Sorry to be banging this drum for nearly a decade, but it's about time the EU stops stringing Croatia along, and about time for Croatia to get serious about development regardless of EU membership.regardsSanjaMerkel moots 'privileged partnership' for Balkans17.03.2006 - 13:49 CET | By Ekrem Krasniqi and Mark BeundermanGerman chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested a "privileged partnership" for the western Balkan states as an option for closer ties with the EU, raising doubts over Berlin's commitment to full membership for the region.Ms Merkel made her comments at a press conference after meeting Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa in Berlin on Wednesday (15 March), DTT-NET.COM reports.Asked whether the western Balkans' "European perspective" could also mean something less than full membership, she said "from my side I would like to say that we should not avoid the term âprivileged partnershipâ." Ms Merkel's statement represents the first public statement by an EU leader of a loose partnership option for the region, an option that so far has only been mooted for states like Turkey and Ukraine. It also came just days after member states struggled to find common wording for their aims towards the region after a meeting of foreign ministers last week.In the end, the words "EU membership as ultimate goal" were only included after strong pressure from the Balkan states. Ms Merkel said "I think the question of full membership should not be the next question at all, it is rather about political stabilisation, for which Europe should feel responsible." "Political stabilisation can of course never mean 'never full membership', but (...) other steps are more important now," she added. Wobbly message But although Ms Merkel did not rule out eventual full membership, her use of the term "privileged partnership" is likely to cause concern in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo.The term has been frequently used by Ms Merkel and other politicians for Turkey and Ukraine as an alternative to full accession. For it part, the European Commission is urging member states to stay true to their Balkan commitments. EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn urged member states not to "go wobbly" on the goal of full EU membership for western Balkan states, just as the region enters a difficult period of talks on Kosovoâs future status. EU leaders promised western Balkan countries that they "will become an integral part of the EU, once they meet the established criteria" at a meeting in Thessaloniki in 2003. Berlin and Paris: deepening first However, Germany has now joined France in saying that the union should first sort out its internal institutional problems before expanding further. Ms Merkel said that "without a constitutional treaty, in which institutional reforms are also anchored, enlargement of the European Union is hardly imaginable." The remark echoes similar statements from Paris. Dominique de Villepin, the French prime minister, said in January that "Europe has no vocation to enlarge indefinitely." "A balance has to be found between widening and deepening and now the priority lies with deepening," the French politician stated.  2006 EUobserver, All rights reserved*****MEPs set to issue warning over EU enlargement15.03.2006 - 10:16 CET | By Teresa KÃchlerMEPs in Strasbourg are set to adopt a report criticising the limitless expansion of the European Union and urging member states to take the EU's absorption capacity fully into account before taking on more countries.A report by German Conservative MEP Elmar Brok, to be debated in Strasbourg plenary session on Wednesday (15 March), urges the commission to meet with the "legitimate concerns of the European public regarding European enlargement and integration" The commission should submit a report by the end of this year setting out the principles defining the EU's absorption capacity, the report states. The report is a parliament response to a commission enlargement strategy paper from last year, and it is expected to be adopted by MEPs in Strasbourg.Mr Brok writes that "the stalemate in the ratification of the European constitution is preventing the EU from enhancing its absorption capacity", and reminds that EU member states must, before taking a final decision on new countries joining the union, ensure that adequate budgetary resources are available to allow the proper financing of the Union's policies in these countries. If necessary, the commission should propose an alternative close relationship to all European countries which currently have no recognised "membership perspective"- a clear signal to Ukraine, notes Le Figaro. Mr Brok also urges the EU to take into account the aspiring new member stateâs ability to protect their minorities, saying an UN special envoy has described inter-ethnic relations in Kosovo, especially with regard to Serbs and Roma, as "grim".While EU foreign ministers at a meeting in the Austrian city of Salzburg over the weekend underlined that the Balkan countries were destined to enter the EU, the parliament warns member states of making promises they cannot keep. In an annex of the report, German Socialist MEPs Klaus Hansch and Bernhard Rapkoy, estimate that it is "impossible" to integrate the former Yugoslavian states as long as there are EU soldiers stationed there. As for Turkey, the report welcomes the country's recent decision not to prosecute Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, but denounces the further prosecution of others for the non-violent expression of their opinion.  2006 EUobserver, All rights reserved letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 21 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6961/1/E-British-Foreign-Office-has-pursued-a-policy-consistently-hostile-to-Croatia.html ÂThe British Foreign Office has pursued a policy consistently favorable to Belgrade and hostile to Croatia and BosniaThe American SpectatorMarch 2006The railroading of a former U.S. ally.America, The Hague, and Ante GotovinaRobin HarrisTHE CHARGES AGAINST GOTOVINA are baselessÂGREAT POWERS LIKE AMERICA CANNOT AFFORD to be too sentimental about foreign friends whose purpose has been served. But sometimes it pays to keep faith with individuals who collaborate successfully in one's policy goals. This is particularly so when those concerned know the inside story of U.S. covert activity and when their fate sets a precedent that jeopardizes U.S. personnel. Such is the case of the former Croatian General Ante Gotovina, arrested in Tenerife in December for alleged war crimes and now in prison at The Hague.Gotovina's arrest was widely welcomed. Even the Croatian government was delighted, since the failure to apprehend him had served as a reason, or excuse, to delay Croatian membership of the European Union. He had been on the run since 2001, when he was first indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Aptly for a man whose name translates as "Tony Cash," Ante Gotovina had a high price on his head -- $5 million from the U.S. State Department alone.Gotovina was made for the role of international ogre. At different times a French legionary, soldier of fortune in South America, "muscle" in the political underworld of Paris, he was the kind of shady swashbuckler that the world of NGOs, diplomats, and international lawyers loves to hate. Gotovina was also no fool. He had a shrewd idea that he would never gain a fair trial. So he disappeared. Or more precisely he "appeared" wherever it was convenient to locate him. The ICTY chief prosecutor,Carla Del Ponte, claimed that she "knew" he was in Croatia. In September 2005, she also knew that the Vatican "knew" exactly which Croatian monastery he was in. This turned out to be completely wrong. When he was arrested three months later, Gotovina's passports revealed that he had been in Tahiti, Argentina, Chile, China, Russia, the Czech Republic, Mauritania, and Mauritius, but not Croatia. By now, though, Gotovina was notorious. His name was uttered in the same breath as those of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. But unlike the butchers of Sarajevo and Srebrenica, Gotovina is not accused of ordering anyone's murder, let alone genocide. The military operation, "Storm," conducted by Croatia in early August 1995 to recover territory, the so-called Serb Republic of Krajina (SRK), occupied by rebel Serbs supported by Belgrade, was an act not of aggression but of self-defense. The indictment mentions 150 Serb civilians as having died. These deaths were caused by Croat civilians bent on revenge, while Croatian police did nothing to help. That was, indeed, shameful. But it happened after the conclusion of the military campaign, not during it. Responsibility for maintaining order had been formally transferred by the Croatian government from the military to the civil authorities. Gotovina himself was no longer even in the area. He had joined Muslim and Croat forces in the continuing campaign within Bosnia. Despite these facts, which are not contested, Gotovina is now accused by the court of a series of crimes which could result in his lengthy incarceration. The explanation lies in the opening section of the indictment. This describes Operation "Storm" as part of a "joint criminal enterprise, the common purpose of which was the forcible and permanent removal of the Serb population from the Krajina region." The question, though, is: If "Storm" was indeed a "criminal enterprise," were high officials of the United States not also morally, and even criminally, culpable? IN FACT, EVEN TO POSE THE QUESTION exposes the foolishness and injustice of the case. The United States does not participate in or close its eyes to war crimes. Yet the U.S. certainly encouraged, assisted, and monitored "Storm" at every stage. The various accounts of what happened --official and unofficial -- make that crystal clear. The CIA knew what was happening, because it had provided the intelligence and technical support to make it happen. The Pentagon knew, because approved U.S. military advisers were involved. The White House and the State Department knew, because since the previous year's Washington Agreement it had been U.S. policy to create a Croatian-Bosnian military alliance to roll back Serb territorial gains, so as to make a just peace possible. One should recall the dire position. After four years of aggression, Greater Serbia had come to occupy 70 percent of Bosnia and a third of Croatia. Britain and France had vetoed America's plan to lift the arms embargo against Bosnia and to launch air strikes at Serb forces. The UN "safe areas" in Srebrenica and Zepa had fallen. Thousands of Muslim men and boys were being massacred. Sarajevo was under continuous siege. Above all, another strategically vital "safe area" at Bihac in northwest Bosnia was under attack by Serb forces from Bosnia and from the SRK. The fall of Bihac would not only have created another humanitarian tragedy. It would have put the seal of victory on Serb aggression and prevented a viable Bosnia from surviving. Only in these circumstances was "Storm" finally launched. It was a minor military triumph, a textbook NATO-style operation based on overwhelming fire-power, real time intelligence, efficient logistic support, and the avoidance of civilian casualties. Within 72 hours Krajina was re-occupied. As Croatian and Muslim armies then attacked Serb forces inside Bosnia and U.S.-led NATO air strikes broke Serbia's will to resist, the outlines of a new, imposed peace settlement emerged. Flawed as the Dayton Agreement of that November was, it has since brought peace, reconstruction, and some return of refugees. A less satisfactory result of "Storm" was the mass departure of the Serb population -- probably between 80,000 and 150,000 people -- from the area. The indictment alleges that this was the whole purpose of the operation. But the exodus was ordered by the Serb leadership itself, for its own reasons. The text of the order from Milan Martic, so-called president of the SRK, was published some weeks later in the Belgrade journal Politika. It was endorsed by the SRK military chief, General Mile Mrksic, an appointee of Milosevic. The military evacuation was designed to retrieve heavy armor to be used in Bosnia. But why the civilians? The answer makes complete sense in Balkan terms. It was to advance Belgrade's policies of ethnic cleansing and re-settlement of Serbs in eastern Bosnia and Kosovo, parts of a planned Greater Serbia. Accounts given in evidence before the ICTY show exactly how the Krajina Serbs were funneled down to these areas. Whether the Croatian government was pleased or displeased to see the Serb exodus is unclear. President Franjo Tudjman had ambiguous feelings about the Serbs, as opposed to Muslims, whom he despised. But whatever Tudjman and others felt is irrelevant. The point has been made very clearly by Peter Galbraith, U.S. ambassador to Croatia at the time: "The fact is, the [Serb] population left before the Croatian army got there. You can't deport people who have already left."THE CHARGES AGAINST GOTOVINA are baseless. They are also in the widest sense politically motivated. They were brought primarily because the ICTY needed to prove to Serb opinion that it was not biased against Serbia. This, it was hoped, would make it easier to arrest Karadzic and Mladic, both still at large.But there were other motivations too. It suits many international interests to place aggressors and victims of aggression on an equal footing when rewriting the history of recent Balkan wars. The implication that all sides were equally to blame goes some way towards vindicating the egregious policy failures of the European Union and particularly Britain. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia, the British Foreign Office has pursued a policy consistently favorable to Belgrade and hostile to Croatia and Bosnia. Britain has been the main block to Croatia's bid for EU membership. It is now very keen to see Gotovina sentenced. Britain is also a leading proponent of universal international jurisdiction, of which the ICTY was the forbear and the International Criminal Court is the full expression. The main loser from this trial -- apart from Gotovina -- is the United States. Its successful intervention to end the Bosnian war will be effectively criminalized. It will be exposed as an unreliable sponsor of potential surrogates in areas where it wants to exert influence. It will have its intelligence methods and sources embarrassingly revealed. On top of all that, if it is finally established that commanders of legitimate operations which incidentally lead to the exodus of civilian populations can be tried as participants in a criminal enterprise, it is difficult to see how future U.S. interventions can safely be conducted at all. So there is more at stake in The Hague than the rights of Tony Cash. Robin Harris was a member of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Policy Unit. He writes on the Balkans and is the author of Dubrovnik: A History (London: Saqi, 2003).http://www.spectator.org/dsp_ds_issue.asp?issue_id=32&dsNavSecID=2  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6960/1/E-Carla-Del-Ponte-skewed-her-indictments-in-favour-of-the-aggressors.html ÂCarla Del Ponte skewed her indictments in favor of the aggressorsAllThe below article is very important and quiteshocking. It is written by someone who worked on theMilosevic indictment. He alleges that Del Pontepersonally intervened to prevent Milosevic'sco-conspirators from being indicted. The whole piecedemonstrates clearly the political way in which thetribunal operates. This piece really should get some press coverage,coming as it does from someone who worked on theMilosevic indictment. Frankly, the ICTY should be closed down at once.BrianComment: Milosevic Death Exposes Tribunal's Failure The trial itself diverted world opinion from thecourt's fundamentally flawed pursuit of justice. By Marko Attila Hoare (Balkan Insight, 17 March 06) Slobodan Milosevic was not only the most notoriousvillain of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, but alsothe only top Serbian or Yugoslav political andmilitary leader to be indicted by the InternationalCriminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) forcrimes carried out in Croatia and Bosnia andHerzegovina from 1991 to 1995. Milosevic's indictments for these crimes speak of a'joint criminal enterprise' involving other Yugoslavofficials of similar rank and status: Yugoslavpresidency members Borisav Jovic and Branko Kostic;Federal Secretary of People's Defence VeljkoKadijevic; Yugoslav People's Army Chief of StaffBlagoje Adzic; and others. Milosevic was undoubtedly the single guiltiestindividual, but he was only one member of this 'jointcriminal enterprise'. In indicting him alone of the top-ranking Serbian andYugoslav officials, the chief prosecutor, Carla DelPonte, let Milosevic take the rap for his fellowconspirators, who were let off the hook. Now Milosevic is dead, none of the guiltiestSerbian/Yugoslav officials will be tried for warcrimes in Croatia and Bosnia.To understand why this is so, it is necessary to lookat the command structure of Serbian and Yugoslavforces during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia, and ofthe chronology of these wars. Milosevic was the supreme operator, but he was onpaper merely the president of one of the Yugoslavrepublics - Serbia. He was able to wage war in Croatiaand Bosnia only thanks to the collaboration of othertop officials who were in principle of similar rankand status to himself. The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) was during 1991 inthe hands of Kadijevic, Adzic, and their deputiesStane Brovet and Zivota Panic. Their readiness to fight on Serbia's side -unconstitutionally, illegally and in defiance of theYugoslav presidency and government - enabled Milosevicto enjoy the illusory military superiority thatenabled him to attack, though not defeat, Croatia. The JNA was formally under the command of thecollective Yugoslav presidency, which during the warin Croatia was formally headed by a Croat, StipeMesic. But Kadijevic and Adzic allowed the common armyof all Yugoslavia to become the army solely of Serbiaand Montenegro. In October 1991, at the height of the war in Croatia,the Serbian and Montenegrin members of the presidency- Jovic and Kostic, as well as two ciphersrepresenting Vojvodina and Kosovo - carried out acoup, declaring themselves the acting Yugoslavpresidency and, consequently, the acting supremecommand of the JNA. They remained in this role until spring 1992 and werecentrally involved in planning the war in Bosnia,including establishing the Bosnian Serb army andpicking out an initially minor officer, Ratko Mladic,to lead it.Waging war in Croatia and planning and preparing warin Bosnia were the work of this 'joint criminalenterprise', as mentioned in the Milosevicindictments, which included these individuals and ahost of lesser figures, including Milosevic's CroatianSerb and Bosnian Serb puppets and the colourful butsecondary figures of Vojislav Seselj and ZeljkoRaznatovic 'Arkan'.All surviving members of this enterprise should havebeen indicted and, indeed, nearly were. The present author worked for the ICTY's Office of theProsecutor in 2001 and participated in the drafting ofthe indictment of Milosevic for war crimes in Bosnia. The investigative team for which I worked initiallyintended to indict the leading figures of theenterprise, including Kadijevic, Adzic, Jovic andKostic, and had begun work on the preliminary draft ofan indictment. But at mid-point in this process, we received an orderfrom Del Ponte, indicating she wanted to indictMilosevic separately. This decision shamefully let theother top Serbian and Yugoslav war criminals off thehook.Del Ponte's decision pandered to the Western penchantfor personalizing evil. The simplistic understandingof the uninformed Westerner, in which Milosevic wasthe only known figure, while the others had never beenheard of, made it easier to sell her decision to theWestern public. This decision had more to do with politics thanjustice: it would appear that Del Ponte found theresistance to the ICTY of Serbia's post-Milosevicregime - in which Milosevic-era war criminals andmafia continued to dominate behind the scenes - tootough to risk a further round of indictments of topofficials. This had nothing to do with an absence of availableevidence. Kadijevic, Adzic, Jovic, Kostic and otherscould all have been indicted on the basis of theircommand responsibility for crimes carried out by theirJNA subordinates at Vukovar and Dubrovnik, indictmentsfor which already existed. Indeed, while Del Ponte was ready to indict theCroatian Army's chief of staff, Janko Bobetko, forcrimes carried out by his subordinates at the MedakPocket, and to indict the commander of the BosnianArmy, Rasim Delic, for crimes carried out by mujahedinfighters in Central Bosnia - in both cases on thebasis of command responsibility - she was unwilling toindict the top JNA commanders and members of the rumpYugoslav presidency on the same basis. She skewed her indictments in favor of the aggressorswho conquered large areas of Croatia and Bosnia, andat the expense of those defending their countries fromthe aggression. Relative to its share of war crimes, the ICTY hastreated Serbia extremely leniently.The Croatian and Bosnian publics were expected to besatisfied with the indictment of a single top-rankingSerbian or Yugoslav official - Milosevic. Now that hehas escaped justice, they must be satisfied only witha handful of indictees of secondary or lowerimportance. The most important of these is probably JovicaStanisic, who headed Serbia's State Security Service,but although his role in organizing the bloodshed wascentral, he was very much a Milosevic subordinate. Franko Simatovic, who headed Milosevic's specialforces was another creature and subordinate ofMilosevic's. A third Serbian indictee, Momcilo Perisic, becameChief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army onlyin 1993, after the period of direct Serbian aggressionhad already ended, having been merely a corpscommander during the JNA attack on Bosnia. A fourth Serbian indictee, Vojislav Seselj, was aflamboyant ultra-nationalist loudmouth whose actualsignificance in the planning and execution of the warswas secondary. Of lesser rank still are General Pavle Strugar,Admiral Miodrag Jokic and battalion commander VladimirKovacevic, who received very lenient sentences for warcrimes at Dubrovnik, and the three JNA officerscurrently on trial for crimes at Vukovar. Finally, there are the numerous Bosnian and CroatianSerb indictees, who apparently comprised an easiertarget for the chief prosecutor, as they were men andwomen of Bosnia and Croatia, not of Serbia orMontenegro; collaborators rather than aggressors. Forall the huge sums invested in the ICTY, these arepitiful results. The Croatian and Bosnian publics haveevery right to know the bald fact: they have notreceived justiceMarko Attila Hoare is a Senior Research Fellow at theFaculty of Arts and Social Sciences of KingstonUniversity. He is the author of a short history of theBosnian Army (How Bosnia Armed, Saqi Books, London,2004).http://www.birn.eu.com/insight_26_5_eng.php letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6963/1/H-Vremena-izvrnutih-vrijednosti.html ÂVremena izvrnutih vrijednostiPise:Zvonimir B. RanogajecKrscanski TV producentOvo je moj osvrt na clanak "Maleni ispod zvijezda" koji je izasao u Vjesniku, (Tribina, srijeda, 8. ozujka 2006.), a potpisao ga je umirovljeni profesor filozofije i povijesti Tomislav Ravlic. Autor pise o danasnjem opcem stanju u Hrvatskom drustvu.Iako je profesor Tomislav Ravlic ponovio sto su rekli i mnogi, mnogi drugi, pametno i mudro je ponavljati te cinjenice, kako bi zapamtili, jer zaboravljamo brzo! Iz istih razloga, Isus je namjerno ponavljao svojim ucenicima i po nekoliko puta iste stvari! Takoder, iz istih razloga bilo je pametno i hrabro od profesora Ravlica javno pisati preko stranica Vjesnika o danasnjem opcem stanju u Hrvatskoj! Ovdje je moj osvrt izvaden djelomicno iz konteksta teksta "Maleni ispod zvijezda", ali iz krscanske perspektive gledanja i razumijevanja. Na samom pocetku teksta profesor Ravlic pise:"Ti si k"o droga, volim te k" o Boga" odzvanjalo na netom zavrsenoj Dori u Kristalnoj dvorani opatijskog hotela Kvarner. Kao vrhunac parade neukusa i povrsnosti uz casne izuzetke pobijedila je Severinina pjesmom "Moja Stikla". Sto se to dogada na nasoj estradi, na kojoj sve vise dominiraju totalni neukus i povrsnost?....Pogledamo li sto se sve pojavljuje na nasim elektronskim medijama, koje onda naveliko podrzavaju i pisani mediji, vidjet cemo da ta parada povrsnosti i neukusa ima svoje dublje korijene. To sto je televizijski program na najnizoj umjetnckoj razini od kad znamo za magicnu moc tv ekrana manje je vazno. Brdo bezvrijednih sapunica bez jakoga dramskog programa, bez pravog humora, koji ne samo nasmijava nego i pokrece, bez emisija za djecu, vrijednih znanstvenih emisija....dovodi nas u stanje upitanosti zivimo li u vremenu izvrnutih vrijednosti. Ono sto je jos jucer bilo otkvaceno, danas postaje hvale vrijedno.....S pravom mozemo ustvrditi da je u svijetu nastupilo vrijeme neukusa i povrsnosti. A ono je doslo, jer covjek je jednostavno zanemario citav niz vrijednosti kao sto su moralne, umjetnicke, znanstvene, vjerske i dr. bez kojih covjekov zivot gubi na svojoj ljepoti i smislu". Moj je odgovor:Tekst profesora Tomislava Ravlica u Vjesniku "Maleni ispod zvijezda" dovoljno jasno i glasno govori o kojim ljudskim vrijednostima u Hrvatskoj se radi danas! Hrvatska drzavna televizija HTV emitira u svoje udarno vrijeme filmove i programe sa spornim temama i sadrzajima, a nitko se ne protivi tim grijesima ili otrovu koji truju hrvatsku, mladez, cijele obitelji i hrvatski narod! Ako se tako nastavi, Hrvatska ce za trideset-cetrdeset godina biti zemlja totalnog nemorala! Da li je zaista potrebno da se to dogodi nama Hrvatima, a moze se vrlo lako dogoditi, htjeli mi ili ne priznati tu mogucnost? Gledajuci danasnju sveopcu situaciju morala ili nemorala, iz krscanske perspektive u Hrvatskoj, ono bi moralo Hrvatima biti upozoravajuce, a ujedno i spasonosno Bozje ogledalo istine!CroatianWorldNetPostovani urednice/ Nenad Bach!Srdacan pozdrav. Ne smijemo zatvarati oci pred stvarnoscu u kojoj se nalazi nasa domovina Hrvatska. Mudro i pametno je ponavljati cinjenice koje mi Hrvati ne mozemo i ne smijemo zanemariti. Iz istih je razloga nas Gospodin Isus Krist namjerno ponavljao svojim ucenicima i nekoliko puta iste stvari. Americki predsjednik Woodrow Willson jednom je prigodom rekao:" Narod koji se ne sjeca sto je bilo jucer, nezna sto je danas, niti zna sto zeli uciniti!" Ovdje vam saljem tekst o danasnjem opcem stanju u Hrvatskoj, iz krscanske perspektive gledanja i razumijevanjaS postovanjem,Zvonimir B. Ranogajec letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6962/1/H-Tko-je-ubio-Milana-Babica-Carla-del-Ponte-.html   Tko je ubio Milana Babica?Babic had enough Serb enemies, not to mention Del Ponte. Who had access into his cell? That should not be so hard to establish. Babic's testimony would set Gotovina free. Sto se krije iza ubojstva vodje velikosrbijanskih teroristaMILANA BABICA UBILI SU RUSKI OBAVJESTAJCI?Haaski sud i tuziteljstvo posljednjih dana sve su snage upregnuli u istragu o ubojstvu ili kako ga zovu 'samoubojstvu' Milana Babica. Medjutim, jednako tako Carla del Ponte i Tribunal ucinili su sve kako bi prikrili prave podatke, informacije i nalaze oko istrage ovoga slucaja. Cinjenica je kako ostaje otvorenim pitanje sto se stvarno dogodilo u haaskoj zatvorskoj celiji u kojoj je bio zatvoren Babic? Samoubojstvo? Ili vrhunski izvedena obavjestajno planirana likvidacija? Ovo posljednje, navodno je posljednjih par dana verzija koju razmatraju istrazitelji koji rade na slucaju. Hoce li se umijesati i Ured za interne istrage Ujedinjenih Naroda. Kolika je odgovornost Tuziteljstva Carle del Ponte za ovaj dogadjaj? Je li moguca sprega ubojica (ako se takva teza pokaze istinitom) i Haaskog tuziteljstva. Ako se radi o ubojstvu tko su ubojice? Koji su motivi ubojstva? Sto dobivaju ubojice likvidacijom Babica? Gubi li ili dobiva del Ponte Babicevim ubojstvom? Tko je najveci profiter ubojstvom vodje krajinskih terorista? To su neka od pitanja kojima se bave istrazitelji slucaja 'samoubojstva'Milana Babica.Babic je poceo smetati Carli del PonteKada i zasto je Milan Babic poceo biti smetnjom Haaskom tuziteljstvu, i svojim je svjedocenjem zapravo (koliko god to pogodovalo u slucaju protiv Milosevica) poceo rusiti konstrukcije tuziteljice del Ponte u nekim drugim optuznicama. Carla del Ponte kao tuziteljica sasvim sigurno vodi racuna o uspostavi ravnoteze krivnje na hrvatskoj i srbijanskoj strani, te podjelu odgovornosti za ratne sukobe u bivsoj Jugoslaviji izmedju Hrvatske i Srbije. Iako je u pocetku Babicevo svjedocenje jamcilo haaskoj tuziteljici trijumfalno okoncanje slucaja Milosevic, ubrzo je ustanovljeno kako ce Babicevo svjedocenje moguce biti upotrijebljeno i u obrani generala Gotovine pred Medjunarodnim kaznenim sudom za bivsu Jugoslaviju u Haagu. A za del Ponte general Gotovina predstavlja hrvatski ekvivalent za Slobodana Milosevica. Bude li Gotovina oslobodjen Carla del Ponte izgubila je svoj politicki rat i iznevjerila povijesnu ulogu koju su joj zadli njezini poslodavci À" pisanje haaske povijesti i nametanje haaske istine o procesu stvaranja samostalne Hrvatske i Domovinskom ratu. Bude li Gotovina osobodjen Hrvatska nije bila agresor, konstrukcije o tzv. 'udruzenom zlocinackom poduhvatu'padaju u vodu. A to del Ponte nije zeljela dopustiti ni pod koju cijenu. Babic je postao opasan svjedok jer je svjedocio kako je postojao udruzeni zlocinacki poduhvat, ali upravo sa srbijanske strane, svjedocio je o zapovjednoj strukturi pobunjenih Srba i doveo ih u izravnu vezu sa bivsim jugoslavenskim vojnim i politickim vrhom, te je dokazao kako je tada ratnom masinerijom iz svojeg beogradskog kabineta upravljao srbijanski vozd Slobodan Milosevic. Babicevo svjedocenje rusi Del Pontinu optuznicu protiv generala GotovineSvjedocenje Milana Babica i haaska optuznica protiv generala Gotovine u izravnoj su suprotnosti. Drugim rijecima, bez izravne namjere, Babic je postao jedan od kljucnih svjedoka obrane generala Gotovine. Naime, njegovo svjedocenje moglo se koristiti u obrani hrvatskoga generala. Istrazitelji haaskoga tuziteljstva, jos su prije par tjedana pisanom analizom upozorili na to Carlu del Ponte. Babic je posto izravna smetnja Haaskom tuziteljstvu. Osim toga Babic je zanimljiv i kao moguci svjedok o tehnologiji funkcioniranja Haaskoga tuziteljstva. Naime, Babic najbolje zna na koji se nacin nagodio i pogodio sa haaskom tuziteljicom kao 'svjedok insajder'i prije ili kasnije mogao je progovoriti i o tom modelu funkcioniranja Haaskoga tuziteljstva, a koje su ocito daleko od pravnih, legalnih metoda, predvidjenih pravilima MKJS-a. Tko zna, mozda su istrazitelji UN-a koji navodno vec mjesecima istrazuju Carlu del Ponte namjeravali obaviti i razgovor sa Babicem, a u kojem bi sucaju on postao i svjedok pokajnik protiv glavne haaske tuziteljice. Vec ovo je dovoljno da Carla del Ponte pozeli njegov nestanak. Ukratko, vrlo brzo Milan Babic pokazao se opasnim haaskim svjedokom À" najopasnijim upravo za Haasko tuziteljstvo.Do sada trojica svjedoka insajdera À" Mesic, Babic i RajicNaime, kada su stvarane konstrukcije i model djelovanja Haaskoga tuziteljstva, napravljena je obavjestajna analiza o mogucim svjedocima tuziteljstva, sa posebnom analizom o mogucim tzv. 'svjedocima insajderima'. Iako su u pocetku mnogi razmatrani kao takvi svjedoci, do danas Haasko tuziteljstvo uspjelo je pridobiti tri 'kapitalca'za tu ulogu: Stjepana Mesica, Milana Babica i Ivicu Rajica. Carla del Ponte bila je zadovoljna takvim rezultatom. Mesic je vrlo uspjesno kao najvisi insajder u Hrvatskoj inkriminirao Hrvatsku i bio kljucan za stvaranje konstrukcije o udruzenom zlocinackom poduhvatu. Nakon dolaska na vlast u Hrvatskoj Mesic je nezakonito stavio na raspolaganje arhivu Ureda Predsjednika i Glavnog stozera Haaskom tuziteljstvu i istraziteljima, a osim toga UN vec vodi istragu o krivotvorenju dokumenata u Mesicevom kabinteu za potrebe tuziteljstva Carle del Ponte. Jedna od glavnih dokaza u optuznici protiv generala Gotovine tzv. 'Brijunski transkript'krivotvoren je upravo u Urdu Stjepana Mesica po njegovu izravnom nalogu, o cemu Ured za internu kontrolu u UN-u vec provodi detaljnju istragu, a o cemu su se svjedoci iz Mesiceva ureda sami javili Haaskom sudu. Milan Babic tuziteljstvu je bio glavni svjedok protiv Slobodana Milosevica, Milana Martica, Radovana Karadzica, Ratka Mladica ali i u svim drugim procesima u kojima je tuziteljstvo smatralo kako ga moze iskoristiti. Ivica Rajic postao je kljucna spona u konstrukcijama tuziteljstva i biti ce jedan od zasticenih svjedoka u procesu protiv generala Praljka, Jadranka Prlica, Valentina corica i ostalih. Osim toga i Stjepan Mesic ce u tom procesu protiv bosanskohercegovackih Hrvata biti jedan od glavnih svjedoka, cime se izravno inkriminira Hrvate u BiH i nekadasnje politicko i vojno celnistvo Herceg Bosne.Cudne okolnosti Babiceva ubojstvaIako je Babic bio svjedok visokog rizika u smislu njegove osobne sigurnosti, tom se riziku ocito u odredjenom trenutku vise nije pridavala dovoljna paznja. Prica o nacinu na koji se navodno Babic ubio, jednostavno ne drzi vodu. Za sada je jedna od verzija dogadjaja ta da se Babic ugusio uz pomoc najlonske vrece i remena. Za to je potrebna snazna volja samoubojice i odlucnost da provede odluku o samoubojstvu do kraja. Naime za takav oblik samoubojstva treba neko vrijeme i covjek se polagano gusi svjestan svega sto mu se dogadja. U najvecem broju slucajeva osoba se pokoleba, i refleksno pokusavajuci doci do zraka odustane od nakane za samoubojstvom. Prema svemu sudeci Babic nikako ne odgovara profilu osobe koja bi bila spremna uciniti takvo sto. U svemu sto je Babic do sada radio, jednostavno vidljivo je kako je njemu njegov zivot i prezivljavanje bilo najvaznije. Osim toga iz takvih sebicnih motiva on je i pristao na nagodbu sa tuziteljstvom. Samoubojstvom Babic zapravo ne psotize nista, a riskira da nakon njegova samoubojstva njegova obitelj izgubi pravo na zastitu koju uzivaju na temelju Babiceve nagodb sa Carlom del Ponte. Prica o samoubojstvu ima previse rupa i neodgovorenih pitanja.Babic je bio neugodan svjedok vremena i svjedok umijesanosti Rusije u ratne sukobe u bivsoj JugoslavijiBabic je postao neugodan svjedok vremena. S jedne strane mogao je svjedociti u korist obrane generala Gotovine, odnosno njegovo je svjedocenje u drugim procesima moglo biti koristeno i u procesu protiv generala Gotovine, kao jedan od glavnih argumenata protiv konsrukcije tzv. 'udruzenog zlocinackog poduhvata'. S druge strane, Milan Babic bio je svjedokom umijesanosti Rusije u ratne sukobe u bivsoj Jugoslaviji na strani Srbije. Upravo je Babic znao za odredjene financijske tokove, nabavke opreme, oruzja i vojne opreme iz Rusije. Babic je bio i svjedokom tajne ruske diplomacije i njihovih obecanja ne samo krajinskim teroristima, vec i srbijanskim ratnim zlocincima u BiH, kao i samom Slobodanu Milosevicu. To su saznanja i spoznaje, informacije i svjedocenja koja bi svakako na cijeli rat i velikosrbijansku agresiju u Hrvatskoj i BiH bacili potpuno novu sliku, a neminovno bi dovele i do promjena u medjunarodnim odnosima, jer bi vodstvo Ruske Federacije izravno povezali sa ratnim zlocincima i ratnim zlocinima na podrucju bivse Jugoslavije, tocnije onima na srbijanskoj strani. Medjutim, Milan Babic je svjedok i sudionik financijske pljacke koju su provodili celnici velikosrbijanskih terorista, pa je tako imao i informacije o financijskim operacijama, odnosno izvlacenju novca i skrivenim racunima Milosevica, Karadzica, Mladica i drugih u Rusiji. U svakom slucaju njegovo daljnje svjedocenje postalo je vrlo neugodno i za Rusiju, posebno za njezinu obavjestajnu zajednicu i diplomaciju koji su servisirali ne samo Milosevicev rezim, vec i velikosrbijanske zlocince u Hrvatskoj i BiH.Rusi likvidirali Babica?Prema nekim izvorima ruska obavjestajna zajednica procijenila je kako Babic jednostavno postaje preopasan. Osim toga, njegov su primjer mogli slijediti i neki drugi sudionici u tom lancu zlocina, koji znaju cak i vise od samoga Babica. Toga su se Rusi uplasili jos i vise. Obavjestajne aktivnosti ruskih sluzba bile su zamjetnije posljednjih mjeseci i navodno su srbijanskom podzemlju informaciju o boravistu Babiceve obitelji na tajnoj lokaciji otkrili upravo ruski obavjestajni izvori. Prema nekim informacijama Babicevo ubojstvo, odnosno nacin na koji se tzv. 'samoubojstvo'dogodilo najvise nalikuje na rusku obavjestajnu skolu. Nemojmo zaboraviti kako ruske obavjestajne sluzbe jako dobro poznaju eurospki milje, i nije im bilo nemoguce organizirati ovakvu akciju u haaskom pritvoru. Prema nekim izvorima upravo se takva mogucnost sada istrazuje. Kako bilo da bilo, Rusija i Carla del Ponte imali su najvise interesa za likvidacijom Milana Babica. Osim toga na taj su se nacin ruski obavjestajci osvetili Tribunalu za davanje 'pljuske'Rusiji prilikom nedavnog odlucivanja o pustanju Milosevica na lijecenje u Moskvu kada ruska jamstva za milosevica nisu niti razmatrana. A ujedno su se rijesili i nezgodnog svjedoka. Dvije muhe jednim udarcem, kaze stara narodna. Naravno, tzv. 'samoubojstvo' Milana Babica kompromitira Ujedinjene Narode, koji presucuju i dopustaju kriminal, korupcije i cudna dogadjanja na Haaskom sudu i u Haaskom tuziteljstvu. Sada Ured za internu kontrolu UN-a ima dovoljno razloga i povoda za prosirenje istrage protiv Carle del Ponte i istrage o dogadjanjima na MKSJ-u. Loptica i odgovornost je na UN-u i njihovu uredu za internu kontrolu.Domagoj Margetic www.domagojmargetic.comSva prava pridrzanaSamo registrirani korisnici mogu pisati komentare.Molimo prijavite se ili se registrirajte.http://www.domagojmargetic.com/index.phpzoption=com_content&task=view&id=845&Itemid=2   hmfgsf@juno.com (Hilda Marija Foley) Thu, 09 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6964/1/E-From-a-population-of-less-than-four-and-a-half-million.html ÂWorld Cup Preview: Part 19 - CroatiaBySteve Beagrie Posted: March 08, 2006 12:03AM As those who know me are tired of hearing, I think the field for the 2006 World Cup Finals is the best for over twenty years, at least. The reason for this is the emergence of so many new nations as powers and many of them are from Eastern Europe. Croatia are a prime example of this; from a population of less than four and a half million (less than, say, Scotland), they've become a regular and dangerous participant at the major tournaments. It all started before independence was won in 1991. In 1987, a Croat team featuring Prosineki, Stimac, Jarni, Boban and Suker won the World Youth Championship. Nine years later, they made a real impact at the European Championships in England. Eventual winners Germany were lucky to beat them in the quarterfinals. Two years later, they gained revenge at the same stage of the France World Cup, hammering the Germans by three goals. Hosts and winners France beat them in the semis but Croatia defeated Holland to take third place. Putting that in perspective, a small country that had only been officially recognised for seven years had finished third at the World Cup. Davor Suker's seven goals also made him the tournament's top scorer.Croatia's own Golden Generation began to disintegrate and they missed the 2000 Euro Finals, but they made it to the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Finals. They're definitely back on track and I can say for certainty, having seen them play Scotland, that the Under-21 side is a bit handy. Croatian players tend to be, like their Balkan rivals, technically proficient and tough and the current vintage are a side to be feared, going into their third consecutive World Cup Finals. Coach ZLATKO KRANJCAR (a former Yugoslav international) has molded a team high on ability into a fierce unit. Many of the Croat side play in Germany's Bundesliga, giving them another advantage. Ranked 20th in the world by FIFA, they did well to top another tough European qualifying group.Team Played Won Drawn Lost Goal Diff PointsCroatia 10 7 3 0 16 24Sweden* 10 8 0 2 26 24Bulgaria 10 4 3 3 0 15Hungary 10 4 2 4 -1 14Iceland 10 1 1 8 -13 4Malta 10 0 3 7 -28 3*Sweden qualified automatically by virtue of being best European runner-up.Croatia's two wins over the Swedes (14th) were decisive as far as topping the group was concerned. Both sides had sewn up automatic qualifying early though, thanks to dominating a Bulgarian team (39th) that had made the Euro 2004 Finals. Hungary (70th) may never again be the force they were in the fifties and sixties, but they're a technically proficient and dangerous opponent. Iceland (95th) keep threatening to make a move on the international scene and minnows Malta (119th) were overmatched by everyone else.Croatia have three good goalkeepers who should all make the final squad. TOMISLAV BUTINA (Club Brugge, Belgium) will probably be first choice. Tall and intimidating, with huge wingspan, he's an intimidating prospect on and off the field. His outspoken views on how former club Dynamo Zagreb were run led to his move to Belgium's Jupiter league. Australian-born JOSEPH DIDULICA (Austria Memphis Vienna, Austria) will go in the squad, assuming his legal troubles are cleared up. The former Ajax goalkeeper was banned for eight matches for assaulting a Rapid Vienna player in his club's derby match and there was talk of a criminal case being put together. The other custodian likely to go to the Finals is former Hajduk Split keeper STIPE PLETIKOSA (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine). The Croats conceded a miserly five goals in ten qualifying matches and the goalkeeping position is one that they can rely on, thanks to the three players listed above.The defence is pretty mean as well, in the best Balkan tradition. Croatia usually play a 3-5-2 formation, with wingbacks in midfield. The centre of defence is a murderers row of powerful, aggressive man markers. Former Juventus enforcer IGOR TUDOR (Siena, Italy) is one such player. Injured before the 2002 Finals, he was badly missed. His brutal challenges tend to earn him a lot of suspensions though. DARIO SIMIC (AC Milan, Italy) is a bit cleverer than Tudor. He uses his experience (over seventy caps, rivaling Stimac's record) and keen footballing brain to read the move before piling into his man. Simic is one of the select group of players to have played for both Milan and city rivals Inter. In the middle is one of my favourite defenders ROBERT KOVAC (Juventus). Possibly the best man marker in the world game, the German-born Kovac has Bundesliga experience; with both Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. He played every minute of Croatia's last two tournaments, which tells you how valued his skills and durability are. The two main reserves at centreback are STJEPAN TOMAS (Galatasaray, Turkey) and JOSIP SIMUNIC (Hertha Berlin, Germany). Tomas is another bruiser; exceptional in the air, he was Tudor's replacement at the 2002 Finals and has experience in Italy from his time with Vicenza and Como, as well as Turkey's Fenerbache. Australian-born Simunic benefited from a spell at their formidable Institute of Sport and is reportedly a transfer target of AC Milan. MARIO TOKIC (Austria Memphis Vienna) is a candidate, as is new cap MARIJAN BULJAT (Dynamo Zagreb).There are two candidates for the left wingback slot. Veteran ANTHONY SERIC (Panathaniakos, Greece) can play midfield but is more defensively minded and can point to his experiences with five Serie A clubs (Inter, Brescia, Lazio and Verona). His younger rival MARKO BABIC (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany) is full of energy and can counter his youth with the fact that he appeared in a Champions League Final in 2002. The right wingback will probably be DARIJO SRNA (Shakhtar Donetsk), he moved to the Ukraine after being crowned Croat MVP in 2003. His four goals in the qualifying campaign have led to comparisons with David Beckham. Another midfielder who warrants such praise is IVAN LEKO (Club Brugge). Naturally left sided, he's able to move inside one space to accommodate the left wingback. A fabulous passer and dead ball specialist, he's recently returned to the squad after being left out for a couple of years.The heartbeat of the team is another world class performer. NIKO KOVAC (Hertha Berlin, Germany) is not only Robert's older brother, but one of the best central midfielders in the game. Another Croat born in Germany, the former Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern lynchpin does everything; he has a great touch, passes and tackles well while covering the whole field. Comparing him to the likes of French World Cup winning captain Didier Deschamps or Irish star Roy Keane isn't unreasonable. The advanced central midfielder will be NIKO KRANJCAR (Hajduk Split). Yes, he is the coach's son, as well as the only home based player likely to make the first team. He's struggled to live up to the early hype, when he made his club debut at sixteen he was compared to Zinedine Zidane! That said, he's still only twenty one and could well be ready to break out at the Finals.Most of the main options in reserve are more defensively minded. The most noteworthy is JURICA VRANJES (Werder Bremen, Germany), who can also play as a sweeper. Vranjes is one of the best tacklers around; combining technique, timing and the ability to make his opponents feel like they've been thrown under a train. He'll see plenty of action at the Finals at both positions. JERKO LEKO (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine) is a more physical man marker, who struggles to avoid bookings and suspensions. A less heralded player is DANIEL PRANJIC (Heerenveen, Holland) who runs all day and is an underrated passer who could make an impact. I'm hoping to see him in action this Friday against Utrecht, before going to the Ajax - PSV match on Saturday.Yes, I'm going to Amsterdam for the weekend. I may not make it back...An intriguing midfield option is Brazilian-born DUDU (Dynamo Zagreb), who moved to the club at the age of seventeen. He's eligible as a naturalised Croat and is a great dribbler. He's similar in many ways to Portugal's Deco (another naturalised Brazilian) in that he can add that little bit extra skill and determination to the team. If he's half as successful as Deco, Croatia will have a real find. His club teammate LUKA MODRIC has just been called up for the first time, for the recent friendly with Argentina.There are five real striking options. First choice is DADO PRSO (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland). Prso played in a Champions League Final for Monaco, but killed any chance of a repeat by going to Rangers. A late bloomer, he hit the headlines when he scored a record four goals in one Champions League match. He scored five times in qualifying and is useful both centrally, as well as when he drifts out to the left. Patient markers (such as Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson) seem to have more success against him than tough tacklers.Of course, given his employers, I hope he walks in front of a bus and takes a couple of fans with him.The most interesting partner is probably IVICA OLIC (CSKA Moscow, Russia). Hailed as the New Boksic, after the former star striker, he warrants the compliment. Olic is strong, hard working and quick. Most impressive, however, are his runs in and around the opponent's penalty area, he often finds space where there appeared to be none. Recent injuries have slowed him somewhat, but he should be back to full speed by the summer. Attacking midfielder IVAN BOSNJAK (Dynamo Zagreb) can be used in attack, or as a link up man when only one conventional striker is picked. His energy and versatility merit a place in the squad. German-born IVAN KLASNIC (Werder Bremen) is another class act that's had consistent success in the Bundesliga. Another strong, quick player, he's managed a goal every three international matches, often at vital times. Fans of England's Aston Villa will be astonished to learn that their former player BOSKO BALABAN (Club Brugge) is in great form, and likely to make the squad.That's a good squad, if not quite on a par with the previous generation. As far as their prospects go, Croatia were dealt a tough draw. Brazil will be favourites to win the group, leaving the Croats to fight it out with Japan and Australia for the second spot. The final match, against the Socceroos, will be the vital match. To be honest, I see both sides are pretty even. Croatia have the advantage of better regular opposition and I think, were they to make the second round, they'd be better equipped than the Aussies to go further. The friendly last week against Argentina, held in Switzerland, was a cracker of a match. Croatia immediately got one ahead, thanks to Klasnic, before the Argentines took over. They scored two to go ahead, three goals in the first six minutes!Wingback Srna headed home Prso's cross (unsurprisingly, from the left) after the break to equalise and Simic headed an unlikely winner in injury time at the end of the match. Whilst there was an element of complacency from Argentina, the game showed that Croatia are a dangerous opponent for anyone. If they can negotiate the opening group without losing confidence, they can perhaps cause a real shock. The win over Argentina has raised expectations at home, maybe the Croats have it in them to meet those hopes. After all, nobody was ready for them in 1998. This ambitious, reborn, nation have confounded the experts before.Next week, I'll be taking a break from the World Cup to look at the European Champions League. The quarterfinal lineup, bar one team, will be decided by then. Most of the big name players that are going to Germany have appeared in the Champions League this year, but how many of them will still be in with a chance of the trophy?NEXT WEEK - CHAMPIONS LEAGUESteve Beagrie is the resident Football (that's soccer for the yanks) expert here at SFM. Check out his website at SteveBeagrie.com.http://www.sportsfanmagazine.com/sfm/add_reply.html?id=944  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 Mar 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6971/1/E-The-memorial-at-El-Shatt-is-silent.html ÂThe Memorial at El-Shatt is silentGhost of the SinaiA quiet memorial recently reopened in Sinai commemorates Egypt's forgotten refugees: The 825 Croatians who died at El-Shatt displaced persons' camp in the final months of the second World War.Sometimes, it seems as if the entire Sinai is a graveyard. burned out hulks of tanks, unexploded ordinance and old fortifications from recent wars, some of them turned into museums, leave no doubt that many have lived their last days here. Even civilian deaths in peacetime are somehow haunting this land. The empty patch of sand where the burning bush was thought to have sat near St. Catherine's Monastery leaves little impression, but long after their visits even jaded travelers remember the piled sculls of the monastery's dead monks. Stopping at all the peninsula's monuments and markers, grand and humble alike, would take a lifetime. Sinai's position as the land bridge between Africa and Asia makes it a highly strategic area, one that has been fought over by armies in every generation of recorded history. Picking and choosing which sites to visit is the only way to wind across Sinai in a reasonable time frame. One site however, demands an impromptu visit: Croatian Memorial Cemetery, the sign announces, undoubtedly leaving many a passerby wondering "When did the Egyptians have a Croatian war?The Croatian War Cemetery, as it is also called, is in fact dedicated to the memory of Croatian refugees of the Second World War who were saved from starvation in squalid camps in southern Italy when they were shipped here in 1944 by British relief agencies. In an outcaste corner of the Sinai peninsula's, they lived until 1946 under Egyptian and British protection. A new memorial was quietly dedicated to their memory this past April by Croatian President Step "Stripe" Me sic, who said, "The Croatian refugee camp in E.S.T. is only a minor episode in the history of the Second World War, known only to a few people in the world. But for us in Croatia, it is a part of our history which we shall and must never forget. And I am here to bear that out. I am here to say: Heroes of E.S.T., for you were all heroes, your homeland has not forgotten you.EL SHATTVery near the western edge of the Sinai Peninsula's, directly across from the city of Suez, lies what remains of El-Shatt Refugee Camp. Next to the ruins behind a tall stone wall are rows and rows of blank tombstones popping up out of a barren, although immaculate, piece of the Sinai desert. Towering above the rows of unmarked graves stands a statue of a woman with folded arms who is simply named Mother Dalmatia, executed in a style similar to that of the celebrated Croatian sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. She overlooks the white marble memorial wall that bears the names of the nearly 850 people who are buried there. the five-sided star that forms the pillar on which she stands is an homage to Croatia's socialist past. The star clashes with the cross near the top of the pillar and Mother Dalmatia's saintly appearance. The clashing symbols are a reminder of the conflict that drove these people far from their homes to their final resting place here among the rest of the dead on the Sinai Peninsula's. For four years during the Second World War, there were at least three separate wars raging through Croatia. The first was obviously the World War itself: Italy invaded in 1941 and, after the Italian surrender in 1943, the German army occupied the areas they had left. Originally conceived at the end of the First World War as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which included the land that has once been and would again become independent Croatia), wartime Yugoslavia quickly fell apart as at least three groups clashed in bids to chart their future. The Yugoslav Prince Regent originally supported the Axis forces, a decision that proved so unpopular he was deposed in an Army coup. The subsequent invasion by Axis forces, split the Yugoslavs - and Croatians - into at least three distinct groups. The Ustase were Croatian fascists who supported the Axis invasion in return for which they won Nazi support to form their own nation separate from the Yugoslav experiment, the Independent State of Croatia, as it became known. Royalist forces led by Draza Mihailovic became known as Cetniks after the units in which they fought. The third, (and ultimately victorious) army consisted of the communist Partizans of Josip Broz Tito, who would later declare themselves "Socialists" and (with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and India's Jawaharlal Nehru) form the Cold War-era "Nonalignment Movement".So if the first war was between Axis forces and Yugoslav resistance groups (Partisans and Cetniks), the second was a bloody civil war between Mihailovic's Royalists forces and Tito's Partizans. Another war pitted the Partizans and Cetniks against the Croatian fascist Ustase. And on it went.By 1943, the Partizans have gained control over much of Croatia, despite Allied support to Mihailovic. At this time, Tito established a permanent headquarters on the island of Vis, just off Croatia's beautiful Dalmatian coast. The island's own population was already swollen with refugees from the mainland. The civilians of Vis were evacuated by way of southern Italy, which was by this time firmly in Allied hands, to make way for Tito's headquarters and a new British Royal Air force runway for bombing runs into Germany itself. Between 25,000 and 30,000 of these refugees, some of them claimed by the Partisans to have been Ustase or Royalist supporters, were soon transferred again to an undeveloped stretch of the Sinai called El-Shatt when famine threatened their Italian camp. LIFE IN THE CAMPSThe camp at El-Shatt covered almost 170 square kilometers and was divided into five sub-camps. each roughly organized along the lines of a Croatian village. The British organization MERRA (Middle East Relief and refugee Administration) set up the camp and was responsible for it. But the United Kingdom, already pressed by the war effort, had few resources to spare for the refugees.An American officer stationed in Cairo at the time later recalled "Everyone in Cairo who was interested in refugee relief spoke to me with indignation about this infamous camp." The refugees, mostly women and children, were largely left to fend for themselves. Even the administration of the camp was largely controlled by the refugees, a development made necessary by the high turnover rate among aid workers.John Corsellis, a British pacifist who served with the Society Friends Ambulance Unit and worked at the camp, later wrote, "People mysteriously appeared and disappeared with a frequency reminiscent of a popular transit hotel".The entire population of the camp lived in surplus British army tents. Few permanent structures were built, and those that were dealt strictly with administrative functions. A degree of permanency was given by the refugees themselves, who tiled the floors of their tents and set up schools, clinics and even a theater. British officers who had neglected the camp for a time were shocked when, ordered there to "organize it" they discovered the refugees had organized their own newsletter (Nas List, Our Paper) and even their own courts and police force. the famous Split-born composer and conductor Josip Hatze, who was by then an old man, spent his time in the camp organizing choirs.Corsellis in a letter home describing the camp, wrote, "considering what the refugees went through and the desolate and discouraging surroundings in the Sinai Desert, their adjustment was a tribute to their self-sufficiency." He later added, " I must not give the impression that these people created a little paradise here on the desert with their resourcefulness. Their extreme lack of everything only makes what they do more impressive, standing as it does against such a background."The schools that they organized had no textbooks - the children were learning to read from old copies of the camp newsletter. Workshops providing all of the necessities in the camp were merely cobbling together scraps as best they could. And the refugees' clinics could do little for the disproportionately large number of the very young and very old in the population: more than 800 died in the eighteen months they were there.Still, some degree of normalcy prevailed: there were 300 marriages in the camp and 650 children were born to fill the gaps left by the dead, whose remains stayed behind in the Sinai even after the living left.This past April, Mesic laid a wreath at the feet of the statue of Mother Dalmatia in the newly reopened cemetery and read aloud the words written on it: "The homeland does not forget". "More than 60 years ago, the winds of war brought them here," he said, "War seemed to have followed them even beyond the boundary between life and death."Indeed it had: In the 60 years of its existence, the memorial at El-Shatt has nearly been lost twice in other conflicts. The original cemetery and memorial was destroyed during the Israeli occupation of the peninsula's in the 1967 war. After Egypt recaptured the Sinai, the Yugoslav government (of which Croatia was a part at that time) rebuilt the cemetery, with the outside wall in the shape of a five-pointed Partizan star, renaming it the Yugoslav Partizan War cemetery.Less than 20 years later, Croatia once again found itself in the middle of a war as the Socialist Federal Yugoslavia collapsed and Croatia waged a war for independence that ended only in 1995. In his address this spring, Mesic, the only man in modern history to have been president of two separate nations, (having been head of state of both Yugoslavia and Croatia) discussed what this had meant for the memorial: " As the Yugoslav federation disintegrated amidst war, the cemetery was neglected, almost forgotten".Professor Ivan Ivekovic, the former ambassador of Egypt from Yugoslavia, who was here during the Yugoslav wars and now teaches at the American University in Cairo, said the years of neglect had been hard on the memorial,which was badly vandalized.This year's ceremony commemorated the completion of the renovations and the dedication of the new memorial wall. Today, two half-shattered monuments flank Mother Dalmatia as reminders of the times when these people's memories were almost lost.Mesic thanked all the people of Egypt and Croatia who worked on the renovation, then went on to add:" I thank all the people who helped maintain the memory of the hundreds of refugees, some literally at the start of their lives, who never returned to their homes from the far away Sinai expanses."And those who did live Sinai? What became of them? Their fate remains shrouded in the fog that often blankets Croatia's beautiful Dalmatian coast. As most agree, most of the brave refugees were repatriated to Yugoslavia starting in 1946 - not to the Yugoslav Kingdom they fled in war, but to the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). The stories diverge here: Some claim the refugees resumed their lives in Tito's Yugoslavia, while others allege the SFRY jailed, tortured and executed many of them for alleged Ustase and Royalist activities. Whose account is to be believed? The memorial at El-Shatt is silent on that, bearing witness only to the brief stint they lived under the blazing Sinai sun. et. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6970/1/H-Oliver-Dragojevic-porucio---Nikada-necu-pjevati-u-Beogradu.html ÂNikada necu pjevati u Beogradu ÂAutor: Pincom.info Saturday, 21 January 2006 Oliver Dragojevic iz Sarajeva porucio: Nikada necu pjevati u BeograduDragojevic je neumoljiv. ÂRekao sam da nikada necu otici u Beograd i tamo odrzati koncert.Svoje obecanje cu odrzati jer nikada ne gazim svoju rijec, drzim do stava, svojih rijeci i vrlo sam principijelanÂ, kategorican je DragojevicSARAJEVO - Legendarni Oliver Dragojevic cekao je godinama pa je tek svoj dvadeseti album po redu ÂVridilo je promovirao u Sarajevu. Promocija albuma koja je bila organizirana u elitnom klubu The Club kasnila je oko dva sata, ali mu to nitko nije uzeo za zlo. Koncept promocije bio prilicno originalan s obzirom da nije bilo ni Svedskog stola zbog kojeg se uglavnom okupljaju pripadnici laznog i arogantnog domaceg jett seta, niti je glazbena produkcija Hayat, koja mu je izdala album za nase trziste, pripadnicima sedme sile podijelila primjerak njegovog albuma. Umjesto toga, Oliver Dragojevic je za prepuni The Club uprilicio mini koncert koji je odsvirao sa svojim bendom Dupini. Pjevao je iskljucivo pjesme s novog albuma, a mnogi su se razocarali sto u repertoar nije uvrstio nijedan stari hit poput ÂMagdalene ili  Sto to bjese ljubavÂ. The Club je, kako izvjestava Dnevni list, bio prepun VIP osoba, izmedju kojih smo vidjeli i nekadasnjeg najutjecajnijeg duznosnika SDA, a sadasnjeg rektora Univerziteta u Sarajevu Hasana Muratovica i bivseg federalnog ministra za promet i veze Besima Mehmedica. Paznju prisutnih privukao je glumac ÂMale klinike i ÂVize za buducnost Enis Beslagic koji je dosao u pratnji svoje supruge. Mladi bracni par nije krio svoje emocije pa su se pred brojnim posjetiteljima grlili i ljubili i to ne u obraz nego po sustavu umjetnog disanja Âusta na ustaÂ. Dino Merlin je sjedio za stolom tik uz binu pa je tako bio u mogucnosti upijati svaku od novih Dragojevicevih pjesama. Plijenio je paznju svojom dugom bijelom kosom, a tijekom cijelog vremena bio je zauzet uzvracajuci brojne pozdrave od prijatelja i od onih koje uopce nije poznavao. Da bi izbjegao takvu situaciju, s druge strane, Deen se smjestio pored bara u drugom dijelu prostorije. Bio je u drustvu tri nepoznate djevojke pa mu zbog toga nije smetalo to sto nema dobar pogled na Olivera Dragojevica. Na promociji su se ludo zabavljale i voditeljice televizije Hayat Dzana Ceremida, Aida Mahmutovic i Sanela Poricanin. Osim ovih gostiju, sve je vrvjelo od manekenki koje su bile u ulozi hostesa te sponzorusa koje su vrebale priliku da se Âuvale nekome bogatom gostu te veceri. S obzirom da s albumom slijede i koncertne aktivnosti postavilo se logicno pitanje njegovog odrzavanja koncerta u Beogradu. ÂNikada necu odrzati koncert u Beogradu i to Vam je informacija iz prve rukeÂ, rekao je za Dnevni list Dragojevic. Ovakve izjave cesto je davao i njegov veliki prijatelj Kemal Monteno koji je javno pljuvao na sve sto dolazi iz Srbije da bi prosle godine ne samo odrzao koncert u Beogradu nego je krenuo u manje-vise uspjesnu turneju po vecini gradova u Srbiji. Monteno se pokajao zbog brojnih bljuvotina koje je govorio protiv Srbije i svojih nekadasnjih kolega koje su ostale raditi u toj zemlji radi samo jednog motiva - novac. Medjutim, Dragojevic je neumoljiv. ÂRekao sam da nikada necu otici u Beograd i tamo odrzati koncert. Svoje obecanje cu odrzati jer nikada ne gazim svoju rijec, drzim do stava, svojih rijeci i vrlo sam principijelanÂ, kategorican je Dragojevic.http://www.sandzak.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=139&Itemid=2 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6967/1/H-Strategijska-regulacija-sporosti.html ÂStrategijska regulacija sporostiDragi Franjo,(op-ed: Franjo Radosevic)Od Vasih pitanja u vezi AMAC-a pa preko clanka o Zagrebackoj poslovnoj skoli (e-mail od g. Davora Pavune), vrlo sam brzo dosao na to da opet razmisljam o (za mene) kljucnim recenicama s kojima je Dag Strpic (Novi list, 4.1.06) zavrsio svoju prvu novogodisnju kolumnu "Strategijska regulacija sporosti": QUOTESvjesno ili ne, za sve vrste nasih establismenta previse ubrzani razvoj pokazuje se kao nesto sasvim neprihvatljivo. A izvana im ga nitko neće nametati. On je strategijski izvediv, ali preduvjete takve strategije u dogledno vrijeme nitko neće ni pokusati utemeljiti, jos manje oblikovati. Puno je izglednije očekivati presutni konsenzus oko prave strateske orijentacije na spori razvoj.UNQUOTESamo se od sebe razumije da nikakvog smisla ne bi imalo - ni za drzavna ni za (novonastajajuca) privatna sveucilista -obrazovati vrhunske kadrove (znaci dovoditi vrhunske profesore, opremati vrhunske laboratorije, itd), ako takvi kadrovi hrvatskom gospodarstvu nisu potrebni s obzirom na strategijsku orijentaciju na spori razvoj. Prema onome sto pise g. Strpic i kaze g. Pavuna, nemam druge vec donijeti takav (porazavajuci) zakljucak. Znaci jedino sto bi imalo smisla diskutirati je eventualna mogucnost kohabitacije izmedju postojece "spore" Hrvatske i neke buduce "brze" Hrvatske". Na taj nacin bi mnogi ljudi zeljni uspjeha ("brza" Hrvatska) mogli ostvarivati svoje ambicije u Hrvatskoj bez da ju "spora" Hrvatska u tome sputava. U principu, ja na gornji nacin objasnjavam velicanstvene uspjehe hrvatskih sportasica i sportasa: jasno je da uspjesi ne dolaze zaslugom sistema i drzave vec na bazi velikih odricanja pojedinih obitelji, uskog kruga entuzijasta i naravno samih sportasa. Uvjeren sam da bi i hrvatski plivaci bili (u vecem broju i to pod hrvatskom zastavom!) u svjetskom vrhu kad bi pojedine obitelji u kojima se radjaju talenti, imale sredstava sagraditi i odrzavati bazene olimpijskih dimenzija. No cinjenica je isto tako da se ambiciozne hrvatske sportase ne koci u njihovim naporima i ambicijama. Nitko nije jednom Nikoli Pilicu (u Njemackoj je dobio nadimak: Prus sa Balkana) branio da satima i satima lupa tenisku lopticu kontra zida - dok su se svi drugi mladi ljudi kupali na Bacvicama. Istina je da se Hrvati itekako vesele, ponosni su i slave uspjehe svojih vrhunskih sportasica i sportasa. Uvjeren sam da bi nacija na isti nacin (mozda sa manje pompe, ali ipak) odavala priznanja vrhunskim internacionalnim uspjesima domovinskih Hrvata a koji ne bi nuzno morali biti sportskog karaktera (nauka, umjetnost, business, itd.).Pitanje je dakle da li se na iskustvu iz sfere sporta mogu u Hrvatskoj stvoriti daljnje enklave uspjeha koje bi na gospodarskom, naucnom, itd., planu mogle ostvarivati vrhunske rezultate a da to ne ometa "sporu" Hrvatsku u njenom ustaljenom nacinu zivota? Uzmimo napr. geografski blisku Italiju: velika industrija i veliki poslodavci imaju problema sa strajkovima, sindikatima, neradom, otudjivanjem materijala, alata, itd., no na drugoj strani ima i jedna druga Italija koja "ore" od jutra do mraka i na primjeru regije Veneto - mozemo pogledati rezultate. Veneto je prije 100 godina u razvojnom smislu bio na repu Europe; njezine stanovnike se posprdno nazivalo palentarima jer sebi nisu mogli priustiti kruh (vec samo zgance) - da bi taj isti Veneto danas postao najbogatijom europskom regijom. U tom razvoju Veneta ima i jedna specificnost: primjerice u podrucju Verone ima 80.000 registriranih velikih, srednjih i malih tvrtki s tim da ni jedna ne kotira na nikakvoj burzi. Cijela regija se razvila na stabilnosti i marljivosti sto vecih sto manjih obiteljskih poduzeca. Znaci ima jedna "spora" Italija (isto tako u drugim zemljama) ali i ona "brza" Italija (isto tako u drugim zemljama). Zasto se ista kohabitacija ne bi mogla ostvariti i u Hrvatskoj? Postavljam dakle pitanje sta se u Starome kraju mora dogoditi pa da se prestane "voziti u koloni"? U cestogradnji je stvar jasna: onog trenutka kad se u promet pusti autocesta, Hrvati dobiju alternativu: jedni voze brze, drugi sporije - kako kome drago. U sportskim granama vrijedi isto: neki su zadovoljni igrati osrednje dok drugi tvrdo treniraju i zanju uspjehe. No vazno je da jedni drugima ne smetaju. Koliko jos vremena treba da se - pored vec postojece "spore" Hrvatske formira i jedna "brza" Hrvatska - takodjer i u drugim sferama a ne samo u sportu i na autocesti. Eventualno s manje porodjajnih muka nego li Radmanov institut u Splitu. Stvaranjem "brze" Hrvatske, mnogi ambiciozni Hrvati iz raznih podrucja ljudskih djelatnosti, vise ne bi bili prisiljeni birati izmedju (jos uvijek jedine dvije postojece alternative: ostati u Hrvatskoj i zivot provesti "vozeci u koloni" ili otici u inozemstvo?Uz srdacan pozdrav,Branko Padjenbranko.padjen@bluewin.ch ZenevaPS.U gornjem citatu Strpic kaze da je strategijski ubrzani razvoj Hrvatske u sferi moguceg - kad bi bio pozeljan. Da li je nekom eventualno zapeo za oko kakav podrobniji clanak ili studija na tu temu?  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6966/1/H-Da-li-se-Hrvatska-glazba-sustavno-unistava.html ÂRazgovor na splitskoj radio Dalmaciji o prosvjedu glazbenikaÂMatko Jelavichttp://www.matkojelavic.com/index.php ÂMatko Jelavić: HTV nam prijeti zbog prosvjednog pisma Pise:ÂM. GoretaFoto:ÂMatko Jelavić SPLIT - Pa ljudi, je li to moguće?! HTV prijeti meni osobno i svim potpisnicima prosvjeda - oglasio se jučer splitski pjevač Matko Jelavić nakon preksinoć emitiranog priloga u HTV-ovoj emisiji âShpitzaâ€? na temu sustavnog unistavanja hrvatske glazbe. Podsjetimo, prije desetak dana sezdesetak domaćih glazbenika uputilo je javni apel drzavnim institucijama, medijima i strukovnim udrugama s molbom da zastite âdomaću glazbu od očitog progona u vlastitoj zemljiâ€?. - Urednik Zabavnog programa HTV-a Aleksandar Kostadinov prebrojava potpise, manipulira njihovom vjerodostojnosću i time salje poruku svima - povucite potpise! Na HTV-u nemaju hrabrosti objaviti cjeloviti tekst, nego ga svjesno krivotvore, vrijeđaju glazbenike, cenzuriraju izjave i jos nas pokusavaju zavaditi kako bi i dalje vladali - kaze jedan od potpisnika apela Matko Jelavić, zahtijevajući od HTV-a objavu prosvjednog teksta u izvornom obliku. - Napravite ozbiljnu emisiju kako i dolikuje ovoj temi - o stanju i budućnosti hrvatske glazbe. Samo neka rasprava bude javna, bez predrasuda - kaze Jelavić.ÂÂÂÂÂÂhttp://www.jutarnji.hr/kultura_i_zivot/glazba/clanak/art-2006,2,13,Jelavic_prosvjed,11521.jlSvoje komentare posaljite na:http://www.matkojelavic.com/dojmovi.php letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 13 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6973/1/E-Buy-Croatian.html ÂBUY CROATIANÂNenad,Thanks so much for mentioning the BUY CROATIAN campaign. I can't help but feel that we are already being discriminated and taken advantage of by our European neighbors, and now this? Tourism is great but it isn't enough to improve the standard of living throughout the country. We need to promote our products in Europe as well as in the US.Do you know of specific shops in NYC which specialize in Croatian products? I know there are some in Queens but I don't know the area well enough and have so little free time to go exploring. In particular we would like to buy Jamnica water and some Croatian wine. I can look up the addresses if someone can send me the shop names. Please feel free to forward this note to anyone who can give me some info. Thanks again for spreading the word,Marilyn Cvitanicmcvitanic@nyc.rr.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6972/1/E-Gotovina-Indictment-is-Flawed.html ÂGotovina Indictment is Flawed The Gotovina Indictment is a clear-cut example of inequality before the law and it does not take a rocket scientist to see its flaws. Article 51 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights refers to the inherent individual or collective right of self defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations. Croatia, a United Nations recognized country, was attacked by Serbian-led terrorists for several years, in spite of the presence of UNPROFOR there. Indeed, it was the widely televised Serbian intransigence and Serbian aggression against Croatia which had prompted the United Nations to create the first resolutions about the former Yugoslavia. First, in order to carry out those resolutions prompted by aggression against Croatia, the United Nations established its base in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, thereby delaying peacekeeping efforts in Croatia . Secondly, the Hague Indictments in reference to Bosnia & Herzegovina detail the international recognition of B & H in the Statement of Facts which is deliberately listed before the Charges against Serbian war criminals such as Mladic. In contrast, it appears that in order to isolate the indictment charges against Croatian generals from any historically related context, both the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Croatia, and the ad hoc Hague court Indictments which refer to events in Croatia deliberately do NOT mention the international recognition of Croatia. In the Indictment against Gotovina for example the Statement of Facts inappropriately follows the list of charges instead of preceding them. In addition, after reading the Indictment against Croatian generals it appears as if the unlawfully Serbian-occupied territory within Croatia receives more legitimacy than the UN-member Republic of Croatia. Finally, in the theme of the initial UN presence being first in Bosnia & Herzegovina instead of Croatia, the Hague indictments also first related to Serbian genocide in Bosnia & Herzegovina . Only later did Serbian-led terrorism in Croatia begin to be investigated by the Hague, although this did not receive as much media cover as other indictments. Thus, the process of law ignored the first victims of injustice until after many had died, or permanently left their homeland as refugees. The Hague indictment charges which refer to Croatia mention the flight of 150,000-200,000 Serbs from Croatia but nowhere is the flight of 400,000 Croats from Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina mentioned. In consideration of the above-mentioned inconsistencies in the indictments, in the case of Croatia, it appears as if Croatia is somehow an unwarranted aggressor against Serbian-occupied territory within Croatia--even though the opposite is a matter of public record. In contrast, in the case of Bosnia & Herzegovina the indictments clearly show the Serbian generals to be the aggressors by the content and placement of the Charges in relation to the Statement of Facts therein. Jean Lunt MarinovicJanuary 2006www.croatianviewpoint.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6968/1/H-Hrvatska-prije-svega-treba-viziju.html ÂHrvatska prije svega treba viziju, snaznu ideju i poticaj koji će pokrenuti sve njezine pozitivne snage.Vlada je neozbiljna..Dakle, da Vlada zeli ozbiljno provesti proces, ovakvu interent rubriku bi otvorili oniČestitam na inicijativi. To je angazirano novinarstvo: stati iza konkretnog projekta, pokrenuti javnost i istrajati do realizacije.No, da se inicijativa ne utopi u prevelikim količinama ideja i materijala, sugeriram da kao posebnu rubriku otvorite dijalog o tome kakvu sliku Hrvatske zelimo stvoriti u EU i u svijetu.Hrvatska prije svega treba viziju, snaznu ideju i poticaj koji će pokrenuti sve njezine pozitivne snage.Tko će i na koji način definirati ciljeve i viziju Hrvatske kakvu zelimo? Kako će u to biti uključeni marketinski stručnjaci, PR-ovci, dizajneri, novinari, uspjesni poduzetnici...???Hrvatski dizajn centar je u kratkom roku pokrenuo vrlo zanimljive inicijative - da li je pozvan da sudjeluje u osmisljavanju strategije? Niz malih poduzeća i poduzetnika imaju dokazane trzisne i izvozne rezultate - kako njih potaknuti da postanu lideri i lokomotive organiziranih reprocjelina? Neki novi klinci pokreću vrlo zanimljive poslovne projekte. Uključite ih.Za značajne projekte EU primjenjuje standardnu proceduru subsidijarnosti: cofinance, tj načelo da nostelj projekta u proces odlučivanja mora organizrano uključiti sve subjekte na koje se određeni projekt odrazava na bilo koji način.Dakle, da Vlada zeli ozbiljno provesti proces, ovakvu interent rubriku bi otvorili oni (a načelo cofinancinga im sigurno nije nepoznato). Za ozbiljan nacionalni dokument, europska demokratska drzava morala bi osigurati ozbiljno, aktivno i institucionalizirano sudjelovanje svih relevantnih drustvenih struktura, od znanosti i poduzetnika (veliki, srednji i mali, svaki kao zasebna interesna skupina), novinara i medija, strukovnih udruga, sindikata, nezaposlenih..., a svaka faza donosenja strategije morala bi biti izlozena javnosti.I na koncu, samo da se ne zaboravi, posebno poglavlje trebali bi biti organizrani sustavi poslovnih zajednica za potporu samozaposljavanja i mikropoduzetnistva. Preusmjeravanjem malog dijela socijalnih transfera u konkretne poslovne servise moglo bi se nezaposlenima otvoriti sasvim novo područje aktivnog zivota i socijalnog zbrinjavanja. Samo ekonomska neovisnost pojedinaca omogućuje slobodno drustvo koje moze odgovorno i demokratski usmjeravati svoju budućnost - i svoju razvojnu strategiju.Goran Kauzlarić2.2.2006 http://www.liderpress.hr/Default.aspx?sid=902 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6965/1/H-Sudjeluj-u-izradi-strategije-razvoja-Hrvatske.html ÂSudjeluj u izradi strategije razvoja HrvatskeSvoja pisma vizije etc saljite na ppps@liderpress.hr Op-ed. ovo je otvoreno do 19 veljace, ali mislim da bi to trebao biti otvoreni datum, tako da doznaju svi koji imaju sto za reci i imaju energije i volje i optimizam da se nesto moze promijeniti, a ne samo kukati kako se 'ionako nista ne mijenja'. Nenad BachPISMO PREMIJERUPostovani,Premijer Ivo Sanader najavio je da će Vlada do ožujka izraditi strategiju razvoja i potom je usuglasiti sa sindikatima i poslodavcima. Kako Hrvatska ne bi ponovo dobila strategiju radjenu samo zato sto to traži Europska unija i da ona ne bi bila odraz posebnih političkih ili ekonomskih interesa, redakcija Lidera pokrenut će interaktivnu rubriku na svojoj web stranici âPomozimo premijeru pisati strategijuâ.Na internet adresi www.liderpress.hr otvaramo mogućnost svima da iznesu svoje zahtjeve, ideje i prijedloge o tome sto bi u Nacionalnom razvojnom programu trebalo stajati. Prostor otvaramo i za rasprave o prijedlozima koje dobivamo. Očekujemo i komentare na aktualne vijesti ili procese prema kojima bi se strategija razvoja trebala odrediti.Nas zajednički rad trajat će mjesec dana, od 19. siječnja do 19. veljače. Nakon toga sve ćemo priloge i komentare sistematizirati i proslijediti Vladi RH. Bilo bi nam drago kada bi, u tijeku i nakon zavrsetka akcije, premijer Sanader ili netko od njegovih suradnika, koji će aktivno raditi na izradi Nacionalnog razvojnog programa, ocijenio i prokomentirao prijedloge koje smo poslali. Posebno bismo cijenili kada bi premijer to učinio u obliku intervjua, ali otvoreni smo i za sve druge mogućnosti, prema dogovoru.Molim Vas da razmislite o načinu uključivanja autora razvojne strategije u nasu akciju i da nas o tome obavijestite.Unaprijed zahvaljujem na razumijevanju.Srdačan pozdrav,Miodrag Sajatović,glavni urednik poslovnog tjednika Liderppps@liderpress.hr http://www.liderpress.hr/Default.aspx?sid=966 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 11 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6969/1/H-Aorist---Jura-Ozmec.html ÂAoristAutor: Jura Ozmecmailto: jura.ozmec@hrt.hr Stvarno bi se trebalo slamperaju u svim segmentima stati na krajPostajem staromodan, nisam vise u trendu, izgleda da me gazi vrijeme. Naime, sportski se dogadjaji, a i sportski objekti u mojoj okolici, izgleda, vise uopce ne rade zbog sporta, nego zbog glamura (pravog i laznog), zbog privatne promocije ili lokalnih politickih poena, a svime time se, tako mi se cini, 'zamagljuje" i nekakav novac. Sportski novac, predvidjen za sport, sportase i sportske objekte, da ne bude zabune.Bazen u Gruzu, kad zakoracite u njega, frapira svojim bljestavilom, svjetlom, novim semaforom, plazma-monitorima za publiku, novim i udobnim stolcima. U prvom trenutku svatko ce reci da je to prototip modernoga bazena. No onda shvatite da su tzv. novinarske kabine (koje, jasno, izgledaju prvoklasno) zapravo potpuno neupotrebljive jer se iz njih bazen vidi samo kad nema nikoga u publici sto, logicno, nema nikakvoga smisla. Ali onaj koji je gradio bazen nije i o toj 'sitnici" bas vodio racuna. Kamere za TV prijenos takodjer 'ne vide" bazen i moraju se postaviti na posebno dogradjena (pa samim tim i potpuno nakaradna, suvisna i ruzna) postolja, zbog kojih sad dio mjesta za publiku postaje neupotrebljiv. Novinari, kako bi mogli raditi svoj posao i dalje sjede uz bazen, na mjestima gdje su sjedili i dok je nad Gruzom bio napuhan balon, kamere i dalje 'smetaju" publici, a jedino publika ima osjecaj vaznosti i glamura, gledajuci u plazma-monitorima usporene slike golova svojih ljubimaca (ako plazme rade!)... A o ostalom? O tome da je teretana toliko malena i niska da se neke vjezbe koje iziskuju dizanje utega iznad glave uopce ne mogu napraviti? Kao i bazen u Utrinama, u Zagrebu. Predubok iz potpuno nepoznatih sportskih, estetskih pa i arhitektonskih razloga, pa trosi previse vode i previse klora, ulazi su preuski, radjeni za ritam u kojem bi samo jednom turnusu plivaca trebala 2 sata (a imaju 5 minuta) da se mimoidju s drugim kad bi se trudili to napraviti bez guranja ili da se nisu snasli, pa se presvlace na tribinama (!?). Ormarici za ostaviti stvari, ta minijatura cak i za Liliputance? To cak ni glamur nije. To je prvoklasni promasaj, ali novac je vec potrosen, politicki poeni mozda nisu osvojeni, ali sigurno nisu ni izgubljeni...ATP turnir u Zagrebu nekoliko se dana u hodnicima zagrebackoga Doma sportova "sudarao" sa stolnoteniskim turnirom nominalno vecega ranga, a po imenima i ukupnom broju sudionika svakako. Dakle, ping-pong je za tenisace bio sportski nadmocniji bas u svakom segmentu. No to se ni po cemu zapravo nije vidjelo u hodnicima i okolici Doma sportova, pa ni u medijima. Sav glamur, sva pozornost, pa na kraju, ocito, i sav novac otisli su u blagajnu teniskoga turnira da bi se 10-ak dana trosili i na lokalni glamur, lokalnu promociju i sve prema popisu s pocetka. Jasan je i razlog - jaka promidzba i ciljano lobiranje stvorili su dojam kod prosjecnoga Zagrepcanina, a posredno i kod ulagaca da se dogadja nesto svjetski vazno. Sto realno bas i nije sasvim tocno. Uostalom, u teniskom svijetu, osim Ljubicica i Ancica (pobjednika Davis kupa), jos jedino ime predsjednika Organizacijskog odbora ima 'tezinu" (Goran Ivanisevic, ako niste znali). Ostali su igraci bliski vrhu svjetske ljestvice, ali.... 'Stos" s veleplakatima koji jos od nove godine 'prodaje" teniski turnir u Umagu (svake godine), a cim su dobili licenciju s plakatima (i agresivnom radio-tv-novinskom reklamom) je krenuo i ZG indoors, iznimno je vazan pocetak svakoga lobiranja i pripreme turnira. Tenisaci (a od njih i skijasi) su to odlicno naucili i svladali gradivo. Glamour par exellence! A sport?U skladu s time, ne bi lose bilo da u akciji koju propagira trenutacni ministar i uz njega sef HOO-a, a to je izgradnja skolskih sportskih dvorana sirom Lijepe nase, arhitekti, projektanti i svi zainteresirani kazu poneko slovo o tome sto moderna sportska dvorana treba imati, sto mora, a sto bi bilo dobro da ima. I da pitaju, ako nisu sigurni. Jer (opet cu ja malo put Dubrovnika) kad nekome padne na pamet ideja da sagradi podzemno parkiraliste, a iznad njega sportsku dvoranu, naravno da cemo svi dignuti dva prstica odobrenja u zrak i zahvaliti takvome dobrocinitelju. No netko bi se trebao zapitati koji bi se to sport trebao upraznjavati u dvoetaznoj (?) sportskoj dvorani dimenzija polovice rukometnog igralista???? Rukomet na kat? Kosarka na jedan kos? Gimnastika bez zaletista? Ili samo sah?Stvarno bi se trebalo slamperaju u svim segmentima stati na kraj i postaviti (zapravo - vratiti!) kriterije financiranja svega i svacega u sportu. Ili ce se i dalje, u duhu sportske krilatice "drpi gdje stignes" i "satri konkurenciju" nastaviti uzdizati hrvatski "sport"? Samo, ja sam onda stvarno aorist...http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/aktualno/aorist.html Svi artikli - Arhiv: http://sport.hrt.hr/htvsport/aktualno/arhiv.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6974/1/H-Tko-se-igra-energetikom---Dr-Branimir-Molak.html Tko se igra energetikom - Dr. Branimir MolakSaljem Vam u prilogu popis mojih popularno pisanih tekstova iz podrucja energetike dostupnih na Internetu. Nuzno je u danasnje vrijeme imati nekoliko rezervnih Internet adresa za clanke, jer se neki portali gase ili mijenjaju nazive i adrese. Uz to zanimljiv je pristup - oprema teksta razlicitih urednistava u kojima su objavljeni.Ako Vam se popis (tekstovi) dopada, posaljite ga u cilju informiranja, svima za koje smatrate da bi ih moglo zanimati sto se dogadja u energetici, da bolje razumiju zasto moraju placati preko svake mjere skupo energente. Dobro bi bilo da popis posaljete Vasim eventualnim znancima iz medija u Hrvatskoj, jer je informiranje o energetici posve povrsno i pod izravnim utjecajem je onih koji vec godinama izazivaju krupne stete.Potrebno je siriti istinu o stanju u energetici i drugim djelatnostima kod nas jer npr.:Raspravljanje o plinu danas se ne razlikuje od onog u proslosti:Od pocetka koristenja plina u Hrvatskoj pa do danas o plinu se kontinuirano vrlo neutemeljeno raspravlja. cinjenice kao da nisu bitne. Vazna je samo masta. Tako se jos 1922. u jednim zagrebackim novinama moglo procitati:"Nasa javnost obavjestavana je vec nekoliko puta o radu busotine Bujavice izmedju Lipika i Pakraca. Sada pak mozemo javiti poblize o uspjehu toga busenja te o predlozenoj projektovanoj osnovi, koja ima da se izvede uskoro. Poznato je javnosti, da su inicijatori te akcije Magjari i da je jedno budimpestansko dionicko drustvo pocelo prvo sa busenjem jos u vrijeme rata 1917. na polju pokraj sela Bujavice, ciji su stanovnici jos prije duljeg vremena opazili, da nesto buji neprestano iz zemlje.Povodom ove ogromne pojave plina poslala je ovih dana uprava busotine Bujavica i financirajuce "Trgovacko dionicko drustvo Terra" opcinskom poglavarstvu u Lipiku dopis, u kom se obavezuju, da ce u kratkom vremenu izgraditi o svom trosku elektricni tramvaj izmedju kupalista Lipika i trgovista Pakraca, da ce podici elektricnu rasvjetu Pakracu, Lipiku i okolnim selima i davati struju za pogon industrijskih strojeva ovog kraja, sve uz vrlo jeftinu cijenu od 9 K po kilovatu. (Za sadasnju elektricnu rasvjetu ima da se placa od sada do 24 K po kilovatu). U tu svrhu podigli bi kraj samih izvora veliku elektricnu centralu, a izgradnju ovoga svega preuzelo bi i izvelo jedno becko tehnicko drustvo.Na ovu vrlo interesantnu ponudu pristalo je odusevljeno opcinsko zastupstvo trgovista Pakraca i dalo drustvu predkoncesiju na 3 mjeseca s tim, da moze nakon dozvole vlade poceti sa radom. Nakon ovoga zakljucka izaslo je opcinsko zastupstvo pakracko sa kotarskim upraviteljem, upraviteljem opcine Lipik i pridruzenim zainteresiranim gradjanstvom do spomenutih vrela, da se na licu mjesta osvjedoci o vrijednosti njihovoj. Uprava busotine je misljenja, da bi se sa pojavljenim plinom, koji ima jakost 38 atmosfera, mogla opskrbljivati sva mjesta do Daruvara i Pozege, sta vise i do Zagreba, a i sam Zagreb, nadalje da bi se mogla podrzavati na tom prostoru elektricna zeljeznica i loziti donekle peci za kuhanje i grijanje soba. Kad se ostvari predlozena osnova vjerojatno je, da ce pohrliti u ovaj kraj mnogi tvornicari, da naprave u njem tvornice, kojima ce moci dovadjati gotovo besplatno plin za pogon svojih strojeva, pa ce tako doci na jeftin nacin do fabrikata. Nasa sirotinja naci ce tada ovdje dobru zaradu i ne ce morati ici u Ameriku, jer ce je i ovdje naci. U nasim gradjanskim krugovima je veliko interesovanje za ovu stvar. Ovo je jedno vrelo kakvoga nema vise u nasoj drzavi, a malo gdje ga ima i u svijetu, mozda jedino u Americi."Za danasnju "energetsku strategiju" vrijedi ono isto sto sam za nju napisao 1999.:"Strategija" neodoljivo podsjeca na poznati vic: Huso i Haso mukotrpno rade. Huso kopa jarak, a Haso odmah nakon njega ga zatrpava. Slucajni prolaznik ih upita: Sto to radite dobri ljudi, nema logike u vasem poslu. Obojica mu odgovorise: Ima itekako logike, ali nema Mehe da postavlja u jarak cijevi.Stoga, informacija o mojim tekstovima iz podrucja energetike dobro ce doci svima onima koje to podrucje zanima, a pogotovo sada kada treba placati prekomjerno visoke racune za energente.Pozdrav Branimir Molaktel. 385-1-376-00-54nph i nph1Popis mojih popularno pisanih tekstova vezanih uz energetiku koji su dostupni na InternetuDr. Branimir MolakCijene energenata u Hrvatskoj u odnosu na kupovnu moć stanovnika gotovo su najvise u Europi. To je posljedica nepostojanja suvisle politike i strategije razvitka te vazne grane gospodarstva. Nesto sto se naziva energetska strategija, sto je politika u jednom mandatu odbacila kao nevaljalo, promjenom vlasti je prihvaćeno. Spomenuto je neupotrebljivo i rezultat je samo odnosa snaga političara koji vladaju energetikom i nema nikakve veze sa realnosću i činjenicama. Jedini cilj te tzv. strategije je postizanje sto visih cijena energenata. U Hrvatskoj nema niti valjanih bilanci energetike, ni jasnih opće prihvatljivih ciljeva, pa ne moze biti ni strategije njihova dosizanja. Nedavni blagi poremećaji u opskrbi ruskim plinom (moze se očekivati mnogo veće) izazvali su čitav niz Âideja od gradnje nuklearne elektrane, pa do izgradnje terminala za ukapljeni metan. Oni koji o tome sanjaju uopće nisu svjesni da li su ti potencijalno rizični objekti kod nas uopće potrebni i mogu li se graditi u jednom nerazvijenom drustvu, nalik ranom feudalizmu, u kojem se ne zna tko sto treba činiti i za sto odgovara. Ti objekti su kod nas igračke političara sto moze biti vrlo, vrlo opasno. Velik je problem neupućenost onih koji plasiraju takve Âideje u medije. Takav pristup izazvat će niz problema kada jednom kod nas budu sazrijeli uvjeti za primjenu i izgradnju takvih objekata. Niz mojih popularno pisanih tekstova iz područja energetike moze pomoći onima koje zanima energetika ili koji zele objektivno informirati javnost o onome sto se u toj gospodarskoj grani kod nas događa. Najsazetiji prikaz stanja u energetici Hrvatske je u:Intervjuu: Tko se igra energetikom, Korijeni br.1, studeni 2005., Hrvatski radio- Chicago 1. i 8. 1. 2006. i portal u Chicagu: http://www.lijepanasadomovinahrvatska.com/folder/tretinjak_061205.htmTekstovi u nastavku objavljivani su u Vjesniku, Glasu Koncila, Hrvatskom slovu.....Udio plina u energetskoj potrosnji u porastu 11.1.2006.http://www.alertonline.org/full.php?aj_go=more&id=1136984881&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&do=komentarihttp://www.business.hr/?MOD=show&id=2492 http://www.business.hr/show.php?id=2611 HAZU i konj 25.11.2005.http://www.alertonline.org/full.php?aj_go=more&id=1132906987&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&do=komentarihttp://www.hkz.hr/Hrvatsko_slovo/2005/552/jadikovka.htm http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2005/11/19/14A14.PDF Zapisano u staklenoj kugli 11.10.2005. (pisano 23.1.2004.)http://www.alertonline.org/full.php?aj_go=more&id=1132592585&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&do=komentarihttp://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/01/24/12A12.PDF Formula u fokusu 21.9.2005.http://www.alertonline.org/full.php?aj_go=more&id=1132579049&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&do=komentarihttp://www.glas-koncila.hr/rubrike_izdvojeno.html?news_ID=5110 http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2005/09/21/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=1 http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2005/09/21/12A12.PDF Energetska Kata potapa Hrvatsku 10.9.2005. http://www.alertonline.org/full.php?aj_go=more&id=1132591889&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&do=komentarihttp://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2005/09/10/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=1 http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2005/09/10/14A14.PDF Koliko vrijedi INA i zasto je prodavati 6.6.2005.http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2005/06/06/18A18.PDF http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2005/06/06/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=1 http://alert.zeleni.hr/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1117707436&archive=1118243571&start_from=&ucat=&do=archivesPlinski vasar 19.3. 2005., te 2. i 8.4.2004.http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2005/03/19/14A14.PDF http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2005/03/19/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=2 http://www.glas-koncila.hr/rubrike_prigovor_znanosti.html?news_ID=3497 http://alert.zeleni.hr/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1110145399&archive=1111884978&start_from=&ucat=&do=archiveshttp://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/04/08/13A13.PDF http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/04/02/14A14.PDF Energija i siromastvo 6.11.2004.http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2004/11/06/Clanak.asp?r=sta&c=1 http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/11/06/12A12.PDF cijeli tekst:http://www.croinfo.com/3Gospodr/Siromastvo/osiromasenje041105sve.pdf http://alert.zeleni.hr/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1100604953&archive=1102462819&start_from=&ucat=&do=archivesTajna NE Krsko usla u Sabor 18.8.2004.http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/08/18/10A10.PDFhttp://alert.zeleni.hr/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1099656617&archive=1100105954&start_from=&ucat=&do=archivesNapomena: tekstovi objavljeni na adresi Alerta najvećim dijelom su najvjerniji prikazi originalnih tekstova. Zbog promjene imena i adrese portala neki tekstovi s adrese alert.zeleni.hr mozda vise nisu dostupni na Internetu. Za te tekstove zainteresirani trebaju upitati vlasnika portala alertonline.org. Nazivi tekstova u popisu su oni koristeni u Alertu, a u drugim publikacijama tekstovi su bili naziva, opreme, duljine (skraćivanja), jezičnih zahvata... koje su im odredile redakcije.Dr. Branimir Molak, dipl. inz. - Osnovni podaci o autoru: Energetika je područje mojeg interesa već dulje od trideset godina. Doktorat mi je bio prvi obranjeni doktorat na zagrebačkom sveučilistu i u bivsoj Jugoslaviji iz naftnog rudarstva â razrada lezista (plin), a tada sam bio i najmlađi doktor znanosti iz područja naftnog rudarstva. Prije toga sam obranio magisterij iz nuklearne i atomske fizike. Bio sam zaposlen u Institutu "R.Bosković". Vise od jedanaest godina radio sam u INA Naftaplinu (istrazivanje nafte i plina), a od početka rada NE Krsko do slovensko-srpskog moratorija na gradnju nuklearne elektrane u Hrvatskoj bio sam inspektor RH za njenu sigurnost, zatim u Urbanističkom institutu Hrvatske (energetika u prostornom planiranju) i honorarno na fakultetima (PMF i RGN). Od početka rata 1991. angazirao sam se u obrani Hrvatske.Bio sam na brojnim specijalizacijama iz područja istrazivanja i proizvodnje, te planiranja nafte i plina, nuklearne energetike, analize rizika, nuklearne sigurnosti i planiranja za slučaj kriza u mnogim zemljama. Sve boravke financirale su znanstvene i stručne ustanove iz svijeta (SAD, Francuska, Njemačka, UN...). Za svoje znanstvene projekte i stručne ili znanstvene radove nikada nisam u Hrvatskoj dobio (a niti trazio) materijalnu potporu. Sudjelovao sam kao od Europske zajednice pozvan ekspert (s izlaganjima) na najznačajnijim skupovima o energetici na Mediteranu (prirodni plin u Antibesu, električna energija u Rabatu) u organizaciji Mediteranskog centra za energetiku iz Sophie Antipolis (Francuska) i ECC (iz svake mediteranske zemlje po dva pozvana eksperta). U nekoliko navrata Shellov Razvojni institut nudio mi je zaposlenje. Godinu 1990. većim dijelom proveo sam u arapskom svijetu radeći na razvoju proizvodnje nafte. Osnovao sam Hrvatsko drustvo za prosudbu rizika i bio njegov predsjednik. U godinama 1991., 1992., 1994. 1995. i 2001. sudjelovao sam (na poziv i trosak organizatora ili inozemnih znanstvenih ustanova) referatima na konferencijama Society for Risk Analysis (najznačajnija svjetska organizacija za pitanja rizika) u SAD i Njemačkoj.Godine 1991. boravio sam u Washingtonu, gdje sam u Federal Emergency Management Agency (američko ministarstvo za izvanredna stanja) odrzao predavanje o ratu u Hrvatskoj i prikupio brojne informacije za uspostavu sto djelotvornijeg sustava zastite i spasavanja u Hrvatskoj, koji je bio uspostavljen za rata u Hrvatskoj. Prilikom triju boravaka u Americi za vrijeme Domovinskog rata (1991., 1992., 1994.) zauzimao sam se za sirenje istine o agresiji na Hrvatsku (izlaganja: u UN (New York), agenciji za zastitu okolisa EPA (Cincinnati), Baltimoreu, San Diegu, novinski članci u SAD....). Poslije u tekstovima pripremljenim za Boston, Seattle i New Orleans zalagao sam se uz stručne teme i za iznosenje istine o Hrvatskoj. Do sada sam objavio vise od 150 znanstvenih i stručnih radova iz područja: energetike, istrazivanja i proizvodnje nafte i plina, nuklearne energetike, zastite okolisa, analize rizika, upravljanja u krizama, nuklearne fizike, organizacije i primjene znanosti i rezultata istrazivanja, te nekoliko knjiga samostalno ili u suradnji (lezista plina, upravljanje u krizama, prilozi za Hrvatski nacionalni program Matice Hrvatske). Za neke od radova zainteresirali su se Shellov Razvojni institut, Američki ured za standarde, Oak Ridge NL (SAD), neki njemački instituti itd. Član sam mnogih međunarodnih stručnih udruga. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6976/1/H-Bili-smo-u-pravu-sa-hrvatskom-samoupravom.html Â'Bili smo u pravu sa hrvatskom samoupravom'(Petak, 11 Ozujak 2005) -Celni ljudi "hrvatske samouprave" Ivo Andric Luzanski i Zdravko Batinic izjavili su u cetvrtak za Oslobodjenje da su apsolutno bili u pravu kada su 2001. godine usli u front za zastitu hrvatskih interesa u Bosni i Hercegovini. "Istu stvar ucinio bi i danas u borbi za hrvatsku jednakopravnost", kaze Andric Luzanski, bivsi dopredsjednik Federacije BiH, potpredsjednik Hrvatskog narodnog sabora, te zakonodavnog vijeca "samouprave". Njegov kolega - zamjenik predsjednika "samouprave" Batinic tvrdi kako se i danas nesto mora mijenjati u tom pravcu. Sa Batinicem i Andricem Luzanskim razgovarali smo dan nakon sto je tuzilac Dzon Mekner povukao optuznicu protiv njih i ostale petorice bivsih hrvatskih zvanicnika zbog ugrozavanje teritorijalnog integriteta FBiH iz 2001. godine, cime jefakticki obustavljen sudski proces protiv, kako su svojevremeno nazivani, "podrivaca ustavnog poretka FBiH i BiH i planera otcjepljenja hrvatskih podrucja iz FBiH". Iako je ustvrdio da je djelovanje Ante Jelavica, Miroslava Prce, Dragana Curcica, Marka Tokica, Petra Milica, tespomenutih Batinica, Andrica Luzanskog, bilo jasno usmjereno ka izmjeni ustavnog uredjenja u dijelovima FBiH sa hrvatskom vecinom, Mekner nije mogao dokazati da su glavni akteri "samouprave" u ostvarenju svog cilja bili spremni upotrijebiti silu. Mekner je ostao pri optuznicama protiv Jelavica, Prce i Curcica za zloupotrebu sluzbenih ovlastenja i podrivanje vojne i odbrambene moci FBiH kao rezultat izlaska jedinica HVO iz sastava zajednicke Vojske Federacije BiH. "To je bila politicka borba, a ne krivicno djelo, sto smo i dokazali u istrazi", podsjecaju Andric Luzanski i Batinic, koji zajedno sa predsjednikom "samouprave" Markom Tokicem danas tvrde da je uspostava treceg entiteta najbolje rjesenjeza uredjenje novih odnosa u BiH. "Izgubili smo cetiri godine da bi se vratili istoj prici iz 2001., tj. nasem prijedlogu za sazivanje konferencije na kojoj bi se tri naroda, u normalnoj atmosferi i uz ucesce medjunarodne zajednice, dogovorila o novom ustavnom uredjenju, kaze Tokic. Prema njegovom misljenju, najbolje rjesenje za buducnost zemlje je uspostava tri federalne jedinice koje bi imalemanje ovlasti nego postojeca dva entiteta. Mekner i trideset svjedoka Advokat Ante Jelavica u slucaju Hrvatska samouprava Josip Muselimovic kaze da je tuzilac Mekner povukao optuznicuza ugrozavanje teritorijalnog integriteta posto je naknadno saslusao tridesetak svjedoka, te i zbog cinjenice da je, prema novom tekstu krivicnog zakona, potrebno dokazati namjeru za upotrebu sile ili prijetnju silom.Muselimovic smatra da ce i dio optuznice za podrivanje vojne moci FBiH protiv Jelavica, Prce i Curcica biti na slican nacin osporen. (Oslobodjenje)http://www.monitor.ba - ::Mostar::Monitor:: Powered by Mambo Generated: 8 January, 2006, 19:59 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6975/1/E-Commentary-regarding-liberation-of-Croatia-by-Hilda-Foley.html ÂThat military action was the liberation ofCroatiaRecently we have seen a number of articles and communications fromvarious patriotic Croatian organizations within and outside of Croatia,in defense of falsely and unjustly indicted General Gotovina. While all statements in his defense are excellent, I believe that oneparticular statement should be omitted.Croatia's statehood, its right to independence and sovereignty must neverbe connected with Operation Storm (Oluja). There is no correlationbetween the two events and Croatians making this connectioncan only harm Croatia by serving Croatia's enemies, who are gladlyaccepting Croatia's own words thatthe ICTY's Del Ponte "criminal enterprise", referring to Operation Storm,means also putting into question the very existence and legitimacy of the independent state of Croatia. Itis the old story that if something is repeated long and often enough itwill be eventually believed as the truth by all. Croatia's fight against Serb aggression culminating in its independencein 1991 and recognized by the whole world by January 1992 as a sovereign state has absolutely nothingto do with Operation Storm in 1995. That military action was theliberation of Croatia's Serb-held territory within Croatia's recognizedborders, occurring full three years later and was a legal undertaking asis the right of every sovereign nation to reclaim its occupied territory. If occurrences against theinternational rule of warfare occurred,the perpetrators should be punished. Trumped up charges as well as"command responsibility" have to be dismissed. Croatia is a legally and internationally recognized state and that is anindisputable fact that no one can change. No Croatian, no matter how wellmeaning, should get into a position of putting words into its enemiesmouths, who will use it to their advantage. Therefore, such writingsconnecting two unrelated events of recent Croatian history must stop. Every effort should be directed toward having all facts available forGeneral Gotovina's thorough defense, so he can be found not guilty on all counts. There is noquestion that Gotovina's indictment is a political one and the defense needs skilled political advisers as wellas skilled lawyers for his defense. Croatians must stand united in this cause.Hilda Foley  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6978/1/E-Prenosi-hrvatske-TV-preko-SCOLA-u-Americi-su-uzasni.html Prenosi hrvatske TV preko 'SCOLA' u Americi su uzasniBas sam malo prije poslao zalbu na HR TV i na najvece tri novine zalbu za slabe TV programe. Neznam da li vi dobije SCOLA programe u NY. Slijedi moj tekst: Prenosi hrvatske TV preko 'SCOLA" u Americi su uzasni. Izgleda da se bas nitko nebrine sto se salje izvan Hrvatske. Dok bi mogli reklamirati lijepa turisticka mjesta u hrvatskoj, hrvatski narod, hrvatsku pjesmu i kulturu, Vi nam saljete mjesec i pol stare vijesti pune reklama za Hrvate u Hrvatskoj, pokazujete nam prognoze vremena mjesec i pol stare i kao da ste pronasli najpularniji program Taxifree. Nije moguce da bas nitko nemoze spremiti program Hrvatskoj na ponos? Svi koji smo prije nekoliko mjeseci pazili na nase rasporede da nebi promasili hrvatski program, sad se zgrazavamo.Znam da su osim nas Hrvata, mnogi Slovenci i drugi gledali nase programe a sad su razocarani. Zeleci bolji hrvatski program, da se mozemo ponositi i Hrvatsku strancima reklamirati,Uz zahvalnost,Marko SpiranovicSpirama@aol.comCleveland, Oh,SAD letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6977/1/E-Immigration--Global-Health-by-Jean-Lunt-Marinovic.html ÂSugar-cane extract may favorably alter lipid levelDr. Zeljko Reiner from University Hospital Center Zagreb in CroatiaÂMon Nov 28, 2005 8:33 PM GMT NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new study provide more evidence that rice policosanol -- a mixture of alcohols extracted from sugar-cane wax -- has favorable effects on serum lipids.In an 8-week study of 70 patients with very high cholesterol levels, 10 milligrams of rice policosanol daily significantly reduced total cholesterol concentrations in plasma and increased apolipoprotein A1 -- a protein portion of "good" HDL cholesterol that carries cholesterol in the blood.Dr. Zeljko Reiner from University Hospital Center Zagreb in Croatia and two associates describe their study in the journal Clinical Drug Investigation.The combination of high total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol and low "good" HDL cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, they note in the paper. Large studies have clearly shown that lowering elevated total and LDL cholesterol through diet, exercise, and cholesterol-lowering drug therapy is beneficial.However, concerns regarding side effects of chemically derived cholesterol-lowering drugs have fueled interest in naturally derived agents, such as rice policosanol. This compound has been shown to lower total and LDL cholesterol in animal models, healthy volunteers, and in those with very high cholesterol levels.The current findings from Reiner and colleagues support rice policosanol's favorable effects on serum lipids.Compared with placebo, policosanol for 8 weeks significantly lowered plasma total cholesterol from 7.37 to 6.99 mmol/L and increased Apo A1 from 1.49 to 1.58 mmol/L, Reiner and colleagues report.In this brief study, however, the researchers could not prove a significant reduction in triglycerides or LDL cholesterol or increase in HDL cholesterol with policosanol, as has been shown in other studies. It may be that the dose of policosanol used (10 milligrams daily) was too low and the duration of the study was too short, the authors offer.There were no side effects from policosanol therapy.Reiner and colleagues conclude that further study of rice policosanol as a potentially natural cholesterol-lowering aid is warranted.SOURCE: Clinical Drug Investigation, November 2005.http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-11-28T203332Z_01_FLE873937_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-SUGAR-CANE-DC.XML&archived=False  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6980/1/E-Letter-to-MacShane-MP.html   One has to read with shock and total amazement your commentary   Hilda M. FoleyNational Federation of Croatian Americans13272 Orange KnollNorth Tustin, CA 92705The Hon. Denis MacShane, MP.House of CommonsLondon, SW1A 0AA, UK Oct. 1, 2005Dear Sir,One has to read with shock and total amazement your commentary of 9/30 in the Financial Times"European Union must square up to Croatia on charges against Gotovina". Are you really so ill-informed about Croatia's General Gotovina's role in the liberation of rebel Serb occupied Croatian territory in the so-called Krajina, or is it your typical British Government's affinity for the Serb cause,no matter how illegal and barbaric? The sheer idea of Gen. Gotovina being accused of "command responsibility" even though he never gave any commands for deliberate destruction or the killing of some 150 Serb civilians (it does not seem to cross anyone's mind that some of these Serb civilians gave armed resistance) should then also be applied to British and American generals when their troops act against Geneva conventions. Indeed, Gen. Gotovina angrily addressed his subordinates upon hearing of some occurrences of killings and there were several trials of the guilty ones. While Croatia extradited all but this one fugitive, who is not in Croatia, Serbs still hide Bosnia's leader Karadzic and Gen. Mladic, who directly ordered the killing of thousands of people first in Croatia and then in Bosnia. It is outrageous that a comparison with Gotovina could even be made. It should also be remembered that these ethnic Serbs occupied with the help of Serb paramilitary and the Yugoslav army one third of Croatia, where they ethnically cleansed the entire Croat population, looting and destroying their homes and properties and committing untold atrocities. Mass graves in Croatia testify to this barbarism.To charge Gotovina of "ethnic cleansing" is ludicrous, as was made quite clear during the ICTY trial of Milosevic that the Serb population of the Krajina, some 150-200 thousand, were ordered to evacuate by their own leadership, Serb Gen. Mrksic and "president" Martic. This was confirmed by them in an interview by the Belgrade newspaper "Politika" on Aug. 25. 1995. It is not surprising that Gen. Gotovina refuses to give himself up, because he knows he is falsely accused and seeing how the Bosnian Croat Gen. Blaskic, falsely accused, was given a 45 year sentence and after serving nine years was just recently freed when the wrong conviction was overturned. Obviously there is rampant injustice and bias against Croatia in some very high places. Remarking that Tudjman and Milosevic policies caused the "Balkan war" you obviously follow the West's mantra of "equally guilty" without realizing the simple truth that all of the Yugoslav Republics had the constitutional right to secede and Serbia had no right to stop them. Croatia and Slovenia legitimately voted for democracy and independence from Serb domination after the first free democratic elections in 1990, while Serbia remained communist. Obviously this did not agree with Milosevic's and the nationalist Serbs' longtime dream of "Greater Serbia". In contrast, Croatians never stepped a foot on Serb soil.Very truly yours,Hilda M. Foleycc: Financial Times, London   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6979/1/E-The-indictments-are-an-abrogation-of-basic-press-freedoms.html ÂThe indictments are an abrogation of basic press freedomsWashington Times CommentaryAnother U.N. miscue?By Jeffrey KuhnerOctober 23, 2005The United Nations is involved in another scandal. This time, however, itthreatens to implicate numerous officials in the U.S. State Department.Recent revelations of massive corruption in the U.N.'s oil-for-foodprogram, as well as accusations of rampant sex abuse by peacekeepers inplaces such as Cambodia and Kosovo, have finally compelled the Bushadministration to demand greater accountability and reform of the worldbody.Yet there is another area Washington needs to investigate: theInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Based in TheHague, the ICTY is a U.N. court designed to prosecute war crimes committedduring the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Instead, the court has become apoliticized instrument seeking to wipe out its democratic critics in theregion.The ICTY's latest outrage are its indictments of five journalists and aformer counterintelligence officer in Croatia for "contempt of thetribunal." Their alleged "crime" was they published the identity andstatements of a protected witness in the 1998 case of a Bosnian Croatgeneral. Even more outrageous, these men face possibly seven years in jailand a $120,000 fine. In other words, they are assaulted for doing their job:providing the public sensitive, important information.The indictments are an abrogation of basic press freedoms. The ICTYactions have been condemned by many human rights organizations and mediawatchdog groups. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe hasurged the tribunal to "operate in accordance with the principles of freedomof the press and, as a result, apply the same safeguards in its proceduresthat are usually expected in national jurisdictions."But the ICTY is not interested in abiding by traditional democraticstandards. The tribunal is deliberately targeting critics in the Croatianmedia. On the other hand, the ICTY has refused to prosecute media allies,such as the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and the Croatian daily,Novi List, which have published the exact same identity and testimony.Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace on June 14, ICTY chiefprosecutor Carla Del Ponte displayed her thuggish hostility toward tribunalopponents. During the question-and-answer session, she was confronted by aCroatian journalist who denounced tribunal attacks on press freedoms. Askedif she would indict him now that he had publicly criticized her, Mrs. DelPonte responded: "Who knows?"Even if said in jest (and there is nothing remotely humorous aboutdestroying innocent people's lives), Mrs. Del Ponte's comment was revealing:It shows her lack of judgment and her arrogant, irresponsible execution ofher duties.Billed as the great successor to the Nuremberg trials, the ICTY hasinstead become a laughingstock. Mrs. Del Ponte even bungled the trial offormer Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic -- the Butcher of the Balkans, whois responsible for the deaths of more than 250,000 people and the ethniccleansing of several million Albanians, Bosnians and Croats.In February 2004, Mrs. Del Ponte admitted she did not have enoughevidence to convict Mr. Milosevic on the most serious charges. This aloneshould have forced Washington and Brussels to replace her with a morecompetent prosecutor.Moreover, it is common for the ICTY to offer reduced sentences fornotorious mass murderers. For example, Mrs. Del Ponte agreed to have formerBosnian Serb leader Biljana Plavsic, an architect of the Serbs' ethniccleansing campaign, plead guilty to "genocide" in exchange for a sentence ofonly 11 years. Hence, a confessed genocidal killer responsible for thousandsof deaths will spend less time in jail than most armed burglars.Mrs. Del Ponte has also attacked Pope Benedict XVI and the RomanCatholic Church. Recently, she accused the Vatican hierarchy -- without anyconcrete evidence at all -- of protecting fugitive Croatian Gen. AnteGotovina.Asked to provide verifiable proof for her slanderous accusations, Mrs.Del Ponte could not.That begs the question: Why does the State Department adamantly supportthis out-of-control U.N. prosecutor whose actions undermine the tribunal'scredibility? State Department operatives have tenaciously defended Mrs. DelPonte: they justify and rationalize her every act -- no matter howoutrageous. The State Department is now directly involved in covering up herscandalous behavior.Mrs. Del Ponte's misconduct warrants a full congressional investigation.If House Republicans prevail, they may just get one. The powerful HouseInternational Relations Committee (HIRC) is beginning to look into Mrs. DelPonte's actions, especially the journalists' indictments. "We areinvestigating this," a senior committee member said on the condition ofanonymity. "We are taking this very seriously."Indeed, this is grave for Americans: The United States is a majorfinancial ICTY backer. This year alone, Washington spent $23 million. It isoutrageous that U.S. taxpayer money is squandered to support a war crimestribunal that slanders priests and prosecutes reporters, while failing toadequately punish some of the 20th century's most vicious war criminals.HIRC Chairman Henry Hyde, Illinois Republican, is serving his final termin Congress. There is no better way for him to end his illustrious careerthan by leading the effort to expose this growing U.N. scandal. It is theright thing to do. It is the American thing to do.Jeffrey Kuhner is a freelance writer and contributor to the CommentaryPages at The Washington Times.http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20051022-100239-5586r.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 31 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6983/1/E-William-John-Hagan-I-challenge-the-ICTYas-to-indict-me.html ÂHaganâs American Journal:They may be afraid to name names, but I'm notByWilliam John HaganOctober 14, 2005The Houston Home JournalWarner Robins, GeorgiaThe United States of AmericaThe United Nationsâ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has been a truly questionable entity since its inception. On the surface one would find it hard not to support an international court based on Nuremburg Tribunal which tried Nazi Leaders after World War Two. Few people on the world stage have had the guts to stand up and point out that the ICTYâs lofty mission of bring justice to alleged Yugoslavian war criminals is both unnecessary and a danger to national sovereignty.Those individuals in the docks until recently have not been the most sympatric individuals, so there has virtually no public outcry about how the United Nations is using the ICTY to establish its sovereignty over independent nations. The nations who are primarily affected by the ICTY are Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia which are all former republics of the once Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Unlike the Nazis tried for crimes against humanity at Nuremburg, the accused sitting in the docks at The Hague are all from nations with functioning judiciary systems. Both Croatia and Serbia are more than capable of trying their own citizens at home. While this may be a politically incorrect statement it is reality. Supporters of the ICTY will claim that neither Croatia nor Serbia would fairly prosecute their own former soldiers and political leaders. I find that hard to believe as these are the very nations that under international pressure have shipped their own citizens off to stand trial in a foreign land.Since its inception the goal of many within the United Nations bureaucracy has been world government. The United Nations is even today quietly floating the idea of the first world tax. Such a tax would be on oil and would be paid directly by those that pump the crude, the cost of the tax would then be past on to consumers world wide.Until now their was absolutely zero chance of any significant opposition to the ICTY acting as a World Court whose sovereignty reigned above that of self governing nation states. Who is going to care about the rights of alleged war criminals or the nations that produced them? Why not send them off to a foreign land to stand trial? Well for the same reason the Iraqi Government isnât shipping War Criminals such as Saddam Hussein off, there is no need for an independent nation to bow its head to a Non Governmental Organization such as the United Nations.However few people are going to loss sleep about a kangaroo court trying a man such as Croatian General Tihomir Blaskic who was convicted of crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating the massacre of Muslims in Bosnia. The tribunal was able to secure its conviction in part because of the testimony of a âprotected witnessâ€?. In other words Blaskic was not able to face his accuser.The tribunal issued a gag order against the media and ordered that the name of this âprotected witnessâ€? not be published. There of course is no basis in international law for such an order so five Croatian Journalists âviolatedâ€? this order and published the name of the witness whose motives were politically motivated. If General Blaskic did in fact commit the crimes for which he was convicted, I will certainly not defend him but I will always support the right of an accused to face their accuser.However of much greater import is not the fate of Blaskic is that of the five Croatian Journalist who have now been arrested by the United Nations for violating the gag order of a court in a foreign land. The War Crime Tribunal was set up by the United Nations to tri war criminals not journals. The rights of a free press in all cases surmount the desire of the United Nations to formulate world governing power. The UN may think that they can get away with this type of action against Croatian journalists whose government wonât support their right to a free press, but letâs see if they have the guts to try to arrest an American journalist for violating their gag order.I solidarity with my fellow journalists I will shout from the highest roof top the name of this witness that in reality needs no protection. His name is Stjepan Mesic and the reason he does not need protection from the press or anyone else is that he is the President of Croatia. The courtâs gag order does not serve to protect Mesic from physical harm but from political harm. I was personally acquainted with Mesic when I lived in Yugoslavia. I disliked him then and I dislike him even more now that he has demonstrate such cowardice allowing the United Nations to arrest journalist who did their job and reported on his testimony.In solidarity with my brother journalists, I challenge the ICTYâs to indict me for violating their gag order. Letâs see if they have the resolve to go after a journalist from a nation that has enshrined Freedom of the Press in its constitution. If not then they have a moral reasonability to release the Croatian journalists that are little more then political prisoners of would be world governing body.Letters to the editor of The Houston Home Journal may be e-mailed to:rgambill@evansnewspapers.com (Please Include Your Name and Location)William John Hagan can be contacted directly by e-mail at:William_Hagan@excite.com http://williamjohnhagan.blogspot.com/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6981/1/H-Znanje-jest-Blagostanje--kad-zazivimo-svoj-Identitet.html ÂZnanje jest Blagostanje ... kad zazivimo svoj IdentitetProjekti Europske Unije - uz udruzivanje i umrezavanje strucnosti Hrvatska jest nedvojbeno europska zemlja, pa sustavno politicko ucjenjivanje nase nacije od odredjenih centara moci zahtijeva vrlo specificna znanja i ozbiljne (re)akcije (o tom drugom prilikom). Jedna od posljedica nedavnog pocetka pregovora s EU jest najava da vec od 4. listopada hrvatski znanstvenici (i dapace svi gradjani) mogu ucestvovati u projektima EU, te primiti nezanemarivu financijsku podrsku za prihvacene projekte (s EU partnerima) vec od 18. studenog ove godine (sto je usitinu vrlo brzo). Pritom se vecina s pravom pita imamo li mi osobe koje znaju pripremiti takve projekte, te koja je vjerojatnost da Hrvatska dobije poveci dio tog novca koji, bez obzira na nasa politicka uvjerenja, jest ponudjen i na nama je da ga 'pokupimo'. Kao i uvijek odgovor je kompleksan, no pojednostavljeno mozemo reci da je prirodnoslovni dio nacije u velikoj mjeri spreman za te (ocekivane) izazove, dok vecina drugih podrucja polako kaska, a velika vecina nacije nema predodzbu o cemu se ustvari radi.Nasi prirodni-znanstvenici po svijetu su strucno povezani vec godinama, te i sustavno organizirani nakon Prvog Kongresa Hrvatskih Znanstvenika iz domovine i inozemstva (PKHZ, Zagreb-Vukovar, studeni 2005). Dapace mnoge akcije (siroj javnosti uglavnom nepoznate) su u tijeku ... medju inima, prosli tjedan je poslan poziv svim kolegama diljem Europe, da ako vec imaju projekte u EU da pomognu ukljuciti i domace partnere bar na neke od tih financijski atraktivnih (no birokratski kompleksnih) projekata. Medjutim, u nastavku clanka necu pisati o detaljima raznih EU projekata jer sve te informacije postoje i u Ministarstvu i na Internetu, nego cu radije navesti neka zanimljiva opazanja o znanju i odnosu nas Hrvata i nase europske subrace.Mi jesmo Europljani i imamo i brojne cestite prijateljeKljucno nam je cijelim bicem istinski prihvatiti da 1) mi jesmo uistinu europska zemlja, 2) EU nije neka homogena cjelina, a vecina Europljana jesu nasi prijatelji. Mada, stoji cinjenica da vecina ne poznaje dovoljno nasu povijest i istinu o nama, jer je ne poznaje ni vecina Hrvata ! 3) Iako to tako ne djeluje na prvi pogled, europska tradicija je ipak bitno krscanska (a cesto i katolicka), te u Europi zive brojni cestiti ljudi. Iskreno, meni su brojni europski kolege u profesiji cesto vise pomogli nego neki hrvatski kolege, djelomicno i zato jer je sustav strucnog vrednovanja i 'higijene' ljudskih odnosa bolje postavljen. Stovise, svakom kreativnom Hrvatu koji vlada barem jednim od euro-jezika relativno je lako naci optimalne partnere diljem Europe za sve originalne, zanimljive, pa cak i 'politicki-nepodobne' projekte. Naime, ne postoje samo znanstveni projekti u nanotehnologiji ili bio-genetici nego i u drustveno-povijesnim temema. Stovise, pocinju se detaljno znanstveno obradjivati brojni zlocini komunizma, te razni (tajni) politicki dogovori koji i danas utjecu na stanje ponekih europskih naroda. Ne dvojim da, ako ne propadnemo kao civilizacija, nasi unuci ce napokon poznavati istinu o hrvatskoj povijesti! U pred-zakljucku, buduci da je vise od 300 milijuna Europljana, za svaku zanimljivu temu postoje partneri i najcesce i najlakse ih je naci preko Interneta (google trazilica najcesce na engleskom).Izvrsnost je svakako vazan parametar u svemu tome, no kako primjer obitelji Kostelic jasno pokazuje, cak u disciplini u kojoj nemamo dugorocnu tradiciju, snagom volje, vizijom i uz minimum predispozicija mozemo stici do najboljih rezultata. Naravno, ne treba imati iluzija da ce nas odmah bas svi Europljani u svemu podrzati, ali kako rekoh imamo mi brojne nase ljude posvuda, te brojne nama vec sklone Europljane, pa je na nama da sad to sve sustavno koristimo. Isto vrijedi i na planetarnoj skali gdje opet imamo specificnu (cak povoljnu) situaciju jer nasi ljudi doslovno zive posvuda. Kljucan problem : 'hipnotiziranost' HrvataBez obzira sto nam neki centri moci nisu skloni, nasoj su naciji oduvijek najveci problem bili i ostali sami hrvatski gradjani. Uz ocitu negativnu hipnozu nacije partijskim boljsevizmom, koji i dalje dominira i u politici i poslovodstvu, i u tiskovinama i na HTV-u, takodjer moramo uvijek jasno iznijeti konkretne cinjenice glede (ne)obrazovanosti nacije. Poznato je da bi nacija sustavno povecavala svoj BNP potrebno je imati >1.5% inzenjera koji aktivno stvaralacki djeluju u drustvu; u Hrvatskoj svi visokoskolovani gradjani predstavljaju tek oko 2% (i jos uvijek dominiraju ne-inzenjerske struke). Dakle, nemojmo imati iluzije da cemo poreko noci izaci iz sadasnjeg (polu-)kolonijalnog stanja nacije. Sadasnja situacija jest direktna posljedica pola stoljeca krivog odgoja i usmjerenja, te uspavljivanja identiteta, kreativnosti te osobnosti nase nacije. Primjer bivse istocne Njemacke drasticno potvrdjuje koliko je zlo boljsevicko stanje svijesti, te da investicije ne rijesavaju probleme mentaliteta. Ni nakon â1.5 trilijuna ulaganja istocni dio Njemacke nije dostigao zapadni i nezaposlenost jest oko 20% ...Da, Hrvatska zeli i treba izrasti u drustvo znanja. No, nacija se i dalje svakodnevno bori sa svim tim ''klasicnim'' problemima (post-komunistickog) tranzicijskog sustava. Brzina izlaska iz tranzicije uvelike ovisi o sustavnoj podrsci svih medija, poglavito HTV-a. Sami pregovori i ulazak u EU kao i novi EU projekti i financiranja nece, a ni ne mogu, rijesiti bitne probleme hrvatske nacije. Pokusao sam stoga ukazati da je najvazniji korak k istinski demokratskom drustvu znanja i blagostanja prvo svega sveopce budjenje i opca svijest hrvatske nacije da jedina konkurentnost jest ustvari kreativno oslobadjanje i realizacija predispozicija svake osobe, svake grupe i svake institucije. To je jedini put dekolonizacije nase nacije. Da bi se nacija stvarno pokrenula, svaka zdrava osoba treba SVJESNO pronaci svoje optimalno mjesto u sustavu, kako u skolstvu, tako u institucijama, servisima ili industrijskim tvrtkama. To je moguce i nuzno i ovdje i sada kao i u kontekstu Europe jer mi jesmo Europljani. Sve ostalo o cemu brojni strucnjaci Hrvati pisemo jesu - posljedice: ovog trena jos uvijek zivimo posljedice sustavne partijsko-boljsevicke hipnoze, pa na nama samima ostaje taj kljucni izazov, budjenje originalnosti svake osobe. Time budimo identitet i sustavno stvaramo istinsku konkurentnost probudjene nacije, a tada znanje uistinu postaje - blagostanje.Ukratko o autoruDr. Davor Pavuna jer profesor fizike na Ecole Polytechnique u Lausanne-i. Diplomirao je eksperimentalnu fiziku u Zagrebu, te nakon doktorata u Engleskoj, kraceg djelovanja u Francuskoj, te Australiji i USA, vec dvadesetak godina djeluje iz Svicarske u strucnim suradnjama (uglavnom supravodljivost i novi materijali) s kolegama diljem svijeta. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6982/1/H-Nema-nista-uvredljivije-od-banalnosti.html ÂMoze se reci 'quo vadis Croatia' ali i quo vadis citav svijet! Jer sto ta profesorica opisuje je problem u citavom zapadnom svijetu. Banalnost, prostota itd. se vidi i cuje svugdje - od televizije do 'glazbe' i kod mnogih ljudi, pogotovo mladjih, koji su to uzeli kao cisto normalno. I tako dodje do nemorala i nasilja u svim formama. Pomozi nam Boze!Sa srdacnim pozdravima,HildaNema nista uvredljivije od banalnosti! Ponasanje nasih bogatasa osnovna je znacajka primitivnih drustava, a do toga je doslo nestankom gradjanske klase koja je njegovala vrijednosti, danas izvrgnute poruziMARIJA CRVELINU izvrsnoj seriji ÂIdemo na sjeverÂ, Goran Milic otvorio je okno kroz koje smo zavirili u zivot naroda dalekih sjevernih zemalja. Tamo vlada red pa i blagostanje, ali zitelji tih zemalja, cak i bogati ne isticu svoje bogatstvo i vrlo su skromni. Ovdje bi se mogle praviti neke usporedbe s nasim drustvom. Ponasanje nasih bogatasa osnovna je znacajka primitivnih drustava, a do toga je doslo, uz ostale uzroke, nestankom gradjanske klase koja je njegovala vrijednosti, danas nepoznate, nepriznate i izvrgnute poruzi i osudi. Kako pise Ivan Supek â gradjanska klasa je nastala na principima humanizma, krscanstva, prosvjetiteljstva i parlamentarne demokracije. Sva ta cetiri stupa rusili su totalitarizmi 20. st. Ta klasa koja je pocetkom Drugoga svjetskog rata, izbrisana s povijesne pozornice i fizicki istrijebljena, davala je pecat prijeratnoj Europi. Civilizirala i kultivirala drustvo. Sagradila gradove, ceste, luke, skole, katedrale. A sto je najvaznije: donijela je pravne kodekse, pravila ponasanja i zivota. Gradjanska klasa imala je i svoje tamne strane. Nerijesena nacionalna pitanja, ekonomske krize, nezaposlenost, socijalnu nesigurnost. Pa ipak, to je bilo pluralisticko drustvo u kojemu se postovala covjekova osoba i sva njegova prava. Postojali su slobodni izbori. Kult licnosti bio je nepoznat pojam. Postivao se rad, znanje i obrazovanje. Postojala je rijec â cast. Nije bilo montiranih procesa, ubijanja ljudi, otimanja imovine sto se sve dogadjalo naletom fasizma i komunizma. Moglo se slobodno govoriti i pisati. I pisalo se. O Sovjetskom Savezu kao o raju koji treba ostvariti i u nas. Glasnogovornik i bard nase knjizevnosti i Âarbiter elegantiarum hrvatske zbilje, svojom ideologijom i svojim djelom udarao je zadnje cavle u lijes gradjanske klase. Kada je crveni vihor sve pomeo, on je pod pozlacenim svijecnjacima u vili na brijegu meditirao i pisao o arabeskama svjetla na staklima u jesenjem sutonu. Zlocine oko sebe nije vidio. U gradu u kojem sam rodjena i odrasla mladi obrazovani ljudi sastajali su se na domjencima gdje se nije ni pilo ni pusilo, nego razgovaralo, pjevalo, plesalo, recitiralo stihove, sviralo i slusalo glazbu. Govorilo se o egzistencijalnim pitanjima. O smislu postojanja, smislu zivota i smrti. sto je starac Zosima rekao Aljosi. O odijevanju se nije govorilo. O tome se govorilo kod svelja, kad su one jos sile, i nisu bile modne kreatorice i stilistice. ÂNema nista uvredljivije, strasnije i tuznije od banalnostiÂ, rekao je Cehov.Ta banalnost kao veo prekriva danas cijelo drustvo. Studenti su nedavno govorili o pobuni. Povod je bio neki problem studija, neki krivi politicki potez Vlade? Ne!!! Radilo se zapravo o lignjama. Ne zele one uvozne, iz Japana. Kako kaze Solzenjicin Âintelektualac je onaj ciji su interesi i volja otvoreni neprekidno i uporno prema duhovnome zivotuÂ. Ne znam koliko se u tu sliku intelektualca uklapaju oni Âod liganjaÂ.Govori se da nam treba duhovna obnova, govori se o televiziji kao katedrali duha. Uspio slogan. Ta katedrala duha nudi nakaradne filmove pune seksa i nasilja. U gradu gdje su nekada mladi govorili o Dostojevskom, sada mladi dovode na scenu, u ÂPo ure tortureÂ, tovara simu kojega neke djevojke ÂmilujuÂ. Nitko nije zbog toga umro od stida. Nitko na televiziji nije dao ostavku. A publika? Protestira? Ne. Publika se zabavlja takvim i slicnim prizorima. Tu je bit problema. Moral i ukus nase javnosti nisko je pao, a duhovne su vrijednosti izgubljene. Ostaje samo tijelo u najrazvijenijim varijantama, a kako je fantazija neogranicena, stvaraju se sve nove kombinacije i perverzije. Da, sto je starac Zosima rekao Aljosi? Danasnja mladez to nece nikada zapitati i nikada saznati. A i sto ce joj to. To bi vodilo k nekim razmisljanjima, a ne znam je li moderan covjek za to vise sposoban. Bolje je ostati na povrsini i prihvatiti princip koji daje i trazi srecu samo u tjelesnoj ugodi. Istina, mladi obrazovani ljudi danas imaju tehnicka saznanja, o kojima mi stariji ne znamo nista. Ne znam koliko ih ta saznanja cine cjelovitim licnostima bez onih istina o kojima je govorio starac Zosima.Autorica je umirovljena profesorica hrvatskog i knjizevnosti iz ZagrebaMoze se reci 'quo vadis Croatia' ali i quo vadis citav svijet! Jer sto ta profesorica opisuje je problem u citavom zapadnom svijetu. Banalnost, prostota itd. se vidi i cuje svugdje - od televizije do 'glazbe' i kod mnogih ljudi, pogotovo mladjih, koji su to uzeli kao cisto normalno. I tako dodje do nemorala i nasilja u svim formama. Pomozi nam Boze!Sa srdacnim pozdravima,Hilda letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 14 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6985/1/E-Deliberate-human-rights-violations-against-Croatia.html ÂDeliberate human rights violations againstCroatiaDear All,All this (below) has to be in ENGLISH as the whole delPonte AGGRESSIONis evidently AGAINST even the most elementary human rights ...I (we) would (re)act in the same way if somebody arrested a journalistfrom (say) Senegal or Canada ... especially as ALL THE INFO waspublished BEFORE on the Internet ... so this is a clear political farse !(you can read various Croatian testimonies below).Last but not least - we should INDICT del Ponte as a group of citizens(say) in the USA or Switzerland. Do not tell me it is not possible.All we need is ONE decent honest and qualified lawyer.All our organizations and all NORMAL people I contacted - AGREE !IDel Ponte is clearly BigBrother aggression against elementary human rightsshe even knows FACTS ...... BTW, where is now NYT, CNN or Helsinki Human Rights ''group'' ????God bless you all, and please do ACT - now :This is an attack on human rights on our RIGHTS whoever we are !We do not want our children to live on delPonte (BB terrorism) Planet !!!DavorHINA :Splitski novinari izrazili podrsku JovicuObjavljeno prije sat vremenaTRIDESETAK splitskih novinara iz svih redakcija i dopisnistava te kulturnih djelatnika okupilo se danas na splitskom Narodnom trgu kako bi dali potporu novinaru Josipu Jovicu i izrazili negodovanje zbog njegova, kako su ocijenili, jucerasnjega nepotrebnog privodjenja i zadržavanja u zatvoru na Bilicama.Mladen Vukovic, urednik kulture na Hrvatskom radiju, obracajuci se okupljenim kolegama novinarima, kazao je kako se "nakon zastare od sedam, osam godina, nakon sto su svjedocenje zasticenog svjedoka objavili gotovo svi mediji, sada proganja novinar koji je zbog svojih napisa i zalaganja za slobodu javne rijeci dva puta dobio novinarsku nagradu Zlatno pero".Vukovic je pozvao haasko i hrvatsko pravosudje da ne bude selektivno te da uoci Dana hrvatske neovisnosti, 8. listopada, posvjedoci kako je u trodiobi vlasti sudstvo doista neovisno.Predsjednik Matice hrvatske u Splitu Josip Botteri rekao je da je zgrožen, dodavsi da se "u novoj Hrvatskoj ne pamti takav progon pisane rijeci i to", kako je kazao, "u Marulicevu gradu koji je uvijek bio slobodarski".Pjesnikinja i novinarka djurdjica Ivanisevic podsjetila je na trend u cijelom svijetu da se energicnije zastite svi pisci bez obzira na svjetonazor i misljenje.Podsjetila je na slucaj poznatoga turskog pisca Orhana Pamuka, zbog kojega se digla velika bura u Turskoj iako je, kako je rekla, ta zemlja dobila zeleno svjetlo za pocetak pregovora za ulazak u Europsku uniju.Novinari su se na danasnjem okupljanju na splitskom Narodnom trgu simbolicno vezali lancima, a istaknute su i poruke, medju kojima: "I ja sam Josip Jovic", "Jozef K. jednako Josip Jovic" aludirajuci na Kafkin roman, "Branitelji Helene Puljiz - javite se", "Tužitelji - sretan vam Dan neovisnosti".Inace, u splitsko dopisnistvo Hine od jutros stižu tekstovi potpore Josipu Jovicu od razlicitih stranaka i udruga, medju kojima Hrvatske bratske zajednice u SAD-u, Hrvatskog bloka, Hrvatske ciste stranke prava, braniteljskih udruga prosteklih iz Domovinskog rata.Takodjer Stranka demokratske akcije Hrvatske (SDAH) u priopcenju je "izrazila svoje nezadovoljstvo zbog uhicenja novinara Slobodne Dalmacije Josipa Jovica". U priopcenju se istice kako "uhicenje novinara proizvodi nesigurnost te struke, a u konacnici to znaci pokusaj suspenzije demokratskih nacela i demokracije".SDA Hrvatske takodjer navodi kako se "pridružuje prosvjedima demokratske javnosti" zbog ovakvog postupanja prema novinaru Josipu Jovicu te "izražava nadu da cemo uskoro toga novinara vidjeti na slobodi".Muljacic odbacio spekulacije o izrucenju JovicaPomocnik ministrice pravosudja Jaska Muljacic odbacio je u petak ujutro kao "potpuno neutemeljene" spekulacije prenesene u medijima o tobožnjem hitnom izrucenju bivseg glavnog urednika Slobodne Dalmacije Josipa Jovica u Haag mimo procedure predvidjene Ustavnim zakonom o suradnji s Haskim sudom."RH je pravna država u kojoj sudovi sude temeljem Ustava i zakona te ce se i u predmetu Jovic, kao i u svim drugim slucajevima dosljedno primjenjivati odredbe Ustavnog zakona o suradnji s ICTY-jem", kazao je u petak u Zagrebu pomocnik ministrice pravosudja zadužen za suradnju s Haskim sudom.Jovic je u cetvrtak poslijepodne pritvoren u Splitu na temelju naloga Haskoga suda, koji ga je 9. rujna optužio za nepostivanje suda zbog objave identiteta i iskaza zasticenog svjedoka sa sudjenja Tihomiru Blaskicu u studenom i prosincu 2000. godine.Obzirom da je Jovic unaprijed najavio da ce se služiti svim pravnim sredstvima u ovom predmetu, a glasnogovornik Haskog suda Jim Landale pozvao je na sto hitnije rjesenje ovog slucaja, Muljacic je kazao kako je Ministarstvo pravosudja u cetvrtak ujutro poslalo opsirno pismo kojim je upoznalo tajnika Haskog suda sa svim relevantnim odredbama Ustavnog zakona i s procedurom pred hrvatskim sudovima te najavilo da se može ocekivati da ce postupak pred hrvatskim sudovima u ovom predmetu trajati nekoliko tjedana.Zbog slucaja splitskog novinara Josipa Jovica, Izvrsni odbor Hrvatskog novinarskog drustva danas je za 17 sati sazvao izvanrednu sjednicu.Predsjednik HND-a Dragutin Lucic izjavio je Hini kako je danas o slucaju Jovic razgovarao s podtajnikom Medjunarodne federacije novinara Oliverom Money Kyrleom, a vec ranije je o tome izvijestio i glavnog tajnika Medjunarodne federacije novinara Aidana Whitea te predsjednika europske federacije novinara Arnea Koeniga, zatraživsi pri tome njihovu interpretaciju cijelog slucaja.Potpredsjednik HND-a Zdenko Duka misljenja je kako je Jovic pogrijesio jer se nije odazvao pozivu Haaskog suda isticuci kako nitko ne može biti izuzet iz domasaja pravne države."Jasno je da ne možemo podržati privodjenje i pritvaranje jednog novinara zbog toga sto je objavio, pa makar to bila i objava svjedocenja zasticenog svjedoka. To je svjedocenje bilo objavljeno vec i ranije, izjavio je Duka za danasnji Jutarnji list. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6984/1/H-Velebit-jedna-od-najljepsih-planina-svijeta.html ÂVilo VelebitaCroatian generals Mirko Norac (L), Mladen Markac (C) and Ante Gotovina stand during a military and police exercise at Croatia's Mt.Velebit in this March 13, 1998 file picture. Picture taken March 13, 1998. REUTERS/ Nikola Solic  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 09 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6987/1/H-IZBORIJADE.html ÂIZBORIJADEU vrijeme priprema novog, Hrvatski Svjetski Sabor podsjeca Vladu i gradjanstvo na niz upucenih primjedaba na racun starog Izbornog Zakona. Prica pocinje u lipnju 2002. godine kada su Vladi i Saboru RH doznacene 'Odluke, zahtjevi i preporuke dijaspore' ( dijaspora tada jos nije bio tako ozloglasen pojam) u kojima se reagira na brisanje iseljenickog izbornog prava iz Ustava RH (Za vrijeme Tudjmana je dijaspora imala 12 zastupnika koje je predlagao Predsjednik drzave. Zbog nepravednosti je izmijenjen na nacin da je i dalje bilo osigurano 12 mjesta samo sto je taj broj bio ogranicen brojem glasova koje zastupnik treba dobiti da bi bio izabran. Kasnije se s 12 preslo na sest, pa na cetiri Zastupnika ) Sami sebi dovoljni, tadasnji vlastodrsci nisu se udostojali ni odgovoriti na dopis. HSSD je ponovo reagirao 2004 ali stvari se, ocito, ni najmanje nisu promijenile jer 'od sto glasa, glasa cuti bilo nije'. Sto ima tako opasno u zelji da se iseljenicki Saborski zastupnici biraju u nekoliko izbornih jedinica ( prijedlog: SAD- 2 zastupnika; Kanada-1; Australija i NZ-2; Njemacka-1; Svicarska i Austrija-1; GB, Francuska, Italija i Spanjolska-1; istocne zemlje-1; BiH-2; ostale zemlje bivse SFRJ-1 zastupnik )? Uvodeci vise izbornih jedinica od jedne (kako sada stoje stvari) izbjeglo bi se naturanje vlasti podobnih kadrova iz krajeva koji se vrlo tesko mogu ubrojiti u iseljenu Hrvatsku ( jer stoljecima zive na svom ognjistu koji je danas, spletom okolnosti, na teritoriju druge drzave ). Takodjer bi se uspjelo vise animirati domace ljude, srcem vezane uz djedovinu, da uloze ponesto u domovinu i pomognu njen razvoj i oporavak u ovim teskim vremenima. Medjutim, narodu se plasira ideja da samo oni koji pune hrvatski proracun mogu odlucivati o namjeni tih sredstava. Istovremeno se presucuje podatak o milijardi dolara iseljenickog novca koji se svake godine slije u RH â za uzdrzavanje familija, odrzavanja objekata, za humanitarnu pomoc, izgradnjuâ Ispada da novac koji ne prodje kroz ruke profesionalnih rodoljuba ( dolazi direktno u dzep domacem korisniku ) nije narodni. Naravno, tako oblikovana argumentacija stavlja biracko pravo iseljene Hrvatske na marginu hrvatskih interesa te dozvoljava svakakve manipulacije njenim glasovima. Danas emigraciju predstavljaju cetiri zastupnika i to svi redom iz BiH. Aktualni prijedlog novog izbornog zakona predvidja dopisno glasovanje koje apsolutno nista ne mijenja na stvari osim sto ce broj bosansko-hercegovackih, hrvatskih Sabornika eventualno porasti na pet. Molimo ovlastene osobe iz Vlade da se bar ocituju o nasem prijedlogu. Zanima nas postoji li u njihovoj viziji RH ikoje slobodno, odgovorno mjesto namijenjeno iseljenoj Hrvatskoj ili se na nju samo racuna kao na donacijsku ekspozituru domacih stranaka i dobrodoslu podrsku u vremenima svjetskog lobiranja?! S vjerom u bolju obostranu suradnju,www.hssd.hr Porec,13.7.2005.g.HRVATSKI SVJETSKI SABORKoordinator Niko Soljak prof.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6986/1/E-Pohvala-Urednistvu-Matice.html ÂPohvala Urednistvu MaticeKvaliteta nase mjesecne revije za hrvatske iseljenike u svijetu 'Matica', odusevila je mnoge Hrvate s kojima sam razgovarao u zadnje vrijeme. To je potaklo mene i mojeg prijatelja Dra. Vladiu Copa, da posaljemo Matici slijedeci clanak, koji vam ovim putem saljem.Sve dobro vas Dr. Frank (Zeljko) BeluhanDragi nasi 'Maticari'Osjecamo, da vam moramo reci ono sto nam se vec dugo prosto namece, a sto nam je na srcu, naime, da je nasa/vasa 'Matica' sve bogatiji, sve ljepsi, sve interesantniji i, jednom rjecju, sve bolji casopis!!!Vasa ideja da se zadovolji svaki profil citaoca sa relativno kratkim clancima i slikama je, po nasem misljenju, definitivno realizirana. Ono, sto bi posebno htjeli naglasiti, je spoznaja da velika vecina clanaka odusevljava, veseli i stimulira svakog citaoca bez obzira na zvanje, zanimanje i zivotnu dob. Isto tako vjerujemo da 'Matica' dize duh nasih ljudi diljem cijelog svijeta, u svim hrvatskim obiteljima i 'kolonijama'. Osobito smo ponosni na paznju, koju posvecujete nasoj kulturnoj bastini.S druge strane, 'Matica' daje mnogima do znanja da i kod tako zvanih 'malih naroda' postoje 'velikani', koji mogu dosta uciniti za opci napredak i blagostanje u svijetu!Nasa je zelja da 'Matica' prodre u svaki kutak svijeta, u svaku nasu obitelj, noseci ljepotu i radost naseg jezika i Domovine nase!Vasi uz pozdrave i sa postovanjem iz FlorideDr. Vladislav CopDr. Frank (Zeljko) Beluhan  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6988/1/H-Dvije-Hrvatske.html ÂDvije HrvatskeHrvatsko-americka udruga (CAA) koja ne lobira u ime trenutne hrvatske vlade, vec za ocuvanje hrvatske bastine i za interese Hrvata diljem svijeta u Washingtonu nastavlja svoje lobisticko djelovanje. U petak,10. lipnja 2005. godine CAA, ogranak Illinois organizirao je javni skup u Hrvatskom kulturnom centru u Chicagu. Glavni i jedni govornik bio je Jeffrey Kuhner, kolumnista Washington Times. Jeffrey Kuhner poznat je po svome nemirnom stilu govora, a govorio je o danasnjem stanju u Hrvatskoj, problematici citave regije, o Bosni i Hercegovni, o "Grupi 100", o Hrvatsko-americkoj udruzi (CAA), i o ignoriranoj i do sada javnosti, nepoznatoj temi: "Dvije Hrvatske!" Devet dana kasnije, 19. lipnja 2005, godine katolicki tjednik Glas Koncila objavio je izvaredno informativan komentar Ivana Miklenica pod naslovom: "Dvije Hrvatske!"Govor Jeffrey Kuhnera i komentar Ivana Miklenica nepobitno su upozoravajuca ali i spasonosna Bozja zrcala istine za domovinske i iseljene Hrvate! Zasto je to tako? Odgovori leze u njihovim stajalistima, koji zasluzuju ogromnu javnu pozornost i reakciju domovinskih i iseljenih Hrvata, i na razumijevanju istih gledano kroz Biblijsku perspektivu .Govor Jeffrey Kuhnera(Izvadeno iz konteksta govora)Nakon sto je zavrsio svoj podulji govor u Hrvatskom kulturnom centru u Chicagu u petak, navecer 10. lipnja,2005. godine (U dogovoru s Hrvatsko-americkom udrugom (CAA) ogranak Illinois dokumentirao sam svojom TV kamerom i ovaj jedinstven informativan dogadaj), gospodin Jeffrey Kuhner odgovarao je na pitanja nazocnih. U jednom trenutku udaljio sam se od moje TV kamere koja je i dalje snimala (sto ne cinim cesto) i iskoristio prigodu te se obratio Jeffrey Kuhneru: "Prije nekoliko dana u jednom intervju za Croatian Chronicle novine iz New Yorka izjavili ste slijedece: "Mi Hrvati, misleci da postoji samo jedna Hrvatska, u velikoj smo zabludi.U stvarnosti postoje dvije Hrvatske, ona domovinska i ona iseljena! Molim vas objasnite nam sto mislite kada kazete da postoje dvije Hrvatske?" "To sam izjavio prigodom ovogodisnjih CAA Hrvatskih dana na Capitol Hillu. Prvo, da kazem nekoliko rijeci oHrvatsko - americkoj udruzi (CAA). CAA-a je izvredno utjecajna lobisticka Hrvatska udruga u Washingtonu. Ja mogu slobodno kazati vama da se CAA-a sada pojavljuje, ne samo kao najefikasnija lobisticka Hrvatska- americka udruga, vec je CAA-a sada i daleko najefikasnija Hrvatska udruga u zastupanju Hrvatskih interesa u Washingtonu, a njezino efikasno djelovanje prepoznaje se danas i u domovini Hrvatskoj. Jednom rijecu, Hrvatsko-americka udruga (CAA) je veoma, veoma djelotvorna udruga!Da objasnim sto sam mislio kazati kada sam rekao da postoje dvije Hrvatske! Ustvari, to sam rekao zahvaljujuci mome dobrom prijatelju Charlsu, novinaru koji pise za Washington Post. Nas dvoje cesto igramo sah, i ujedno razgovaramo o mnogim stvarima, kao i o politici. Znajuci da je ponosan Zidov, u jednom trenutku znatizeljno sam ga upitao; "Sto je ustvari tajna izvarednog uspjeha Zidovsko-americke zajednice lobirajuci za Izrael?" Bez razmisljanja odgovorio je: "Jeff, jedno morate razumijeti, mi Zidovi svijesni smo da ne postoji samo jedan Izrael, vec dva Izraela. Domovinski i iseljeni i rastrkani Izrael. Mi, Zidovi u dijaspori savjetujemo nase politicare u domovini o problemima Izraela. Ukoliko nas ignoriraju, mi u dijaspori ne dajemo im potporu. Zidovi su rastrkani po cijelome svijetu, to je cinjenica. U biti, mi Zidovi u dijaspori smo bez svoje drzave, ali uvijek nademo nacina da smo zajedno i da se organiziramo u velike zajednice, kao sto su ovdje u Americi i Kanadi. Osnovna razlika u lobiranju sastoji se u cinjenici, da kada mi Zidovi u Americi idemo u Izrael, otvoreno kazemo vodecim Izraelskim politicarima kako se radi ovdje u Americi i sto je javna i slobodna medija. Poznata je stvar da u posljednjih 15. godina Izraelska dijaspora odgovorna je za relativno uspjesnu ekonomiju Izraela. Izrael nije u ekonomskoj krizi! Izrael ima danas veoma zivu slobodnu trzisnu ekonomiju. Cinjenice su da postoje drugi Izrael i druga Irska. Isto tako postoji i druga Hrvatska, a to smo mi iseljeni Hrvati! Mi jesmo rastrkani po svijetu, u neku ruku predstavljamo narod bez drzave, ali mi imamo svoju domovinu Hrvatsku! I na kraju da odgovorim na postavljeno pitanje. Istina je, postoje dvije Hrvatske. Mi iseljeni Hrvati predstavljamo drugu Hrvatsku, Hrvatska koja odrzava san domovinske Hrvatske drzave na zivotu. Tijekom Domovinskog rata iseljena Hrvatska nije dala samo ogroman novac domovini, iseljena Hrvatska bila je lider i svajetovala je Domovinu i bila je kulturna i moralna potpora kada je najvise trebalo! Nasa uloga kao druge Hrvatska jest, podsjetiti prvu Hrvatsku, domovinu nasih predaka, sto je njena uloga, sto smo postigli i sto se moze postici u buducnosti!"Komentar Ivana Mikulica: " Dvije Hrvatske"(Izvadeno iz konteksta komentara)19. lipnja 2005. godine "Glas Koncila" katolicki tjednik objavio je izvaredan komentar, vrijedan pozornosti svih Hrvata, Ivana Mikulica pod naslovom: "Dvije Hrvatske"! "Analizirajuci stvarnost hrvatskoga drustva, pomni promatrac lako dolazi do spoznaje o bezbrojnim protuslovljima, razlikama i paradoksima, kako u svakodenvnom ukupnom drustvenom zivotu tako i prakticnom ponasanju i razmisljanju hrvatskih gradana. Posve je razumljivo da je svako ljudsko drustvo osobito na nacionalnoj razini, vec po sebi dinamicno, bogato razlicitostima i, zahvaljujuci tome, i zanimljivo i puno izazova, zbog cega je pozeljan zivot u ljudskoj zajednici. No suvremeno hrvatsko drustvo ne odlikuje se samo uobicajenom dinamicnoscu i razlicitoscu, vec mu je svojstvena specificna visestruka podijelenost koja bi se mozda mogla svesti s jedne strane na one koji se snalaze pa zive relativno lagodno ne zaziruci od prodaje svega samo da bi njima sada bilo dobro, ne mareci da taj put vodi u propast hrvatske nacije, i s druge strane na one koji zive prizemljeni cesto veoma teski, tvrdi zivot koji jamci opstanak i donosi buducnost hrvatske nacije. Prva skupina mogla bi se oznaciti kao povlasteni borci za svoje osobne i grupne interese, a druga kao borci za opstanak, kako svoj tako i hrvatske nacije. Slicne podjele vjerojatno su poznate i u drugim nacionalnim drustvima, no u drugim drustvima te podjele nisu ni priblizno tako duboke ni tako jasno ocitovane kao u hrvatskom drustvu. Zbog tih drasticnih podjela u suveremenom hrvatskom drustvu moze se danas govoriti cak o dvije gotovo razlicite Hrvatske; povlastenoj Hrvatskoj i stvarnoj Hrvatskoj...Razdjelnica izmedu te dvije Hrvatske ne ide ni po hrvatstvu, ni po politickoj opciji, ni po ekonomskom stanju, ni po vjerskoj pripadnosti, ni po stupnju obrazovanja, nego po (ne) opredijeljenosti za opce dobro. Samo stvarno opredijeljeniza opce dobro promici covjecnost, boljitak hrvatskoga drustva, izgraduju buducnost hrvatske nacije i ucvrscuju hrvatski nacionalni identitet, otvoreni su za pravednu medunarodnu suradnju i jamac su bolje buducnosti drzave Hrvatske. Europske unije i citavoga covjecanstva. Vjernici su prvi pozvani sluziti opcemu dobru."Zakljucak iz krscanske perspektiveMi, Hrvati, mali smo narod. Ali nije tragedija biti brojcano malim narodom, nego je tragedija kada se taj mali narod medusobno dijeli i ne slaze. U Bozjoj rijeci, Bibilije pise: "Ako je u sebi neslozno, svako ce kraljestvo propasti. Nijedangrad ili dom, ako je sam u sebi neslozan, nece opstati". (Matej 12,25) Ovo su za nas domovinske i iseljene Hrvate upozoravajuce, ali i spasonosne Bozje rijeci. Mi sami, pojedinacno moramo se mjenjati ili kako u Bibiliji pise:" Trebas se nanovo roditi" (Ivan 3,3) To je temelj! U protivnom mi cemo i dalje raditi kao smo radili i do sada, bez obzira na stupanj nase osobne inteligencije. Ja ovdje ne iznosim vlastito stajaliste, nego biblijsku perspektivu gledanja i razumijevanja. Mi mozemo ignorirati Sveto pismo i ne vjerovati Bozjoj rijeci, koja na nepokoljebljivom sigurnoscu stavlja istinu pred oci. Mi mozemo ne vjerovati u Boga, nasega Gospodina Isusa Krista, ali to ne znaci da ON nepostoji!Zvonimir B. RanogajecKrscanski TV producent2537 Eastwood Avenue Evanston, Illinois USA letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 04 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6989/1/E-Strange-justice-and-even-stranger-fair-play.html ÂStrange justice and even stranger fair playwhen it involves another nation's officer.ÂDear friends,Here is some food for thought: I was just reading my July edition of the Smithsonian, featuring happenings of 35 years ago - 1970. Among other things "In the News": "On July 15, a House investigating committee reports that Army and State Department officers covered up a March 1968 massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians by American soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai. Twenty five officers and enlisted men were eventually charged with the murder and related crimes. But only Lt. William Calley was convicted; he served three years of house arrest and now lives in Atlanta."Not only does this remind us of this Administration's cover-ups in regard to tortures in Abu Graib and its disregard of Geneva conventions, but the hypocrisy of demanding the arrest of Gen.Gotovina for the killing of 150 Serb civilians during Operation Storm, - for command responsibility even though he gave no such order. And than consider the difference in the sentencing: The ICTY hands out several years of prison sentences, while the American officer in an American court gets house arrest for the killing of several hundred people! Strange justice and even stranger fair play when it involves another nation's officer.Hilda  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 25 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6990/1/E-HRVATSKA-TREBA-HRVATSKU-BANKU.html ÂHRVATSKA TREBA HRVATSKU BANKUBankarstvo je krvotok nacije i dok god njime ne kola domaci novac, Hrvatska lezi tesko bolesna i izranjavana. Oporavak je daleki san, treba prvo pruziti hitnu pomoc, rane strucno pregledati i sanirati te tek tada pripisati terapiju.Bez gospodarstva i stvaranja novih vrijednosti samo smo neodgovorna, raspustena, rastrosna horda parazita ovisna o dobroj volji i toleranciji organiziranih drustava. Iako postoje i objektivni, globalni razlozi nase agonije, ponajvise smo joj upravo sami doprinijeli. Za izlazak iz kolapsa treba ponovo osvojiti olako izgubljenu infrastrukturu organizma zvanog Drzava - privredu, proizvodnju, upravu nad kljucnim resursima. Bez njih nacija jede samu sebe.Ni jedna drzava nije neovisna dok ne ostvari financijsku samostalnost. Nas je bankarski sustav 96% u rukama stranaca i ismijava nazive svojih institucija. Dovukli smo Trojanskog konja a ne investitore. Cete inkasatora kriju se u konjskoj glavi i zaokupljene su gomilanjem nerealnih profita na stetu hrvatske nacije. Strpljivo cekaju prestanak nase zanesenosti njihovim novotarijama pa da, putem drazbi, krenu u preuzimanje teritorija â metar po metar. Kapital sustavno zaobilazi gospodarstvo i iznajmljuje se, uz visoke kamate, graÃanima za podmirenje osnovnih troskova zivota (hrane, pica, rezija). Dobrano se zaraÃuje na svim vrstama potrosnje â od socijalne do luksuzne. Nemoralna je to ponuda domacem stanovnistvu koje, zajedno s Drzavom, sve vise tone u siromastvo. Zacarani krug duznika, jamaca i hipoteka stalno se prosiruje. Preuzeo je i mnostvo zdravih ali socijalno- osjetljivih pojedinaca i subjekata. Nije svatko sposoban zatvoriti oci pred patnjama sunarodnjaka. Samo bezobzirni dobro prosperiraju i namecu svoju neosjetljivost kao formulu za uspjesnost.Quo vadis, Hrvatsko â domovinska i iseljena?!Suoci se sa zbiljom i osnuj jaku poslovnu banku u svojem vlasnistvu. Domovina treba svjeza i zdrava sredstva âsa nacionalnim predznakomâ koja bi joj pomogla u hrvanju sa suptilnom financijskom agresijom zapada. To je jedini pravi, pametni odgovor na ovu vrstu kolonizacije. Treba pobijediti malodusje porazavanih i skupiti zdrave snage u oazama cvrstih, stabilnih uporista. Zaboravljajuci meÃusobne svaÃe i animozitete, udruzenom akcijom svih kojima je Hrvatska u srcu, otvoriti put vlastitog razvoja. Porec, 3.6.2005.g. Niko SoljakHRVATSKI SVJETSKI SABOR letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 07 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6991/1/E-Globalisation-creates-more-problems-than-it-solves-.html Greece (72 percent), Japan (71 percent),Croatia (70 percent), Austria (69 percent) and France (67 percent)ÂGreece tops list of countries whose citizens oppose globalization, ICAP-Gallup survey showsGreece topped the list of countries whose citizens believe that globalization creates more problems than it solves, according to a world-wide survey conducted by TNS-ICAP in cooperation with the Gallup International Association in 64 countries spread over five continents, the results of which were released in Athens on Monday.More specifically, according to the survey results, a 56 percent majority of world citizens are opposed to globalization, believing that it creates more problems than it solves. Greece topped the list, with 72 percent of the respondents in agreement with that opinion.In a total 64 countries, 56 percent of the respondents either replied either "agree" or "totally agree" that globalization creates more problems than it solves, while 30 percent either "disagree" or "totally disagree" with that view. The area with the highest proportion of citizens with a negative view of globalization was Asia, with 64 percent, while Africa was the only region in which the proportion of citizens with a positive view of globalization (50 percent) exceeded that of those with a negative view (41 percent).With respect to individual countries, the five countries with the highest proportion of citizens with a negative view of globalization were Greece (72 percent), Japan (71 percent), Croatia (70 percent), Austria (69 percent) and France (67 percent). Worthy of note is the fact that three of those countries are Western European countries and EU member states (Greece, Austria and France).Also, the proportion of Greek respondents who replied "totally agree" with the view that globalization creates more problems than it solves was a high 47 percent, followed by Croatia with 34 percent, while the country with the smallest proportion was Japan, with just 9 percent.Conversely, the five countries with the highest proportions of citizens in favour of globalization -- who disagreed with the view that it creates more problems than it solves -- were Albania (62 percent), Nigeria (56 percent), Taiwan (53 percent), Kenya (52 percent) and Egypt (52 percent). Worthy of note is that no EU member state, nor the US, were among the top five countries whose citizens were in favour of globalization.http://www.ana.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=2997472&service=10  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6992/1/E-While-we-were-busy-living.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 01 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6993/1/E-Corpus-separatum---Povijesni-krug-optuzbi---Josip-Jovic.html   Corpus separatumPovijesni krug optuzbi Josip JOVINa najnovije prosirenje optuznica koje su stigle iz Haaga i kojima se optuzuju za smisljeni zlo ina ki pothvat cijeli vojni i drzavni vrh, vojska, stranke, znani i neznani, prakti ki narod u cjelini, vodei su politi ari reagirali razli ito. Ivo Sanader je priznao kako su ovaj put doista prijeene sve granice, Ra an je optuzbu nazvao apsurdnom, dok je Stjepan Mesi u svom stilu vjerodostojnog agenta Carle del Ponte samo konstatirao kako "optuznica nije bas najprihvatljivija". Iznenaenja zapravo nema, bit prosirene optuznice sadrzana je i u svim ranijim optuzbama, na sto su ina e upozoravali objektivni promatra i, koji su, meutim, redovito proglasavani paranoicima, desni arima i izolacionistima. Sada svi odjednom vide kako iz optuznice jasno proizlazi da je Oluja bila nelegitimna vojna akcija, kao sto je, naravno, nelegitimno i sve sto je proisteklo iz nje. U Splitu smo isti dan kad je stigla optuznica morali otrpjeti optuzbu druge vrste i tezine, ali iste funkcije. Jacques Wunenburger, izaslanik Europske komisije na okruglom stolu posveenom Europi cijeloj je domaoj javnosti skresao u brk stilom kakvom nije pribjegavao ni Josip Broz, kako ovdje ima previse nacionalizma i euroskepticizma, premalo odusevljenja EU-u. Naravno, on nikada kao glasnogovornik slabo zamaskiranih imperijalnih interesa nee razumjeti kako je euroskepticizam odgovor na aroganciju i drskost EU birokracije kakvu je upravo on demonstrirao. I kako je nacionalizam obrambeni mehanizam malih naroda i, s druge strane, kako je nacionalizam etiketa kojom moni i bogati nastoje zbrisati i diskvalificirati slabe i siromasne. Slabasni odgovor premijera Sanadera sveo otprilike na slijedee: Dragi moj Jacques, nista vi ne brinite, bit e bolje, nagurat emo mi ovih pedeset na sedamdeset pet posto, kad za to doe vrijeme. I dok Amerikanci u Beogradu uru ise Trumanovo visoko odlikovanje obitelji Draze Mihailovia, osvjedo enog borca protiv fasista, Hrvata i Muslimana, u Brooklynu, u Memorialnom parku holokausta Institut za istrazivanje zlo ina u Jasenovcu koji su osnovale tamosnje srpske i zidovske zajednice podigose spomen-obiljezje na kojemu pise kako je u tom ustaskom logoru pogubljeno stotine tisua Srba, Zidova, Roma i ostalih. I dok je odli je Drazi popraeno laganim prosvjednim notama iz Zagreba, newyorski spomenik ostao je bez krika i bijesa. Cijelu pri u nadopunila je izvjestiteljica CNN-a, reporterka Cristiane Amanpour, povezavsi u izvjesu s pogreba Ivana Pavla II. kardinala Stepinca s ustaskim rezimom, i opet bez odgovarajue reakcije s hrvatske strane.I obiljezavanje sezdesete obljetnice pobjede nad fasizmom u samoj Hrvatskoj, slu ajno ili ne, uklopilo se u ukupni scenarij izravnih i neizravnih optuzbi, ime kao da se zatvara jedan povijesni krug iz kojega nam se ne da izii. Dok su balti ki i neki isto noeuropski narodi i njihovi voe jasno kazali kako je oslobaanje od fasizma bio po etak jedne druge okupacije, jedne druge tiranije, vala zlo ina i terora, sto se nesumnjivo i s Hrvatskom dogodilo, u nas je antifasizam upravo izjedna en s komunizmom, kult druga Tita visoko je iznova uzdignut, ulazak u Zagreb u partizane preobu enih etnika koji su sijali smrt i nasilje predstavljen je kao osloboenje i pobjedu hrvatskog antifasizma. itavoj stvari svoj je pe at dao upravo predsjednik drzave Stjepan Mesi, za kojega je sto tisua ubijenih nemonih ljudi tek incident. Njegovo ak i krajnje relativizirano spominjanje zlo ina u Bleiburgu naislo je na znakovitu sutnju i jasno neodobravanje okupljenih na sve anoj akademiji u dvorani Vatroslav Lisinski, ispunjenoj antifasistima druge generacije, koji su na kraju rata mogli imati tek petnaest godina. Nakon svake provokativne tvrdnje koja je mogla zadovoljiti samo okupljene, Mesi bi duboko i s o itom nelagodom usmrknuo, verbalno se snazno zauzimajui za istinu, rukovoen valjda onom izjavom starog cinika Winstona Churchilla, koji re e kako je istina suvise vazna da se ne bi stitila lazima. Ideja jugoslavenskog patriotizma ostala je, za sada, lebdjeti negdje u zraku, jer za nju jos nisu sazreli svi uvjeti. Zato je u prvom redu sjedio Budimir Lon ar, Predsjednikov specijalni savjetnik, neko prvi borac protiv emigracije i ministar vanjskih poslova Jugoslavije dok je vojska ove drzave razarala Vukovar.Taj prenaglaseno intonirani govor o "antifasizmu", uz jasno orkestriranu sugestiju kako nacionalizam, fasizam i ustastvo kao glavni neprijatelji jos nisu pobijeeni, te uz preskakanje svih trauma i uz optuzivanje istinskog oslobodila kog, Domovinskog rata, taj govor se doima kao poziv ili ak kao nalog za povratak u stare okvire. A nas politi ki vrh kao da svemu tome pomaze ili kao da ne vidi o emu se tu radi.  http://www.slobodnadalmacija.com/20050516/kolumne01.asp   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 20 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6997/1/E-Contrary-to-what-many-intellectuals-think.html ÂDominant leftist media ushers in 'Croatian Deafness' era in CroatiaBy: Dr. Jerry BLASKOVICH(In California, USA)Contrary to what many intellectuals in Croatia and some individuals in the HDZ's hierarchy may think, there is press freedom in Croatia . In fact, it's been so since Croatia 's independence - despite what nay-sayers said, domestically and internationally, during Tudjman's mandate. Interestingly, the Croatian detractors, for the most part, were media people exercising press freedom without hindrance.But press freedom in Croatia now has a different meaning. The mainstream media, such as, Jutarnji List, Globus (both owned by Germany's VAZ); Vecernji List (owned by Austria's Styria); and Croatian Television (HRT) (run by directors who were appointed for four years by former Prime Minister Ivica Racan just before he left office) freely express what they wish - as long as it conforms to the agendas of the owners or directors.Except for HRT, they are mainly leftist European orientated concerns, but all carry the George Soros' mind set. Political parties or individuals they deem unacceptable are sharply criticized and not given a forum. Anything the HDZ has accomplished, no matter how righteous or noteworthy, is negatively or ill reported.Each passing day the perspective in Croatia is characterized as worsening, getting economically poorer, and without prospect of a future. The reality is that during the present HDZ government the Gross National Product has been rising yearly by 3-5 %, the unemployment rate has been dropping, and for the first time exports have exceeded imports.Average salaries have increased by 5% while cost of living has increase only by 2%. The media is loathe to report about these statistics because local elections are pending and they wish to keep the public in the dark about the present government's success.Instead the media has been the lambasting the government for the rise in unemployment of the last quarter. They, however, fail to say that this is a normal seasonal variation. In contrast, the present government has 2% less unemployment than did the same season under the Racan government.Reporting about the independence movement and the Tudjman era, including the Homeland War, is largely forgotten or clouded in mist. During the last five years HRT devoted a mere 30 minutes to the Homeland War! But stories on alleged Croatian 'war criminals' have been reported upon ad infinitum.The only exposure the average Croatian has to 'news' emanates from a press owned by foreign companies whose ideas are fostered on Croatian citizens.Doubtless there will be a flurry of criticism from the media about the HDZ's failure for Croatia to be accepted by the European Union [EU]. But the March 17th rejection was a blessing in disguise for Croatia . Acceptance would have been disastrous to Croatia 's economy.While Croatia 's market is relatively wide open to international business already, there are restraining stipulations. Membership would give EU countries carte blanche in Croatia , but it will not be a reciprocal arrangement. Croatia is viewed only as a consumer entity and labor source. Its goods would not be able to compete in the EU market.Britain 's Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane has done everything in his power to bastardize Croatia in its bid for membership status. Membership into the EU before Serbia would tacitly acknowledge a military and political victory for Croatia . Countries who were philosophically against Croatia will not allow this--especially Great Britain , followed by Finland and other anti-Catholic coalition states. The EU, heeding England 's advice, is using General Gotovina as an excuse. But, if he surrenders they would find another excuse.No other candidate to the EU has been strapped with as many stipulations than has Croatia - most certainly not Serbia . For example, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia [ICTY] has demanded certain preconditions for Croatia .Despite meeting 625 demands out of 626 ordered by the Tribunal, the ICTY continues to chastise Croatia for its uncooperative position.The EU's major problem is the bludgeoning Muslim population. Recently the British government seriously proposed that Croatia become a 'refugee center' for immigrants who desire to settle in EU countries. The Dutch are particularly keen on this.There is no question, as a prerequisite for Croatia 's entry, it would have to freely accept Muslims into its workforce and as quasi immigrants. Those countries with 'excess' Muslim population would have a convenient place to 'park' their problems, which would open a real Pandora's box for Croatia .EU membership will result in a loss of Croatia 's newly found self governing. The EU have the right to dictate in internal affairs of a country if they perceive it is not working in the EU's interests. The big players, like Germany , France , and Great Britain obviously are exempt, since they 'own' the EU.New member states will have to compromise national interests in the name of the European Union. During the next 18 months eleven countries will hold referendums to draft a constitutional treaty, which includes the EU's right to enter into treaties for the new member states.A high functionary of the HDZ government said the reason Croatia jumped through hoops to fulfill every EU stipulation was of a misguided notion that membership would in some way distance Croatia from the Balkan or Serbian mentality.The future of Croatia is predicated upon England 's longstanding prejudice.As one British communiquà stated: 'If Croatia enters into the EU it would mean that we lost the First World War!'They are using every means to hold Croatia in the same category as Serbia and Montenegro . Croatia has the misfortune to have Croatian leftists, who didn't participate in the Homeland war but kept their fingers crossed, who are working on that goal.Croatia has a propensity of being a nation rich in slogans. Once the 'Croatian Spring' was crushed it resulted in the 'Croatian Silence' that lasted until independence. Now that the media dictates Croatian thought, this era should be properly called the 'Croatian Deafness'.At one time the Communist Party muzzled the media, now it's the media muzzling Croatian expression. Ironically, the slant of the media is, in many ways, worse than it was during the days of pre-war Yugoslavia.Source: http://www.croatianherald.com/newgen-news.htm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6996/1/E-Freedom-of-Expression---Croatian-Style.html ÂFreedom of Expression - Croatian StyleBy Jerry Blaskovich, MDA major drama is being played out in Croatia that has tremendous ramifications, for it strikes at the very heart of the basic freedoms of expression and the press.On April 28,2005, The International Criminal Tribunal For The Former Yugoslavia at the Hague issued indictments against Domogoj Margetic, a former investigative reporter for ‘Hrvatsko Slovo‘, and three otherCroats for “contempt against the court for revealing a secret witness’sidentity and testimony in the Tihomir Blaskic trial“. If convicted each may serveup to seven years or pay up to a 100k Euro fine.The ‘secret’ witness was Stipe Mesic, Croatia’s president, whosetestimony ultimately convicted Blaskic. Interestingly, the Slobodna Dalmacijapublished basically the same material, including naming Mesic, during Racan’s tenure. Instead of pressuring the Hague, Mesic, typical ofcommunist rhetoric, called the paper a fascist publication, turned to Racan andgot the editor, Josip Jovic and several reporters fired then replaced themwith cadres loyal to Mesic and Racan.Once the Croatian media learned about the indictments, instead of interviewing representatives of “Udruzenje Novinara Republike Hrvatske” (UNRH)[Society of Reporters from the Republic of Croatia], whichMargetic is a member of, they interviewed the vice president of Hrvatski Novinarske Drustvo (HND)[Croatian Reporters Society], a rival organization with a different agenda. Of all the indicted, Margetic, is the only one injail, albeit on unrelated trumped up charge. Since there was no report of Margetic’s incarceration either the Croatian media was not aware of Margetic‘s plight or it was censored.The arrest was doubtlessly in retaliation to Margetic’s newly publishedbook ‘Stipe Mesic Dossier of Treason - Unauthorized Biography of the Second Croatian President‘ and to keep him in custody until the indictment. The Croatian government most certainly did not want a repeat of the Gotovina fiasco. The 600 page book documents Mesic’s career from 1958 with UDBA, including his Hague testimony, to the present.There was a great deal of enthusiasm projected at the book’sprepublication launch on February 11th, when over 200 people attended a forum that was chaired by academics and prominent professors.Just prior to the book becoming available to the public the publisher of "Stegatisak" called Margetic the morning of March 9th and told him that"a member of the POA (ProtuobavjeÅtajne agencies)[counter-intelligenceagents] threatened to confiscate the books" and that Margetic should come at 2PM to attend a meeting at the publishing house. Anticipating the worse,Margetic sent some colleagues instead. Meanwhile Margetic called TomislavKaramarko, POA head, and Ivan Jarnjak, president of the Parliament Committee forInternal Affairs and National Security, to prevent destruction of thebooks. His pleas fell on deaf ears since the building was surrounded by thepolice at 2 PM. That evening, at 6 PM it was confirmed that the books were destroyed. An arrest warrant was issued for Margetic.While four media outlets had the story about the destruction of thebooks, no one was allowed to print anything because of a ban from the office ofthe president of the republic Stipe Mesic. Disingenuously the warrant had nothing to do with the book, but for an 1993 alleged crime for which hehad been exonerated. The major and only witness ‘against’ him testified at a hearing that the charges against Margetic were invalid and trumped up.Nonetheless, with an arrest warrant out for him Margetic went intohiding and was finally arrested on 21 April. The police told Margetic’s friend,who was present at the arrest, that Margetic was charged with “illegallyease dropping” on an unnamed person in 2003. Once incarcerated the charge waschanged to a failure to pay a mortgage or loan (default) for a piece of property he had purchased.It would be a long stretch of naivety if anyone believes that Margetic’s arrest was not coincidental to the publication of his book. Because ofhis investigative reporting and well documented books Margetic has been thruthe revolving door of the Croatian justice system.After a series of articles in the Hrvatsko Slovo exposing Mesic andRacan‘s illegal dealings, Mesic, in August 2004 publicly characterized thenewspaper that prints lies and Margetic, as “anti-civilized’. Most significantlyhe ordered the political coverage of the newspaper be changed. Thefollowing day, Stjepan Seselj, Director of Hrvastka Slovo, told Margetic to stopwriting about Mesic or be fired. Margetic elected the later option.On 1 September, the police arrested Margetic on a rather nebulouscharge. He remained incarcerated for six days and freed without comment. Not coincidently, the arrest came on the heels of his newly well documented published book ‘Tko je opljaÃkao Hrvatsku’ {Who looted Croatia}, which contained a virtual who‘s who of the political elite.Prior to that arrest, Margetic was also arrested in 2002. Despite thearrest took place in his home, he was charged with vagrancy. This particulararrest came after he wrote a series of articles that outlined Racan’sgovernment’s secret agreements with the International Monetary Fund, agreements which members of Sabor (Croatian Parliament) were not aware of.Interestingly, the judge who supposedly issued the arrest warrant denied issuing any order against Margetic. The interrogations never mentionedhis arrest charge, but focused on his investigative reporting. Nonethelesshe was incarcerated for two weeks and set free without an apology.Unquestionably all of Margetic’s arrests resulted from publication ofhis books and exposes that addressed Mesic and Racan chicanery, while the alleged charges were mere smokescreens. Given the dire political climatein Croatia, how the Margetic affair will end is conjectural. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6995/1/EH-Stepinac-and-The-View-from-Washington---by-Jeffrey-T-Kuhner.html ÂLies about Stepinac Âby Jeffrey T. KuhnerÂTruth & JusticeThe View from WashingtonLies about StepinacOf all the news accounts regarding Pope John Paul II’s funeral and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s accession to the papacy, the most interesting was the American liberal media’s attempt to once again smear the reputation of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. The New York Times published an article saying that the late Pope John Paul had “incensed” his critics by the decision to beatify Cardinal Stepinac in 1998. The article went on to claim that Stepinac was the “archbishop of Zagreb during World War II, when a Nazi puppet regime ruled Croatia and 700,000 Serbs, Jews and others were sent to death camps.”CNN’s Christiane Amanpour also cited the beatification of Stepinac as one of the most “controversial” acts of John Paul’s papacy. She scolded the pope for elevating to sainthood a man who was the head of the Croatian Catholic Church at a time “when the Croatian fascists were almost aligned with the Catholic Church and had had these terrible pogroms against the Serbs during World War II.” It is easy to dismiss these claims as ignorant statements from reporters who should know better. But that would be a grave mistake. For the charges leveled by The New York Times and CNN against Stepinac are the culmination of decades of effective propaganda by Yugoslav authorities and Serbian lobbying organizations within the United States.The essence of this smear campaign is the allegation that Stepinac, along with the Croatian Catholic Church, collaborated with Ante Pavelic’s fascist regime. Moreover, Stepinac’s critics charge that the archbishop either tacitly supported or at the very least turned a blind eye to the crimes perpetrated by the NDH, such as mass murder, genocide and forced religious conversions. Stepinac is largely viewed by America’s Serbian community and their political allies as a “murderer saint.” Although many in the U.S. establishment media do not take such an extreme position, they certainly believe that Stepinac was some kind of a fascist collaborator. What is remarkable about the “Stepinac-was-a-Nazi-quisling” myth is that it is entirely false. In fact, the allegations are directly contradicted by the overwhelming historical evidence that has come to light since the collapse of Yugoslavia. The wealth of information that has emerged from the newly discovered archives in Moscow, Belgrade and Zagreb has been especially damaging to Tito’s communist regime. This is particularly true about Stepinac and the numerous lies propagated against him. Stepinac was not a fascist, nor even an authoritarian right-winger. Rather, he was a principled constitutional liberal who supported Vladko Macek’s Croat Peasant Party. In 1938, after he became Archbishop of Zagreb, he openly declared that he had voted for Macek in the elections.Nor was he a Serbophobe as some of his later critics have charged. Instead, the opposite was true. For much of his youth, Stepinac had been a champion of South Slav unity. During World War I, he even volunteered to join the Yugoslav Legion to fight Austro-Hungarian troops on the Salonika front. But his rapid disillusionment with Royalist Yugoslavia paralleled that of most Croats. It was Belgrade’s stifling brutality, its numerous pogroms against Croatian peasants, its imprisonment of leading Croatian politicians (Stjepan Radic being the most notable) and exploitation of the Croatian economy that most disturbed him.In fact, no other figure in Croatian history—with the possible exception of Franjo Tudjman—so closely embodied the political evolution of the wider Croatian public as did Stepinac. When he fell under the spell of South Slav unity, so did they; when he reached out for Radic’s program of home-rule and social democracy, so did they; when he drank from the poisoned chalice of Pavelic’s pseudo-independent state only to recoil in disgust, so did they; and when he stood up to Tito’s victorious armies in defense of human rights and national self-determination only to be crushed, so did they. Stepinac’s major flaw was that he was prone to be naÃve about politics (and on this he also reflected the great weakness in the Croatian national character, which sadly continues to this day). Nowhere was this trait more clearly on display than during the first several weeks of the NDH. Following Nazi Germany’s invasion of Yugoslavia in April, 1941, Stepinac—along with many other Croats—did initially welcome the creation of the NDH. Yet Stepinac’s reasons were similar to those of many of his fellow countrymen: It was not a fascist state that he welcomed, but the end of Croatia’s subjugation under Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. However, he quickly realized that Pavelic’s NDH was an entirely different creature from what he had hoped and expected. The Ustashe almost immediately began to erect a racialist totalitarian state modeled on Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. Moreover, the Ustashe quickly lost whatever mass appeal they had when the actual terms of this supposed new “independent” state were made known to the public. Croatia was truncated into several parts, with much of Dalmatia annexed to Italy and German and Hungarian troops exercising “spheres of influence” over large swaths of NDH territory, including Bosnia. In short, rather than securing genuine national independence, Pavelic had transformed Croatia into a colony of Berlin and Rome. He had simply transferred his country from one foreign dictatorship to another; only now it was not the Serbs, but the Germans and Italians who were calling the shots. Pavelic’s dwindling popularity among most Croats was evident from the summer of 1941 and lasted until the end of the war. His regime had alienated most people in Dalmatia. It was also deeply unpopular in Croatia’s population heartland of Slavonia, where the overwhelming majority of citizens retained their loyalty to the Croatian Peasant Party (many of whose leaders were imprisoned by the Ustashe). Much of the Zagreb bourgeoisie and intelligentsia were also opposed to him. However, Pavelic’s lack of support was especially evident in the fact that, throughout his entire tenure in office, he never managed to orchestrate the kind of fascist mass rallies common under Hitler, Mussolini and Franco. The Croatian public quickly understood that Pavelic was not their liberator, but their slave master. Stepinac’s genius and moral greatness lay in that he realized this and sought to do something about it. In numerous letters and homilies throughout 1941 and 1942, he chastised Pavelic and other senior members of the regime for the mass killings, rapes and state-sanctioned racial laws directed against Jews, Serbs and Gypsies. “No one can deny that these terrible acts of violence and cruelty have been taking place,” Stepinac wrote to Pavelic in a letter dated Nov. 20, 1941. “The Croatian nation has been proud of its 1,000-year-old culture and Christian tradition. That is why we wait for it to show in practice, now that it has achieved its freedom, a greater nobility and humanity than that displayed by its former rulers.”He later denounced to Pavelic the Jasenovac concentration camp as “a shameful stain on the honor of the NDH.”In a powerful homily delivered from Zagreb Cathedral in the fall of 1942, Stepinac assaulted the anti-human and collectivist ideologies of Nazism, fascism and communism. “Each nation and each race has the right to life and treatment worthy of man,” he said. “This is why the Catholic Church has alwayscondemned, and is today condemning the injustice and acts of violence committed in the name of theories of class, race and nation.” Yet Stepinac did more than speak out against the evils of his time. He also acted, often at the risk of his own life. The Archbishop directly intervened to save thousands of lives—Jews, Serbs and anti-fascist Croats—during the war. Amiel Shomrony, who served under the last Chief Rabbi of Zagreb, Miroslav Freiberger, has testified that Stepinac rescued countless Jews by helping to smuggle them to Hungary and then on to safety in Palestine. Following Stepinac’s 1946 conviction by Tito’s Partisans on trumped up charges of collaboration with the Ustashe, Louis Braier,then-president of the Jewish Community in the United States, said that the Archbishop was “one of the few men who rose in Europe against the Nazi tyranny precisely at the moment it was most dangerous. He spoke openly and fearlessly against the racial laws. After His Holiness, Pius XII, he was the greatest defender of the Jews persecuted in Europe."By the end of the war, Stepinac had become such a staunch opponent of the NDH regime that many of his closest aides urged him to flee to the Vatican for fear that he would be murdered by Pavelic’s secret police. Until the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991, the communist authorities sought to cover up the fact that, for much of the Second World War, Tito’s Partisans frequently incorporated Stepinac’s speeches in their propaganda, especially his assaults on fascism, racism and Pavelic’s violation of human rights.Upon coming to power, Tito realized that the Archbishop was his most dangerous opponent. The communist strongman was determined to destroy Stepinac’s reputation. Tito also sought to smash the principal bulwark to his totalitarian rule: the Croatian Catholic Church.For the Partisans, Stepinac’s great sin was that he refused to follow the example of the Serbian Orthodox Church hierarchy, which had become co-opted by the new regime. Stepinac, however, spurned Tito’s demand that Croatia’s Catholic Church separate from the Vatican, and form its own “national” church with the Archbishop as its head.In the end, the Archbishop refused to be corrupted by power. His greatness lay in the fact that, more than any other individual during post-World War II Yugoslavia, he grasped the entire evil nature of Tito’s communist empire. Stepinac courageously spoke out against all of the crimes committed by the communists—the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of Croatian dissidents; the confiscation of private property; the restoration of a centralized, Serb-dominated autocracy anchored in Belgrade; the abrogation of basic human rights and democratic freedoms; the expulsion of 700,000 ethnic Germans; the destruction of Croatia’s economy and environment; and the imposition of monolithic state control over the media and education. Milovan Djilas, who was Tito’s right-hand man for much of the 1940s before he became disillusioned with the brutality and mendacity of the regime, later admitted that “we communists did not want any opposition, none whatsoever.” Stepinac understood that Tito’s Yugoslavia was a genocidal project that sought to eradicate Croatia’s distinct culture and national identity. And that the Partisans’ main thrust of attack was to strangle the cradle of Croatian civilization, the Catholic Church. This is why the communists immediately launched a sweeping campaign to persecute the church. Hundreds of priests and nuns were slaughtered. Church property was confiscated. Numerous churches were turned into warehouses and communist “cultural centers.” Compulsory civil marriage was introduced.Most importantly, jurisdiction over education was stripped from the Church and placed into the hands of the state, thereby enabling the Yugoslav authorities to systematically indoctrinate the youth. The schools, along with the media, were the primary vehicles by which the authorities in Belgrade brainwashed the Croatian youth. The result was that it produced generations of self-loathing Croats who were taught to despise their culture, history and religion.The linchpin of this anti-Croatian, anti-Catholic strategy was to portray all Croats who championed national independence as “fascists” seeking to revive Pavelic’s NDH. As part of this strategy, Tito’s Communists had to present the Catholic Church as a reactionary, pro-Ustashe organization complicit in genocide and mass murder. And Stepinac, being the most famous symbol of the Croatian Catholic Church and the Croatian national cause, had to be crucified. His 1946 show trial in Belgrade was a complete sham. The “guilty” verdict was decided before the trial even began. Djilas himself confessed that Stepinac was condemned not for any supposed collaboration with the NDH, but for his opposition to Tito. “He would certainly not have been brought to trial for his conduct in the war … had he not continued to oppose the new Communist regime,” Djilas later wrote.“"To honestly tell the truth, I think, and not only I, that Stepinac is a man of integrity, a firm character, who is impossible to break,” Djilas said in 1956. “He was really unjustly convicted, but how many times has it happened in history that just people were convicted out of political necessity."Only Stepinac’s international notoriety saved him from a grisly execution. Still, he suffered harsh imprisonment, and then later house arrestand internal exile in his native village of Krasic. Moreover, evidence now shows that he was slowly poisoned to death by Tito’s secret police.The real tragedy of Stepinac is not that he suffered and died on behalf of his people and his faith. This is the duty of all devout Christians. It is also not that the Croatian media and diplomatic corps has been weak in its defense of this great man against the barrage of propaganda emanating from Belgrade, the Serbian lobby in Washington and their hacks in the U.S. media establishment.No. The real tragedy is that many Croats, especially those on the Mesic-Racan-Pusic Left, actually believe many of the lies told about Stepinac. They are the products of decades of Communist social engineering. And while Tito’s multinational Yugoslavia may be dead, they continue to share many of its goals and prejudices. For these hard leftists, the Catholic Church, with its opposition to abortion, euthanasia, homosexual marriage and sexual permissiveness, continues to be a reactionary force that needs to be marginalized. They continue to excuse the numerous crimes of communism. They continue to deride Croatian patriotism and the existence of a distinct national identity. And they continue to view themselves as “anti-fascists,” insisting on perpetuating the Titoist myth that cut-throat Ustashes are lurking under every corner in Croatia.In short, they have retained the self-hating, racist attitudes inculcated by their former communist masters. They genuinely believe that to be a proud and authentic Croat is to be some kind of a fascist. This is why their current political agenda is to de-Tudjmanize and de-Croatianize their country, and to strip it of all national symbols and content. Their hope is for Croatia to again plunge itself into an internationalist project, whether it be a European socialist super state or a reconstituted Balkan union. Stepinac’s enduring legacy is that he offered a distinctly different vision for Croatia. He understood that God, country and family were the fundamental institutions of a just society. He saw the evils of totalitarianism and imperialism. He championed a democratic and independent Croatia, rooted in its Catholic heritage and based on human rights, social justice and constitutional self-government. Stepinac embodied the very best of Croatia—the Croatia of priests and peasants, princes and poets, knights and kings, professionals and philosophers. His Croatia was not that of gangsters, opportunists and cheap propagandists; it was neither communist Red nor fascist Black. Rather, it was a democratic and patriotic White.It is this inspiring vision, along with his principled defense of human freedom in the face of unimaginable horror, which makes Stepinac one of the giants of the 20th century. He is Croatia’s saint.Â- Jeffrey T. Kuhner is communications director at The Ripon Society (www.riponsoc.org), a major Republican think tank based in Washington, D.C. He is also a regular contributor to the Commentary pages of The Washington Times. This essay is adapted from Mr. Kuhner’s upcoming book, “Fatal Embrace: The Croat-Serb Conflict in the 20th Century.” Mr. Kuhner would like to give special thanks to Danica Ramljak for her invaluable research assistance in the writing of this article.Nadnaslov: Novoobnovljene laži o Stepincu plod su srpske propagande u AmericiSTEPINAC – SVETAC KOJI JE STRADAO I UMRO ZA SVOJ NAROD I VJERU!Glavni StepinÄ?ev 'grijeh' nije bila navodna suradnja s Pavelićem, nego to Åto je bio oporba diktatoru Titu!Pod 1) Njegova je veliÄ?ina u tomu Åto je, bolje nego itko u poratnoj Jugoslaviji, prozreo svu zloću Titova komunistiÄ?kog carstva. Stepinac je hrabro istupao protiv svih komunistiÄ?kih zloÄ?ina: masovnih ubojstava stotina tisuća svojih hrvatskih politiÄ?kih protivnika; konfiskacija privatnog vlasniÅtva; povratka centralizirane autokracije uÅanÄ?ene u Beogradu i pod prevlaÅću Srba; krÅenja temeljnih ljudskih prava i demokratskih sloboda; protjerivanja 700.000 pripadnika njemaÄ?ke manjine; uniÅtenja hrvatskog gospodarstva i okoliÅa i nametanje monolitne državne vlasti nad medijima i naobrazbomPod 2) Hrvatski mediji i diplomacija slabi su u obrani ovoga velikoga Ä?ovjeka protiv propagandne bujice iz Beograda, srpskog lobija u Washingtonu i njegovih plaćenika u najmoćnijim ameriÄ?kim medijima. Prava tragedija je Åto mnogi Hrvati, osobito oni s Mesić-RaÄ?an-Pusićkine ljevice doista vjeruju u brojne laži koje su reÄ?ene o Stepincu. One su proizvod desetljeća komunistiÄ?kog socijalnog inženjeringa. I dok je Titova Jugoslavija možda doista mrtva, oni i dalje dijele mnoge njezine težnje i predrasudePiÅe: Jeffrey T. KuhnerZanimljiviji od svih medijskih prikaza pokopa Ivana Pavla II. i izbora kardinala Josepha Ratzingera za novog papu bili su pokuÅaji ameriÄ?kih liberalnih medija da joÅ jednom okrnje ugled kardinala Alojzija Stepinca.New York Times je tako objavio Ä?lanak u kojemu stoji kako je papa Ivan Pavao 'razjario' svoje kritiÄ?are odlukom da 1998. godina beatificira kardinala Stepinca. U Ä?lanku se dalje tvrdi kako je Stepinac bio ÂzagrebaÄ?ki nadbiskup tijekom 2. svjetskog rata, u vrijeme kada je Hrvatskom vladao nacistiÄ?ki marionetski režim, a 700.000 Srba, Židova i drugih poslano u logore smrtiÂ.Christiane Amanpour sa CNN-a takoÄ'er je navela StepinÄ?evu beatifikaciju kao jedan od 'kontroverznih' poteza pape Ivana Pavla. Ona ga je ukorila Åto je uzdigao na Ä?ast oltara Ä?ovjeka koji je bio poglavarom hrvatske katoliÄ?ke crkve u vrijeme Âkada su hrvatski faÅisti bili gotovo svrstani s katoliÄ?kom crkvom i provodili straÅne pogrome protiv Srba tijekom 2. svjetskog rataÂ.Lako bi bilo opovrgnuti ove tvrdnje kao neznanje nedoraslih izvjestitelja da to uistinu nije bila teÅka pogrjeÅka. Optužbe New York Timesa i CNN-a protiv Stepinca tek su vrhunac djelotvorne promidžbe jugoslavenskih vlasti i srpskih lobistiÄ?kih udruga u SAD-u.Srž ove crne legende je tvrdnja kako su Stepinac i hrvatska katoliÄ?ka crkva suraÄ'ivali s faÅistiÄ?kim režimom Ante Pavelića. ÅtoviÅe, StepinÄ?evi kritiÄ?ari tvrde kako je nadbiskup preÅutno podupirao ili barem gledao kroz prste zloÄ?inima NDH, kao Åto su masovna ubojstva, genocid i nasilno pokrÅtavanje. Srbi u Americi i njihovi politiÄ?ki saveznici Stepinca uglavnom smatraju 'svecem ubojicom'. I mada mnogi vodeći ameriÄ?ki mediji ne dijele takvo ekstremno stajaliÅte, oni zacijelo misle kako je Stepinac bio neka vrsta faÅistiÄ?kog suradnika.U mitu o Stepincu kao 'nacistiÄ?kom kvislingu' zapanjuje Åto je on potpuno lažan. Ovim tvrdnjama, zapravo, proturjeÄ?e neoborivi povijesni dokazi izaÅli na svjetlo dana nakon raspada Jugoslavije. Obilje podataka iz novootkrivenih pismohrana u Moskvi, Beogradu i Zagrebu osobito je razorno za Titov komunistiÄ?ki režim. Ovo posebno važi za Stepinca i mnogobrojne laži koje su se Åirile o njemu.Stepinac nije bio faÅist pa ni autoritarni desniÄ?ar. Naprotiv, bio je dosljedni ustavni liberal koji je podupirao Hrvatsku seljaÄ?ku stranku Vlatka MaÄ?eka. Nakon Åto je 1938. godine postao zagrebaÄ?kim nadbiskupom, otvoreno je izjavio kako je na izborima glasovao za MaÄ?eka.MeÄ') Hrvati su slijedili Stepinca, a ne PavelićaStepinac nije bio ni srbofob, kao Åto su mu neki kasniji kritiÄ?ari predbacivali. Istina je suprotna: dobar dio svoje mladosti Stepinac je zagovarao južnoslavensko jedinstvo. Tijekom 1. svjetskog rata Ä?ak je dragovoljno pristupio jugoslavenskoj legiji u borbi protiv austrougarske vojske na solunskoj bojiÅnici, ali se, kao i većina Hrvata, brzo razoÄ?arao kraljevskom Jugoslavijom. NajviÅe ga je muÄ?ilo sirovo beogradsko nasilje, brojni pogromi hrvatskih seljaka, uhićenja vodećih hrvatskih politiÄ?ara, u prvom redu Stjepana Radića, kao i gospodarsko izrabljivanje. Zapravo, ni jedno drugo ime u hrvatskoj povijesti – možda s izuzetkom Franje TuÄ'mana – nije tako rjeÄ?ito utjelovilo politiÄ?ki razvitak Åire hrvatske javnosti kao Stepinac. Kad je on postao zatoÄ?nikom južnoslavenskog jedinstva, i ona je to bila; kad je pio iz zatrovanog pehara Pavelićeve nazovi-nezavisne države i zatim ga s gnuÅanjem odbio, uÄ?inili su to i Hrvati; kad se suprotstavio Titovoj pobjedniÄ?koj vojsci braneći ljudska prava i nacionalno samoodreÄ'enje, plativÅi to skupo – i Hrvati s bili s njim.StepinÄ?eva glavna grjeÅka bila je politiÄ?ka naivnost (i u tome je on slika i prilika te velike mane u naravi hrvatskog naroda, koja, nažalost, traje do dana danaÅnjeg). Ona je najjasnije iskazana u prvih nekoliko tjedana NDH. Nakon napada nacistiÄ?ke NjemaÄ?ke na Jugoslaviju u travnju 1941. godine Stepinac je – kao i mnogi drugi Hrvati – prvotno pozdravio stvaranje NDH. Ali njegove razloge dijelili su mnogi njegovi sunarodnjaci: nisu oni klicali faÅistiÄ?koj državi nego kraju hrvatske potlaÄ?enosti u Jugoslaviji pod srpskim gospodstvom.On je, meÄ'utim, ubrzo shvatio kako je Pavelićeva NDH potpuno drukÄ?ija tvorevina od one koju je oÄ?ekivao i kojoj se nadao. UstaÅe su gotovo od poÄ?etka gradile rasistiÄ?ku totalitarnu državu po uzoru na Hitlerovu NjemaÄ?ku i Mussolinijevu Italiju. ÅtoviÅe, ustaÅe su brzo izgubile i masovnu potporu koju su na poÄ?etku imali kad je javnost upoznala stvarne zasade ove navodno nove 'nezavisne' države. Hrvatska je raÅÄ?ereÄ?ena na nekoliko dijelova: veliki dio Dalmacije pripojen je Italiji i NjemaÄ?koj, a maÄ'arska vojska držala je vlast u 'utjecajnom podruÄ?ju' na velikim dijelovima zemlja NDH, ukljuÄ?ujući i Bosnu.Umjesto da osigura istinsku nacionalnu nezavisnost, Pavelić je pretvorio Hrvatsku u koloniju Berlina i Rima. Jednostavno, svoju je zemlju iz ruku jedne strane diktature predao drugoj, samo su sada, umjesto Srba, gazde bile Nijemci i Talijani.Pisma PavelićuSunovrat Pavelićeve popularnosti meÄ'u većinom Hrvata bio je oÄ?it od ljeta 1941. godine i takav je ostao do kraja rata. Njegov režim odbacivala je većina ljudi u Dalmaciji, a bio je vrlo neomiljen u srcu hrvatske Slavonije, gdje je velika većina graÄ'ana bila i dalje odana Hrvatskoj seljaÄ?koj stranci (Ä?ije su mnoge voÄ'e dopale ustaÅkih zatvora). I velik mu se dio zagrebaÄ?kog graÄ'anstva i inteligencije odupirao. Ali, manjak potpore Paveliću osobito se oÄ?itovao u tome Åto tijekom cijele vladavine on nikad nije uspio orkestrirati onakve masovne skupove, uobiÄ?ajene kod Hitlera, Mussolinija i Franca. Hrvatska javnost brzo je shvatila kako Pavelić nije nikakav osloboditelj nego goniÄ? robova.StepinÄ?ev genij i moralna veliÄ?ina je u tome Åto je to shvatio i pokuÅao neÅto poduzeti. U brojnim pismima i propovijedima tijekom cijele 1941. i 1942. godine Åibao je i druge visoke režimske dužnosnike zbog masovnih ubojstava, silovanja i državno sankcioniranih rasnih zakona, uperenih protiv Židova, Srba i Cigana. ÂNitko ne može zanijekati da se dogaÄ'aju ta straÅna djela nasilja i okrutnostiÂ, pisao je Stepinac Paveliću u pismu od 20. studenog 1941. godine. ÂHrvatski narod ponosi se svojom tisućljetnom uljudbom i hrvatskom tradicijom. Stoga oÄ?ekujemo da se na djelu pokaže, danas kad smo postigli slobodu, viÅe plemenitosti i Ä?ovjeÄ?nosti, nego Åto su to iskazivali njezini bivÅi vladari. (op. prev.: navodi su prijevod s engleskog).Kasnije je Paveliću prokazao jasenovaÄ?ki koncentracijski logor kao Âsramnu ljagu na Ä?asti NDHÂ.U snažnoj propovijedi u zagrebaÄ?koj katedrali u jesen 1942. godine Stepinac je napao neÄ?ovjeÄ?ne kolektivistiÄ?ke ideologije nacizma, faÅizma i komunizma.ÂSvaki narod i svaka rasa ima pravo na život i postupanje dostojno Ä?ovjekaÂ, govorio je. ÂStoga je katoliÄ?ka crkva uvijek osuÄ'ivala pa osuÄ'uje i danas nepravde i nasilja koja se provode u ime klasnih, rasnih i nacionalnih teorijaÂ.Ali Stepinac nije samo propovijedao protiv zala svoga doba. On je i djelovao, Ä?esto dovodeći u opasnost i vlastiti život. Nadbiskup se tijekom rata izravno založio za spas tisuća života – Židova, Srba i antifaÅistiÄ?kih Hrvata. Amiel Shomrony, koji je bio suradnikom posljednjeg zagrebaÄ?kog glavnog rabina Miroslava Freibergera, posvjedoÄ?io je kako je Stepinac spasio bezbroj Židova pomažući im u bijegu do MaÄ'arske, a zatim i do utoÄ?iÅta u Palestini.Jedan od najvećih branitelja ŽidovaNakon Åto su Titovi partizani 1946. godine osudili Stepinca na osnovi namjeÅtenih optužaba za suradnju s ustaÅama, Louis Braier, tadaÅnji predsjednik Židovske zajednice u SAD-u, rekao je kako je nadbiskup bio Âjedan od rijetkih ljudi koji su se u Europi digli protiv nacistiÄ?ke tiranije upravo u vrijeme kad je to bilo najopasnije. Govorio je otvoreno i neustraÅivo protiv rasnih zakona. Nakon Njegove Svetosti Pija XII. on je bio najveći branitelj Židova, progonjenih u EuropiÂ.Krajem rata Stepinac je postao tako žestoki protivnik režima NDH da su ga mnogi najbliži prijatelji nagovarali na bijeg u Vatikan iz straha da ga Pavelićeva tajna policija ne ubije. Sve do raspada Jugoslavije 1991. godine komunistiÄ?ke vlasti pokuÅavale su prikriti Ä?injenicu da su, uvelike tijekom 2. svjetskog rata, Titovi partizani Ä?esto umetali StepinÄ?eve govore u svoju propagandu, navlastito njegove napade na faÅizam, rasizam i Pavelićevo krÅenje ljudskih prava.Po dolasku na vlast Tito je shvatio kako je Stepinac njegov najopasniji protivnik. Ovaj komunistiÄ?ki diktator odluÄ?io je sruÅiti StepinÄ?ev ugled pokuÅavajući ukloniti i glavni kamen spoticanja njegovoj totalitarnoj vladavini: hrvatsku katoliÄ?ku crkvu.Za partizane StepinÄ?ev veliki grijeh bilo je odbijanje da slijedi primjer hijerarhije Srpske pravoslavne crkve, koju je nova vlast vezala uza se. Stepinac je, pak, s prijezirom odbio Titov zahtjev za odvajanjem hrvatske katoliÄ?ke crkve od Vatikana i stvaranjem vlastite 'nacionalne' crkve s nadbiskupom na Ä?elu.On je na kraju odbio prodati se vlasti. Njegova je veliÄ?ina u tomu Åto je, bolje nego itko u poratnoj Jugoslaviji, prozreo svu zloću Titova komunistiÄ?kog carstva. Stepinac je hrabro istupao protiv svih komunistiÄ?kih zloÄ?ina: masovnih ubojstava stotina tisuća svojih hrvatskih politiÄ?kih protivnika; konfiskacija privatnog vlasniÅtva; povratka centralizirane autokracije uÅanÄ?ene u Beogradu i pod prevlaÅću Srba; krÅenja temeljnih ljudskih prava i demokratskih sloboda; protjerivanja 700.000 pripadnika njemaÄ?ke manjine; uniÅtenja hrvatskog gospodarstva i okoliÅa i nametanje monolitne državne vlasti nad medijima i naobrazbom.Shvatio je kako je Jugoslavija genocidni projektMilovan Ä?ilas, koji je tijekom Ä?etrdesetih godina proÅlog stoljeća bio Titova desna ruka, prije nego Åto se razoÄ?arao gruboÅću i podmukloÅću režima, kasnije je priznao da Âmi komunisti nismo htjeli nikakvu oporbuÂ.Stepinac je shvatio kako je Titova Jugoslavija genocidni projekt koji je htio iskorijeniti posebni hrvatski nacionalni identitet i kulturu pa je glavna oÅtrica partizanskih nasrtaja bila kolijevka hrvatske civilizacije, katoliÄ?ka crkva. Upravo stoga su komunisti odmah pokrenuli veliku kampanju njezinog progona. Ubijene su stotine svećenika i redovnica, a crkvena imovina je konfiscirana. Brojne crkve pretvorene su u skladiÅta i komunistiÄ?ke 'domove kulture'. Uvedena je obveza graÄ'anskog braka.Åto je najvažnije, naobrazba je oduzeta crkvi i dana u državne ruke, Ä?ime je jugoslavenskim vlastima omogućena sustavna indoktrinacija mladeži. Åkole i mediji bile su glavna sredstva kojima su beogradske vlasti ispirale mozak hrvatskoj mladeži. Posljedica su bila naraÅtaji Hrvata koji su prezreli svoj identitet, uljudbu, povijest i vjeru.NajjaÄ?e oružje ove protuhrvatske i protukatoliÄ?ke strategije bilo je prikazivanje Hrvata, koji su zagovarali nacionalnu nezavisnost, 'faÅistima' koji žele oživjeti Pavelićevu NDH. Kao dio ove strategije Titovi komunisti morali su predstaviti katoliÄ?ku crkvu kao reakcionarnu, proustaÅku organizaciju, sudionicu genocida i masovnih ubojstava. A Stepinac, kao najslavniji simbol hrvatske katoliÄ?ke crkve i hrvatske nacionalne stvari, morao je biti razapet.Njegovo suÄ'enje 1946. godine bilo je potpuna prijevara. Presuda Âkriv je donesena je joÅ prije poÄ?etka suÄ'enja. I sam Ä?ilas priznao je kako Stepinac nije bio osuÄ'en zbog navodne kolaboracije s NDH nego zbog oporbe Titu. ÂZasigurno mu se ne bi sudilo zbog njegova ponaÅanja tijekom rata da se nije nastavio opirati novom komunistiÄ?kom režimuÂ, napisao je kasnije Ä?ilas.ÂIskreno govoreći, mislim, i ne samo ja, kako je Stepinac bio Ä?astan Ä?ovjek Ä?vrste naravi kojega je nemoguće slomitiÂ, rekao je Ä?ilas 1956. godine. ÂOn je bio doista nepravedno osuÄ'en, ali u povijesti se Ä?esto dogaÄ'alo da se ljude osudi zbog politiÄ?ke potrebeÂ.Stepinca je od užasa smrtne kazne spasio samo njegov svjetski glas. Ali, nije ga spasio od teÅkog sužanjstva, a kasnije i kućnog pritvora i unutraÅnjeg izgnanstva u rodnom selu KraÅiću. ÅtoviÅe, ima novih dokaza kako ga je Titova tajna policija postupno trovala. StepinÄ?eva vizija HrvatskeStvarna StepinÄ?eva tragedija nije to Åto je stradao i umro za svoj narod i vjeru. To je dužnost svih vjernih krÅćana. Nije ni istina da su hrvatski mediji i diplomacija slabi u obrani ovog velikog Ä?ovjeka protiv propagandne bujice iz Beograda, srpskog lobija u Washingtonu i njegovih plaćenika u najmoćnijim ameriÄ?kim medijima.Ne, prava tragedija je da mnogi Hrvati, osobito oni s Mesić-RaÄ?an-Pusićkine ljevice doista vjeruju u brojne laži koje su reÄ?ene o Stepincu. One su proizvod desetljeća komunistiÄ?kog socijalnog inženjeringa. I dok je Titova Jugoslavija možda doista mrtva, oni i dalje dijele mnoge njezine težnje i predrasude. Za ove tvrde ljeviÄ?are, katoliÄ?ka crkva, sa svojim protivljenjem pobaÄ?aju, eutanaziji, homoseksualnim brakovima i spolnoj razuzdanosti i dalje je reakcionarna snaga koju treba ukloniti. Oni i dalje opravdavaju brojne komunistiÄ?ke zloÄ?ine, i dalje ismijavaju hrvatsko domoljublje i postojanje zasebnog nacionalnog identiteta, i dalje doživljavaju sebe kao 'antifaÅiste' ustrajavajući na titoistiÄ?kom mitu kako u Hrvatskoj ÂustaÅa viri iza svakog busaÂ. Jednom rijeÄ?ju, zadržali su rasistiÄ?ki stav samoporicanja i mržnje koji su im usadili njihovi bivÅi komunistiÄ?ki uÄ?itelji. Oni doista misle da biti pravi i ponosni Hrvat znaÄ?i biti neka vrsta faÅista. Stoga je njihov politiÄ?ki program detuÄ'manizacija i dekroatizacija zemlje te uklanjanje njezinog nacionalnog znakovlja i sadržaja. Nadaju se da će Hrvatska ponovno uroniti u joÅ jedan internacionalistiÄ?ki projekt, zvao se on europska socijalistiÄ?ka naddržava ili obnovljena balkanska unija.StepinÄ?evo trajno naslijeÄ'e je njegova drukÄ?ija vizija Hrvatske. On je znao da su Bog, domovina i obitelj temeljne ustanove pravedna druÅtva. Vidio je zla totalitarizma i imperijalizma. Zagovarao je demokratsku i nezavisnu Hrvatsku, ukorijenjenu u svojoj katoliÄ?koj baÅtini i zasnovanu na ljudskim pravima, druÅtvenoj pravdi i ustavnom suverenitetu. Stepinac je bio izraz onog najboljeg u Hrvatskoj – Hrvatskoj seljaka i duhovnika, pjesnika i vladara, junaka i kraljeva, znanstvenika i filozofa. Njegova Hrvatska nije Hrvatska kriminalaca, beskiÄ?menjaka i jeftinih propagandista; nije bila ni komunistiÄ?ki crvena, ni faÅistiÄ?ki crna. Prije – demokratski i domoljubno kao snijeg bijela i Ä?ista.Upravo ova njegova pobuÄ'ujuća vizija, kao i dosljedna obrana Ä?ovjekove slobode, suoÄ?ene s nezamislivim strahotama, Ä?ine Stepinca jednim od divova 20. stoljeća. On je hrvatski svetac.(Jeffrey T. Kuhner direktor je komunikacija u Ripon Societyju (www.riponsoc.org), uglednoj analitiÄ?koj skupini ('think tanku') ameriÄ?ke Republikanske stranke, sa sjediÅtem u Washingtonu u SAD-u. Redovni je komentator Washington Timesa. Ovaj esej je prilagoÄ'eni izvadak njegove knjige Fatalni stisak: hrvatsko-srpski sukob u 20. stoljeću, koja je u pripremi. Gosp. Kuhner posebno zahvaljuje gospoÄ'i Danici Ramljak na njezinoj dragocjenoj pomoći u pisanju ovog Ä?lanka.) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6994/1/EH-Croatias-Democracy-on-Trial-by-Jeffrey-T-Kuhner.html ÂCroatia’s Democracy on TrialÂBy Jeffrey T. KuhnerTruth & JusticeView from WashingtonThe recent indictments by the ICTY against four Croatian journalists are a stake aimed at the heart of the country’s democracy. The four journalists—Ivica Marijacic, Markica Rebic, Domagoj Margetic and Stjepan Seselj—have been indicted for the alleged crime of “contempt of the tribunal” for publishing the identity and statements of protected witnesses in the Blaskic case. They face a possible punishment of a 100,000 Euro fine and seven years in prison.This situation would be comical if it were not so tragic and serious. These indictments would be thrown out of any Western courtroom, especially an American one. The Hague Tribunal’s prosecutor’s office is seeking to justify these outrageous indictments by claiming that the witnesses’ statements were given in a “non-public,” secret proceeding. Hence, by publishing those statements these four journalists supposedly violated the witnesses’ protection rights guaranteed by the tribunal.This is nonsense. It is the responsibility of the tribunal, and not that of the Croatian or international media, to make sure that secret witness testimony is not leaked to the public. The prosecutor’s office is trying to pass off blame to others for its failure to provide adequate protection for witnesses.More importantly, this is a clear-cut case of freedom of the press and the public’s right to information trumping any claims the tribunal may have about witness protection. It is the role of journalists in a free society to hold public officials accountable for their actions, and to reveal sensitive, even privileged information in order to inform the public. The public’s right to be informed, along with the rights of journalists to publish their reporting free of any censorship is at the core of an open, free press. (The sole exception is the publication of deliberately slanderous material bereft of any factual basis. This is definitely not the case in this matter, as everyone agrees the witnesses’ testimony did take place. The only issue is whether they should have been made public.)If I had received information from a reliable source about secret witness testimony at the ICTY for one of my columns in The Washington Times, I certainly would have published it. Yet the tribunal would never dare to indict me for supposed “contempt of the tribunal” because it knows the firestorm of opposition it would create in the American media. It would be seen for what it is: a crude attempt to silence a journalist.Carla Del Ponte is essentially claiming that the institutional prerogatives of the ICTY are more important than the rights of all Croatians to free expression and freedom of the press. These indictments are an assault on the fundamental pillars of a liberal democracy. Once the sacred principles of freedom of the press and freedom of speech are violated, then all the other basic rights and freedoms central to a democracy simply wither away. In short, Del Ponte is now expressing her outright contempt for Croatia’s democratic institutions.This is why Croatians of all political stripes—right, left and center—should come together and denounce these indictments as unacceptable intrusions upon the country’s basic liberties. If these journalists are convicted, what is to stop Del Ponte’s office from indicting others in the media for “contempt of the tribunal?”Del Ponte is seeking to determine what can and cannot be published in the Croatian press. Her goal is to silence any opposition to the ICTY within Croatia. It is no accident that all four journalists have been leading critics of Del Ponte. In particular, Mr. Marijacic and his first-rank magazine, Hrvatski List, have emerged as a leading intellectual force in defense of Croatia’s national sovereignty and the Homeland War. For this he is now paying a steep price. But Mr. Marijacic and his brave band of patriots will be vindicated in the end.These indictments may prove to be Del Ponte’s Afghanistan; the point of imperial overreach that will lead to the collapse of the entire rotten structure known as the ICTY. During the next few weeks the fate of John Bolton, who is President George Bush’s nominee to be the next American ambassador to the United Nations, will be decided. If he is approved by the U.S. Senate, which I suspect he will, then Del Ponte’s position as chief prosecutor is in serious trouble. Mr. Bolton has made no secret of his dislike for the ICTY, and especially for Del Ponte’s dismal performance as chief prosecutor.Previously, Mr. Bolton’s harsh criticisms of Del Ponte have been downplayed by the Balkanists in the State Department’s Foreign Service bureaucracy, many of whom are rabidly pro-ICTY and anti-Croatia. As undersecretary of state for arms control, he lacked the power to rein in Del Ponte and her fellow zealots at the tribunal. This time, however, he will have the authority to take action. If confirmed, Mr. Bolton will be overseeing America’s diplomacy toward the United Nations—including U.N.-sponsored tribunals like the ICTY.When he finds out about this latest outrage, he will almost certainly demand that Washington withdraw its support for Del Ponte and the ICTY. She has given Mr. Bolton the diplomatic rope he needs to finally hang her. He now needs to finish her off—once and for all. - Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a historian and regular contributor to the Commentary pages of The Washington Times. He is currently writing a book, “Fatal Embrace: The Croat-Serb Conflict in the 20th Century.” NN: Istina i pravda/ Pogled iz WashingtonaOptuznice su noz u srce demokraciji!Pod) Cilj Carle Del Ponte je usutkati u Hrvatskoj svaku oporbu Haskom sudu. Nije slucajno sto su sva cetvorica novinara njezini glavni kriticari. Posebno su gospodin Marijacic i njegov prvorazredni tjednik Hrvatski list izrasli u vodecu duhovnu snagu u obrani hrvatskog nacionalnog suvereniteta i Domovinskog rata. On sada za ovo placa visoku cijenu. Ali na kraju ce i on i njegova hrabra domoljubna momcad dobiti punu zadovoljstinuPise: Jeffrey T. KuhnerNedavne optuznice Haskog suda protiv cetvorice hrvatskih novinara noz su u srce njezinoj demokraciji. Njih cetvorica – Ivica Marijacic, Markica Rebic, Domagoj Margetic i Stjepan Âeselj – optuzeni su za navodni zlocin ‘nepostivanja suda’, odnosno objavljivanje identiteta i izjava zasticenih svjedoka u ‘slucaju Blaskic’. Prijeti im moguca kazna globom od 100.000 eura i sedam godina zatvora.Ova bi situacija bila komicna da nije ozbiljna i tragicna. Svaki sud na Zapadu, osobito u SAD-u, takve bi optuznice odbacio. Ali tuziteljstvo Haskog suda pokusava opravdati ove skandalozne optuznice tvrdnjom kako su izjave svjedoka dane u ‘nejavnom’, dakle tajnom postupku. Time su cetvorica novinara navodno prekrsila prava svjedoka na zastitu koju im Sud jamci.Ovo je besmislica. Odgovornost je Suda, a ne hrvatskih i stranih medija, osigurati da tajno svjedocenje ne procuri u javnost. Tuziteljstvo, dakle, pokusava prebaciti na druge svoj neuspjeh da na pravi nacin zastiti svjedoke. I, sto je jos vaznije, ovo je jasan slucaj obrane slobode tiska i prava javnosti na informacije koji potire svako moguce pravo Suda u odnosu na zastitu svjedoka.Uloga novinara u slobodnom drustvu je nadzor javnih duznosnika i njihova djela, pa i otkrivanje osjetljivih, cak i ekskluzivnih informacija vaznih za obavjestavanje javnosti. Njezino pravo na informaciju, uz novinarsko pravo na objavljivanje svojih izvjesca mimo svake cenzure, srz je otvorenoga i slobodnoga tiska.(Jedini izuzetak je objavljivanje namjernih kleveta, bez ikakve cinjenicne osnove. To bez sumnje nije slucaj u ovoj stvari jer postoji opca suglasnost kako je svjedocenja doista i bilo. Jedino je pitanje jesu li trebala biti objavljena).Medj) I ja bih to objavio, ali mene ne bi smjela optuzitiDa sam, recimo, ja dobio obavijest iz pouzdana izvora o tajnom svjedocenju u Haagu za moju kolumnu u Washingon Timesu, zasigurno bih je bio objavio, ali se Sud nikad ne bi usudio optuziti me zbog navodnog ‘nepostivanja suda’ jer zna kakvu bi buru prosvjeda to stvorilo u americkim medijima. Smatralo bi se to onim sto jest: grubim pokusajem usutkavanja novinara.Carla Del Ponte u osnovi tvrdi kako su institucionalne ovlasti Haskog suda vaznije od prava svih Hrvata na slobodu izrazavanja i tiska. Ove su optuznice nasrtaj na same temelje liberalne demokracije. Krsenjem svetih nacela slobode tiska i govora gaze se i sva temeljna demokratska prava i slobode. Ukratko, Carla Del Ponte ovim izrazava izravno nepostivanje hrvatskih demokratskih ustanova.Stoga bi Hrvati svih politickih nagnuca – desnice, ljevice ili centra - trebali zajednicki prokazati ove optuznice kao neprihvatljivo krsenje temeljnih sloboda ove zemlje. Ako ovi novinari budu osudjeni, sto ce sprijeciti hasko tuziteljstvo da optuzi i druge novinare zbog ‘nepostivanja suda’?Carla Del Ponte pokusava naredjivati sto se smije, a sto ne smije objavljivati u hrvatskome tisku. Njezin je cilj usutkati u Hrvatskoj svaku oporbu Haskom sudu. Nije slucajno sto su sva cetvorica novinara njezini glavni kriticari. Posebno su gospodin Marijacic i njegov prvorazredni tjednik Hrvatski list izrasli u vodecu duhovnu snagu u obrani hrvatskog nacionalnog suvereniteta i Domovinskog rata. On sada za ovo placa visoku cijenu. Ali na kraju ce i on i njegova hrabra domoljubna momcad dobiti punu zadovoljstinu.Medj) Bolton ce dokrajciti Carlu Del PonteMozda se, naime, pokaze kako je ovo tuziteljicin ‘Afganistan’– trenutak imperijalne nadmenosti koji ce dovesti do propasti citavog ovog ‘grijeha struktura’ imenom Haski sud.Tijekom narednih nekoliko tjedana odlucit ce se i o sudbini Johna Boltona, kandidata predsjednika Georgea Busha za sljedeceg americkog veleposlanika u UN-u. Ako ga potvrdi Senat SAD-a, kao sto vjerujem da hoce, onda je polozaj Carle Del Ponte, kao glavne tuziteljice, ozbiljno uzdrman. Gospodin Bolton ne taji svoju odbojnost prema Haskom sudu, a navlastito za njezin bijedni ucinak kao glavne tuziteljice.Ranije su Boltonove ostre kritike Carle Del Ponte ublazavali ‘balkanisti’ iz vanjskopoliticke birokracije americkog State Departmenta, medju kojima je mnogo haskih zagovornika i hrvatskih protivnika. Kao drzavni podtajnik za nadzor naoruzanja on nije imao ovlasti zauzdati Carlu Del Ponte i njezine fanatike u Haagu, ali sada ce ih dobiti. Ako, dakle, bude potvrdjen, Bolton ce upravljati americkom diplomacijom u UN-u, pa tako i prema UN-ovom Haskom sudu.Kada, pak, sazna za ovaj najnoviji skandal, gotovo sigurno ce zatraziti da Washington uskrati potporu Carli Del Ponte i Haskom sudu. Ona je Boltonu pruzila diplomatsko uze koje mu je trebalo. Sada je samo treba dokrajciti – i to za vijeke vjekova!- Jeffrey T. Kuhner je povjesnicar i stalni komentator Washington Timesa. Trenutno pise knjigu ‘Fatalni stisak: hrvatsko-srpski sukob u 20. stoljecu’. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 May 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6998/1/E-A-person-with-a-conviction-IS-A-MAJORITY.html ÂA person with a conviction IS A MAJORITY Yesterday's newspaper is used primarily to wrap today's fish with itHi, you all,Mr. Marko Mijat has made the proper suggestion. The only correct answerto any erroneous info should be given by official representatives of theCroatian government, which has credibility and power to do good andresponsibility to prevent harm. Ergo, whatever is discovered ought to bebrought immediately to their attention.Even God cannot change History (only historians do), so why spend thevaluable energy on the "last year snows". Most Americans do not knownothing about Croatia, and even less about Jasenovac and many otherhistorical events connected to Croatia. If people, you know, respect youpersonally, they will believe your version of the historical detail,trust me on that.Some among us developed theory that "Croats are just not liked in theworld (contrary to Serbs for example)". This is patently wrong notionwhich just reinforces legendary "Croatian inferiority complex". It ismore likely that the other Countries do not CARE about us, until weprove that we could be a powerful ally to them. (Remember how Churchillconveniently discarded Draza Mihajlovic in favor of Tito in 1943?). Kakonas narod kaze: "Ko je jaci, taj kvaci! Being alert to media is a wise strategy however one must keep in mindthe old maxim: "Do not argue with the person who buys the ink by thebarrel". Furthermore, yesterday's newspaper is used primarily to wraptoday's fish with it.Those of us who care about Croatia's future, should focus their scarceenergies to our FUTURE and not constantly dwell on our past. We, alltogether, do represent quite a formidable force, (if we were just smartenough to get organized). It is very romantic to act like a "CaballeroDe La Triste Figura", but it is so damn inefficient.Do not worry if there are only few of us. A person with a conviction ISA MAJORITY! Lech Walesa stated that in two decades, when fightingCommunism, he was able to attract only 10 people to his Movement. Withina year of the visit of the Pope to Poland, his Solidarnosc grew to 10million people. Croatia needs a similarly charismatic "Karol Wojtila"and s/he is somewhere, I am convinced of that, waiting for the righttime.Be well, do good job and stay in touch!Franjo Radosevicfranjo@adnc.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6999/1/E-THE-VIEW-OF-CROATIA-IN-THE-WEST.html THE VIEW OF CROATIA IN THE WESTÂBy John Peter KraljicÂPublished in Croatian Chronicle 22 March 2005Â"Are Croatian leaders reallythat thick that they can not see the importance inforcefully engaging their resources to turn theseperceptions around?"Should we really be surprised by Croatia’s miserablefailure in getting the members of the European Unionto see Croatia’s side of things with respect toGeneral Gotovina and the International CriminalTribunal for the Former Yugoslavia?Unfortunately, we should not be, and the reason, in myopinion, is a simple one. Despite years (actually,more than a decade and a half) of advocacy by CroatianAmericans and Croatians in other countries, thevarious governments which have ruled Croatia sinceindependence have chosen to focus practically all oftheir diplomatic efforts in the corridors of variousforeign ministries. Such a focus may have worked inthe 19th century, but in today’s age when masscirculation newspapers and magazines, hundreds oftelevision channels, countless think-tanks and theinternet have been the earmarks of the “InformationAge,” diplomacy requires much more effort thanengaging in discussions with ambassadors and envoys.As we have seen most recently with respect to theUnited States and its on-going efforts to re-shape theMiddle East, public diplomacy has become a majorfeature of foreign policy efforts. No longer does theUS solely revolve its work in other countries aroundthe diplomatic corps. It has invested major resourcesin this work. It cannot be expected that such effortswill yield immediate results. It takes a lot of timeand energy to convince people that your point of viewis the right one.Croatia’s work in this regard has been close to nil. Unfortunately, the problem stems from what appears tobe the continued aversion by the Croatian governmentalelite to engage in these kinds of activities. Croatia’s officials rarely are pro-active in thisregard. We have seen this clearly in the past fewweeks when, despite the plethora of negative publicitywhich has appeared in the Western press concerningCroatia’s supposed failure to cooperate with the ICTY,we did not see any reactions published in theEnglish-language media coming from Croatian officials.Is it really that difficult, or that “beneath them,”to write a letter to the editor or an opinion piece?Another disheartening problem appears to be completeignorance. At a meeting I attended in November 2001with President Mesic and then Foreign Minister Picula,I forcefully made the point that public relations wasan important component to Croatia’s success in gainingentry into Euro-Atlantic institutions. I specificallypointed out that many of America’s leading newspapers,magazines and officials believe that the Croatian flagis an Ustashe flag, a belief stemming from GreaterSerbian propaganda in the 1990s.Mesic’s then foreign policy advisor, Tomislav JakÅic,completely denigrated my point, noting that Mesic hadmet with President Bush that morning and wouldcertainly not have allowed the Croatian flag to bedisplayed if he believed it to be an Ustashe one. When I pointed out that nevertheless such newspapersas The New York Times have routinely made such anassertion, JakÅic stated that The New York Times was“just one newspaper.”Obviously, such a response from anyone who knewanything about America could only be termed idiotic. That it came from a person who had the ear of theCroatian President made it distressing.As far as I am aware, the only public relations thatCroatia has engaged in over the past few years inrelation to joining the EU or NATO has been to produceone CD-rom.Croatia is paying dearly for this lack of foresight. In a recent issue, for example, The Economist, aleading British magazine, wrote that General Gotovinahad been indicted for his role in Croatia’s “waragainst the Serbs” in 1995. What was widelyrecognized as a legitimate military action againstterrorists armed and supported by MiloÅevic has nowbeen turned on its head as an ethnic war waged byCroatia.Other publications have implicitly praised Serbia forthe recent surrender of relatively minor war crimessuspects while noting Croatia’s failure concerningGeneral Gotovina. Such articles took no account ofwhat Croatia has done for the ICTY in the past fewyears. General Gotovina himself has been made awhipping boy of the press, on par with Mladic andKaradžic, even though the latter two have been chargedwith genocide while General Gotovina’s charge solelyrelates to his command responsibility during OperationOluja (Storm) when 150 Serb civilians were allegedlykilled.If Croatia has a public relations campaign, it can besummarized in two words: tourism and sports. Croatia’s successes with its tourist industry and thecontinuing success of its athletes have certainlygenerated nice publicity.But such news stories cannot compensate for theCroatian government’s failure to promote its own viewsabout issues critical to Croatia. As we can see fromthe few examples cited above, Croatia is allowingthose who do not necessarily have Croatia’s bestinterests at heart in writing and presenting storiesabout Croatia to the Western elite. The Western elitereads these publications and often makes its decisionsbased on such readings. Are Croatian leaders reallythat thick that they can not see the importance inforcefully engaging their resources to turn theseperceptions around? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7000/1/E-Feudal-system-of-state-owned-property-transfer.html ÂFeudal system of state-owned property transferThe Vecernji list published a brief article on the 13th of March, 2005, about the recent encounter of a former Minister in the Croatian government, a member of Parliament, and president of the Croatian Tennis Alliance, Mr. Radomir Cacic, with Croatians living in California. The engagement was so âstormyâ€? that some Croatians from Los Angeles and San Pedro publicly expressed their displeasure at statements uttered by Mr. Cacic such as: âcorruption is inbred in our people,â€? or that he âbecame rich the easy way, and most especially during the war.â€? He also uttered statements such as: âthings are done in Croatia according to feudal practices,â€? and that the members of the politico-economic elite in Croatian, regardless of their party affiliation manage to âcome to a mutual understanding among themselves,â€? when transfer (the so-called privatization) of state-owned property is in question. He went on to say that âthere is no reason why any state-owned property should be sold to Croatian ÃmigrÃs when we in Croatia can buy it ourselvesâwe too have money.â€?The statements made by Cacic speak volumes. They deserved far more space in the Croatian media than the brief article in Vecernji list providesânot for the purpose of attacking Mr. Cacic or so that a protest can be mounted because of his statements. Stipe Bubalo was right when he respondedâsomewhat reluctantlyâto Mr. Cacic in San Pedroâs Hrvatski Dom by thanking him for his frankness.The âhot potatoâ€? remarks made by Cacic need to be addressed with a bit more reflection. The former Minister and present representative in the Croatian Parliamentâa man in the very center of governmental powerâpublicly states that lawlessness reigns in Croatia; that he became rich through muddy deals; that party opposition isnât the result of various strategies and options seeking a better future for Croatia, but little more than multi-colored smoke and mirrors. What is most disturbing is that heâand by extension, other members of his classâbelieves that corruption is âinbred in our people.â€? This, I suppose, means that there is no hope that a rule of law will serve as the road to a societal and economic rebirth. Judging by his statements, it matters little to him or to the ruling class that the existing âfeudal systemâ€? be changed since the system assured himâas he himself statesâownership of seventeen businesses.We frequently hear that Croatia desires foreign investments. However, in view of the statements made by Cacic in California, investments by Croatian ÃmigrÃs are not welcome. It is perfectly normal and realistic that he, or anyone else in Croatia, should sooner wish to buy what is up for auction than someone in far-off California. However, as far as we can see from what is happening in Croatia as relates to transfer of state-owned properties, it is all a matter of shuffling papers and spending money that seems to circulate in the same closed circle as opposed to the introduction of fresh new capital into the Croatian economy. It is clear that this can be done without difficulty since âwe manage to come to a mutual understanding among ourselvesâ€?âregardless of party affiliation. This is why no former or present government in Croatia is willing to raise the issue of the transfer of state-owned property. Why would they spoil a good thing for themselves?Aside from the âfeudal system of state-owned property transfer,â€? what bothers many Croatian ÃmigrÃs is the question that asks by what logic are foreign (non-Croatian) investments in banks, hotels, the media, telephone, etc., accepted and valued as something positive while investments by Croatian ÃmigrÃs are seen as undesirableâwhat is more, are rejected in a very primitive manner? If no logic is to be found in this, then what is at play? Is there some fear of Croatian ÃmigrÃs and their capital at play? If such fear does exist, then what is the cause of such fear?In all likelihood, Mr. Cacic disenchanted and frayed the nerves of Croatians in California. I am just as convinced that Croatian Californians did as much for him. Nonetheless, perhaps their encounter was more beneficial than we might think. Cacic revealed what is in his heart through his statements. He showed us a true picture of the ruling class in Croatia. On the other hand, his hosts in the Hrvatski Dom in San Pedro pointed out (we hope) to him (and his like-minded friends) that many Croatian ÃmigrÃs are not only concerned about a âstari krajâ€? that they sometimes wish to visit out of sentimentality, but are concerned about a homeland that is as much theirs as it is his. They further pointed out that what is happening in Croatia is not all the same to them. They want Cacic to know that they can and want to be a part of Croatiaâs (better) future. Furthermore, it is clear to all who care about Croatia that much sweat and tears will be needed if Croatia is to become a land that we, our children, and grandchildren will not only visit but will one day return to her and invest our intelligence and money in her future. This is nothing more than âemotionâ€? for Cacic. For those who are reasonable and well-intentioned, this should be a part of the Croatian national program.Dr. Ante Cuvalo, ChicagoÂTranslated by Dusko Condic, ChicagoPublished in Croatian - Hrvatski Vjesnik, Australia, March 24, 2005 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7001/1/E-Croatias-EU-Membership-Held-Hostage-by-few-EU-states.html ÂÂCroatia's EU Membership Held 'Hostage' by few EU states.These are the titles of the articles that were published all over the world. In the title it says "WAR CRIMINAL", without trial, they decided who is guilty and who is not. That is UNACCEPTABLE ! What are the legal consequences of these titles, printed in bold. Dismiss the trial would be one and the best solution, plus apology to the whole nation. Is Croatian government protesting about all of this? That is the first point. The second point is that the Europe OWES Croatia more then apology for letting the hordes of barbaric Serbs destroy our land. This issue needs to be addressed, from the start. This same Europe is giving us conditions? Our WAR REPARATIONS check should be on the way or already in our banks. What's up with that? What is up with trying to equalize aggressor with the victim? Who attacked whom. On whose territory did genocide of Croatians happen? Our priorities are, civil society, with the laws that are implemented into the funcional society, without overburdening legal obstacles. There, our sheer Croatian talent will fly as we see our individual amazing results, from sport, culture and science that are unparalleled to almost anyone in the world, considering the number of Croatians around the world. General Gotovina, became hero in the eyes of an average Croatian because he symbolizes the independence that we long for so long. Let's not give it away. Premier Sanader doesn't have an easy time and even we who do not agree with joining the big massive administration like EU, should stand behind him at this moment. Just the fact that little court clerk can give us a lesson, is not acceptable. We can give blood, which we've proven that century after century, but not our pride. Ms. Ponti should be dismissed as she was from Rwanda trial.ÂWe need time not to lose focus on who we are and where we want to be in 50 years. Croatia isn't easy. For monumental decisions and big problems we need great people with even better solutions.Nenad BachEditor in Chief, CROWNSAMPLE of what was written above:Croatia's EU Membership Held 'Hostage' by War Criminal (op-ed ???)By Douglas Bakshian Luxembourg17 March 2005Bakshain report - Download 1.8MB Bakshain report General Ante Gotovina The European Union has postponed the start of membership negotiations with Croatia after it failed to cooperate fully with the U.N. war crimes Tribunal in the Hague, which is seeking a fugitive Croatian general. The dispute has prompted a diplomatic struggle in the European Union and put enormous pressure on the small Balkan country. Late last year the European Union agreed to start membership talks with Croatia on March 17. But chief U.N. prosecutor Carla del Ponte repeatedly called for Zagreb to track down accused war criminal General Ante Gotovina and said Croatia was not doing enough to hand him over. "I am expecting Gotovina as soon as possible transferred to the Hague," he said. "And I must say that I am convinced that Croatia can do it. So, I invited, many times, the Croatian government to fulfill its international obligation to transfer Gotovina to the Hague."Prosecutor Del Ponte has said that General Gotovina is likely hiding in Croatia, and that some people in government may be sheltering him. But Zagreb argues it is doing everything possible to find the general and Prime Minister Ivo Sanader says he is not in Croatia."Since we have no information, according to all work of services, intelligence services and police, that General Gotovina is in Croatia," he said. "We have no information at all which would confirm that he is in Croatia. I very much support the proposal to have Europol to also be active and to control whether General Gotovina is possibly in one of the member states of the European Union, or in Europe." The general disappeared in July 2001 when he was indicted for killing Serbian civilians during an offensive against Serbian rebels in 1995. At the same time, he is seen by many Croatians as a hero of their 1991 to 1995 independence war.Michael Emerson, of the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, says Croatian public opinion may be an obstacle to ending the dispute."He has also become politically a bit of a folk hero in Croatia," he noted. "And this is today's political problem that Croatian public opinion, it seems, has not made up its mind whether he is a criminal or a hero. And if Croatian public opinion and politicians are bending towards the view that he is a national hero that is precisely what the European Union does not want to hear." Croatia hopes to be the second former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union. Slovenia became the first when it joined last May. Despite much hard work and sacrifice, things remain in jeopardy. Luxembourg holds the E.U. presidency and Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker says General Gotovina is holding a nation hostage."Mr. Gotovina is playing a dangerous game," said Mr. Juncker. "And if he is in Croatia he should be ready to be arrested and transferred to the Hague. Because he does not have the right to take millions of Croatians as hostages. This is not patriotic behavior. And if Mr. Gotovina is the patriot he claims to be he has to do everything possible in order to enable the European Union to start the enlargement negotiations without any doubt in our minds." Luxembourg has reassured Croatia that membership talks will open promptly, once the condition of full cooperation with the war crimes tribunal is met. Foreign minister Jean Asselborn says the situation is clear. He is heard through an interpreter."It is Croatia which has the key. It is not the Hague, it is not ICTY [International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia], it is not Brussels, Luxembourg, England, Austria or any other member state which has the key. The key is in the hands of Croatia," he said.E.U. officials stress that Croatia's future is in the European family, and they hope this stumbling block can be cleared away soon.http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-17-voa29.cfm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7002/1/E-Ten-Questions-to-Ask-Before-You-Give-Away-Your-Country.html "Ten Questions to Ask Before You Give Away Your Country" ÂJohn Blundell's Open Letter to Croatia's Prime Minister, Ivo SanaderAs featured in Dnevnik, Croatia's Business Daily, Wednesday, March 2, 2005 with front page lead.For those interested in the scanned copy of John Blundell's article via attachment or the Croatian version, please email: AdriaticIPP@aol.com2nd March 2005Prime Minister Dr Ivo SanaderTrg Sv Marka 210000 ZagrebCroatiaTen questions to ask before you give away your countryIt was good to sit with you at dinner on my recent visit to Croatia. Your country is doing well and clearly has great potential. However, I do worry about your headlong rush into the EU. Let me share with you ten questions every Croatian should ask and be able to answer before you hand over your country and its governance to Brussels:1. Why would you want to give control of your country away? After all, you haven’t had it very long. Of course, you’ll be told that belonging to the EU in no way means giving away your country’s sovereignty. Sovereignty is a country’s constitutional independence, its exclusive political authority. It cannot be shared or pooled. But consider this: once in the EU, your country will be subject to a higher political authority – Brussels. The EU will overrule your government’s policies on foreign affairs, security, justice and much much more. It is planning its own constitution – which will allow the EU to sign treaties without consulting your government. That sounds uncomfortably like relinquishing your country’s authority. You can’t give it up and keep it at the same time. Being a sovereign nation is like being a virgin – either you are one or you’re not.2. Do you want more rules and regulations? The EU has a strong desire to “harmonise” in order to iron out the differences between member states. The way it does this is by devising regulations. There are currently hundreds of thousands of them, covering areas as diverse as pollution and how you hire and fire employees, with more than 5,000 new ones coming out of Brussels every year. It’s not always easy for countries to meet these demands and for small businesses it’s sometimes impossible. If you think you’re regulated enough already, you ain’t seen nothing yet!3. Would you be happy joining a corrupt organisation? There’s no doubt that the EU is rotten to the core. In May 2004 Britain’s National Audit Office (NAO) reported 10,000 cases of EU fraud in 2002 costing Â700 million up from 5,482 cases costing Â386 million in 2001 ie a doubling of fraud in just one year. But figures like this are the tip of the iceberg – they only relate to matters which national governments know about and are prepared to divulge. A more damning estimate is that around five per cent of the Commission’s budget - or almost Â4 billion – goes missing every year. That’s your money, by the way. Disgusted? You should be. But you can’t do anything about it. You can’t even vote the culprits out of office.4. Do you think barriers to trade are a good thing? Well, you ought to, because that’s what you’re going to get by joining the EU. There will of course be advantages when it comes to trading with other member nations, but what about all those other countries, the US, for example? Croatia must be open to the world, not just its neighbours. You were locked into Tito’s socialism for a long time; you do not need Brussels’ version of the same error.5. Is high unemployment your idea of fun? If you enjoy the prospect of low growth, rigid labour markets, increasingly intrusive regulation, high and rising taxes, and a high level of trade protection in some sectors, then the EU is for you. Oh, and for good measure the result is the high unemployment which Europe has experienced for more than a decade. It’s not a coincidence that the two most prosperous European nations, Norway and Switzerland, are not in the EU.6. How do you feel about entering the most inefficient system of agricultural support ever devised? The Common Agricultural Policy was a noble idea: subsidise farmers to keep farm wages high and stop people moving from country areas to the city in search of better-paid jobs. But it has failed and it’s the ordinary citizens who’ve suffered –they’re paying more for food and more in taxes as a result. And, guess what? Rural areas are still in decline.7. Do you mind giving up democracy? Right now, you can express your views on what happens in your country by voting. But for the EU to have a political democracy would mean having a European people, European public opinion and a chance to vote for what happens in Europe. But Europe does not have a common people, nor does it have common bonds of allegiance and obligation, which means that citizens would be unlikely to accept majority decisions which they believe discriminate against them or unfairly favour others. That is precisely why Europe’s political elites and bureaucrats will decide on the really important European issues, which will of course affect what happens in your own country. It’s simpler that way, even if the price is democracy.8. How do you fancy being a very small fish in a very big European pond? Under the EU constitution, more voting power will go to countries with bigger populations and there will be more majority decisions, rather than decisions based on unanimity. This means that your elected representatives will have very little say in what happens in Europe. And, as we all know, the French and the Germans stick together on many important issues. They are the big fish in the pond of Europe. Your country, I regret to say, stands to be one of the minnows.9. Are you happy to give up your currency? A simple sentimental attachment to your own currency might seem a good enough reason not to give it up, but there are better ones. If your country adopts the Euro, it loses control of its own economy. The European Central Bank will make decisions about interest rates. No longer will your own financial experts and politicians be able decide what to do with your money. Instead, your economy will embark on an impossible journey: it will leave the country and go north nearly 1,000 kilometres to Frankfurt, but be dragged rapidly southwards at the same time. Your economy will suffer because it’s impossible to find one interest rate to suit all countries in the Euro. If you need more proof, bear in mind that the best-performing EU countries are those which have not adopted the Euro.10. Does it bother you that, after all you have been through, you will be entering a union that has uncomfortable parallels with the former Yugoslavia? In recent times, you have become the citizen of an independent and democratic state. Before that, you were forced to be part of a group of countries which threw together people of different languages and cultures. The only thing many of the peoples in this federation had in common was that all this was imposed on you by an unrepresentative political elite. A bit like the EU really. I look forward to hearing your answers. In the meantime I wish you all the very best as you wrestle with so many difficult issues.John Blundell Director General Institute of Economic AffairsJohn Blundell, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, UK, serves as Director of Fairbridge, a Director of the International Policy Network, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and a Board member of the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, the Institute for Economic Studies (Europe) in Paris, France and Vice President of the Mont PÃlerin Society. Blundell joined the Adriatic Institute for Public Policy's Founding Leadership Board, Croatia's first independent free market think tank. John Blundell delivered the opening keynote address, "Waging the War of Ideas" at the First International Leaders Summit, Nov. 5, 2004 in Zagreb, Croatiawww.AdriaticInstitute.orgwww.ils-wde.orgJohn Blundell, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs delivers the opening keynote address, "Waging the War of Ideas" at the International Leaders Summit (ILS), Zagreb, Croatia - 2004Pictured from right: Dr. Daniel Mitchell, Doris Pack (MEP), Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, John Blundell, Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy at the Adriatic Institute for Public Policy - ILS Dinner EventFor further information please visit www.AdriaticInstitute.orgThe Second International Leaders Summit is scheduled for June 1 and 2, 2005 in Zagreb, Croatia. More details to follow.Joel Anand SamyPresident, World Development and EmpowermentCo-founder, Adriatic Institute and International Leaders SummitWDE - International Leaders Summit37736 Starflower StreetP.O. Box 964Newark, California 94560USAAdriatic Institute - International Leaders SummitZagrebCroatiaAdriatic Institute - ILSMarkovici 1551000 RijekaCroatiaCell: +385-91-516-9129 (Croatia)T/F: +385-51-626-582 Email: JoelAnandSamy@aol.com www.AdriaticInstitute.org www.ils-wde.org letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 04 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7003/1/H-Samo-jedan-neprijatelj-a-to-je-totalitarizam-bilo-koje-boje.html ÂZa demokrate postoji samo jedan neprijatelj,a to je totalitarizam bilo koje boje! Revolucija protiv demokracije - reagiranje na pisanje Slobodne Dalmacije Kroz mitos antifaÅizma Split je 1944. godine doživio ponovno okupaciju âNove klase" i Titove OZNE u atmosferi Đilasovog citata iz âBorbe": âNaÅi su neprijatelji divlji psi koje treba u ime civilizacije poubijati"!Po gradu su izlijepljene liste s imenima strijeljanih bez suda, osude i konfiskacija imovine âklasnihâ neprijatelja, poniÅtavanje jedne Åkolske godine svim gimnazijalcima, batinaÅki Åpaliri po Åkolama, linčovanje tzv. bande usred bijela dana, napadi na stanove narodnih neprijatelja. Svatko tko nije bio za Staljina bio je tada narodni neprijatelj i ako je bio intelektualac izbačen sa svog radnog mjesta. âLumpen proletarijatâ za koji kilogram hrane bio je douÅnik âOzneâ: jedan bez duÅe dva bez glave. To je stvorilo zastraÅujuću famu: OZNA SVE DOZNA i opću nesigurnost i nepovjerenje. Jednom proglaÅen narodnim neprijateljem jedino mito i dobre veze mogle su nekoga spasiti od konsekvenca. Time je stvoren lenjinski revolucionarni teror, a kroz strah se je izgrađivala Titova diktatura, u kojoj su bili ujedinjeni partija, tajna policija, milicija, vojska i birokracija! Dok su građani gladovali i dvije do tri obitelji morale živjeti u jednom stanu, dotle su Titovi tajkuni, već prema rangu, skoro za niÅta nabavljali sve u posebnim dućanima, uselili u tuđe komfortne konfiscirane stanove i zauzimali važne i unosne druÅtvene pozicije. Nikad za vrijeme svih okupacija u Splitu nije bila tolika razlika između privilegiranih i običnih građana! To je stanje âoslobođenjaâ možda najbolje okarakterizirao pri ostavi Milan Grol, vicepresident u vladi Tito-ÅubaÅić, riječima: âOvo nije država nego klaonicaâ.AntifaÅisti ili crveni faÅistiVisceralni antidemokrati bezobrazno, beÅćutno, a i opasno joÅ i danas po novinama nazivaju to doba najsvjetlijim danima âlipoga Splita".Dio poglavarstva danas nakon 60 godina i 13 godina formalne demokracije ne prihvaća riječ teror za to doba i ignorira civilizirani pijetet prema žrtvama tog barbarskog terora. To je alarmantno!Neki novinari u svom lažnom businessu tvrde da Zapadna Europa joÅ danas cijeni Titov antifaÅizam! Istina je da lijeva Europa ranije cijenila jugoslavenske antifaÅiste, jer su ih identificirali s Ruskim antifaÅistima. Zato su viÅe držali do onih antifaÅista koje je Tito likvidirao 1948. godine bez suda, ili bestijalno mučio u koncentracionom logoru na Golom otoku. Za taj je logor sam Đilas izjavio da je gori od nacističkog logora u Dachau-u! Nigdje nije na takav brutalan način ponižavano ljudsko dostojanstvo zatvorenika!Danas, naprotiv, i lijeva Europa je zauzela realniji stav prema antifaÅizmu. Pravi antifaÅisti su oni koji su borbom protiv faÅizma donijeli svojoj zemlji liberalnu demokraciju, a Staljina, Tita i Ceauşescu su nazvali crveno lakiranim faÅistima. Da su nas od faÅističke diktature oslobodili anglo-američki antifaÅisti, a ne Titovi partizani, već bismo 1957. godine, kao i Talijani, bili u Europi i Nato-u!Crna knjiga komunizma StÃphane Curtois, nekoć militantni komunist, francuski profesor političkih znanosti, izdao je 1997. godine âCrnu knjigu komunizmaâ. U njoj je veliki broj lijevih autora dokumentirano iznio da je komunizam u svijetu odgovoran za gotovo 100 milijuna nevinih ljudskih žrtava. Courtois piÅe: âStaljin je zagonetka! Kako se može razumjeti da ovaj veliki političar, istodobno najveći zločinac 20. stoljeća, 29 godina provodi masovno ubijanje. Ni Shakespeare ni Dostojevski ne bi mogli izmisliti takvu krvavu i perverznu osobu. Realitet je nadvisio samu imaginaciju. Realni komunizam, marksizam u Lenjinovoj interpretaciji, koju je Staljin doveo do savrÅenstva, uspio je zamagliti svijet svojim antifaÅizmom. Na 21.12.1949, slave komunisti na Zapadu, u jednom deliriumu, Staljinov 70. rođendanâ. U nastavku kritike komunističkih diktatora piÅe Courtois: âTito, straÅni Staljinista, preuzeo je metode svog starog majstora i očistio vlastitu partiju od sovjetskih simpatizera da bi zadržao svoju moć i vlast i spasio vlastiti životâ. Budući da mi nismo imali ni HruÅčova ni Gorbačova da bi proveli, joÅ u komunizmu, barem djelomičnu katarzu komunističkih zločina, smatram da bi Crna knjiga morala biti obavezno Åtivo u naÅim Åkolama, da bi nam barem djeca postali uvjereni demokrati i humanisti! Legenda i povijesna stvarnost U svojoj laudatio, kad je Tito postao počasni član Jugoslavenske Akademije, Krleža navodi: âTito kao proleter, metalni radnik koji je raspolagao ličnim iskustvom Ruske revolucije, uspio je ostvariti mudru formulu na osnovi historijskog materijalizma i Lenjinovom principu samoodređenja naroda, koja je rjeÅavala sve probleme stare Jugoslavije. Zato je njegova formula par excellence naučna i istinita, jer je materijalistička, dijalektička i lenjinistička. S Titom je naÅ narod stao u red najnaprednijih naroda svijetaâ. Pogledajmo, ne iz legende, nego povijesni lik Tita, iskusnog revolucionara i talentiranog političara. Iznijet ću, kao svjedok stoljeća, samo neke ma da manje viÅe poznate činjenice, jer mi se čini da u Splitu i kod nekih demokratski orijentiranih novinara, a i građana, pogotovu mlađih, postoji manjak poznavanja povijesnih činjenica. Svijestan sam da te činjenice neće pobuditi katarzu kod komunističkih vjernika, jer, kako je rekao Marcel Proust: â Stvarnost se ne može probiti u svijet vjernikaâ. Ipak se nadam da će visceralni antidemokrati, maskirani totalitaristi, barem djelomično reducirati svoj lažni business u medijima s mitosom âNarodno oslobodilačke borbe i Tito legendeâ.Prva Titova revolucionarna iskustva su vezana uz Lenjina. Danas je otkriveno 6700 Lenjinovih dokumenata koji su bili skrivani do 1991. godine. Lenjin zapovijeda, između ostalih zločina, da se građani koji se protive dokazati svoj identitet na mjestu streljaju bez suda. To treba provesti bez ikakvog milosrđa. Drugovi koji se protive streljanju tvrde besmislicu, jer kako se može provesti revolucija bez streljanja! Đeržinskome, Åefu ČEKA (kasniji NKVD) preporuča iste metode za kolebljive i nedisciplinirane boljÅevističke intelektualce u Moskvi.Tito, kurir kominterne, se nalazi u Moskvi za vrijeme najdrastičnijih Staljinovih čistki u kojima su skoro svi jugoslavenski komunisti u Moskvi ubijeni ili nestali po sibirskim gulacima. Tito je ostao vjeran Staljinu. Nakon ubojstva jugoslavenskog generalnog sekretara komunističke partije Gorkića, Tito je nagrađen i odobren od Staljina za generalnog sekretara nove Staljinove Jugoslavenske komunističke partije. Taj masakr Titovih âdrugovaâ se je odvijao po njegovu odobrenju, kako je to kominterna zahtijevala.Tito nikad nije ni bio stvarni antifaÅista. Na koncu, nitko nije poubijao fizički ili psihički toliko jugoslovenskih antifaÅista koliko on. On je samo iskoristio totalitarnu komunističku ideologiju da bi zadovoljio svoj nezasitni nagon za apsolutnom vlaÅću i moći. Pomoću poznate metode divide et impera naroda i narodnosti uspio je ostati, kao i Staljin, doživotni diktator. Sa 35 godina vladanja postao je u Europi diktator s najdužim stažom. Jugoslavenske mase koje imaju specijalni afinitet prema uniformama, vilama, snobizmu i totalitarizmu, nisu mogle ni zamisliti nakon toliko godina njegova vladanja državu bez Tita. Tako su sve njegove pogreÅke i zločini postali vrline, a diktatura dobila aureolu humanog. Zato se joÅ i danas Hrvatska teÅko oslobađa od antieuropejskog nedemokratskog mentaliteta.Hitler-Staljin pakt i rat u JugoslavijiTito je prihvatio 1939. godine Hitler-Staljin pakt kojim je započeo drugi svjetski rat. Tim je paktom počeo i zajednički napad na Poljsku, kao Staljinov pokolj preko 4000 poljskih oficira u Katynskoj Åumi, i njemački pokolj poljskih židova i intelektualaca! Time su ta dva srodna diktatora navijestila novi karakter ideoloÅkog rata. Njemački napad na Jugoslaviju dočekali su i nacionalisti i komunisti s odobrenjem. Prvi radi oslobađanja od srpske diktature i naivne nade stvaranja demokratske Hrvatske. Drugi su Nijemce dočekali kao saveznike. Za njih su Englezi i Amerikanci bili klasni neprijatelji. Zato kapitulacijom Jugoslavije 18.4.1941., Tito ne organizira nikakav otpor protiv okupatora. Poziv na borbu je doÅao tek poslije podmuklog Hitlerova napada na SSSR 22.6.1941., i to po naređenju Staljina, kojeg je Tito servilno sluÅao dok mu je on garantirao vlast. Zato bi bilo adekvatnije NOB nazvati SOB: âStaljinova Oslobodilačka Borbaâ. Svi komunisti koji su kolebali ući u borbu, jer su vidjeli da borba protiv nadmoćnog i beskompromisnog neprijatelja znači represije i stradanja nevinog pučanstva, bili su po Titovom naređenju na lenjinski način likvidirani. To piÅe Titov službeni biograf Vladimir Dedijer u svom dodatku drugog izdanja Titove biografije tiskan u Rijeci u nakladi Liburnija. Slično piÅe Đilas da mu je Tito dao naređenje o streljanju u Crnoj Gori! Dio HSS, politički zabranjen u NDH-u, bojkotirao je i Tita i Pavelića jer se se držao onog Radićevog taktičkog, a i humanog principa: âKad se veliki tuku mali ispod stola â! Dedijer i Đilas piÅu da su Đilas, Koča Popović i Velebit 1943., po naređenju Tita, pregovarali s Nijemcima u Sarajevu, Vakufu i Zagrebu, ne samo o izmjeni zarobljenika, nego s Feldmarschallom Alexandrom LÃhrom o uzajamnom nenapadanju. Tito je tražio da ga Nijemci ne smetaju u napadajima na četnike i domobrane, a njegovi partizani neće napadati Nijemce. Tito se spremao napasti Engleze ukoliko naprave invaziju u Dalmaciji. Staljinu je preÅutio kontakt s Nijemcima i lakonski samo javio da ako dođu Englezi: âBacit ćemo ih u moreâ. Dok su rodoljubni partizani, zavedeni od Tita âkao guske u magliâ ginuli u borbi protiv faÅista, Tito se s faÅistima dogovara. Za njega su Englezi opasniji od Nijemaca, jer oni bi doveli demokraciju i njegov san o diktaturi bi propao. Već je Fritzroy Maclean, brigadir Britanske misije kod partizana od 1943.-1945., rekao Winstonu Churchillu: âTitovi partizani se ne bore protiv faÅizma nego da uvedu komunizam Staljinova tipa".Puč Vokić-Lorković Puč je bio dobro i tajno organiziran po svim vojnim centrima u Hrvatskoj. S pučistima je konspirirao i njemački general u Hrvatskoj, Austrijanac Glaist von Horstenau. Cilj puča je bio ostvariti demokratsku Hrvatsku i spriječiti komunističku ili četničku diktaturu. HSS je imao zadatak povezati se s Englezima, a pučisti osloboditi od ustaÅa odgovornih za zločine. Skoro svi domobranski generali, a i neki ustaÅki, su pristali na puč i blokadu preostalih njemačkih trupa koje se ne povuku prema BudimpeÅti. U Splitu je koordinator puča i veza s Englezima bio mladi vrlo sposobni HSS-ovac Vojko Krstulović (Åvora) kojeg su splitski komunisti ubili na najpodliji način u lipnju 1944. Tito je preko Bakrača izdao pučiste njemačkom veleposlaniku u Zagrebu, Siegfriedu Kascheu, a Pavelić prijavio Hitleru umijeÅanost generala von Horstenau-a. Preko Luburića, Pavelić je odobrio likvidaciju svih vođa puča, i to na jedan zvjerski način. Tu se je pokazalo da Pavelić nije bio alternativa nego paralela Titu. Oba su se borila da bi zadržali svoju diktatorsku poziciju protiv demokracije u Hrvatskoj. Tito je dao nalog saveznicima da ne bombardiraju Beograd, ali da bombardiraju neke druge gradove, kao npr. Split, koji je bio u stvari otvoreni grad. Tito je htio sačuvati svoju buduću rezidenciju, a u drugim gradovima stvoriti paniku i brže osvajanje od partizana. Od prvih dana u Beogradu Tito se je viÅe brinuo oko organizacije svoje garde i konjuÅnice, imitirajući kralja Alexandra, a manje oko strategije ratnih podviga. Radi toga, kako piÅe Đilas, su ga čak optužili Staljinu.Nova frontaPokuÅaj osvojiti okupirane terene brže negoli su ih Nijemci napuÅtali bio je vojno i politički besmislen. Prvo, jer je u tim frontalnim borbama palo viÅe žrtava nego za vrijem čitave gerilje, drugo, Åto je već u Jalti i Moskvi određena linija LÃbeck-Trst kao sovjetska utjecajna zona. Staljin i Roosevelt su nam dali Istru. Churchill je bio rezerviran prema Staljinovim zahtjevima i restauraciji država umjetno stvorenih poslije prvog svjetskog rata, jer su se pokazale neuspjeÅnima. NaÅi protesti âživot damo Trst ne damo" bili su propagandna farsa. Osvojeni teren u KoruÅkoj partizani su morali napustiti. Te su nepotrebne žrtve uglavnom bile prisiljeno 1944. regrutirana naÅa mladost, a služile su samo diktatorskoj afirmaciji Tita. Jedini âuspjehâ te ubrzane ofenzive bio je partizanski pokolj Hrvata oko Bleiburga i 40 dana partizanske strahovlade i pokolja u Trstu.Novi pogledi EuropeZapad, kao i Europska Unija (EU), danas gleda kritičnije period Titove diktature i danaÅnje âne skretanjeâ s Titovog kulta. Zato je neprihvatljivo za EU, a Åtetno za ulazak Hrvatske u EU javno slavljenje godiÅnjica jednog diktatora. Na svečanoj akademiji u splitskom kazaliÅtu prigodom proslave 60. godiÅnjice dolaska partizana u Split, kod svakog spomena imena Tito, bukne delirij i ogroman pljesak. To je protiv Acquis communautaire, zajedničkih pravila građanske Europe usvojena od osnutka EU. Ulazak u EU zahtjeva od svojih novih članova antitotalitaristički i demokratski konsenzus, a ne euforiju kulta ličnosti jednog diktatora i zločinca! NaÅi mediji, nažalost i političari malo doprinose u sprječavanju tog antidemokratskog i totalitarističkog duha. To nije duh nove Europe!Novi ustav EU Tri dana poslije te totalitarističke orgije u Splitskom teatru, u Rimskoj palači konzervatora na Kapitoliju, u sali iz 16. stoljeća sagrađenoj po nacrtu Michelangela potpisan je novi EU ustav od strane svih 25 članova Europske zajednice, plus Bugarske, Rumunjske i Turske. Već u prvom članku tog ustava stoji: â Vrijednosti na kojima je osnovan Ustav EU su poÅtovanje ljudskog dostojanstva, sloboda, pravna država, i zaÅtita ljudskih pravaâ. Dalje u Ustavu stoji eksplicite da je ne samo mučenje zatvorenika, nego i sama prijetnja mučenja apsolutno zabranjena. Dakle, sve one vrednote koje je Tito odmah u početku pogazio i dalje prema potrebi gazio! Za sve hrvatske demokrate bilo je deprimirajuće promatrati tu svečanu europsku povijesnu ceremoniju s koje su Hrvati isključeni. Naime, taj novi ustav počiva na osnovama Thore, Grčke i Rimske kulture, Zapadnog KrÅćanstva, Renesanse, Humanizma i Racionalizma. Navedene vrednote su se polako kristalizirale kroz dijalektički proces svijetlih i tamnih epoha europske povijesti u stalnoj borbi protiv svih vrsta totalitarizama, fundamentalizama i pretenzija ekskluzivnog posjeda istine. U svim tim europskim povijesnim peripetijama Hrvatska je aktivno sudjelovala, a danas nedostojno pred Åirokim vratima moljaka za ulazak u EU. S druge strane, po mom miÅljenju, bilo bi licemjerno da jedan ustav, par excellence antitotalitaristički i demokratski, potpisuju oni državni reprezentanti koji prisustvuju partizanskim antidemokratskim makabričkim seansama.Demokracija ne diktatura je naÅa budućnost Za naÅu zajedničku demokratsku budućnost povijesne istine su bitne. S lažima stvarati simpatije za totalitarizam odugovlači naÅ ulazak u EU. Europa nije samo ekonomska i politička unija. U stvari njena najdublja dimenzija je moralna i preporod od totalitarizma iz 20. stoljeća. Žalostan je pogled na neke naÅe novinare s proÅloÅću bez sadaÅnjosti! Neki od aktivnih sudionika komunističkih zločina poslije stvarnog oslobođenja su se virtualno pobojali, tako bar tvrde antidemokratski novinari. Oni su valjda očekivali da će se 1991. godine ponoviti 1944. godina. Pomirenje ne odgovara njihovom mentalitetu, jer komunisti ne poznaju kompromise. U stvari se je obrnuto dogodilo, na Åtetu razvoja demokracije. NekadaÅnji komunistički direktori su kroz nepravednu privatizaciju opljačkali mnoga poduzeća, a vodeći udbaÅi i KOS-ovci većinom ostali na vlasti. Većina Tuđmanovih tajkuna su komunisti, naviknuti na pljačku joÅ iz Titovih dana i nastavljaju nekažnjeno svoj stari business i u demokraciji. PreviÅe je âubeđenihâ komunista ostalo na vodećim administrativnim pozicijama i svijesno ili nesvijesno prave opstrukciju protiv razvoja demokracije. Danas u miru to predstavlja veliki handicap za puni razvoj demokracije u Hrvatskoj.Zadatak demokrataProtiv totalitarizma se demokrati moraju boriti prije negoli se on etablira s diktatorom, inače je prekasno kako znamo iz iskustva. Naime, ono Åto je jednom dogodilo u povijesti, uvijek se može ponoviti. Nadamo se da će konačno većina Hrvata mentalno shvatiti da je i formalna demokracija beskonačno bolja negoli totalitarna država uz sve svoje liberalne periode.Komunizam i faÅizam su metodoloÅki identični, a ideoloÅki im je zajednički cilj uniÅtiti građansko druÅtvo, njegovu pluralističku kulturu, i nasilno tražiti ideoloÅko jedinstvo.Tito je je želio izbrisati krÅćansku kulturu iz pamćenja Hrvata i zamijeniti je represivnom političkom komunističkom kulturom i kultom svoje ličnosti. Zato je uveo rituale i simbole, poput onog cirkusa Åtafete mladosti, i stvorio državu u kojoj je bilo obavezno sve Åto nije zabranjeno. Ako ne želimo samo pobjeći u Europu, nego stvarno doći u Europu s antitotalitarnim mentalitetom, moramo prekinuti s tim propagandnim psihopatoloÅkim antifaÅističkim mitosom i lažnim nacionalizmom kao i kultom ličnosti proÅlih diktatora. Demokracija nije u naÅim genima. Kroz kulturnu, ne bioloÅku evoluciju postajemo demokrati. Zato Åutljivi demokrati moraju kultivirati te barbare koji su zaposjeli medije i biti barem toliko aktivni u javnim medijima koliko su to antidemokrati! Indirektne simpatije u naÅim medijima prema totalitarizmu odugovlači naÅ ulazak u EU. I demokrati su odgovorni, ne krivi, za zločine neodgovornih. I na njima je da se provede katarza koju su proveli na Zapadu, da bi mogao doći novi europski duh i u Hrvatsku! Demokrati kod nas potcijenjuju opasnost od totalitarizma. Obrana mira, slobode i demokracije ne može se provoditi bez obrane od totalitarizma. Za demokrate postoji samo jedan neprijatelj, a to je totalitarizam bilo koje boje!Upoznaj sebe i tvoje neprijatelje â tako ćeÅ biti nepobjediv, kažu Kinezi!Dr. Ivo Derado, MÃnchen  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 07 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7004/1/EH-Mr-Miksics-chance-to-be-elected.html ÂMr. Miksic's chance to be electedThe fact that Mr. Miksic was not allowed to present his views on Croatian HTV and most newspapers until the very last days certainly had much to do with his third position. Considering that among the many candidates, who are much better known, he achieved the third position is surprising and encouraging enough. Croatia needs to be cleaned up of former communists like Mesic and many officials in the leading HDZ party as well as other parties, then in a democratic state, where the media is not run by the Government, by "former" communists in every party and Yugonostalgics, we can hope that men like Mr. Miksic get a better chance to be elected president.Hilda M. FoleyPosto gosp. Miksic nije dobio sansu (ili bolje receno dozvolu) da se pretstavi biracima na HTV i u vecini novina sa svojom agendom za Hrvatsku do samih zadnjih dana pred izborima, svakako je bio veliki dio razloga da je dosao istom na trece mjesto. Ali ako se uzme u obzir da je dosao na trece mjesto uz tolike druge kandidate, koji su mnogo bolje poznati, onda je to ipak iznenadjujuce i ohrabrujuce. Hrvatsku se mora ocistiti od prijasnjih komunista kao Mesic i mnogih visokih funkcijonera u vodecoj HDZ stranci, kao i u drugim strankama, te samo onda u jednoj demokratskoj drzavi u kojoj media nije u rukama Vlade, ni u rukama "prijasnjih "komunista u svakoj stranci i jugonostalgicara, moglo bi se nadati da osobe kao gosp. Miksic dobe bolju sansu da budu izabrani za pretsjednika.Hilda M. Foley letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7005/1/H-Kljucni-element-hrvatske-buducnosti-su-probudjeni-stvaraoci.html  Kljucni element Hrvatske buducnosti su probudjeni stvaraoci Hrvatska mora hitno razviti KONKURENTNOST na svakom nivou Prvi Kongres Hrvatskih Znanstvenika, Zagreb-Vukovar 15-19.11.2004.(tekst glavne deklaracije: http://www.mzos.hr/pkhz/dokumenti/deklaracija.pdf )osobno vidjenje voditelja prirodne sekcije, dr. Davora Pavune (Lausanne, Svicarska)''PKHZ: Hrvatska (hitno) mora razviti KONKURENTNOST na svakom nivou''Iako nije sve moglo biti idealno (nikad nije !), PKHZ je bio povijesni dogadjajjer se (napokon!) dogodio pozitivan pomak u svijesti nase znanstvene inteligencije.Dozivjeli smo svi i plebiscitarnu podrsku bas svih stranka (i vlada i oporba),prozivjeli smo cijeli tjedan zajedno, stotine briljantnih (pluridisciplinarnih)znanstvenika, te prosli kroz Vukovar (gdje i danas svjedoci duh zrtava):Ne, vise nece nista biti kao prije jer se nedvojbeno rodila planetarnaHrvatska nasih udruzenih znalaca.Zelim osobno cestitati i ministru D. Primorcu i doministru P. Barisicusto su nas malo i prislili i pozurili s kongresom, a nadasve jer su nassve (namjerno) odveli u Vukovar.Nakon Vukovara smo svi spontano osjetili, i to uvecer zajednicki podijelili,da smo napokon samosvjesni te da imamo po prvi put i jedan preliminarninacionalni koncensus o buducoj Hrvatskoj znanja i znalaca.Cak i kolege drustvenjaci i humanisti, koji su se u pocetku cinili malo vise'uspavani' u odnosu na vrlo dinamicne prirodnjake (kojima dominirajuu 21-om stoljecu), su ponudili izvrsne zakljucke i viziju.Dapace, predlozili smo da se buduci kongresi o nasoj povijesti i Istini oHrvatskoj odrzavaju u Vukovaru: tu se savjest nacije budi do srzi svake osobe.Takodjer je jasno da cemo napokon svi pokrenuti nuzna vrednovanja popozitivnim medjunarodnim, provjerenim kriterijima (mada ce to josmalo potrajati, sto je donekle razumljivo).Nasi mladi su jako perspektivni i aktivni - dovoljno je pogledati stranicu:http://www.znanost.org ( a mladi su je prikazali i na PKHZ-u ) da svishvatimo da je Kongres uistinu uspio.Da izbjegnemo uspavljivanje SVE se incijative nastavljaju i na stranicama http://www.mzos.hr i http://pohz.nsk.hr (hvala dr. Dubravki Skenderi svim suradnicima); stovise pokrecemo i inicijativu glede nase hrvatskekulture i pokretanje Hrvatskog Kulturnog Centra u New York-u ...Jer usli mi u EU ili ne, kljucni element hrvatske buducnosti su probudjeni stvaraoci,sposobni inzenjeri i poduzetnici cije se artizanalne tehnoloske kreacije mogukonkurentno prodavati po cijelom svijetu; u suprotnom, nacija ustvari(p)ostaje neka vrsta 'banana republike', mada mozda nominalno cak u EU.Zato je u ovom trenu je kljucni izazov Hrvatske - KONKURENTNOST: svaka zdrava osoba treba naci svoje optimalno mjesto u sustavu,kako u skolstvu, tako u znanstvenim institutima ili industrijskim tvrtkama.Imamo super-sposobne leadere poput Ante Kostelica u mnogim djelatnostimapa ako se strucnjaci konstruktivno udruze, a politicari nista ne uprskaju, vec ce sve ubrznao krenuti na bolje.Inace BRZINA izlaza iz tranzicije ovisi o podrsci HTV-a jer je to medij kojisvi prate, a Hrvatska hitno treba budjenje i KONKURENTNOST svake osobe.Dr. Davor Pavunahttp://pavuna.epfl.ch http://www.hssd.hr/odbori/znanost.htm http://www.mzos.hr/pkhz   Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Wed, 15 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7006/1/E-My-Passion-for-Croatia.html ÂMy Passion for CroatiaÂCroatia is in my blood. Growing up in our home, symbols and stories of the homeland filled my heart and mind. My parents always spoke our native tongue. Our meals were from recipes passed on from generations past. Croatia was everywhere. The Croatian Coat of Arms, the Grb, along with other artifacts and woodwork from Croatia adored our walls and shelves. Croatian music filled the air. I remember the beautiful songs, but most importantly, I remember hearing the accounts from my parents and their friends of a life in a Croatia when it was called Yugoslavia. To my parents, Yugoslavia was an evil and oppressing place from which my father fled for freedom, and for a better life, to my sisters and I it was a place of caring families, beautiful scenery and a place of mystery. I sensed in their stories a loss, like pieces of their hearts were broken, maybe never to be mended. Even at a young age I could begin to comprehend my parents anguish and pain for their birthplace. I knew then it was my duty to pay closer attention to my parent's passion for Croatia and make it my own. I am still am very interested in my parent's stories as well as stories from their close friends, about life in former Yugoslavia. Although Croatia struggled in the clutches of communism for almost eight decades, it was still a country of beautiful loving people, a country swept with the be-witching blue coastline of Adriatic Sea, the ancient history of Dalmatia and the natural wonders of the Plitvice Lakes. But surrounding this beauty were the stories of oppression, injustice and poverty. It was these hardships that caused many a family to struggle to survive, and for some, a plan to escape a country that was no longer their own. These were the stories of great escapes, not only for freedom but in many cases for survival. It was then I began to understand how special my parents were, and how intense the Croatian plight for life burned in their hearts.In 1986, my parents, my two sisters and I went to go visit the homeland. My Dad hadn't been there since 1971, and it was on that trip when I received an education in the evils of communism. The country was on the brink of war, a war that eventually came in 1989 but at that time we could already feel that something terrible was going to happen. The signs were everywhere. The streets were occupied with Yugoslavian police, armed with machine guns and attack dogs. Even a simple conversation on the street drew the ere of the ever watchful communist police. The Catholic Church remained the support for the Croatian people, and it was in these cathedrals of peace that communism was at bay. It was the church that gave the Croatian people solace and the strength to continue with their daily lives. We went to visit the magnificent Zagreb Cathedral, and as were walking from the church; the armed Yugoslavian police came with their dogs and told us to keep moving. I had never been surrounded by armed police, it was then I realized the evils of communism. Since that time in 1986, I've had the opportunity to visit a free Croatia three more times and eagerly await my next opportunity. I realize that there are many challenges that arise from a former communist country transitioning into a democracy, but I know in my heart that the promise of free enterprise, open elections and the voices of the people heard, Croatia will once again be whole and that the people will prosper.My passion continues and with the help of the internet and my involvement in Croatian organizations, it has given me the opportunity not only to learn new things about Croatia but to keep current on Croatian political news. Most importantly it has given me the ability to connect and make friends with other Croatians. Recently, I was invited to join the Los Angeles Croatian community to view the film "Freedom from Despair" by first generation Croatian Brenda Brkusic. This documentary brought attention to the inhumane and repressive Yugoslavian system where her father endured; I was captivated by her Dad's remarkable story, his desperate life in a communist country and finally his dangerous escape. I saw his anguish, felt his pain, and rejoiced in his new life. It was like I was watching the story of my Dad, and millions of other Croatians who were forced to escape from their own home. It was an emotional time for me, much more than I expected but I found myself surrounded by fellow Croatians whose passion for our homeland was as intense as mine. I was home, and Croatia will always be in my blood.Michelle DunajÂMichelle Dunaj, Rad Artukovic and Hilda Marija FoleyÂBrenda Brkusic and Michelle DunajÂHi Nenad,Dobar Dan!Hope all is well and Happy Thanksgiving.I went to LA to view Brenda Brkusic's film, and I was amazed and thrilled at the job she accomplished. The music was also wonderful! Not only was the film and epic account of her father's story, but it also brought you into his desperate life and the complex life of the others in a former Yugoslavia. My father also had to escaped, and one day I would like to write a book detailing his journey to America, and yes, a documentary would ultimately be my goal. Brenda and I have that in common, and it's really special because without our fathers having the courage and faith to escape, we possibility wouldn't be living in America.I really hope that Croatian pays homage to the ones who died in the name of freedom or died vowing never to bow down to the communists. I am truly in love with my heritage. LA was really a fantastic time, but meeting Brenda was really special. Thank you,Michelle Dunaj letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7007/1/E-Why-will-I-Nenad-Bach-vote-for-John-Kerry.html ÂWhy will I, Nenad Bach, vote for John KerryÂDear all,ÂThese days I am getting thousands of letters and many of them are with the question about our election in the United States. My views are clear even from the previous election, which I do consider an interpretation of democracy and not justice. And why is that so, you may ask. Because Supreme Court Judges are not elected but appointed. They are not the will of the people. 5:4 decision is unacceptable for any outcome. And interference from federal government to that local state government. Voting should be repeated under the scrutiny of both parties. ÂThese are my reasons why will I vote for John Kerry to become US president. And he will.Â1. His role in 1991 when Croatia needed a voice in the US Senate.John Kerry was not voting popular vote with previous Bush administration, but according to principals of justice. Not a narrow interest of the few, but broad interest of majority of the people who suffered an enormous injustice, genocide and I do not need to go further. George Bush senior and his administration literary helped genocide that has been happening to my people. James Baker. Lawrence Eagleburger. I am still waiting for some competent authority to open that book of corruption, political fraud and plain lying to the American citizens. Embargo on victims? And you are talking about family values. Where are the 200.000 families that lost loved ones? Where are they? Who will take responsibility for Vukovar, Skabrnja, Srebrenica, Sarajevo?So far non of the Bush administration did. We are still waiting, till we cannot wait anymore. The same administration DID NOT recognize Croatia, while we were bleeding to death. They just waited, till we die and then they would proclaim the winner and the "real politics" of - there where no strategic reasons to go into the war. Reality was and is exactly opposite. That administration failed miserably. Miserably. It makes me sick in my stomach when I think of all the fatherless and motherless children of Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina. And the brutal, inhuman way of innocent victims death. Where was George Bush at that time? I know where John Kerry was at that time. Him, Joseph Biden and few others where our friends. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT. Â2. John Kerry is a competent man with a manners and intelligence of a world leader. Someone who can and will lead us into a more secure and better future. Man with class, with wife who can do a lot of good for all of us because of their world vision and competence. It's must not be easy to run for president. Only few could. Kerry can handle it.I'll spear you my comment about Bush's manners and the rest.Â3. Instead of dodging draft for Vietnam. John Kerry enrolled himself voluntarily. Bush and Cheney did exactly opposite. And they dare to coordinate Swift Boat fantasies.Â4. Now on Bush record in the last 4 years. Disaster is the only quick response. Longer one - Environment and the laws that have been in progress from Kyoto to better engine-pollution law to Alaska to anything around us - everything went backwards. On his account 9-11 happened. Yes, you can argue that the previous administration didn't do enough, but the fact is. They had an information about the possibility of the attack and they IGNORED IT. No if or buts. They didn't do enough to protect us. When it happened, the whole world embraced us in a sympathy that humans have for the "underdog" - victim...call it whatever you want, but people around the world stood in silence and send so much love to our country, that we have never seen it before. So, now from the moment that people of the world supported us and our policies - to the moment that the world is voting on ousting our president... you got to be a monkey to do that. You got to be so bad politician, so incompetent communicator, so uneducated man, so arrogant that the world have never seen anything like this before. UN, that is not my favorite place of competence but still an institution that exist and should exist, sat in silence when our president addressed General Assembly. That never happened in the history of this organization. Fiscally, from surplus budget to history high deficit, by sending few hundreds dollars to an average American family and the rest of the wealth to the most rich ones. And that is the plan for economic recovery? Outsourcing jobs and letting out middle class shrink? You must be kidding. Thousands of young man and woman died already for the oil? And oil prices are higher then ever? Yes, you and I are paying for it.Â5. Now, why would Iran, North Korea and Serbia be for Bush.www.serbsforbush.com ?It is a simple answer to that. While we went to wrong country for wrong reasons, Iran got nuclear arms as well as North Korea did. They need such president in our White House. They love it. Why do Serbs vote for Bush? That IS their ally. ÂNot Croatian ally for sure. Not mine either.ÂVote,Nenad Bach New York, USA October 28, 2004 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7008/1/E-Haliburton-in-the-Balkans.html ÂEssentially, the wars are waged so that rich people can profit from themI hope Bunnatine brings Rummy, Cheney and their criminal conspirators down. Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, chief contracting officer for the Army Corps of Engineers, has called for an investigation of procurement practices. Mainly in awarding billions of dollars to Haliburton in no-bid contract.It is also important to note that Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root got an extra 11 monthswithout bidding to provide logistical services in the Balkans (mainly supplying the largest US military base in Europe: Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo). In this case, Ms. Greenhouse asserted, where operations have continued for four years, claims of an emergency or that Kellogg Brown & Root was the only feasible provider were not tenable. The company is expected to draw $165 million from the extension.Essentially, the wars are waged so that rich people can profit from them. People like Cheney.http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/25/politics/25halliburton.html?th---------------------------------------------------------Ivo Skoric19 Baxter StreetRutland VT 05701802.775.7257ivo@balkansnet.orgbalkansnet.org letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7010/1/E-Attitude-toward-the-educated-professionals.html ÂAttitude toward the educated professionalsRecently, there was an article in the Slobodna Dalmacija which was reprinted in the Croatian American of Aug. 10. "One more Croatian graduate of West Point has left the Croatian armed forces". My initial reaction was anger at the graduates - until I read the article. I translated the editorial from the Croatian American regarding that scandal, and when you read it, you can form your own opinion and direct the anger where it really belongs! E "The Unfit West Pointers"translated by Hilda M. FoleyEditorial, Croatian American Sept 7, 2004Unfit West PointersEditorial, Croatian American, Aug.20, 2004 Putting it mildly, the differences which were occurring from the very beginning in regard to the schooling of Croatian cadets in American armed forces academies, mostly at the prestigious West Point, have reached serious proportions in the last few months. Recently, one more graduate of West Point, Mario Bogunovic, has decided to leave the service in the Croatian army, because of his dissatisfaction regarding the attitude toward him by the Ministry of Defense.The United States has offered to the Croatian Ministry of Defense the education of talented cadets in the framework of a program of adaptation of the Croatian armed forces to the structure of NATO, as Croatia is a serious candidate for its membership. About ten highly educated graduates came out during the last six years of the programs' existence, who, after returning to Croatia expected to receive positions corresponding to their first class attainments that they received in America. In reality though, all of them received a "cold shoulder" after their return, regardless which party, HDZ or SDP, was in power. They idled, unappointed and even more so, very disappointed, with the attitude of the Ministry of Defense that had sent them to study in America. One by one, they started leaving the Croatian armed forces as they received , as highly educated graduates of American military academies, attractive offers from foreign countries. The latest one in this line is precisely Mario Bogunovic. He simply wrote a letter of resignation to the Minister of Defense Berislav Roncevic, packed his bags and accepted an attractive offer from abroad. The Croatian Minister of Defense Roncevic declared in Washington last month that Croatia is interested in continuing the education of its young officers in America. He added that Croatia will demand from such graduates who left the Croatian army to reimburse the resources that Croatia has invested in them, even though the largest part of the expenses for their education was carried by the American taxpayer, that is, by the American Department of Defense. This incident with the Croatian graduates uncovers best the prevailing attitudes in the Croatian Ministry of Defense. Going all way back to the time of the late Gojko Susak, in the MOHR (Defense Ministry of Croatia) and in the armed forces, a whole number of irregularities were uncovered which stretch to this day. All this is occurring in the process of Croatia's armed forces' adaptation to the standards of NATO. The logical question is, how is it possible that Croatian officers, graduated from American military academies, are not fit to be involved in this very process? The answer is simple. The Croatian armed forces and the Ministry of Defense are full of persons in responsible positions who came to these positions and ranks in the last fourteen years not because of professional standards but because of party criteria. Suffice it to mention the fact that in the Croatian army even the highest generals' ranks were given to chauffeurs and plumbers, etc. or as during the time of Minister Rados, people got jobs in the Ministry of Defense because they belonged to a certain clan, resulting in the employment of several hundred people with the same last name. Even the latest Minister of Defense has received his position through party membership, because he was the HDZ mayor of a small place in Slavonia. With such a hierarchy and structure in the Ministry of Defense and the Croatian armed forces, it is not surprising that the highly educated Croatian graduates of American military academies are above all a burden instead of the professionals that the Ministry of Defense and the Croatian armed forces need and should retain. At any rate, with such an attitude toward the educated professionals, the Croatian army cannot count on a speedy adaptation to the NATO standards and early admittance into its membership. Â***ÂHilda,Thanks for this.It is interesting to see that the attitude that I see among academics in Croatia is present in all of Croatian society. I cannot tell you how many talented people -- not just Diaspora but from Croatia -- are being treated this way in academic postings if they go for training abroad.For example, I know of one who was almost denied nostrification of his top-notch PhD because it did not conform to whatever guidelines the U of Zagreb has for its PhDs (in terms of length of PhD), which is completely silly as a PhD is not just about length, but about originality, methodology, etc etc. He only got it approved because he knew the relevant department chair personally. Another person was refused nostrification of her master's because it was in a different subject from her bachelor's degree, and then I think her bachelor's degree was not recognized because the subject is not taught at the U of Zagreb as a separate degree. Both degrees were from top universities abroad.Another, who has just won a prestigious fellowship abroad, was told that her job was not secure if she decided to come back. Talk about rolling out the un-welcome mat! I have heard of others who are also having problems with nostrification because they have earned degrees abroad. This is happening across disciplines. I have heard of people in the sciences, social sciences and humanities to whom this has happened.Other people are being denied positions as translators because they do not have a degree in the language they want to translate into -- even if this language is their mother tongue. So instead, much more poorly equipped home-trained Croats who have degrees in English or French or Italian are doing poor translations while those who have lived abroad and speak the language completely fluently (or as a mother tongue) are being denied these positions if they do not have at least a BA in the the language. On a personal note, I was spending the day with one of my aunt's English students a few years ago to give her a taste of immersion in the language. We spent the day around Zagreb speaking English. Occasionally, I would switch to Croatian to explain something. Twice I was openly ridiculed for speaking English. Once I was told in broken English "I don't think you speak English very well" (hilarious as I am a native speaker) and then in Croatian "you're just showing off". Basically, it comes down to envy. People are just so envious of anyone who can do anything just a bit better or who has managed to achieve something. Anyone who goes abroad to improve their knowledge and skills is envied and reviled, and it seems, ultimately ostracized.It takes quite a bit of idealism to want to come back to Croatia, considering that all of these people could find jobs abroad that pay better and could give them a better standard of living. Instead they want to give something back. Unfortunately, the Croatian government is doing nothing to keep the skills of people it really needs, while other countries are willing to welcome them with open arms.[I once told a Croatian government official that their policy on the diaspora amounted to: "Thanks for coming. Put your wallet on the table. Now leave."]best wishesSanja CarolinaÂ***A story on which one can write hundreds of pages – I’m also grateful for both comments.They permanently destroyed my original BA diploma by heavy bolded printing on its back once they decided that they’d give me a notification (and under a legal condition that I never seek another nostrification although they couldn’t recognize but one area of my study)They used to send people to graduate studies just because the Americans insisted on a higher budget proportion for high education in order to give their money. (At least it was the case with the Ministry of Defense) Their motive ended there; but the ways of sabotaging it could never be exhausted, probably because of ‘pomirba’ and anyone could block you while the top officials were busy with their own things.The top expertise valued there is manipulation and cheating and so…. One doesn’t recover his/her career quickly once they prove their ‘skills’…..Ivana ArapovicÂ***Thank you, Hilda and Sonja, for your comments. In '99 I was told by many students in Croatia that they were learning English and other languages fluently so that they could go to other countries to work since Croatia had nothing to offer them. The Croatian Government's myopia will eventually lead to its downfall. If the attitude and the policies do not change towards its own citizens and toward those who want to bring their skills and resources back to CroatiaJudy FeldworthÂ***All the comments have been right on! We all love our country but we need to understand the "wrong" system is still in place because people have the wrong and close-minded mentality. Communism has greatly corrupted the people of Croatia and as we can see, still has an unhealthy impact on Croatian society.Unfortunatley, and this is nothing new...the smartest, most talented, and most fortunate Croats leave the country...and with them taking their knowledge, skills, and trades. Thus creating a brain drain in Croatia. Those who have worked hard and have an opportunity advance our country usually get frustrated and find work elsewhere.Basically the system is screwed up...but its the Croatian mentality that prevents it from being fixed. When us true patriots are united, outside and within our Homeland...Croatia will once again bloom and flurish!!!Za Hrvatsku - Uvijek!Jeffrey Bacic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7009/1/E-Talented-Janitors-where-potential-were-fully-developed-abroad.html ÂTalented JanitorsDear Mr. Editor,Thank you very much for publishing such a provocative article. (E) Attitude toward the educated professionals Sep 09, 04 Opinions ÂÂI am pretty much sure that the majority (if not all) of educated professionals who emigrated from Croatia can write hundreds of pages of similar stories. The Croatian attitude in general can be summarized in "once you leave for an academic education abroad - better stay there". As a native of Croatia and a medical professional, currently employed by ateaching hospital in the USA, personally I met with such an attitude too manytimes. It was almost absurd to listen one of the organizers of an internationalmedical conference hosted last year in Zagreb, who stated that in his opinion"most of the Croatian medical professionals employed abroad work as a servicepersonnel". I am still not sure what did he mean by that (janitors, maybe). Evenbetter story comes from my spouse (medical professional herself, employed byanother US teaching hospital), who was told during her last stay in Zagreb, thatone - today prominent Croatian public figure, educated abroad - was "probablyjust washing dishes during his stay in the USA"!!! What to do when being confronted with such a narrow-minded jealousy? Politelysmile, and return to the USA (to wash dishes and mop floors, of course). I cannot help myself being ironic, but this is a huge problem of close-mindedmentality and no government can ever change that. Croatians are maybe able tocelebrate as a national hero one Berkley fellow when he wins the Olympic silvermedal (most of them maybe were not aware of the fact that his enormous talentand potential were fully developed abroad), but this is as far as theirenthusiasm for expatriates goes. And that is what makes me so sad. Sincerely, Stanislav Lechpammer, MD, Ph.D.Boston, MA, USAStanislav_Lechpammer@dfci.harvard.edu letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 09 Sep 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7013/1/H-Povratak.html ÂPovratakSve je mijena. Dan i noc, san i java, zdravlje i bolest.. Tako je i s covjekovom potrebom za odmorom. Rad je covjeku potreban ali suvremeni život i sve što ide s njim zamara naš duh i tijelo. Sve nacete baterije valja obnoviti i dopuniti. Potrebno je naci trenutke opuštanja, i razonode. U potrazi za mirom i odmorom ljudi krenu u prave privremene seobe. Putuju svim vrstama prijevoza, po svim meridijanima i paralelama. Odmaraju se na razlicitim mjestima i na razlicite nacine i za to troše velika sredstva. Cudno ali nakon teškog rada ulažemo dodatan napor kako bi se odmorili. Ispada da se i za odmor valja dobro oznojiti.Pored okrijepe svake vrste, potrebno je i vjeru osnažiti. Blagdan uznesenja Marijinog ili narodski ÂVelika Gospa za katolike je prava prigoda za to. Tog dana, sva u svijetu poznata Gospina svetišta tj. mjesta Gospinih ukazanja su stjecište tisuca hodocasnika. Hrvati katolici isto tako hodocaste Âsvojoj Gospi od Aljmaša i Kondžila do Sinja, od Marije Bistrice i Trsata do Posušja i Širokog Brijega. U usporedbi s velikim svjetskim marijanskim svetištima pa i Medugorjem ukoliko ga se promatra u planetarnom kontekstu, proslava Velike Gospe kod nas ima Âdimenziju više. Pored vjerskog znacenja ova svetkovina za Hrvate ima i sociološki znacaj jer pada u vrijeme odmora. Ljeto nam dariva sunce i lijepo vrijeme, ali i prigodu za susrete. Velika Gospa je upravo blagdan susreta. Dobar primjer za ovo je najstarija duvanjska župa-Seonica. Ove, kao i svake godine, na Veliku Gospu u Seonici se može sresti duvnjake iz svih župa ali i one koje godinama niste vidjeli. Taj dan možete susresti ljude s kojima ste nekad davno išli u školu ali i one za koje ste samo culi da postoje a nikada ih niste upoznali. Svi oni godinama žive daleko izvan svog Tomislavgrda i Duvanjskog polja. Rasijani su diljem svijeta, od europskih zemalja do Australije i Amerike. U to se mogao uvjeriti svatko tko god je posjetio i neko malo nepoznato mjesto na Âkraj svijetaÂ. I tamo je mogao sresti bar jednog duvnjaka. O Hrvatima opcenito, da i ne govorim. Mi smo raseljeni narod. U susjednoj opcini Sinju se takoder slavi blagdan Velike Gospe. Tamošnja svetkovina je ustanovljena na kraju Âputa spasa kojim je nedaleko od Seonice, davne 1687. fra Pavao Vuckovic poveo katolike iz Rame. Ni tamo nisu imali mira od Turaka. Ipak, uz velike žrtve su se obranili i opstali. Mi se svugdje lakše obranimo i nastanimo (opstanemo) nego tamo odakle jesmo. I kad uspijemo, uz velike žrtve obraniti se, onda se opet damo na put, u svijet. Mi smo Âradoznali narod. Kako je sve mijena, postoji vrijeme odlaska ali i vrijeme povratka. Odmor je potreban covjeku (pojedincu) ali je Âodmor potreban i cijelom narodu. Pred iseljenim Narodom je izazov novog okupljanja i zajedništva. Kao i pred Izabranim narodom i pred nama je vrijeme povratka. U protivnom, uz sve poteškoce s kojima se susrecemo i koje dijelimo sa suvremenim svijetom, nestat cemo s lica zemlje.Dr Ivan Bagaric letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7012/1/HE-Living-in-Croatia---Odgovor.html Living in Croatia - Odgovor Nedavno je u CROWN-ovoj rubrici “opinions” objavljeno pismo Gdje. Matesic koje se, iako mozda zapoceto kao “opinion”, razvilo i zavrsilo kao neprimjerena i neorganizirana prodika. A prozvani u toj ostroj prodici su vise-manje svi Hrvati u dijaspori koji se nisu, odvazno poput nje same, pred dvije godine vratili u Hrvatsku. http://www.croatianworld.net/CROWNframes.htm?http://www.croatia.org/crown/oldphotos/4434.htmPismo zasluzuje osvrt radi jedinstvene kombinacije autoricine samodopadnosti i iritantnog prokazivanja.Tako ce Gdja Matesic reci: “We who have been in the Diaspora and have returned to our homeland are the only ones making any real difference, or sacrifice personally, we are slogging it out, just as our forefathers did when they moved to an unknown country and started the process of networking and working together.”Dakle, bas kao sto je autorica svoje domoljublje i odvaznost dokazala nedavnim povratkom u Hrvatsku, tako su njeni preci to isto dokazali - odlaskom iz Hrvatske.Iz pisma nije jasno koliko je dugo autorica zivjela vani prije povratka u Hrvatsku, no kaze da sada u Hrvatskoj za zivot zaradjuje prodavanjem hrvatskih nekretnina strancima.“I am in real estate full time now and I am ashamed to say that more EU people are buying apartments and homes in Zadar, Vir, Pag, etc than our own people…”Gdja. Matesic se dakle u Hrvatsku vratila da bi tamo zaradjivala na jednom od danas najunosnijih poslova. Pritom se kaze srami sto ljudi kupuju ali se ne srami sto ona u tome, poput podvodaca, posreduje.U isto vrijeme omalovazava i prilicno ostro napada one koji ne slijede njene junacke stope:“… I am losing respect for those in the diaspora, but for a few...”Razocarana je, eto, svima koji se nisu poput nje, nedavno dobro situirani vratili u Hrvatsku, da bi tamo kapitalizirali na necemu sto je u razvijenim drzavama nemoguce (poput situacije da stranci kupuju vise nekratnina nego domaci).Omalovazavanje rada ljudi u dijaspori ide u ovom cudnovatom pismu dalje a zatim slijedi Sokratsko pitanje: Kako pomiriti dijasporu i domovinsku Hrvatsku?:“I did not see Brenda's film, but I do believe a documentary here and there is good work, and not disect its intentions. But lets leave it for what it is, not give it names, and let's move on to topics that are important today...how to unpolarise Croatians abroad and those at home.”Nakon citanja pisma ove povratnice cini mi se da Hrvati u domovini imaju potpuno pravo ako rade kao sto Gdja. Matesic tvrdi da je slucaj: "Croatians here like to spread these rumours as it serves the purpose of keeping returning Croatians suspicious of returning home. They do have a hidden agenda...and I feel it is this...with more Croatians returning home...their inheritances will be smaller."Autorica i njen rad u Hrvatskoj su dokaz za to tvrdnju. A njeno naizgled kontradiktorno pismo postaje smisleno tek sa zadnjom recenicom koja je u stvari reklamni slogan:“Visit www.panadria.com for the latest listings in the Zadar region”Imaju li Hrvati povratnici kakav popust u brokerskom udjelu ako kupe preko domoljubne Panadrije ili je on isti za sve dobrodosle, imucnije zapadnjake? Odnosno imaju li prodavatelji kakav popust ako prodaju domacima / Hrvatima povratnicima ili npr. nekom Ruskom tajkunu?Na kraju bih zakljucio komentarom na jednu od niza omalovazavajucih poruka Gdje Matesic: “Your political observations, while astute, really do not help the economics and culture of this country one iota.”Vase je pismo gospodjo, ovoj - inace potpuno netocnoj tvrdnji - dalo puni smisao.Dr. Zdeslav Hrepic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7011/1/E-Living-in-Croatia---Odgovor---Reply.html ÂLiving in Croatia - Odgovor - Reply I see that my opinion hooked Dr. Zdeslav Hrepic. As they say in psychology....if you don't have a hook, nobody can hang anything on it. I obviously touched some hot spots. Its easy to take things out of context if one is looking to do so.Words like "I am ashamed to say" are not to be taken literally....there is obviously a communication issue here. I would like to see more Croatians returning and investing in Croatia. And yes, most agencies do give Croatians a break...its in black and white on our website Perhaps Dr Hrepic could tell us why real estate agents should discount to returning Croatian's? As an incentive? Should Croatians also sell their property cheaper to a returning Croatian or another Croatian? In answer to Dr. Hrepic's question as to how long I was abroad...I was born abroad... I have heard Dr Hrepic's comment before...why did Croatians leave in the first place....typical comment...like they do not know or would rather forget...or which they had.As for the capitalism comment...gee, perhaps communism was better? Many people here tell me it was, and it may have been...but there was a war...and we are still recovering...it is getting better...but it is different...the sense of security is missing. As for providing motivation to why I am a real estate agent...the reason is simply that I like it...much better than being an IT executive or consulting on change management my dad was a builder...I have built several houses...I like the industry...and enjoy what I am doing...I like knowing what is available, where, for what...and I like meeting people and providing a needed service. Perhaps more of our journalists and government could help more in educating Croatians, and publicize what is happening...and call attention to the facts....statistics should be published, what is selling, where, to whom, at what price...I am all for it...this by itself would be a step toward regularizing the real estate industry, as mentioned previously I am all for the setting up of a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to help Croatians buy their first home as in America. In American counties real estate statistics are published weekly in the local county papers. As to the respect issue, I have been involved too long with Croatians abroad not to have observed who is pulling the cart and who is sitting on it and who is throwing spanners on the road. . Dr Hrepic could as easily have commented more positively, both of us are obviously opinionated (very Croatian)...and have succeeded in triggering our defense mechanisms (Freud - read into other's your own behavior). Scornful,M.Sc. Jadranka Matesic (jealous of that Dr. title)Living in Croatia - Odgovor Nedavno je u CROWN-ovoj rubrici “opinions” objavljeno pismo Gdje. Matesic koje se, iako mozda zapoceto kao “opinion”, razvilo i zavrsilo kao neprimjerena i neorganizirana prodika. A prozvani u toj ostroj prodici su vise-manje svi Hrvati u dijaspori koji se nisu, odvazno poput nje same, pred dvije godine vratili u Hrvatsku. http://www.croatianworld.net/CROWNframes.htm?http://www.croatia.org/crown/oldphotos/4434.htmPismo zasluzuje osvrt radi jedinstvene kombinacije autoricine samodopadnosti i iritantnog prokazivanja.Tako ce Gdja Matesic reci: “We who have been in the Diaspora and have returned to our homeland are the only ones making any real difference, or sacrifice personally, we are slogging it out, just as our forefathers did when they moved to an unknown country and started the process of networking and working together.”Dakle, bas kao sto je autorica svoje domoljublje i odvaznost dokazala nedavnim povratkom u Hrvatsku, tako su njeni preci to isto dokazali - odlaskom iz Hrvatske.Iz pisma nije jasno koliko je dugo autorica zivjela vani prije povratka u Hrvatsku, no kaze da sada u Hrvatskoj za zivot zaradjuje prodavanjem hrvatskih nekretnina strancima.“I am in real estate full time now and I am ashamed to say that more EU people are buying apartments and homes in Zadar, Vir, Pag, etc than our own people…”Gdja. Matesic se dakle u Hrvatsku vratila da bi tamo zaradjivala na jednom od danas najunosnijih poslova. Pritom se kaze srami sto ljudi kupuju ali se ne srami sto ona u tome, poput podvodaca, posreduje.U isto vrijeme omalovazava i prilicno ostro napada one koji ne slijede njene junacke stope:“… I am losing respect for those in the diaspora, but for a few...”Razocarana je, eto, svima koji se nisu poput nje, nedavno dobro situirani vratili u Hrvatsku, da bi tamo kapitalizirali na necemu sto je u razvijenim drzavama nemoguce (poput situacije da stranci kupuju vise nekratnina nego domaci).Omalovazavanje rada ljudi u dijaspori ide u ovom cudnovatom pismu dalje a zatim slijedi Sokratsko pitanje: Kako pomiriti dijasporu i domovinsku Hrvatsku?:“I did not see Brenda's film, but I do believe a documentary here and there is good work, and not disect its intentions. But lets leave it for what it is, not give it names, and let's move on to topics that are important today...how to unpolarise Croatians abroad and those at home.”Nakon citanja pisma ove povratnice cini mi se da Hrvati u domovini imaju potpuno pravo ako rade kao sto Gdja. Matesic tvrdi da je slucaj: "Croatians here like to spread these rumours as it serves the purpose of keeping returning Croatians suspicious of returning home. They do have a hidden agenda...and I feel it is this...with more Croatians returning home...their inheritances will be smaller."Autorica i njen rad u Hrvatskoj su dokaz za to tvrdnju. A njeno naizgled kontradiktorno pismo postaje smisleno tek sa zadnjom recenicom koja je u stvari reklamni slogan:“Visit www.panadria.com for the latest listings in the Zadar region”Imaju li Hrvati povratnici kakav popust u brokerskom udjelu ako kupe preko domoljubne Panadrije ili je on isti za sve dobrodosle, imucnije zapadnjake? Odnosno imaju li prodavatelji kakav popust ako prodaju domacima / Hrvatima povratnicima ili npr. nekom Ruskom tajkunu?Na kraju bih zakljucio komentarom na jednu od niza omalovazavajucih poruka Gdje Matesic: “Your political observations, while astute, really do not help the economics and culture of this country one iota.”Vase je pismo gospodjo, ovoj - inace potpuno netocnoj tvrdnji - dalo puni smisao.Dr. Zdeslav Hrepic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7014/1/E-World-Wake-Up.html ÂWorld, Wake UpI, Radenko Fanuka, the author of Reflections: Personalizing Life, Nature, Man and God, was born on March 19, 1939, during the unspeakable days of World War II. The whole wide world woke up too late.World, wake up. You are knocking on the wrong door. I ask myself, “Has the world learned anything yet?” The word “smart” advanced it-self too far and left wounded nature behind. World, place your hand on the Bible and tell your innocent children the truth. Whom haven’t you yet opposed? For a brief period of time, you laughed, and then with a full belly, you quickly fell asleep.World, you won. There is no one from the entire field of nature who can directly fight back against the human race. But can nature help us? How? Yesterday, when the sun reached its highest peak in the sky, the cold lizard barely crawled out from his hole. My friend warned me, “Don’t take your shirt off.” The lizard overheard this and began to cry and so did I. World, please tell me, “Where can I stand underneath the sky free and without fear?” World, with one foot you did not move and with the other you slipped far. ONE exists against all nature, ONE against WHOM? The door of the 21st century is open. Future days are predictable but not impossible. There are two hungry words on the run from the dictionary. The world must gather together and stop one word from running and the other word will not move. Just like always, it will wait for the last big bite. We humans around the world, always had and still have the power, which we don’t often use, to help ourselves. Let’s start praying for one another. Soldiers around this world will come home. For every woman and mother, an early morning sun will rise. Peace between humans, just like wild grass in the early spring, will begin to grow. God is good. His creation doesn’t ask for a better word. The word GOOD will work. It will not put anyone down. It will truly help all children around the world, in their homes and in their schools. It will help the rich and the poor.World, always keep in mind that humans, and the rest of nature’s creatures, are made and connected, just like a spider’s web. No matter where and how it is touched, the entire web will shake. My message to the whole world is:GOD WILL HELP US.DON’T EMPOWER THE WORD “NOTHING”.Radenko Fanuka7515 194stFlushing NY 11366tel:718-2179049www.RadenkoFanuka.com radenko_fanuka@yahoo.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7019/1/E-Croatias-Stolen-Lipizzaners.html ÂCroatia's Stolen LipizzanersDear Readers of CROWN,I have been a strong advocate for the return of the Croatian Lipizzaner horses, stolen by the Serbs during the Homeland war. ( In addition to the return of all Croatian national treasures and artwork.) Repeatedly I wrote to the Croatian governments of Tudjman, Racan and now Sanader without any results. Now comes an even worse shocker: According to the Croatian newspaper Vjesnik of July 12, and a commentary by Mr. Ivan Paj from Zagreb, the Ministry of Agriculture is not only allowing the stolen horses to remain in Serbia, but even more outrageous, it offers the thieves registration papers for the Lipizzaners' offspring - and, as though this is not bad enough - as an extra favor it even offers to intercede on behalf of Serbia to be admitted as a member to the International Federation of Lipizzaner Breeders.Instead of demanding the return of all stolen Lipizzaners and their young, the Ministry is ready to give the Serbs legitimacy of ownership! Is there a sane person in this world who would agree with such perversion of simple justice and rule of law? Is there a Croatian who has forgotten that many of these animals were brutally slaughtered by the Serbs and the rest herded to Serbia? I hope your reaction will be as angry as mine and will prompt you to write a strong protest letter to the Croatian Government urging them to stop this outrage.Just who in the Croatian government is allowing this miscarriage of justice? Are they trying to impress the EU with their "forgiveness" - let me assure you that the Slovenes would never stoop so low if Croatia had their Lipizzaners. I am disgusted with this bootlicking.Sincerely,Hilda Foley letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7018/1/E-I-have-been-living-in-Croatia-near-on-2-years-now.html ÂI have been living in Croatia near on 2 years nowDear all,I have been living in Croatia near on 2 years now. I am Croatian and proudof it. I love living here even with all the petty problems we have in thiscountry....and every day it is getting better...believe it or not....whetherSDP is in government or HDZ its the same story. I feel our diaspora willmiss the boat in investing in Croatia and then cry 'not fair'. Regardlessif you have 25 or millions to invest in Croatia, real estate or somethingelse, there is something for everybody. And stop being sentsitive of beingtaking advantage of. From what I have seen first hand that is completelyunfounded, Croatians here like to spread these rumours as it serves thepurpose of keeping returning Croatians suspicious of returning home. Theydo have a hidden agenda...and I feel it is this...with more Croatiansreturning home...their inheritances will be smaller.Croatians are being Americanized by the media, etc etc and like Americanmedia reporting our reporters spend a spend a lot of time putting forwardopinions about events, are overly critical and should focus more on factualreporting rather than offer their subjective opinions. Why do thesejournalists help positively by helping to produce a comprehensive vision ofthe future of our country as part of the in the EU, because there is noescaping it, unfortunately. Yes, under communision, or socialism, the firstpriority should be as is in American that each citizen deserves to own ahome....let the media focus on something positive that can be done...figureout how FANNIE MAE and FREDDIE MAC help homeowners and lobby the governmentfor something similar. Ensure children are afforded their rights...pressurethe government to respond to question of how to force fathers to payappropriate levels of maintenance for their children. There are lots ofareas that the media can focus on, that would be positive for Croatia.I am a daughter of a Croatian emigrant returnee, it is difficult here, butno more difficult when one understands the culture than anywhere else andopportunity abounds for those ready to invest time and effort to making asmall difference by turning negativity into positive actions.I am in real estate full time now and I am ashamed to say that more EUpeople are buying apartments and homes in Zadar, Vir, Pag, etc than our ownpeople, who don't seem to get off the ground but prefer to sit arounddiscussing how things should be rather than actively participating in theeconomic marketplace. Over time I have followed these discussions onlineand am partipating less and less. Lots of people offer opinions but fewwill make an effort, come back here, and truly understand and work tochanging the bureaucracy, yet eager to criticize, so I am losing respectfor those in the diaspora, but for a few like Hilda Foley.We who have been in the Diaspora and have returned to our homeland are theonly ones making any real difference, or sacrifice personally, we areslogging it out, just as our forefathers did when they moved to an unknowncountry and started the process of networking and working together. Thosepeople who continue to disect our past, policize about our future from afar,invest in Florida, forget it, you will continue to gain no credibility here.Given that Croatians at home and those in the far away countries arepolarised, I see myself moving more and more to the thinking of thoseCroatians at home. If you profess you love your country so much, pack upand return home and face what we homeland Croatians face every day and trylittle by little to make a difference, get employed in your field and workconsistently with smaller companies helping them adopt best practices...thatis how to make a difference, start at the bottom, and expect that it willtake time and patience. Your political observations, while astute, reallydo not help the economics and culture of this country one iota.I did not see Brenda's film, but I do believe a documentary here and thereis good work, and not disect its intentions. But lets leave it for what itis, not give it names, and let's move on to topics that are importanttoday...how to unpolarise Croatians abroad and those at home. What can webegin to do differently to move ahead together, without one feeling that theother has their own interests at heart. As far as I can tell the only fewactivities are moving in this direction and one that I know personally hasspent more than 3 years pushing forward these ideas on a daily basis is NikoSoljak, and his group Hravska Svjetska Zajednica. I give the man greatcredit...they say slow and steady wins the race...so lets pray and hope forhis group's continued success...but it depends on everyone joining thisorganization and activiely working towards a future with all Croatian groupsand individuals in and out of the country pulling and actively networkingtogether.I agree with both Hilda and Mirna, more has to change, and respect themtremendously for their personal contributions.Jadranka MatesicVisit www.panadria.com for the latest listings in the Zadar region. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7017/1/E-Never-sell-the-land-itself---Lease-or-not.html Your OpinionsDear all,A quick comment on the real estate point brought up below.There is one way to attract the investment without selling the land outright to foreigners -- which may not be problematic in the case of foreigners from the US or Japan, but could be in the case of selling to Italians or others from neighboring countries as it could fuel revanchism. Since it is impossible to create a law that would effectively discriminate between buyers, there needs to be a policy that is flexible that allows non-citizens to invest and have property rights without the outright need to sell the land in perpetuity.Rather than outright selling, it could be government policy that non-citizens can only lease land for long periods. Before everyone says no, this is basically what is done in large parts of Britain, where freeholders own the land, and sell off a leasehold for a given period. The freeholder maintains the title and ultimate rights to the property while the leaseholder has rights to use the property in certain ways that are specified under contract. Long leaseholds can be bought and sold like other property rights, and leaseholders have rights to do things like improve the property. People in Britain and foreigners invest lots of money on these long leaseholds. In fact, in central London, where the most expensive properties are, almost all "owners" are leaseholders, not freeholders, of their properties. Even super-rich investors in multi-million pound properties are often leaseholders. [By the way, most of the freeholders in London are all descendants of aristocratic families, many who received their land from William the Conqueror after 1066, like the Duke of Westminster.]best wishesSanjaDear All,We just got back from Croatia and thought we'd chime in regarding the"selling off of Croatian real estate".Check out Forbes Magazine (7/5/04) by Joshua Levine. See "The NextRiviera."Looks like Croatian real estate has been on the selling block for quite sometime; not just since the HDZ got back in office.We don't see this as a negative. Croatia's people just don't have the moneyto upgrade and improve long neglected properties. That's where foreigninvestment comes in. It has certainly helped Spain's Costa del Sol and theFrench Riviera. So, why wouldn't it help Croatia's economy, too?By the way we stopped at Hvar to check out hotels for future stays. Noneare above three stars. And, all still had that depressingly Titoist "marketto the masses" look. From our viewpoint, Croatia can use some foreigninvestment, whether it's updating and building new hotels, or upgradingvacation homes. It all creates jobs and brings in MONEY!!We have thought of buying one ourselves if there are any bargains out there.We are also looking into long-term rentals but we would want one with theconveniences we are accustomed to. Only foreign investment can providethat.Deanie and Ron in FloridaP.S. By the way, the trip was fantastic. We'll be going again.P.P.S. Another plus that we noted. Younger and more "modern-thinking"professionals are now working in the hospitality industry and having contactwith foreigners. This time we didn't hear any of the negativity that weheard on previous trips (usually from the older tour guides who were stillhaving difficulty adjusting to the new realities). Youth will win.......andlearn to keep, if they are taught correctly. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7016/1/H-Nadamo-da-ima-pametnijih-ljudi-u-Hrvatskoj-koji-nece.html ÂNadamo da ima pametnijih ljudi u Hrvatskoj, koji necePostovani:Citajuci ovu zalosnu rubriku od Dra. Davora Sliskovica, ironicnim osmjehom sam se sjetio one nase stare poslovice: "Ispeci, pa reci".Mislim u svakom slucaju da je Dr. Sliskovic prenaglio u svom slabom pokusu na ironicno pisanje. Ako misli da se njegova ironija krije, onda se gadno vara, i jos losije pise, pa zato ne mislim da je doktor hrvatske knjizevnosti. A ako misli za ozbiljno to sto pise, onda se pitam kakav je to nadri-doktor, jer ocito veze s ekonomijom nema.Naime, ima jedna pouka u englesom poslovnom leksikonu, a to je "Doing the same old things gets the same old results", sto u slobodnom prijevodu bi doslo nekako "Ponavljanje starih istih metoda dovodi samo do starih istih rezultata". Jest da je ovaj sastanak Grupe 100 bio u velikoj mjeri amaterski proveden. Jest da su neke poruke od govornika prema Hrvatskoj vladi bile malo cudne, pa, rekao bih, kao jedan od prisutnih, cak i ne na mjestu. Jest da se isti srot vrtio opet i opet i opet, kao sto navodi Dr. Sliskovic.Medjutim, IPAK SE NESTA PROBALO UCINITI!Jest da se radi i dalje u Hrvatskoj -- hvala Bogu! Ali kako uspjesno? I s kakvim povoljnim uvjetima, sto se tice SVJETSKOG poduzetnistva? Naime, svaki normalni poduzetnik vaze kriterije bilo koje investicije: koliko rizika i truda, prema koliko ocekivanome dobitu? To je, na kraju, poduzetnistvo, a ne dobrovoljno davanje! Ako je manje riskantno i vise profitabilno praviti gumene cizme u Aljaski nego u Brazilu, sta mislite gdje ce Brazilijanac otvoriti tvornicu cizma? Pa nema veze koliko voli plaze i sunce i toplinu, odgovor poduzetnika je u svakom slucaju jasan.Zato mislim da je Dr. Sliskovic gadno fulao metu, jer uopce nije shvatio srz poruke iz tog sastanka. Ja sam samo sitna riba, i negovorim uime Grupe 100, ali budite uvjereni da su u Clevelandu bili ljudi koji su ukupno teski valjda cetvrtinu hrvatskog BDPa! A ti ljudi su samo probali, mada mozda na nekorektan i nediplomatski nacin, da kazu, punim srcem: "Mi hocemo i sa nasom domovinom Hrvatskom poslovati, i njenoj ekonimiji pomoci, kao sto i pomazemo ekonomije raznih zemalja svijeta gdje poslujemo, ali prije se mora prag malo pomesti, da budu uvijeti za poduzetnistvo atraktivni kao i drugdje po svijetu." Pa na kraju to nisu bili diplomati, nego poduzetnici, koji nisu placeni po tome koliko govora odrze, vec po tome koliko profita naprave. A dobili smo veliku nadu u Clevelandu uz prisustvo zaista odanih ljudi Hrvatske vlade, kao sto su bili Ministri Suker, Kalmeta, Cobankovic, i Vukelic, a i ostali, da se poruka, iako mozda nenajbolje porucena, ipak u pravom konstruktivnom smislu primila.Pa sto misli Dr. Sliskovic, zasto su, kako kaze, "nasi domaci poslovni ljudi odavno [...] zaboravili postavljati zahtjeve"? Ja bih rekao da je slicno odgovoru zasto magarac prestane trzati na batinu, kada ga se bije koliko se hoce, a on se nekrece. Jasno! Zato jer se naviknuo batini! Ali pitajmo se da li mu je zaista lijepo? Ili je samo odlucio primati batine, jer mu je to lakse nego vleci teret?Pitam se da li je Dr. Sliskovic ikada imao svoju firmu, i probao baratati birokracijom, korupcijom, i ludo-sudstvom? Ja, iako sam imao samo malo priliku vidjeti na svoje oci kakve su pripreke u Hrvatskoj vrijednim, radnim, poslovnim ljudima, ipak tvrdim da oni nisu ni u najmonajoj ruci sretni sa situacijom u kojoj rade, vec, dapace, su, kao onaj magarac, nauceni na "batine" birokracije, korupcije, i ostalog, i naucili su raditi unatoc toga. Pa mi se uvijek snadjemo! Ali koliko bismo mogli naprijedovati da umjesto da se borimo protiv birokracije i korupcije, borimo se protiv konkurenata na svijetskom trzistu?!Ako Hrvatska sada uzme stav kojeg Dr. Sliskovic neshvatljivo zakljucuje, pa da za uzvrat vikne Grupi 100 neka samo stoji gdje je i ceka, onda mozemo zaliti Hrvatsku, jer ce se samo dalje valjati u istom ekonomskom mulju iz kojeg nemoze sama van. Pa koliko puta moramo cuti od koliko ljudi, SIROM SVIJETA, "Da je u Hrvatskoj kako bi trebalo biti, mi bi bili druga Svicarska!"??"Da je?" A tko sprijecava da je, nego narod sam, kroz svoju ekonomsku politiku?!I to je sve sto je, po mom misljenju, Grupa 100 probala reci. Da ona, kolektivno, ima visoko poslovno iskustvo, i zeli samo Hrvatskoj pomoci. A ako Hrvatska zeli biti ohola i odbiti pomoc poslovnih ljudi koji ipak daleko vise znaju, e pa onda neka se dalje valja. Medjutim, mi rodoljubi u diaspori se ipak nadamo da ima pametnijih ljudi u Hrvatskoj, koji nece pokusani poljubac vracati pljuskom.S postovanjem.Steve PozgajSubject: Slobodna Dalmacija:Poruke Grupe 100Poruke Grupe 100http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20040722/kolumne01.aspDr. Davor SLISKOVICKao sto znamo, u Clevelandu su se krajem lipnja sastali uspjesni poslovni ljudi hrvatskog podrijetla da razmotre problematiku ulaganja u starome kraju. Ne treba trositi rijeci na isticanje znacenja ovoga skupa, a niti na protokolarne carke zbog nedolaska ovoga ili onoga. Ono sto svakako treba zaokupiti nasu paznju jesu poruke koje nam salju nasi uspjesnici. Ne treba sumnjati u ispravnost tih poruka jer ih salju ljudi koji su uspjeli i koji znaju dobro prosudjivati. Ne treba sumnjati ni u dobronamjernost tih poruka jer ih salju nasi ljudi koji nama zele dobro.Sve to nas unaprijed obvezuje da odaslane poruke pazljivo saslusamo, da ih shvatimo, da o njima dobro razmislimo i da, konacno, pocnemo stvari mijenjati.Dakle, clanovi buduce Grupe 100 porucuju nam da ako zelimo vidjeti njihove investicije i poslovnu suradnju moramo:- poboljsati uvjete za investicije i poslovanje- ukloniti birokratske prepreke ulaganju i poslovanju- smanjiti opterecenja poslodavaca- smanjiti poreze i doprinose za radnu snagu- stvoriti ucinkovito sudstvo slobodno od korupcije- srediti zemljisne knjige.Slozit cemo se, kratko i jasno su navedene sve rak-rane koje prijece sva strana ulaganja, pa i ona nasih uspjesnih iseljenika. Pozitivan pomak na svakom od ovih podrucja ucinit ce Hrvatsku atraktivnijom za strana ulaganja i vjerojatno poboljsati njezin kreditni rejting.Ali, zar mi sve to nismo i sami znali i prije poruka Grupe 100? Pa sigurno da jesmo, i to poodavno. Pa opet nista nismo uradili, ili tek nesto malo. Tako dolazimo do tocke na kojoj se moramo zapitati: je li mi ne znamo kako provesti potrebne reforme i korekcije ili pak mi to ne mozemo provesti ili, sto bi bilo najgore, mi to ne zelimo.Koji god odgovor bio tocan, nije dobro i osudjuje nas na tavorenje umjesto krupnih razvojnih iskoraka. S obzirom na nasa dosadasnja iskustva u pomicanju stvari naprijed, pomalo cudi ali istovremeno i veseli procjena jednog od inicijatora Grupe 100 da ce za provedbu reformi trebati 5 do 7 godina. Mozda nesvjesno, ali ovim je dana i procjena roka u kojem ne mozemo ocekivati krupnije gospodarske zamahe, pa ma koliko ih politicari obecavali u svojim populistickim tiradama. Ja na ovaj rok pristajem odmah, ali me ipak muci pitanje sto ce se to sada dogoditi da mi zaista otpocnemo s mijenjanjem stvari, a sto smo propustali ciniti puste godine. Vjerojatno prije nismo htjeli, a sada cemo naglo poceti htjeti, pa cemo i znati, pa cemo i moci. Zivi bili pa vidjeli.Poruke Grupe 100 o potrebnim reformama navele su na jos neka razmisljanja o poduzetnistvu u Hrvatskoj. Dakle, uvjeti su losi. Losiji nego u drugim zemljama prema kojima kapital tece. Toliko su losi da i nasi ljudi koji su uspjeli vani uvjetuju svoja ulaganja promjenom stanja. Pa jesmo li onda svjesni kakvu muku muce hrvatski poduzetnici koji unatoc svemu ovdje ulazu i ovdje posluju? Ne bi li najprije radi ovih domacih poduzetnika trebalo provesti reforme koje nasi iseljenici postavljaju kao uvjet svojih buducih ulaganja?Ti nasi domaci poslovni ljudi odavno su zaboravili postavljati zahtjeve, a u Hrvatskoj posluju unatoc losim uvjetima za investicije i poslovanje, unatoc birokratskim preprekama, unatoc visokom opterecenju poslodavaca, unatoc visokim porezima i doprinosima, unatoc neucinkovitom sudstvu, unatoc nesredjenim zemljisnim knjigama, i unatoc kojecemu drugome. Pa koji su to onda domoljubi i heroji poduzetnistva! Oni nista ne uvjetuju, snalaze se i funkcioniraju. Budu li oni krenuli s kojekakvim inicijativama i postavljanjem zahtjeva, morat ce pozvati ministre, postaviti zahtjeve i uvjete i onda osnovati najmanje Grupu 200. Pa nek' se zna.Dotad, cini se, Grupi 100 bi bilo najbolje da stoji gdje je i da priceka. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7015/1/H-Tragicna-Sudbina-ukradenih-Hrvatskih-Lipicanera.html ÂTragicna Sudbina ukradenih Hrvatskih LipicancaTragicna sudbina hrvatskih lipicanaca: kako to vlast stiti nacionalne intereseZahvaljujem Vjesniku da je 12. srpnja prenio informaciju iz Dnevnika (SCG) - »Povratak lipicanaca jos uvijek upitan«. Istodobno sam vrlo revoltiran i zgrazam se kako nasa vlast i diplomacija stite nacionalne interese i dobra.U tom izvodu tvrdi se: »Izaslanstvo hrvatskog Ministarstva poljoprivrede slozilo se da podmladak lipicanaca ostane u Srbiji i spremno je za svako mlado grlo izdati valjan rodovnik..., kao posebnu pogodnost ponudilo je posredovanje pri uclanjivanju Srbije u Medjunarodnu federaciju uzgajivaca lipicanaca...«Nad nasim konjima lipicancima u Lipiku izvrsen je tezak ratni zlocin, podudaran s ostalim srpskim zlocinima nad ljudima, imovinom i kulturnim blagom u proteklom ratu. Ubijali su te najplemenitije zivotinje, a prezivjele su gonili preko Bosne u Srbiju kao ratni kriminalni plijen. Sada nad tim zlocinom glume dobrocinitelje kojima treba pripasti neka naknada, priznanje i medjunarodna afirmacija.Sto je najgore, to im se, u neku ruku, nudi od legitimnog vlasnika zrtava, umjesto zahtjeva za naknadu cjelokupne stete te povratak ukupnog stada u svim generacijskim skupinama i progona onih koji su to zlocinacko djelo pocinili. Temeljem cega tamo neki uzurpatori ili razbojnici mogu glumiti vlasnike stada koje je ugrabljeno kao ratni plijen u zlocinu.Zanimljivo bi bilo znati sto je poduzela nasa vlast u povodu tog kriminalnog djela kod Medjunarodne federacije uzgajivaca lipicanaca. Vjerojatno nista, kad se Srbi nadaju cak potpori Hrvatske za uclanjenjem u tu organizaciju temeljem tog kriminalnog djela. Bojim se da je slicno i s utjerivanjem svih ostalih ratnih steta, sto moze zavrsiti ohrabrujuce za agresora, moze opet naci razloge za pljackaske, razarajuce i druge zlocine prema susjedima.Slucaj hrvatskih lipicanaca na najosjetljiviji nacin pokazuje nesposobnost nasih vlada da shvate i brane interese i prava hrvatskoga naroda i drzave kao zrtve surove i zlocinacke agresije. IVAN PAJZagreb letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 30 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7021/1/E-A-majority-of-Croatians-do-NOT-want-to-join-EU-or-NATO.html ÂA majority of Croatians do NOT want to join EU or NATOA majority of Croatians do NOT want to join EU or NATO. However, it is the government who will lead them into these terrible unions. Once again, much like the 7 or so (forgot the exact number) Croatians who signed the agreement to unify Croatia with Serbia after WWI, a hand full of fat heads in Zagreb will decide Croatia's future for the next several decades if not centuries.Already among those nations in the EU we are seeing strong comments against the EU policies. In England, their recent EU representative elections produced the UK Independent Party which is against cooperation with the EU. They received 20 some percent of the votes.Croatia's economic future should not be in Frankfurt...and its sovereignty should not be controlled by Brussels. Once again Croats are willing to rush into foolish unions without giving them good thought and open public debate. NATO or the EU will not seriously take into account Croatia's needs...we are too small of a nation. We will be at their mercy. Hrvati probudite se!Jeffrey Bacic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7020/1/E-Opinion-about-the-EU-hoopla.html ÂOpinion about the EU hooplaÂ"without a clear vision of who Croatiansare and what they want"Dear Sanja, You could not have said it better! Exactly my opinion about the EU hoopla and the whole idea of rushing into joining it without much thought of what it really entails. Yes, it is SAD, clearly showing a lack of self respect! When are they going to wake up over there and be proud of their own nation? We are Slavs - not slaves, enough of this inferiority complex!Best regards,HildaDear all,For all you who can read Croatian, below is some non-news -- the Croatian govt raised the EU flag next to the Croatian flag in Jelacic Square in Zagreb in a whoop-de-doo ceremony.SAD! It is so pathetic that now Croats can only feel good about themselves if they wrap themselves up in other peoples' symbols. Their own are just not good enough. It seems that all efforts and all activities are just EU-oriented without a clear vision of who Croats are and what they want. But EU membership is not a magic bullet and if Croatia carries on like it is it will only be another disappointment in half-baked federalism. It will not automatically create jobs or make Croatia rich. It will not make Croatia more respected or help it achieve its political goals. Only a clear vision of enlightened national self-interest can do that. But that is too much like hard work and responsibility, and after all Croats are only children. Their EU betters will know what to do. After all, they are German, or English, or French, or whatever. Much more civilized. Lowly Slavs can't figure out how to tie their shoes without EU instruction.Isn't it time Croatia stopped looking for a benign colonizer or for a foreign savior? When will Croats decide that the only security is to save themselves? Message to the succession of Peter Pans who have run the Croatian govt -- GROW UP!That ends our polemic for today.Best wishesSanja********************ZAGREB, 19. lipnja 2004. (Hina) - Dobivanje statusa kandidata za punopravno clanstvo u Europskoj uniji Hrvatska je sinoc proslavila svecanim koncertom na središnjem trgu glavnoga grada, gdje je prvi put, uz hrvatsku, podignuta i zastava te zajednice europskih država.Zastavu EU je, nakon izvodenja europske himne, Beethovenove "Ode radosti", podigao na zagrebackom Trgu bana Jelacica premijer Ivo Sanader, u cijoj je pratnji bila supruga. Uz jarbol do kojeg su zastavu donijela dvojica pripadnika pocasne garde stajali su i predsjednik Republike i Sabora Stjepan Mesic i Vladimir Šeks sa suprugama te potpredsjednica Vlade Jadranka Kosor.Uz više tisuca gradana na proslavi, koja je pocela izvodenjem hrvatske himne "Lijepa naša domovino", bili su svi clanovi Vlade, saborski zastupnici, celnici parlamentarnih stranaka, te brojni uglednici iz vjerskoga, javnoga i kulturnog života. Kako je i najavljeno na svecanosti nije bilo govora politicara.Europsku himnu izveli su, pod vodstvom maestra Vjekoslava Šuteja, Zagrebacki filharmonijski orkestar i Pjevacki zbor Vatroslava Lisinskog.U zabavnom dijelu nastupili su Vanna i Prljavo kazalište, a sve je popraceno posebnim laserskim šouom, zamjenom za vatromet.Najavljujuci proslavu u Vladi su ranije istaknuli kako troškove svecanosti nece snositi porezni obveznici, nego sponzori - ugledne tvrtke koje vec posluju na tržištu EU-a.Europsko vijece odlucilo je u petak u Bruxellesu promaknuti Hrvatsku u službenog kandidata za clanstvo u EU i zakazati otvaranje pristupnih pregovora pocetkom iduce godine. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7023/1/E-Thank-God-the-UN-didnt-exist-when-David-faced-Goliath.html ÂThank God the UN didn't exist when David faced GoliathVOICEOFCROATIA.NET, JUNE 7, 2004Croatian Heritage: Will You Be Nobody?Will you be Nobody - eating your heart out, fighting the Cyclops and weeping big tears over rough seas to find your land. Many of your friends perished on such journey. But you rediscovered your land, you rediscovered your God, you are proud of your roots, you have your shining heritage. You are not Nobody. There's one God. There's one country - Croatia. There's one people - of Croatian heritage."Thank God the UN didn't exist when David faced Goliath. His slingshot would probably have been confiscated and his people embargoed. Despite such insurmountable odds, Croatia somehow prevailed" - writes Domagoj Sola, a distinguished Canadian parliamentarian and Croatian diplomat.Croatian Culture and Identity Ambassador Nenad Bach follows in organum, "Through my traveling around the globe, with my music, I came across many interesting characters. These people, although many of them not Croatian, would also be interested to find out about our culture and country as a whole." These are the excerpts from your own Homeland and Diaspora II - Views and Bridges, in the Croatian Almanac 2004, a year-around book. This year, it is provided in both Croatian and English, depending on the writer. You can get it in Canadian and American parishes or directly at the Croatian Ethnic Institute by emailing its Director/Editor , in addition to other challenging material for your work, research and thesis on Croatian heritage and its contribution to America and Canada. You don't seem to have to be a Croatian to make it Open Sesame. Smiley. (I'll be borrowing my non-Croatian friend's expression.)Apart from your standard input of "articles, contributions, news, poems, views, and memories," in Croatian Almanac 2004 "you will also discover Ferdinand Konscak, a Croatian Jesuit who was the first to explore Lower California, and the first to work out exact map of it 1746. Prior to his work, California was shown on all maps as an island." A factual account of it is prepared by fra Ljubo Krasic and also includes the quotations from The Catholic Encyclopedia and so on."Like the Croatian Prayerbook, that for several hundred years has gone from hand to hand - it is even hand written!" - Dr Vinko Grubisic has an expert account about it (Bribirski molitvenik).There is more, but I only received my copy today and am randomly blasting through it. Yet I don't have to flash as Gary Gabelich from San Perdro, who "won and held the record for the world's fastest automobile driver with 1002 kilometers an hour." The CEI and its contributors and supporters attest to a divine gift of the Croatian heritage.I.A.Personal Notes:Thanks to the CEI and its editor/director Ljubo Krasic for both a copy of the Almanac 2004 and the boost for an ongoing translation work. And thanks to a particular Croatian friend for introduction to the play L'Odysée, (Ulysse) présenté par Le Théâtre Il va sans dire et Le Théâtre du Nouveau monde - weren't there various plays we have seen during your sejour in Montreal, my friend. Special thanks for the Irish one! Ah now, your prophecy spoken of old is come to completion; I'm thinking about the return every day: I will eventually write about it in the next Almanac; from Canada. Hopefully not too theatrically, as I still could get educated so to produce a trenchant analysis on the issue. Learning for life, c'est la vie...To all, let me know if you will ever return...Âhttp://voiceofcroatia.net/CROS.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7022/1/H-I-javnost-i-novinare-treba-zastititi-od-dezinformacija.html ÂI javnost i novinare treba zastititi od dezinformacijaPredlazem da pogledate: www.croinfo.com Otvorena je jedna nova Internet adresa na kojoj se moze procitati mnogo toga sto moze koristiti u pokretanju Hrvatske ponovnim koristenjem znanja i cinjenica. Od svega je najvaznije spoznati kakva je Hrvatska danas, sto politicarskim klanovima i njihovim medijima sve teze polazi za rukom. Zacijelo æe pokretac te adrese nastojati na njoj objavljivati tekstove koje ne vole klanovski mediji. Ako Vam se svidjaju sadrzaji na CroInfo upoznajte i upozorite na njih i druge.I ja sam ponesto pisao o ljepotama Interneta:"Istina, informacija bi se mogla i danas zaustaviti, zaustaviti rotaciju, skinuti s programa TV ili radio emisiju, iskljuciti elektricnu energiju ili mnogo toga drugoga ali to u globalno povezanom svijetu moze izazvati samo suprotne ucinke. Internet kao nacin prijenosa informacija moze izazvati mnogo muke pojedincima, napose politicarima ako zele neke informacije sakriti od javnosti. Njime, npr. informacija nastala u jednoj zemlji, primjerice u Africi ili na Balkanu moze biti distribuirana sirokom krugu korisnika u zemlji i svijetu sa kompjutora npr. u Kanadi ili Kini, pa oni koji bi je htjeli zaustaviti to ne mogu uciniti. Takva se «rotacija» ne moze zaustaviti. To naprosto izludjuje politicare ako makar i samo pokusaju nesto raditi protiv interesa svoga naroda, ili na ugrozavanju ljudskih prava pojedinaca ili grupa neistomisljenika, pa je dobro da to niti ne pokusavaju. Stoga je dobro da se provodi sve sire uvodjenje kompjutora u svijetu, pa tako i u Hrvatskoj unatoc cinjenici - da «veliki brat» sve vidi."Koga zanima, moze vidjeti cijeli moj tekst: "I javnost i novinare treba zastititi od dezinformacija" (Vjesnik 1. ozujka 2004. str.12) na adresi:http://www.vjesnik.hr/pdf/2004/03/01/12A12.PDF Najveæi problem u informiranju uvijek su bili klanovi ili interesne grupe, koji "informiraju" javnost samo u cilju ostvarenja svojih interesaÂ… pa se cinjenice ignoriraju da bi se to postiglo, a onda se okrivljuje novinare i urednike. cesto se na razlicite nacine koji granice sa neukusom, nije dopustalo da istina prodre u javnost. isticale su se kao vazne teme one koje su potpuno nevazne za zivot stanovnika kako bi se zaboravilo one vazne.ÂDr. Branimir Molak, dipl.inz. bmolak@globalnet.hr  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 14 Jun 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7024/1/H-Saboru-HRT-u-Sad-spasimo-Jadran-i-HR-buducnost.html ÂMare AdriaticoÂ"De Michelis, kojeg dobro poznajem iz vremena kad mi je bio ljut protivnik dok sam se borio za medjunarodno priznanje nase Republike Hrvatske, nedavno je izjavio kako Hrvatsku treba cim prije primiti u Europu pa ce Mare Adriatico postati opce, dakle prije svega njihovo s njihovom velikom ribarskom flotom u Jadranu. Nazdravlje!"ÂZvonimir Separovic, prof. dr.ÂDame i gospodo,Ako ne reagramo - nemojmo plakati u 2010 + !Znamo da ste upoznati sa situacijom i da nikom nije (politicki) lako,ali ako MI svi zajedno ne reagiramo, pa TKO ce ?Kao fizicar garantiram: nema 'formule' protiv havarije tankera ...a dalje razmislimo svatko za sebe, pa regirajmo po savjesti ...Srdacan pozdrav svima uz najbolje zelje,Davor Pavunahttp://ipmc.epfl.ch/page31440.htmlDr Mike Papic wrote:Potaknut jucherashnjim potpisivanjem ugovora sa Ukrajinom o plovidbi na nashim unutrashnjim plovnim putovima i razgovarom o projektu Druzhba Adria zhelim istachi slijedeche: Omishalj nije u Kvarneru kako mnogi pishu, nego u Rijechkom zaljevu od kojega se produzhuje i Bakarski zaljev. Poznatija mjesta/ljetovalishta na obalama Zaljeva su Moshchenichka Draga, Medveja, Lovran, Ichichi, Opatija, Rijeka, Kostrena, Bakar, Kraljevica, Omishalj, Njivice i Malinska, s ukupnim puchanstvom od oko 200,000. U svim tim mjestima more je vech zagadjeno do te mjere da je lani u nekima (Opatiji i Bakru npr.) kupanje bilo zabranjeno. Povrh toga, obala okolo Omishlja, Kostrene i Bakra je vech opustoshena i razorena (devastirana). Neki tvrde da je tankerski transport nafte morem operacija niskog rizika, ali svi se slazhu da postoje opasnosti od veche ili manje havarije. Sjetimo se nedavnih havarija i ogromne shtete u Aljaskanskom i Biskajskom zaljevu, koji su daleko vecha i otvorenija mora od Jadrana (Rijechki zaljev je Liliputanac u usporedbi) i obale su im puno slabije naseljene. Koliki rizik je prihvatljiv i profitabilan za gusto naseljeni Rijechki zaljev? Jedna havarija u 100, 150 ili 200 godina? Shto znache "veche i manje kolichine" nafte? Zar manje kolichine nisu shtetne i mogu se slobodno izlijevati u more? Za Rijechki zaljev mali izljevi nafte prilikom pretakanja su dovoljni da ga zagade. On je vech zagadjen. Zato bi bilo uputnije razmishljati o tome kako ochistiti zagadje! ni Rijechki zaljev i obnoviti obalu, nego o okolnostima pod kojima bi se moglo tolerirati dodatno razaranje obale i dodatno zagadjivanje, i koliki rizik bi bio prihvatljiv. Vech postojechi rizik havarije na Jadranu zbog talijanskih operacija ne mozhe biti opravdanje za njegovo povechanje proshirenjem hrvatskih. To je kriva logika. Jednako tako, izlijevanje balastnih voda u drugim lukama ne opravdava nova izlijevanja u Omishlju. Takozvane balastne vode su prava prijetnja i realna opasnost za nashe more. Bez obzira jesu li zauljene ili nezauljene, one smrde. Osim toga, balastnim vodama iz dalekih luka moguche je donijeti strane organizme koji mogu shtetno promijeniti floru i faunu nashega mora. Kako bi se npr. sprijechilo shirenje agresivnih zebrastih shkoljki koje su zagadile dijelove mnogih obala u svijetu i stvaraju nepremostive i jako skupe probleme. Treba znati kakva bi bila obrada balastnih voda prije ispushtanja u more i gdje bi se ona provodila. Takodjer, izmjene balastnih voda na ulazu u Jadran ne rjeshavaju nishta, jer gdje se vrshi izmjena tu se stvara problem koji che kad-tad stichi u Jadran, pogotovo kad ne postoje medjunarodni propisi ili upute za manipulaciju balastnim vodama. Postavlja se pitanje kolika bi bila materijalna shteta zbog unishtenja turizma, ribarstva i okolisha u Rijechkom zaljevu u usporedbi sa profitom od JANAF-a, a kolika tek socijalna shteta puchanstvu toga kraja. Industrija izgradjena u tom kraju za vrijeme Jugoslavije (rafinerija, termoelektrana, DINA, koksara, chadjara) ne samo da nije donijela vishi materijalni standard, vech je srozala kvalitet zhivota i zdravlje puchanstva u kraju, a da o estetskom izgledu obale i ne govorimo. Vinogradi su propali, tunere su nestale, kampovi se zatvorili, ljudi su ostali bez posla, kvalitet zraka se pogorshao, bolesti dishnih organa se proshirile, duhovno raspolozhenje naroda se pokvarilo, ljudi samo "njurgaju".Rizik katastrofe se mozhe smanjiti, ali shto nam vrijedi manji rizik, ako riskiramo unishtenje nashe najveche nacionalne vrijednosti? I nije u pitanju samo more, vech svo puchanstvo i sva flora i fauna toga kraja. Postoji vishe teorija donoshenja odluka i razlichti modeli koji se rabe kod odluchivanja. Pojednostavljeno recheno, u odluchivanju treba provesti kompletnu analizu situacije i istovremeno razmotriti sve aspekate problema (eng. system analysis). Tako, kad se donose odluke o velikim, znachajnim i skupim projektima treba provesti analizu rizika i procijeniti ochekivanu vrijednost operacije (eng. risk analysis and expected value calculation), u shto ulaze razmatranja i dobiti i gubitaka od projekta. Zatim se donose odluke koje ne trebaju biti bazirane na ochekivanoj novchanoj vrijednosti, nego na ochekivanom zadovoljstvu i koristnosti. Dakle, donose se odluke koje imaju pozitivno ochekivano zadovoljstvo i koristnost, a ne bezuvjetno pozitivnu novchanu vrijednost. Time se bavi teorija koristnosti (eng. utility theory) i za takve analize treba zaposliti specijaliste koji to znadu raditi. Manageri onda donose odluke bazirane na dobivenim savjetima i vlastitom iskustvu. Rizik (vjerovatnost) havarije sam po sebi nije zadovoljavajucha mjera prihvatljivosti projekta - treba razmotriti i posljedice udesa. Treba znati ochekivanu frekvenciju udesa, velichinu udesa, kolika je cijena chishchenja nakon havarije, vrijeme oporavka, trajni gubitci, stalno popratno zagadjivanje, cijena kontrole zagadjivanja i odrzhavanja okolisha, itd. Treba ocijeniti shto se dobiva, a shto gubi u konachnoj liniji, na dugu prugu. Za to treba detaljna provedbena studija (eng. feasibility study) s analizom troshkova, beneficija i gubitaka (eng. cost/benefit/loss analysis), i studija utjecaja na prirodni okolish i drushtvo (eng. environmental/social ipact study) sa ocjenom rizika vs. posljedica za sve faktore. Koji bi utjeca! j bio na, recimo, kvalitet zhivota puchanstva ili na u Europi jedinstvenu Cresku koloniju bjeloglavih supova? Ljudi koji tamo zhive moraju bezuvjetno biti ukljucheni u proces odluchivanja. Rijechki zaljev je mali, gusto naseljeni zatvoreni zaljev, u velikoj mjeri vech zagadjen. U Zaljevu vishe nema tunera (Martinjshcica, Srshchica, Bakar, Bakarac, Kavranich, Carovo, Grabrova, Omishalj). Vinogradi su nestali (Bakarska vodica). More je osiromasheno. Obala u Omishlju, Kostreni i Bakru je odbojna. Turizam je opao (Opatija je nekad bila ravna Dubrovniku). I to su samo neki faktori. Nasha je srecha shto je kapacitet JANAF-a korishten manje od 30%, inache bi bilo josh gore. Odluka o Druzhbi Adriji se ne smije donijeti olako - idemo, profitirat chemo. Pitajmo se, u chemu i za koju cijenu. Dr. Ing. Marijan Papich (Doktor prirodnih znanosti, manager i konzultant) Dragi Dr Papic,Imate potpuno pravo.- Druzba Adria je najopasniji projekt koji nam se pokusava podvaliti. Svi Vasi argumenti stoje. Devastacija Kvarnera je vec poodmakla. Ovo bi nam htjeli uvaliti Mesic i njegovi.Racan i Granic pokusali su prodati hrvatsko more Slovencima. Poslusajte Rupela kako se poziva na neostvareni Racan-Drnovsekov sporazum izdaje hrvatskih nacionalnih interesa. Nadam se da ce premijer Sanader, ministar Kalmeta i Hrvatski Sabor znati donijeti prave odluke. More je jedna od nasih najvecih vrijednosti - od Tomislava do nasih dana. Moramo sacuvati cistim nas hrvatski Jadran. Inace nam prijeti veliki gubitak. Zloglasni de Michelis, kojeg dobro poznajem iz vremena kad mi je bio ljut protivnik dok sam se borio za medjunarodno priznanje nase Republike Hrvatske, nedavno je izjavio kako Hrvatsku treba cim prije primiti u Europu pa ce Mare Adriatico postati opce, dakle prije svega njihovo s njihovom velikom ribarskom flotom u Jadranu. Nazdravlje! A mi srljamo u Europu glavom bez obzira ...Zvonimir Separovic autor DEKLARACIJE O MORU HRVATSKOM koju su potpisali gotovo svi akademici, profesori, strucnjaci za more, pomorsko pravo i zastitu okolisa.Jos jednom HVALA Vama i svima koji ce ovo barem htjeti procitati. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 18 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7026/1/H-Britanska-politika-je-ostala-ista.html ÂBritanska politika je ostala istaA kad tamo, dragi Tony... Kome bi zapravo trebalo pisati da dobijemo taj "avis"? Jedno mišljenje o hrvatskoj spremnosti da se pokuša prikljuciti Europskoj uniji, koje je, kako se planirani rok bliži, pretvoreno u Rubikon sa zaštitnim znakom Ante Gotovine. Europskoj komisiji? "Draga Komisijo, vjeruj nam, molimo te, da mi nismo u stanju uci u trag Anti, našem, ali i vašem državnjaninu, koji je, koliko je nama poznato, više kod vas nego kod nas. Pa vas lijepo molimo da nam ne uskratite pozitivno mišljenje samo zato što ne cinimo ono što ni vi niste u stanju uciniti." Zvuci protuprirodno, pisati bezosobnoj Komisiji. A i kakav je odgovor moguc? Jedno solomonsko rješenje, slicno onome što je ovog tjedna ponudio gospodin Jacques, personificirana Komisija u Zagrebu. Da možda ne bi bilo loše da Hrvatska sama zatraži odgodu avisa dok ne bude spremna. Ili u prijevodu, to je topla preporuka: molimo vas, ubijte se sami. Jer, ako se vi pristanete ubiti sami, nece se vidjeti napukline na našem (politickom) jedinstvu. No nije to novo. Tako je solomonski preporucivala draga Komisija u posljednjih dvanaest godina svaki put kad bi vlastito nejedinstvo onemogucavalo jedinstvenu odluku. I toplo se nadam da ce se hrvatska vlada, uz podršku opozicijskih stranaka, o takav prijedlog oglušiti, cak ako sljedecih dana stigne s viših adresa od presonificirane Komisije u Zagrebu. Zašto se ubijati sam? Neka to ucini Komisija, neka ona zakljuci da Hrvatska nije spremna postati kandidat za EU samo zato što nije u stanju uhvatiti osobu koju ni sve službe EU nisu u stanju uhititi. Time bi barem postalo jasnije: što je cilj, a što sredstvo. Da je sredstvo odbjegli Gotovina koji se mora prikazati pred Carlom del Ponte, kao dokaz hrvatske suradnje s Haaškim sudom. Da je uvjet koji je postavljen zapravo "mission impossible", koji služi kao opravdanje za zadržavanje Hrvatske u balkanskom (regionalnom) paketu. A da je pravi razlog kontinuirana britanska politika balkanskog lonca iz kojeg više (nakon Slovenije) nijedna država ne može biti samostalno puštena na europski put. Danas, jer ne može dostaviti Gotovinu u Haag, sutra, jer je zapaljena kuca srpskog povratnika, prekosutra, jer postoje primjedbe na slobodu medija... Ono što je bitno, dragi Tony, Tony Blair, jest da hrvatska javnost i prije svega hrvatska politika izgube naivnost i iluzije. I da se ne iscrpljuju stalno u utrkama na sto metara za nekim kvazi-ciljevima, nakon kojih im se ukazuje novi kvazi-cilj sto metara dalje. Sjecam se kako si nas ti nadahnjivao svojom britkom opozicijskom kriticnošcu prema britanskoj politici u vrijeme rata, politici koja je izravno podupirala stvaranje velike Srbije. Osobito duhovitom opaskom o lordu Owenu tada posvecenom prekrajanju svih republickih granica bivše Jugoslavije. Rekao si navodno: "Bog mu je dao privlacnu vanjštinu, podario mu je i briljantan um. Ali, nažalost, taj je covjek - sranje". Možda ti je izjava i pripisana, ali svi smo joj, puni nade,pljeskali. Veselili se tvojoj vlasti. Kada tamo, i poslijeratna britanska balkanska politika ostala je ista. Ali postojao je razlog - Tudman je vladao nedemokratski. Onda smo se veselili drugi put - na vlast je došao tvoj stranacki partner i prijatelj - Ivica. Lijepo ste se družili, zivkali se Ivica i Tony. Kad tamo - britanska politika je ostala ista. Onda je došao Ivo - pokazao više energije, ucinio više proeuropskih razoružavajucih gesta, umilio se privremeno cak i Carli del Ponte. Kad tamo - britanska politika je ostala ista - politika balkanskog lonca. I kao i u proteklih trinaest godina konsenzualna EU je njome blokirana. Blokade je nekoc, u ratno vrijeme, rušio Bill. Bill Clinton. Jedino on je imao tu snagu uvjeravanja.Copyright (C) by Vecernji listVisnja Staresina-Vecernji List Veljaca/29/04  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7025/1/H-Hrvatska-glasna-sutnja.html Â"Hrvatska glasna šutnja" I šišmiši su ptice u bezpjevnoj zemljiDragi svi, Nize je clanak Djurdjice Lieb iz Glasa Koncila pod naslovom "Hrvatska glasna šutnja" Izdvajam: ------------------------------------------------------------- Mel Gibson u razgovoru o filmu novinarki ABC-a Dijani Sawer govori, spoznajući sve kontraste koje taj film donosi, jednu od najtezih rečenica - .U svojoj samoizabranoj tišini mimoilazenju bilo kakve tezine i odgovornosti za situaciju u kojoj se nalazi Hrvatska - svi ubijamo Hrvatsku. Iako je šutnja često glasna, trebalo bi svjedočiti i djelom i ne bojati se, vjerujući da ništa nije uzalud jer će inače proročki naziv knjige pjesnika Drage Štambuka , postati naša stvarnost ziveći u varljivoj nadi, izgubit ćemo istinsku Nadu koja mora bdjeti posebno u nama i u vrijeme korizmene pustinje.------------------------------------------------------------ ZdeslavHrvatska glasna šutnja Povijesnim dogadjajem nazvali su vrhunski znalci Mozartov Requiem u Zagrebačkoj katedrali kojim je maestro Berislav Klobučar nakon pola stoljeća ponovno darivao svoj Zagreb. Otišao je 1951. godine, šturo se navodi - iz političko-obiteljskih razloga. Dokazao je kako se snagom talenta i golemim radom moze postati i svjetski dirigent, a vratio se u kamen i srebro večernje katedrale. Bio je to trenutak punine iz . Unatoč Requiemu, bila je to radost povratka. Berislav Klobučar nije govorio o samovoljnom izgnanstvu, a oni koji znaju istinu čuvaju je i dalje.Maestro je šutio, mikrofon je podrhtavao Mi zivimo tu varavu nadu u kojoj progonitelji postaju izbavitelji već desetljećjima. Gospodari zivota i smrti, kako se ginekologe često naziva, obmanjuju varljivom nadom i ovih dana kako treba educirati mlade o budućnosti koja će na taj način prema njihovim riječima biti bez pobačaja. Novinari, već desetljećima sluge vlasti, nastoje istjerati svoje kolege koji drugačije misle iz novinarstva, postajući urednici, bogataši koji iz prikrajka gledaju obogaljene i osiromašene ratom, kupuju automobile i jahte astronomskih vrijednosti, postaju ugledni poduzetnici, intelektualni knjizevni teroristi, postaju nagradjeni pisci, preko leševa istinskih pisaca. Televizijskih kamera, koje bi snimale koncert, nije bilo. Nije bilo ni političkih velikana u prvim redovima. Ministarstvo kulture, koliko je poznato, nije uputilo dirigentu poziv za prijem. Pred kamerom novinarke navikle na zvijezde i zvjezdice pohlepne svakog mikrofona, maestro je šutio, mikrofon je podrhtavao, pitanja su tekla, ali odgovora nije bilo. čak nije rekao da ne zeli govoriti. Za srebrom sijede kose, samo su se razlijegali čarobni zvuci Requiema, za sve koji su otišli, a i one koji su ostali u Hrvatskoj.Najljepše se vratiti pod svod katedrale, to zagrebačko nebo kojem su se mnogi izgnani vraćali kao i kardinal Stepinac čiji je duh nadahnjivao generacije i nadahnjuje ih. Te je večeri Berislav Klobučar ponovno ispisivao povijest, kao što je za Kunderu takodjer pisca oduzetog drzavljanstva, Prag ostao jedini pravi njegov grad: - piše knjizevni znalac. Za svakog političara novi Lenjinov spomenik Kundera, pisac veličanstvenog eseja o Kafki, zapisuje što je sve potrebno da bismo zaboravili svoje postojanje biljezeći izbacivanje 145 čeških povjesničara sa sveučilišta i znanstvenih ustanova: >Kazu da je za svakog povjesničara iznikao, negdje u češkoj, tajanstven, kao u bajci, novi Lenjinov spomenik. Jedan od tih povjesničara, moj prijatelj Hübl s najdebljim naočalama ma svijetu, sjedio je 1971. godine u mojoj garsonijeri u Bartolomejskoj ulici - narodi se likvidiraju tako - rekao je Hübl - da im se najprije oduzme pamćenje. Unište im njihove knjige, njihovu kulturu, njihovu povijest. A netko im drugi napiše druge knjige, da im drugu kulturu, izmisli im drugu povijest. Narod onda počne polako zaboravljati što je i tko je bio. Svijet oko njega to zaboravi mnogo brze - A jezik? - zašto bi nam ga netko uzimao? postat će puki folklor koji će prije ili kasnije umrijeti prirodnom smrću>. Ali ta istina, ma koliko Kundera u vrijeme pisanja bio očajan, nije zaboravljena. češki narod pamti svoju povijest zahvaljujući i njemu. I Klobučar je svjedočanstvo pamćenja, ali to je dar najjačih, a šutnja o njegovom zivotu glasnija je od mnogih danas bezbroj puta ponavljanih biografija.>Šutnjom hrvatskom sramotnom čašću< >Moći ne govoriti> - pisao je pjesnik Tonči Petrasov Marović nekoliko >godina pred smrt svjedočeći slijedećim stihovima: >Moći govoriti ne/ moći ne govoriti/ biti ne Hamlet nego silence and the rest/ ne biti izgovor, riječi, snaga iskana izvan nas samih/ nego biti ja, ti snaga da se sve podnese u sebi do kraja/ šutnjom hrvatskom sramotnom čašću/ čistim prostiranjem poput otoka/(oko tisuću njih, ne valjda mletačkih)...< Otoci postaju ponovno i , a mi šutimo, danas i ovdje godine 2004. i opet vjerujemo i nadamo se - ne zauvijek. Oni koji su potrošili plahte papira, prije nekoliko godina, u napadima na Maricu Meštrović kada joj je omogućena prodaja djelića svojeg vraćenog imanja, sada podrzavaju drzavnu odluku o prodaji otoka. Ako izgubimo i otoke, ostat će barem sjećanje u usmenoj i pisanoj predaji, ostat će u kulturi koju moramo sačuvati jer je oduvijek bila hrana narodima kojima se nastojalo oduzeti identitet. Tih je bio vjerojatno i onaj rob koji je u potaji klesao znak ribe na stupovima, drzačima Dioklecijanove palače dok je car u grimizu sanjao vladanje iz sjene. Zato je riječ Nada tako velika, i snazno odjekuje kroz stoljeća ali je treba prepoznati.Intelektualni knjizevni teroristi Kada je sve izletjelo iz Pandorine kutije u njoj je ostala samo varava nada. Mi zivimo tu varavu nadu u kojoj progonitelji postaju izbavitelji već desetljećjima. Gospodari zivota i smrti, kako se ginekologe često naziva, obmanjuju varljivom nadom i ovih dana kako treba educirati mlade o budućnosti koja će na taj način prema njihovim riječima biti bez pobačaja. Novinari, već desetljećima sluge vlasti, nastoje istjerati svoje kolege koji drugačije misle iz novinarstva, postajući urednici, bogataši koji iz prikrajka gledaju obogaljene i osiromašene ratom, kupuju automobile i jahte astronomskih vrijednosti, postaju ugledni poduzetnici, intelektualni knjizevni teroristi, postaju nagradjeni pisci, preko leševa istinskih pisaca. U slikarstvu caruje konceptuala koja moze biti zgodan vic za kratkotrajnu upotrebu, ali ne kao odraz umjetnosti jednog vremena. Mrtva kazališta s glumcima koje na televiziji i u zivotu zamjenjuju političari. Horror vacui, koji vapije do neba. Varljiva nada na koju se mnogi lijepe. U toj rasprodaji identiteta, i uništavanja drugačijeg treba izdrzati, treba vjerovati, ne izgubiti se u mrznji, biti dostojanstven i u šutnji.Gibson: Walter Benjamin u svojoj knjizi , ®idov kojega je usud odveo u smrt u vrijeme susreta s radikalnom komunistkinjom Asijom Lacis, kojoj će presuditi sovjetski logori, i još mladenački pun zivota i trazenja, piše neopterećen ni jednom ideologijom u kratkoj prozi orestoranu: >....nekada je prosjak za stolom obogaćivao svaki ručak. Vazno je dijeljenje i darivanje, a ne svjetski razgovor u krugu za stolom. Ali, neobično je da je druzenje nemoguće bez jela. Jelo povezuje. Grof od Saint-Germaniea ostajao je gladan pred punim stolom, i već je zbog toga bio gospodar razgovora.> Koliko je danas gospodara razgovora koji bi htjeli ostati gladni za stolom, zapravo koliko je u prenesenom smislu rada, iskrenosti i karizme medju vladajućima? Ali ne smije se zdvajati, treba izdrzati unatoč svemu, vjerovati i ne izgubiti se u mrznji.Mel Gibson u razgovoru o filmu novinarki ABC-a Dijani Sawer govori, spoznajući sve kontraste koje taj film donosi, jednu od najtezih rečenica - .U svojoj samoizabranoj tišini mimoilazenju bilo kakve tezine i odgovornosti za situaciju u kojoj se nalazi Hrvatska - svi ubijamo Hrvatsku. Iako je šutnja često glasna, trebalo bi svjedočiti i djelom i ne bojati se, vjerujući da ništa nije uzalud jer će inače proročki naziv knjige pjesnika Drage Štambuka , postati naša stvarnost ziveći u varljivoj nadi, izgubit ćemo istinsku Nadu koja mora bdjeti posebno u nama i u vrijeme korizmene pustinje.Broj: 10 (1550), 7.3.2004. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 07 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7027/1/E-Sto-je-sa-Skabrnjom-Vocinom-Vukovarom-Dubrovnikom.html ÂPavkovic: Zasto Bresanu nije palo na pamet snimiti film o Ovcari, Skabrnji, Vocinu, napadu na Dubrovnik...Cetvrtak, 4. ozujka 2004. . http://www.index.hr/UDRUGA branitelja "Podravke" iznenadjena je kojom se propagandom prikazuje film Vinka Bresana "Svjedoci", koji govori o navodnim hrvatskim zlocinima u Domovinskome ratu. Predsjednik Udruge branitelja "Podravke" Mladen Pavkovic u danasnjem priopcenju tvrdi kako je taj film dobio "neke marginalne nagrade na Berlinskom festivalu" te da je sve jos jednom "upotrijebljeno u dokazivanje kako su Hrvati bili zlocinci". "Mi osudjujemo svaki zlocin, ali prije svega treba imati na umu da su Srbi, a ne Hrvati, bili agresori", napominje Pavkovic.Pri tomu pita zasto Vinku Bresanu nije palo na pamet snimiti film o Ovcari, Skabrnji, Vocinu, napadu na Dubrovnik, razorenom Pakracu, o vise od cetiri tisuce hrvatske djece koja su ostala bez roditelja, o stotinama razorenih katolickih crkava? Pavkovic smatra kako, zeli li se prikazati neki film o borbi za slobodu i samostalnost hrvatske drzave, najprije treba poceti od svih onih cetnickih koljaca koji su za sobom ostavili na stotine masovnih grobnica diljem Hrvatske, u kojima su pretezito djeca, starci i zene, koji nisu sudjelovali u ratu, pogotovu ne s puskom u ruci! Njihov je jedini grijeh bio taj sto su bili - Hrvati!, napominje predsjednik Udruge branitelja "Podravke". Hina letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7029/1/H-Memorandum-o-projektu-Dijaspora---Berislav-Marusic.html ÂMemorandum o razgovoru o projektu "Hrvatska Dijaspora"Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2004 16:06:06 -0800 (PST)From: marusic@socrates.Berkeley.EDU To: Ivan Bagaric, veral@tel.net.ba Memorandum o razgovoru o projektu "Dijaspora."Ovdje bih htio sažeti i malo jasnije izložiti moje pocetne prijedloge za rad na projektu "dijaspora." Moji prijedlozi se odnose na pravu dijasporu, nadasve u SAD, a ne toliko na Hrvate u BiH.Ocjena trenutacnog stanja:Problem Hrvata u dijaspori jest što shvacaju stanje u Hrvatskoj i dalje kao krizno. To se ocituje na razlicite nacine od kojih su glavni sljedeca dva:1. Politicki desno orijentirani krugovi smatraju Hrvatsku i dalje ugroženom od Srba i drugih. Oni su spremni žrtvovati se, i za borbu su. Izvor frustracije im je što se u odnosu na to pitanje ništa ne dogada.2. Politicki lijevo orijentirani krugovi smatraju Hrvatsku pomalo državom utemeljenoj na prošlosti u kojoj vlada korupcija i u kojoj ne postoji ustroj normalnog pravnog i civilnog sustava.Uza sve to proistjece da su Hrvati u dijaspori politicki jako polarizirani: ili su žestoko lijevi ili žestoko desni, te je jos živo i ustaštvo i komunizam.Dodao bih dvije važne cinjenice: Prvo, Hrvati u dijaspori s obje strane politickog spektra jako vole Hrvatsku. Cak i oni koji se još uvijek smatraju komunistima i koji otvoreno tuguju za Jugoslavijom imaju vrlo iskrene osjecaje prema Hrvatskoj i to kao samostalnoj državi. Drugo, Hrvati su u dijaspori vrlo dobro povezani, i cesto se susrecu. Medutim, te se veze odnose na fragmentirane skupine i nisu sustavno organizirane iliinstuticionalizirane. (Iznimka je Hrvatsko-Americko društvo i e-mail adresar Nenada Bacha. O tome poslije.)Prijedlog strategije:Nadasve treba Hrvate u diaspori bolje informirati o sljedece tri tocke:Prvo, Hrvatska je sasvim normalna zemlja s obicnim politickim, društvenim i civilnim problemima. U Hrvatskoj, kao i u drugim državama Europe, problemi se sastoje od sporog gospodarskog razvoja, nezaposlenosti, i, na primjer, odvoza smeca. Za Hrvatsku ne postoji egzistencijalna opasnost iz vana (od Srbije itd.).Drugo, dostizanje samostalnosti i pobjeda u ratu veliki su uspjesi. Koliko god ljudi bili razocarani poslije rata, bilo s razlogom ili bez njega, to razocaranje može biti jedino razocaranje sasvim druge kategorije. Ono može biti politicko ili društveno razocaranje, ali nipošto ne može nadvladati spoznaju da su samostalnost i Domovinski rat povijesna dostignuca Hrvatske. Napokon, ta spoznaja mora biti iznad politickih stajališta: ne mora se voljeti (i ne voljeti) Tudmana da bi je se prihvatilo.Trece, Hrvatskoj ne treba pomoc kao što bi joj trebala u istinski kriznom razdoblju kao što je rat. Hrvati u dijaspori koji žele poduprijeti Hrvatsku ne moraju se odricati imovine i svojih života. Potpora mora biti obicna suradnja u tocno onome cime se ljudi ionako bave. Oni koji investiraju, neka djelomicno investiraju u Hrvatskoj, oni koji pišu, neka publiciraju i u hrvatskim casopisima, oni koji idu na odmor, neka idu i u Hrvatsku, i tako dalje. (Osobno iskustvo mi je da su me ljudi vrlo cesto pitali: što mogu napraviti za Hrvatsku? Malokad sam znao dobro odgovoriti.)Konkretni prijedlozi za rad:Prvo, u jednom službenom pismu, na engleskom i hrvatskom jeziku, treba ukratko objasniti prve dvije gore navedene tocke: Hrvatska je normalna zemlja s normalnim problemima (konkretno: kojima?); Domovinski rat i samostalnost su veliki uspjesi, a neuspjesi (zaduženost, krada u privatizaciji, itd. - to treba tocno navesti)su neuspjesi u jednoj sasvim drugoj kategoriji. Valjalo bi navesti nekoliko službenih podataka o gospodarskomrastu, zaduženosti, itd.Drugo, valja napraviti lijepu brošuru u boji, s konkretnim objašnjenjima što ljudi u dijaspori mogu napraviti. Dakle, treba konkretno razviti plan po trecoj tocki navedene strategije. Treba ljudima reci kako konkretno postupiti. Na primjer, ako sam student na nekom sveucilištu i želim publicirati u Hrvatskoj, neka me netko poveže s Karlovackim tjednikom, ili slicno.Mozda se cak može stvoriti Povjerenstvo koje ce to voditi.Trece, bilo bi dobro pretvoriti neke od postojecih veza medu Hrvatima u više službene i institucionalizirane veze. Tu kao primjer navodim adresar gosp. Nenada Bacha. Povezanost postoji, samo ju valja iskoristiti. Iz osobnog iskustva mogu reci da mi se nikad nigdje (ni u Švicarskoj ni u SAD) nije obratilo neko hrvatsko veleposlanstvo. Veleposlanstva takoder cine mrežu koja se može bolje iskoristiti.Cetvrto, predložio bih da se oda nekakvo službeno simbolicno priznanje ljudima koji su stvorili mreže medu Hrvatima, kao na primjer Nenadu Bachu. To je (bio?) njegov cisto dragovoljan rad, i mala gesta sa službene strane bi, vjerujem, tu puno znacila.Napokon, naglasio bih jednu stvar: ljude u dijaspori ne treba pozivati na povratak. Takav poziv ce samo stvoriti odbojnost. Buduci da gotovo svi razmišljaju o povratku, povezivanje ljudi s Hrvatskom na normalne nacine a ne nacinom žrtvovanja (v. tocku o tri strategije) sasvim ce prirodno u ljudima dovesti do jacanja želje za povratkom.Berislav MarušicBerkeley, CA, SADmarusic@socrates.Berkeley.EDU  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7028/1/H-Predstavnici-Hrvatske-Dijaspore-u-Saboru-Sto-sada.html ÂPredstavnici Hrvatske Dijaspore u Saboru. Sto sada? Postovani gosopdine Nenade,slobodan sam obratiti Vam se s namjerom upoznati Vas i od Vas trazitisudjelovanje (prijedloge, kritike, sugestije, suradnju te siriti i upoznatisto veci broj nasih ljudi i institucija u svijetu) o sljedecem:Na posljednjim parlamentarnim izborima za Sabor Republike Hrvatske izabranasu i cetiri zastupnika (Zdenka Babic Petricevic, Florijan Boras, KresimirCosic i Ivan Bagaric) u 11. izbornoj jedinici tj. na tzv. "listi zadijasporu". Kao sto znate to je bila i dosadasnja praksa te je nekolikozastupnika kako iz Domovine (Hrvatske i Bosne i Hercegovine) tako i izinozemstva obnasali tu casnu duznost. Jedan od instrumenata Sabora kroz kojeovi zastupnici obnasaju svoju duznost jest i Odbor za useljenistvo kojeizmedju ostalih clanova ima predsjednika (Zdenka Babic Pertricevic) i clana(Ivan Bagaric) upravo izmedju gore navedenih cetvero zastupnika s 11.izborne jedinice.Poslovnik Hrvatskog Sabora regulira poslove i zaduzenja ovog Odbora, tako uclanku 79. pise: "U djelokrugu su Odbora za useljenistvo poslovi utvrdjivanai pracenja provodjenja politike, a u postupku donosenja zakona i drugihpropisa. Odbor ima prava i duznosti maticnoga radnog tijela u podrucjimakoja se odnose na ostvarivanje programa povratka i stvaranje uvjeta zaukljucivanje useljenistva u gospodarski, kulturni i svekoliki razvojRepublike Hrvatske". Pored ovog i svih napora koje provode druga tijela iinstitucije Sabora i Vlade kao i svih ukljucenih u ovu problematiku, vrlocesto, od ljudi iz svijeta se moze cuti kako su nezadovoljni odnosom(kontaktom) kako njih samih medju sobom tako i s hrvatskim politickim ikulturnim institucijama u Domovini a i onih u inozemstvu (hrvatskapredstavnistva i ambasade).Pitam sebe, Vas i sve ostale kako najucinkovitije obavljati zadacu saborskogzastupnika, kome bi problematika pitanja hrvatskog iseljenistva trebala bitimedju prioritetima. BiH i Hrvati u BiH su takodjer od izuzetnog znacaja isvakako zasluzuju posebnu strategiju odnosa a na korist Hrvatske i BiH (togovorim i kao pripadnik tog korpusa hrvatskog naroda).Kako uspjesno (u cijelosti) odgovoriti na cjelokupnu (vaznu) problematikuhrvatskog iseljenistva iz nase perspektive? Kako dosadasnje znanje iiskustvo upotrijebiti i koristiti u buducnosti?Postovani, u prilog ovog mog kratkog obracanja saljem Vam i pismo koje jenapisao Berislav Marusic (sada na doktorskom studiju filozofije nasveucilistu Berkeley) nakon razgovora koga sam s njim nedavno vodio uZagrebu na istu temu. Predlazem, Vi i svi koji dobiju ovo pismo, dopunite ikorigirajte ga te vratite natrag kako bi mozda izradili predlozak strateskogdokumenta kojeg bi onda poslali nadleznim u Domovini i iseljenistvu te ga sprovodili.ÂS postovanjemDr Ivan Bagaric, zastupnik u Saboru RHveral@tel.net.ba letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7030/1/H-Kako-prastati-nekome-tko-se-uopce-ne-kaje.html ÂKako prastati nekome tko se uopce ni ne kaje? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 24 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7031/1/E-On-Stage-For-Any-Ear.html ÂCruising the Internet...Cruising the Internet danas, CroWorldNet was one of the many sites to tune in and read and visualize and get the latest info, what are the Croatians doing now and where are they these moments.I was particularly attached to the "Prljavo Kazaliste" info. Tonight they play in New York city. About a week ago, as luck would have it, I found myself in Vancouver, Canada. How I arrived there was information, as they say now-a-days, so five minutes ago. As luck would have it "Prljavo Kazaliste" put on a concert that kicked-ass, knocked down the winter blues, refreshed the heart beats and connected me with something Croatia here and now in the present tense.For two hours at the Croatian Home off of Commercial Drive in Vancouver, "Prljavo Kazaliste" rocked and rolled, brought down the house, tuned up the blood flow, made the audience feel like it was on a roller coaster with no parachute available.For two hours, I photographed "Dirty Theater." For two hours I tapped my toes, danced the feet, smiled, sang, captured moments that will be memorable for decades.For what "Prljavo Kazaliste" brought to a generation of Croatians, radical rock and roll, some twenty five years later, I stumbled on to a concert photographing men who didn't know their age, didn't care what time it was, never mind the name of the city, a number of tunes heard for the first time, a number of new memories generated, now assembled together for this photo artist, combining proslosti, the hours weaving together something to understand after so many narodne nosne postcards past tense.Kiss ass rock and roll, Croatian, adult, full of piss and vinegar, on stage for any ear willing to open the door and be understood. --Steve Renko  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7543/1/H-Dr-Pavuna-Deset-posto-kako-bismo-pokrenuli-Hrvatsku.html  DR. DAVOR PAVUNA U Hrvatskoj svi znaju za neke nogometase, a nitko nema pojma da su, primjerice, na Institutu za fiziku razvili najbolji septometar na svijetuTreba nam deset posto 'borbeno spremnih'ljudi kako bismo pokrenuli Hrvatsku VJESNIK,  Nedjelja, 11. sijecnja 2004. 'Pokusat cemo udruziti sve hrvatske strucnjake po svijetu i u domovini i gotovo sam siguran da ce ministar prihvatiti moj prijedlog o povecanju postotka inzenjerskobiotehnoloskih strucnjaka, sustavno slanje odabranih u tzv. centre moci, te jacanje uloge juzne Hrvatske, tocnije Splita, jer mi se cini da je previse 'znanja' centrirano u Zagrebu. Potrebna nam je jasna nacionalna vizija i konsenzus kakvu zemlju zelimo, koji se nece mijenjati nakon svakih izbora. Neke bih ljude vratio u Hrvatsku, Cak se usudim tvrditi da ce na nasim strucnjacima iz dijaspore Hrvatska zaraditi ako ce ih znati koristiti', kaze dr. PavunaOtkad je novi predsjednik hrvatske Vlade Ivo Sanader najavio posvecivanje vise pozornosti znanosti te akademika Miroslava Radmana imenovao Vladinim savjetnikom za znanost, o znanosti se u javnosti ne prestaje govoriti. Tko bi se sve mogao naci uz prof. Radmana koji ce HDZ-ovu Vladu savjetovati u kojem smjeru treba ici domaca nam znanost?Jedan od strucnjaka koje je Radman pozvao iz dijaspore kako bi pomogli u osmisljavanju nove strategije znanstvenog razvoja, jest i dr. Davor Pavuna, ugledni znanstvenik koji zivi i radi u Svicarskoj. Dr. Pavuna doktorirao je 1982. fiziku u Engleskoj, a nakon tri godine istrazivanja u Nacionalnom centru za znanstvena istrazivanja u Grenobleu te kraceg boravka u Australiji i SAD-u, 1986. prelazi u Institut za tehnologiju u Lausannei gdje i danas vodi istrazivanja na podrucju visokotemperaturnih supravodica i kompleksnih sustava.Vecinu vremena danas provodi u Americi gdje mu je trenutno najvazniji projekt na Syncrotronu u Wisconsinu, koji financiraju svicarski i americki Fond za znanstvena istrazivanja. Objavio je vise od 150 znanstvenih radova u vodecim svjetskim znanstvenim Casopisima te udzbenik o supravodljivosti koji je postao bestsellerom u svjetskim strucnim krugovima. Uredio je 20-ak strucnih knjiga, odrzao stotinjak predavanja po elitnim svjetskim sveucilistima od Cambridgea, Harvarda, BellLabsa i Parisa, do Berkeleya, Sydneya i Tokija, a redovito predsjedava Svjetskim kongresom nanoinzenjeringa i novih oksidnih tehnologija. Predsjedavao je i na 20-ak svjetskih konferencija i ljetnih skola o fizici, medju kojima i na NATO-u. Savjetnik je nekoliko korporacija u Engleskoj, Njemackoj, Francuskoj, Japanu, SAD-u i Koreji, a i vanjski je suradnik naseg Instituta za fiziku. Zivi u svicarskim Alpama, ozenjen je Francuskinjom s kojom ima dvoje djece.-Rekli ste mi da ste, kao hrvatski strucnjak iz dijaspore, s hrvatskom vladom suradjivali vec i ranije, tijekom Domovinskog rata pa i kasnije?Da, bio sam savjetnik Vojnotehnickog savjeta Hrvatske od 1991. te tijekom rata, a suradjivao sam s akademikom Slavenom Barisicem, potom sa tadasnjim ministrom i kasnije rektorom Zagrebackog sveucilista dr. Brankom Jerenom, te predsjednikovim savjetnicima i nizom drugih istaknutih hrvatskih mislioca. O tome se malo zna jer je bio rat i nismo ni htjeli da se zna. Dakle, dio nas iz dijaspore suradjivao je preko generala Cosica izravno i u vojno-tehnoloskom sektoru, o cemu postoje detaljna izvjessa, kao i cijela strategija koju sam osobno izradio i predstavio drzavnim duznosnicima. No, iako su se nacelno svi slozili sa mnom i jasno postavljenim parametrima o tome kako i po kojim kriterijima udruziti ili vratiti neke nase strucnjake, s time nikad nije ucinjeno nista vaznije jer prosirenoj oligarhiji pri vlasti i u vojnom sektoru tada valjda nije odgovaralo moje jasno postavljanje pozitivnih kriterija odabira najboljih. A buduci da se nista nije zbilo, moji brojni prijatelji i ja naprosto smo udruzili vidjenije Hrvate preko Interneta i sad smo tu gdje jesmo, spremni za nove izazove.-Novi vas je ministar znanosti, obrazovanja i sporta, dr. Dragan Primorac, nedavno kontaktirao i predlozio vam suradnju. O cemu je tocno rijec?Vec smo ranije s prof. Radmanom dogovorili da cemo nas nekoliko, svatko u svojoj strucnoj disciplini, pomoci Vladi i, konkretnije, ministru Primorcu. Iz dosadasnjih razmjena ideja ocito je da cemo pokusati udruziti sve hrvatske strucnjake u svijetu i domovini te sam gotovo siguran da ce ministar prihvatiti moje prijedloge povecanje postotka inzenjersko-biotehnoloskih strucnjaka, sustavno slanje odabranih u tzv. centre moci, te jacanje uloge juzne Hrvatske, tocnije Splita, jer mi se cini da je previse 'znanja' centrirano u Zagrebu. Nama je potrebna jasna nacionalna vizija, treba nam konsenzus kakvu zemlju zelimo koji se nece mijenjati nakon svakih izbora. Recimo, svi podrzavamo Radmanov Institut MedILF u Splitu, imamo i podrsku Instituta 'Rudjer Boskovic' kao i Instituta za fiziku, a te ce podrske biti i vise. To bi ministru umnogome olaksalo posao jer vecina nase znanstveno-tehnicke elite u nekim stvarima ima zajednicki jezik.- Vase je stajaliste da bi Vlada trebala organizirano povezati nase strucnjake po svijetu. Mozete li konkretno reci kako bi to povezivanje trebalo izgledati?Za pocetak je dovoljno da postoji jedna osoba zaduzena za koordinaciju na razini Vlade ili u Ministarstvu znanosti. Ta bi nas osoba zatim povezivala odnosno kontaktirala s nama prema potrebi i dinamici Vladina rada. Nesto slicno vec je postojalo i u doba predsjednika Tudjmana, ali je problem bio u tome sto vecina ideja nije realizirana jer domace institucije i ljudi tad jos nisu bili spremni. Sada je stanje nesto bolje, svi postaju svjesni da nece izbjeci ni znanju ni otvaranju ni globalizaciji, trendu koji postoji u svijetu i u pozitivnom i u negativnom smislu. Svi smo u tome zajedno. Ponavljam, neke bih ljude vratio u Hrvatsku, Cak se usudim tvrditi kako ce na nasim strucnjacima iz dijaspore Hrvatska zaraditi ako ce ih znati koristiti!- Predlazete da se svi nasi strucnjaci i mediji, poglavito HTV, mobiliziraju kako bi se nacija bolje informirala o ulozi obrazovanja i znanosti u drustvu. To bi znacilo da bi mediji trebali dati puno vise prostora temama znanosti i obrazovanja, sto dosad nije bio slucaj. Kako biste vi promijenili tu sliku prioriteta?Po mom bi misljenju trebala postojati barem jedna emisija tjedno u kojoj bi brojni hrvatski strucnjaci i izumitelji mogli javno pokazivali svoja znanja, odnosno govorili o ulozi znanja i novih izuma te se tako javno predstavljali. U Hrvatskoj svi znaju za neke nogometase, a nitko nema pojma da su, primjerice, na Institutu za fiziku razvili najbolji septometar na svijetu i uveli metode koje su u stanju mjeriti kvalitetu najfinijih vina. Ili, pak, da su na IRB-u razvili nove metode proucavanja u medicini koje povezuju fiziku i medicinu na spektakularan nacin. U Hrvatskoj nitko, recimo, ne zna tko su dr. Dubravko Babic, dr. Ivica Kopriva, dr. Slaven Garaj, dr. Neven Matasovic, dr. Ivana Mrkonjic ili dr. Ante Bilusic - da spomenem samo neke, a sve su to ljudi koji su na svojim podrucjima svjetski relevantni strucnjaci. Osobno imam kontakte s mnostvom takvih strucnjaka, postoje i baze podataka koje smo stvorili - neke dragovoljno, a neke organizirano. Sve bi nas to trebalo spojiti, sto bi, za pocetak, mogla uciniti jedna sposobna osoba u Zagrebu. Uostalom, to vec dragovoljno radi Nenad Bach. Pogledajte web stranicu croatianworld.net  koja radi vec godinama i nitko ga u Hrvatskoj sluzbeno ne podrzava. - Kako biste tocno, preko jednog centra koordinacije na visokoj razini, povezali strucnost nasih znanstvenika iz inozemstva s domacim znalcima?Akademik Radman prihvatio je ulogu Vladina savjetnika za znanost te pozvao jos nas nekolicinu da takodjer pomognemo - sto je normalno. Detalji te suradnje ovise o Vladi i ministru. Uostalom, nismo mi jedini mudri i pametni, u Hrvatskoj na svakom podrucju znanosti ima odlicnih strucnjaka. Dakle, za pocetak nam je potrebna jedna sposobna osoba s racunalom i telefonom...- Naglasavate prioritet 'prirodnjaka' nad 'drustvenjacima' u znanosti, sto trebamaksimalno koristiti.Da, mislim da je jasno kako je fizika, primjerice, revolucionizirala ne samo elektroniku ili tehnologiju, vec doslovno i filozofiju pa cak religiju i nase ideje o svijetu i medicini. Imali ste kod nas one koji su se bavili ulogom marksisticke misli u razvoju radnickog pokreta ili ulogom radnicke klase u razvoju socijalistickog boljitka, sto je ocito bila kriva formula .Vecina nasih ljudi nije svjesna koliko su duboko takve ideje i floskule usle u svijest i srû nacije, pa vjerojatno osobe poput mene nekima zvuce kao ,desniCari, ili 'radikali', jer je nas narod zaboravio sto je u 21. stoljecu 'normalno'. U tom stoljecu integracije strucnosti nece biti moguce vjecno se snalaziti preko veza i poznanstava, vec ce vazna biti strucnost iz prirodnih znanosti i inzenjerstva. To ne ukida vaznost cijelog obrazovanja i kvalitetu u umjetnosti, literaturi ili jezicima, to samo znaci da sredista mjerodavnosti u Hrvatskoj treba vise pomaknuti prema znanstveno-inzenjerskom smjeru i smanjiti broj i utjecaj tzv. drustvenih intelektualaca. To, medjutim, nece biti lako.-Hrvatska znanstvena dijaspora, nasa znanstvena elita u svijetu, baza je koju naprosto treba poceti koristiti. Kako bi oni ubuduce mogli pomoci Hrvatskoj, pri cemu poglavito mislim na uklapanje znanosti u gospodarstvo kojem bas ne cvjetaju ruze?O toj sam temi drzao predavanja bivsoj vlasti jos 1994. i 1995. Karikirano, mi se uvijek salimo govoreci da bi bilo koji bolji americki menadzer supermarketa 'WallMart' jednostavno 'sredio' pet milijuna Hrvata u najljepsoj cistoj zemlji u Europi. Drugim rijecima, problem Hrvatske problem je jednog ocajno krivog obrasca menedzmenta bivseg socrealisticko-boljsevickog tipa u kojem se nista nije znalo o uspjesnom gospodarstvu. Istina je da oko 60 posto hrvatske ekonomije predstavlja petrokemija, da vecinu stanovnistva cine neaktivne osobe, umirovljenici, nezaposleni i studenti... Sve to slici na tanker prepun rupa koji kosta mnogo novca i strasan je teret za svakog zaposlenoga. To nijedna vlada nikad nece moci do kraja sama rijesiti, i zato joj je potrebna i pomoc Crkve, ali i aktiviranje svakog pojedinca. Nakon toga moguce je s preostalih 10 posto 'borbeno spremnih' pokretati male inicijative - nalik malim brodicama za brze operacije (dok tanker jedva prezivljava). S tom skupinom znalaca postupno se moze izgraditi nova Hrvatska, zemlja znanja koja sustavno i mudro slijedi jednu nacionalnu strategiju i viziju koja pojednostavljeno kaze: 'Stop crno-sivim tehnologijama'. Nasu buducnost cine kultura biotehnologije i ekoturizam, nova znanja u gospodarstvu te stvaranje velikih dohodaka s malo znalaca ('Microsoft' nema ni 300.000 zaposlenih) u najljepsoj i zadnjoj cistoj zemlji u Europi! Evo, na taj nacin mi u dijaspori pojednostavljeno vidimo Hrvatsku. I naglasavam, takva ce Hrvatska i biti jer bi u suprotnome mogla nestati, izmanipulirana najgorom vrstom tzv. eurokapitalista. Ponavljam, mi smo sve to detaljno razradili i dosad, samo sto nista od toga nije realiziralo. Cini se, naime, da je mnogima bilo bolje loviti u mutnome, u starom sustavu koji je samo promijenio ime i make-up. Ali, tako se vise nece moci dalje i zato ce promjene koje predlazemo - morati zazivjeti. Moji brojni prijatelji i ja imamo toliko znanja da cemo u svakom slucaju uspjeti- S obzirom da ste savjetnik korporacija iz raznih zemalja svijeta, od Engleske i Njemacke do Francuske, Japana i Koreje, koje biste konkretne mjere predlozili Vladi, odnosno ministru Primorcu? Koji su nasi prioriteti?Svaka zemlja ima svoje posebnosti i zato izravno ne treba primijeniti nijedan model, vec njihovu kombinaciju. Iz Svicarske bismo mogli kopirati ustroj i stabilnost institucija, iz Koreje restrukturiranje inzenjersko-proizvodnog sektora, iz Izraela stvaranje i infiltriranje elite u centre moci i odlucivanja, a iz Irske mozda integraciju, nazovimo to 'izvandomovinstva' i dodatnih strucnosti. Nase bismo studente, odabrane po kriterijima izvrsnosti, trebali sustavno slati u, primjerice, Harvard Business School i druge slicne centre moci, ne samo da steknu znanja, vec i veze i poznanstva, jer i to pomaze jednoj zemlji u globalnim svjetskim igrama mocnika, koje su, nazalost, neizbjezne. U igri moci i utjecaja bilo bi zanimljivo kopirati i tzv. centre publiciteta (PR centre) u New Yorku, Washingtonu, Bruxellesu ili Prizu. Na taj se nacin stjecu brojna iskustva. Ili, kako bi rekao moj kolega Nenad Bach 'idemo izvoziti i nase klape i obicaje', neka svi cuju za Hrvatsku! Uvjeravam vas da moji brojni prijatelji i ja imamo toliko znanja da cemo u svakom slucaju uspjeti, samo ako bude malo dobre volje, ne samo kod nove hrvatske Vlade, vec i opcenito, za dulje vrijeme. Iskreno receno, mi u inozemstvu ionako smo se dogovorili da sve to 'nametnemo' Hrvatskoj jer smo uvjereni da je vizija koju predlazemo gotovo optimalna. Mislim da se Sanaderova vlada i dr. Primorac s nama slazu. Davor.Pavuna@urbanet.ch (Prof.Dr. Davor Pavuna) Sun, 11 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7032/1/E-Teach-them-appreciation-and-diversity-and-respect.html ÂOpinionsPEGGY NOONANOp-edA Croatian artist Noli Novak draws these pictures for The Wall Street Journal.NBThe Banners Why are rich people afraid of the Virgin Mary? Monday, December 29, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST We have all seen the stories this Christmas season--they are not new, they are only more so--of the local struggles between what I suppose might be called the forces of modernity versus the forces of faith. Tussles in schools and townships over the Christmas display, the prayer, the T-shirt, the cross, the statue of Mary. It's all a continuation of what Michael Kinsley once sardonically referred to as the crèche menace. But it has moved beyond the crèche: It is increasingly a movement to ban on all public property--and pretty much in public, period--the signs and symbols of a religious holiday that roughly 90% of Americans celebrate. It doesn't even have to be Christmas-related. Last week there was the story of the Florida housing group that banned a statue of the Virgin Mary from the front of a house in the community. They are very busy, The Banners. They seemed to have calmed down after 9/11, when half the country exploded with spontaneously put-forward religious symbols (crosses, votive candles, cards with saints' faces), and it was somehow . . . allowed. Shock shook The Banners into reasonableness; tragedy concentrated their minds; they retreated. But now they are back, and it is the meaning and actuality of 9/11 that has receded.The motives of The Banners are mixed. Some seem to have aesthetic distaste for religious symbolism that is the outward and visible expression of an inner distaste for religion itself--it's old fashioned, unworldly, very booga booga woo woo, which can't be helpful, can it? Some of The Banners seem driven by malice and the impulse to bully--your religion is not my religion, so it will not be mentioned in public, bub, no matter what the holiday or how many celebrate it. But some of The Banners mean well and believe their efforts are constructive. They believe that assertions of religious belief are inherently divisive, that to put forward the symbols of belief is threatening to society's peace. They believe that the displaying of the symbols of one faith is an implicit denial of the beliefs of another faith. They do not think that faith is part of the answer; they think it is a big part of the problem (see fundamentalist Islam; see the protracted war in Northern Ireland). They think that if only people would stop being religious, we wouldn't have religion around roiling people's emotions and making them violent. (If you say to them, "Man is prone to violence, and one of the things that tends to make his heart gentle is faith in God," their eyes widen in shock: That couldn't possibly be true!) I have witnessed these arguments close up--I suppose everyone in the country has--and I have learned something. And I didn't want to let the season end without saying it. I learned what I learned by talking to mothers as they debated these issues outside school. This was years ago, when my son was in grade school. This is what I learned: Censoring doesn't work. Accommodation does. But a particular kind of accommodation.The answer is not banning religious symbols. This brings resentment and engenders a quiet seething that does not encourage peace and understanding. The answer is not to banish religious symbols from the public square. The answer--the pro-peace position if you will--is to fill the public square with the signs and symbols of faith. It is not to banish them from the schools, it is to teach them in the schools. The answer is not to present in the school's display case the sorry little compromise of the 1990s--the tired little Santa and the dusty dreidel. The answer is to display a menorah and explain what it is, and its history, and what it means to Jews. The answer is to display a crucifix or a cross and explain what it means to Christians. And, yes, the answer is to show a Koran and explain what it is. The answer is not to ban Christmas carols from the school pageant but to sing them; they are part of our culture and history, and they are beautiful. And there are other religious songs that are not Christian. Sing them too. The answer is not to banish belief but to bring it in and explain it in loving terms to our hungry-minded children. This will truly teach them appreciation and diversity and respect and regard for others. We, their parents, are limiting them and harming them by hiding the things of faith, or forcing them underground. They deserve light.I'll end with a happy story. A few years back I had a small patch of patio in Manhattan, in an apartment building up in the 90s off Park Avenue. It was a little outdoor area overlooked by scores of apartments. The patio was empty and sad looking when I got there, so I started to put in some flowers and bushes and then I put out a two-foot-high plaster statue of the Blessed Mother. It was as if I'd summoned the forces of hell. Maybe I had. One neighbor started putting flyers under my door explaining that idolatry and Mary-worship consigns its unfortunate devotees to hell. Other neighbors complained about the garden. People got mad. I was taken aback. I think part of it had to do with class. You can tool the streets of working class Lodi, N.J., and see little Marys in the front and back yards and no one says boo. But you can go from one end of Park Avenue to the other, and never--and I mean never--see a Virgin Mary in a window or a roof garden. I know. I have searched. There are Catholics on Park Avenue, but mostly there are rich people. And believe me the rich of Manhattan seem either not to like religious symbols or they know to keep them to themselves. Display is vulgar (and working-class). The rich are lucky, but they are also human. Like most humans they think they have what they have only because of their efforts; or, as is often the case in America, they've been lucky so long they think they deserve it. They think they got it because they made better decisions and more sober choices. I think they forget God had anything to do with it. Displaying the signs and symbols of faith is just not very . . . Park Avenue.Anyway, putting Mary out there in a public space engendered resentment. Mary--poor Mary, the most peaceful and loving of women--was causing quite a fuss. So I took Mary into the house, and she lived for three years in a closet. Then I moved to Brooklyn. In Brooklyn there was another patch of land, another patio area. With flowers and bushes it could be beautiful. So I hired a local landscaper, and I showed her Mary. I told her I really wanted to put the statue outside but I didn't want to cause trouble with the neighbors. I told her of my problems in Manhattan. The landscaper looked at me, perplexed. Finally she spoke. "This is Brooklyn," she said. "You can do Mary here." And so I did, and she is out there now. There's a big Mary of Fatima across the street at the local church, too, so I am surrounded by Mary. My having her there is my way of saying, "A likeness of the beauty and sweetness of the mother of God is here in my garden and I hope it brings you peace." No one has complained. No one has said a thing. When the PC talking points came out in 1985 no one sent Brooklyn the memo. We have mezuzahs and Marys all over the place. We have a vital synagogue and social center just down the block, and the headquarters of the Jehovah's witnesses down the other; the synagogue is next to a home for Franciscan priests. A few blocks away on Atlantic Avenue the mosques are next to the Baptist churches. One of my neighbors is an ardent Lebanese Maronite, and another is a lover of Buddha. He keeps a statue in the window. This is actual diversity. Everyone gets to be, we don't fear faith. May the world in 2004 be more like Brooklyn, and may its arguments over religion and the public square be solved the Brooklyn way. Ms. Noonan is a contributing editor of The Wall Street Journal and author of "A Heart, a Cross, and a Flag" (Wall Street Journal Books/Simon & Schuster), which you can buy from the OpinionJournal bookstore. Her column appears Thursdays. http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110004488 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7033/1/E-John-Holbrook--Jamnica-is-the-best-water-in-the-world.html ÂJohn Holbrook : "Jamnica is the best water I have ever tasted".John Holbrook in Sinj October 2003Five time Grammy award winner and a famous sound engineer who recently visited Croatia with me, while recording new a cappella CDs and DVDs in surround sound (Klapa Sinj, Klapa Luka, Klapa Navalia and Klapa Lindjo), found Jamnica to be his choice of water. Without me asking him anything, he said that Jamnica is better than Perrier and as well the best mineral water he ever tasted. Nenad Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7034/1/H-Zahvaljujuci-tvojim-info-dat-svoj-glas-u-Konzulatu.html ÂCROWN i Izbori 2003Bog Nenad, zahvaljujuci tvojim info idem danas dat svoj glas u Konzulat, jer sutra nisam tu. Upravo sam se vratio iz Zagreba, HTR radi dokumentarni film o meni tj. mojoj fotografiji, kojeg smo zapoceli u Zg a finalno snimanje je ovdje u New Yorku 2-8.12. , Cujemo se. Bog Lori. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 22 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7035/1/H-Kuda-ide-Hrvatska.html ÂKakva se mogucnost predvidja za buducnost ?Sinovima Âemigranata, narocito onima koji su rodjeni i koji su uvijek zivjeli u inozemstvu, sigurno nije ni lako ni jednostavno govoriti i analizirati dogadjanja u roditeljskoj domovini. Postoji uvijek mogucnost utjecaja sentimentalnosti, sto sprijecava objektivno procjenjivanje onoga sto se u doticnoj zemlji dogadja.Nadajmo se da ne upadnemo u misolovku ovoga tipa.Koncem 90-tih godina, osjecala se u Hrvatskoj potreba radikalnih promjena. Poslije pobjedonosnog rata za oslobodjenje, nisu slijedile, kako je bilo najavljivano od ondasnje vodece stranke, vedrije godine i, naracito, osjecala se nemogucnost pronalaska politickih rijesenja za nebrojene probleme kao sto su: privatizacija, banke, sudstvo, zemljoradnja, veleobrt i sto je najglavnije nezaposlenost.I medju nama, u emigraciji osjecala se ova nova politicka promjena, koju smo ocekivali s nestrpljenjem. Posebno je bilo jasno da nacin nekadasnjeg vodjenja politike, kakav se formirao u Titovom periodu, uporno se nastavlja, jer su bivsi glasnogovornici usli u stranku vecine, t.j. na mjesto moguceg laganog i brzog obogacivanja na ledima vecine naroda, tako se nazocilo zauzimanju veleobrta ili hotela ili drugih objekata, samo zahvaljujuci bankovnim zajmovima dodjeljivanim bez ikakvih uobicajenih garancija. Tako se sprdnja sastojala u tomu da su novcem onih radnika koji su bivali odpustani, novi vlasnici zauzimali skupocijena dobra ne dajuci niti novcica iz vlastita dzepa i partecipirali na nastvaljanju osiromasenja drzavne kase.Ovakova politicka rjesenja, bivse vlade, mogli su imali nekakvo dobrohotno opravdanje, da ne ostave sva narodna dobra na tanjuru nezasitnom inozemnom kapitalu (kao u ono vrijeme sto se mogla opravdavati kao neke vrsti “socialne politike”, dodjeljivanje brojnih invalidskih mirovina borcima ili povecanom broju redarstvenika) ali svakako, na dugo vrijeme, to nije mogao biti valjan podstrek gospodarskom razvitku zemlje.Koliko se moze podrzati da HDZ to sve nije razumjela ili koliko se to moze pripisati oltrancistickom politikom prema Hrvatskoj sa strane Europske Unije, drzim, da se ova dva faktora skoro izjednacujuProblem je za buducu politicku klasu, pronaci rijesenje gospodarske krize u Hrvatskoj, koja je sinonim politicke i moralne krize, sto na dugo vrijeme moze prejudicirati i sam obstanak nacije.Ako analiziramo rad nove momcadi poslije izbora u sijecnju 2000-te, moramo na zalost pripisati iste odgovornosti upravljajucoj klasi u cemo treba dodati i pomanjkanje konkretne i toliko obecavane pomoci sa strane Eropske UnijeÂKakva se mogucnost predvidja za buducnost ?Prije nego sto dodjemo do odgovora potrebno je vidjeti postoji li, danas, u Hrvatskoj, politicka skupina sposobna preuzeti odgovornost za najglavnije potrebe zemlje ? U svijetlu cinjenica, koje vidimo, trebalo bi odgovoriti negativo. Izgleda da ne postoji ni jedna politica skupina, koja ima vlastite poglede kako bi trebalo voditi hrvatsko gospodarstvo. Hocemo li moci prezivjeti sada kada je 97% hrvatskih banaka u tudjinskim rukama, kada hrvatski Sabor mora obznaniti zakon, kojim se obvezuju upravni odbori doticnih banaka da imaju barem jednog clana koji zna govoriti hrvatski. Zar to nije istinska slika kolonizacije zemlje ?Je li prodaja dio Ina-e slijedila logiku trzista u potrazi za vecom zaradom, ili je to ucinjeno samo da se reaktiviraju stara prijateljstva korisna za financiranje predstojece izborne kampanje ?Ali isto tako moramo razmisljati: ako je sve lose u Hrvatskoj, barem tako smo uvijek u svijetu prikazivani, zasto stranci kupuju nase banke ?? Mozda nije sve tako crno kako nas drugi uvjeravaju ili je mozda potencijal naseg gospodarstva puno jaci od onoga sto se danas moze vidjeti. Mozda je nasa ekonomija namjerno zamrznuta od strane medjunarodne zajednice tako da se ne razvija previse brzo, jer tako bi se defintivno distancirala od ekonomije Srbije, pa bi taj drugaciji faktor definitivno sprjecio zajednicki ulazak u E.U. ?!U glavnom, nije nam jasno, vrsi li se prodaja nasih banaka iz vlastitog uvjerenja po Bog te pitaj kakvoj Âpoliticko – gospodarskoj strategiji ili je to bila cijena koju je morala platiti nova hrvatska vlast za podporu ne samo na rijecima i tapsanju po ramenima, nego i novcano od strane neke europske drzave ??Je li zbilja moguce vjerovati, da danas u nasoj zemlji, poslije 12 godina samostalnosti, ima jos uvijek iskreno orijetiranih protu – Hrvata, Âili nekih njihovih nesretnih (ili bolje nespretnih) stanovista (n.pr. borba protiv naziva “drzavni”za Sabor, ili akcija protiv “laznih” invalida, osudjuvanje privatizacije i produzujuci na isti nacin kriminalizaciju domovinskog obrambenog rata i t.d.) treba pripisati samo gluposti politickih vodja ili casovitom politickom oportunizmu ??Ova politicka situacija u zemlji sigurno nije jedna od boljih, a svima nam je poznato da se Âpriblizuju novi politicki izbori. Za koga bi onda hrvatski gradjani trebali glasovati ?Izvjesna interesantna pomicanja vec se zapazaju: najprije izlazak Ivica Pasalica iz HDZ-e i ulaz na politicku scenu predsjednika Maticu Hrvatske, g. Zidica, izgleda s Budisinim liberalima; da je on usao u redove HDZ-e ne bi se radilo o velikoj promjeni po broju glasova, jer HDZ jos uvijek predstavlja prvu stranku s relativnom vecinom u Hrvatskoj. Ulazeci na liste liberala, ako se to realizira, Âsa svom vjerojatnosti i slici sigurnog pozitiviste i prestiza koji uziva u cijeloj zemlji, bi znacilo omoguciti vec skoro preminuloj socijalno liberalnoj Budisinoj stranci, da dostigne potreban quorum za ulazak u Sabor i jos vise, da formira koalicijsku vladu s HDZ-om, ne prisiljujuci Sanadera previse u desno. Sve ovo u nadi da Budisa iza kako je iskusio Titove zatvore i sudjelovanje u vladi skupa s Racanom i Mesicem, Âda je razumio lekciju. Istina je, nazalost da je politika umjetnost (vjestina), pa kao sto se ne radjaju svi slikarima ili glazbenicima, moze se biti izvrstan pisac, govornik i rodoljub, ali los politicar (kao pok. Vlado Gotovac).Mozda je jos veci problem, osim kasnjenja hrvatske politiche klase, da ispravno shvati unutrasnju situaciju, mozda stoji jos vise u nasim vanjskim neprijateljima, koji imaju svoj cilj kojega slijede iskoriscujuci unutarnju politicku borbu u Hrvatskoj.Europska Unjia, koju neki vide kao soluciju svih hrvatska problema, nazalost, ona to nije. Nije dostajalo to shvatiti za vrijeme proslog sukoba, kada su mnogi njezini ugledni clanovi otvoreno podupirali srbsku agresiju i pravili poslove s Milosevicem ?? (cfr. Telekom Srbija)EU ne rjesava ovakovu vrst unutrasnjih problema, dapace cini se sklonom teritorijalnom zamrzavanju nekih geopolitickih problema u korist jacih, koji ju vode. Evo zasto su skoro svi su bili slozni odrzavanju jugoslavenske Federacije, jedne umjetne politicke tvorevine, koja u 70 mirnodobskih godina postojanja nije rijesila nijedan povjesni, teritorijalni, narodnosni, kulturni, vjerski, pa cak ni jezicni problem u regiji, ostavljajuci otvorena vrata rasplamsavanju ostrih medjusobnih sukoba i intervenciji medjunarodnih faktora, kojima se tako davala mogucnost za bilo kakvu soluciju u njihovu vlastitu korist.Jedna je cinjenica sigurna, da je povijest uciteljica zivota za one koji to hoce shvatiti, sto znaci da se u Europu ne ulazi zrtvujuci vlastite Heroje. Svi oni politicari koji su otvoreno suglasni smatrati generala Gotovinu kriminalcem, ili po vlastitoj gluposti ili po politickom racunu, najopasniji su neprijatelji hrvatskog naroda.ÂLuka Kriliccroata@romacivica.net Predsjednik: Hrvatsko – talijanske UdrugeGlavni Tajnik: Saveza hrvatskih Zajednica u ItalijiClan Upravnog Odbora: Bosansko - hercegovacke Zajednice u Italiji Clan Nadzornog Odbora: Hrvatskog Svjetskog Kongresa letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 27 Oct 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7036/1/E-We-absolutely-loved-the-hospitality-of-the-Croatians.html ÂWe absolutely loved the hospitality of theCroatiansLast year I had posted to the Croatian World Network asking for helpful travel trips and options on places to visit for my husband and I as we planned our first trip to Croatia. The response from the readers was wonderful, and it was such a treat to read all of your letters! Now that we are back from our trip, I wanted to thank everyone who responded. Your assistance was invaluable!! Simply, we had the most wonderful vacation ever and we so appreciate all your recommendations! We thought the Island of Hvar was just beautiful. On Hvar, we stayed at Villa Tamara in Zavala (which has the most beautiful view of the ocean and the most gorgeous beach) and ate at Villa Stella Mara (the best food on the Island!). Jelsa was our favorite place to just "hang out" as we met many scuba divers there from all over Europe. The "Dive Center Jelsa" is an A+ place to go for a scuba diving excursion and we had a fantastic time diving close to Bol. I will never forget how I felt as we were walking through the gates of Dubrovnik for the first time. We spent just hours walking around Dubrovnik, looking at it's museums, shops and cafés. It seemed like there was always something new to see. We absolutely loved the hospitality of the Croatians - a shop in Dubrovnik even let us pay for a crystal decanter in three different currencies as we were running low on Kuna (this would just be unthinkable in the states!). The highlight of our trip had to be attending the opening night of the first ever Dubrovnik Film Festival "Callas Forever" and the after party celebration (great food and wine). Thank you to again everyone!Nancy and Patrick De WaardLos Angeles, California patandnan@prodigy.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7038/1/E-Welcome-To-Europe-Croatia.html ÂWelcome To Europe, Croatia!ÂAnd what is Croatia doing these days? I have stayed away, shied away from the topic, subject of, for reasons that clogged up decades of my life. As long as I can remember it was Croatia this and that and everything else. Maybe, just maybe, I was tired of being Croatian. There are other corners of the world to inhale.Croatia was interesting when the bad Yugoslavs were trying to absorb Croatians into a South Slav melting pot with them as in charge of the soup, main course and dessert.Croatia being free and independent and a member of the United Nations was an unbelievable dream come true. Slobo the monster's attempt to wipe out the Croatian people failed miserably. Was it a miracle that Croatia won the war? Was it politics? Was it an act of God, politics, maybe the aliens had something to do with it. The late President Franjo Tudjman is hailed as the mas! termind in some corners. The Yugo-Serb military machine did pound Croatia and its citizens to hell and back. Croatia never did break, it was hurt extensively.ÂShall we thank the White House? London? Paris? The Vatican? The Pope has visited Croatia three times. How fortunate for Croatia!ÂI don't know where I fit in this present day Croatia. I thought I did. I have traveledto Croatia from 1977 to 2002. Those years takes in a Croatia when we struggled as a people, an identity, an element in the equation that didn't have room for Croatians. the war had changed everybody and everything. Now this many years later. Is the HDZ relevant? They never did recover after President Tudjman died. Post-death information revealed the HDZ was not that cohesive. Is President Mesic anything more then a person in place for the European Community? How Croatian is he?! The definition of being Croatian has been redefined. It now conforms to a European Community standard.ÂCroatia will be in the Holy Roman Empire, Incorporated. I'm starting to like the European Community, Incorporated. They are giving the American Manifest Destiny Conglomerate competition. Croatia is normalizing, becoming a quiet Balkan country with museums, parking spaces, and a seacoast vacation spot. Never mind the parking, that is fictional.Croatia is not the cutting edge country of the future. It is conforming into a nice place, less the nationalism, more tolerant, prices are still high, and the natives holding many more phantoms and fumes then they have the room for.Croatia is a postcard. Croatia has a hole in that postcard. A confluence of realities mix there and blend into nearly invisiblebehavioral patterns. A little bit of the past, lots of see through denial and too much immigr! ant nationalism hoopla that really is not that in touch with the facts inside the real Croatia, over there by the Adriatic Sea, just beyond the Military Frontier, surrounded by a Balkan terrain now bought and paid for with a membership in the European Union.Welcome to Europe, Croatia!! Please hold while we transfer your call to our home office in New Jersey. Now that feels familiar.ÂSteve Mladen Renkorukav1@yahoo.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 06 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7039/1/E-Film-Harrisons-flowers-in-Croatia.html Â"Harrison's Flowers" still not in CroatiaI wrote a letter on June 23 to the Croatian government and the Mediaregarding the film not having played in Croatia. Here is my translationfrom the Croatian:Gentlemen:I read in the April edition of the Matica, the magazine for the CroatianDiaspora, with great disbelief and anger that the French/American film"Harrison's Flowers" has never been shown and is unknown in Croatia. Thefilm was already shown worldwide in 2000 and had received three prizes atthe film festival in San Sebastian. It is even sadder that the person whohas tried to present the film in Zagreb, the painter AntonÂMates, had invited the media representatives to the closed premiere andhardly anyone showed up.ÂOne has to ask, what is the reason that particularly this film, whichfinally shows to the Western audience the truth and the suffering ofCroatia, especially Vukovar, found no interest among the Croatian media?ÂAre the members of the Croatian media Croatians or are theyYugo-nostalgics, who would rather deny the horrors that our people livedthrough during the Serbian aggression? As Mr. Mates writes:" If you lookwhat is going on in the media, where now for a year or two they onlywrite about Croatian war crimes, which certainly existed and are theshame and pain of the Croatian people, I hold that in comparison to theSerbian ones' they are significantly smaller." (This can clearly be seenin the Hague today.)It seems that such people in the government and the media have no ideahow the Serbian propaganda against Croatia is still strong in the world,with huge exaggerations in the numbers of Serbs and Jews killed by Croatsin WWII (yes, Croatia is still being rebuked for this) as for instancethe quoting of one million killed Serbs, while they conceal that theyalso had a Nazi state under general Nedic and were killing Jews in theconcentration camps Sajmiste, Banjica and others or delivering them tothe Germans. While Croatia apologized to the Jews because of Jasenovac,Serbs never apologized, rather lied that in Serbia it was only theGermans who did the killings. By the way, only a short while ago Hungaryfinally apologized and Romania finally admitted that they were killingJews - yet only Croatia is constantly being accused. Why? Preciselybecause of this strong Serb propaganda. This was also the very reasonthat there was not much sympathy in the West for Croatia when it wasattacked by Serbia. At the end, when they could not avoid seeing themassive Serb atrocities in Bosnia, they finally decided on "all areequally guilty".ÂTherefore, gentlemen, a film like "Harrison's flowers" has enormous worthfor Croatia, because it shows truthfully what was happening in Croatia,while Croatians did not step on even a blade of grass in Serbia.ÂIf there is an attempt to reconcile Croatians and Croatian Serbs, it isclear that it has to be the Croatian Serbs who need to apologize, not theother way around, as it seems today's Croatian Government and the mediabelieve. That this film was not shown in Croatia and the Croatiangovernment had no interest in importing it is indeed shameful. EveryCroatian must be deeply touched when seeing this foreign film, which hasbeen dedicated to the forty eight war correspondents who died in the warof 1991-1995.ÂSincerely,Hilda Marija Foley(Zagrepcanka)13272 Orange KnollSanta Ana, CA 92705 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7037/1/E-For-CROWN-supporters--CROWNWORKS.html ÂCrownWorksDragi Nenade,Puno hvala za podrsku radu Hrvatske zajednice u Washington, D.C u vasem danasenjem pismu. Ja sam si uzela slobodu da ga u cijelosti stavim na Croatian House News Letter koji prima preko 500 ljudi u Washington/Baltimore metropolitan area.ÂTakoder, na ovaj nacin sam htjela omoguciti onima koji vec nisu da postanu vasi pretplatnici. Sto se tice Croatian house web site imali smo do sada oko 61,000hitova u mjesec dana i preko 40% od toga je doslo preko Vaseg site-a.Srdacno,DanicaOp-edThank you Dragica. I rarely publish the feedback information. One of thereasons of CROWN existence is exactly this. Help each other in a simple mannerand promote the best in us and raise the self-confidence of already verytalented people. We all need a support. I thank you, Croatian House, for yourcontribution.Svako dobro,Nenadp.s. On the first day of summer 2003 CROWN passed 500,000 hits letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7040/1/H-Azil-u-Engleskoj-ljetovanje-u-Hrvatskoj.html ÂAzil uEngleskoj, ljetovanje u Hrvatskoj?I sent the following letter to Croatia's President Mesic, Prime Minister Racan, Sabor President Tomcic and Foreign Minister Picula in March 2003 when I first read about it.ÂPostovani gospodine Predsjednice!Sa zgrazanjem citamo medju vijestima iz Engleske, da ta zemlja zeli da Hrvatska primi u neki privremeni logor osobe koje traze azil u Engleskoj, dok Engleska ne odluci, kojima ce pruziti azil. Preklinjemo Vas, da to nikako ne odobrite. To je jos jedna smicalica Engleske da ugrozi Hrvatsku. Bila bi krajnja ludost dopustiti raznim Arapima i drugim ljudima iz siromasnih zemalja da se nastane u Hrvatskoj na tko zna koliko godina, dok se Engleska odluci neke od njih primiti. Drugi ce onda ostati u Hrvatskoj. Zar to Hrvatskoj treba? Nikako ne!Engleska to zeli, jer sama ima velike poteskoce s tim ljudima. Mnogi pobjegnu iz tih logora, te zive ilegalno u Engleskoj. Isto bi se dogodilo i u Hrvatskoj.Engleska valjda mase hrvatskoj vladi pred ocima obecanje da ce potpisati SAA, Sporazum za stabilizaciju, ako Hrvatska pristane na taj prijedlog. I bolje je da ne potpisu, jer taj Sporazum (Stabilization and Association Agreement) Hrvatskoj uopce ne pomaze, nego joj steti. Taj Sporazum stavlja Hrvatsku na Balkan, opet sa Srbijom, od koje se uz mnogo krvi i patnje konacno odijelila. Sa Srbijom, koja jos uvijek ima vojsku i gradjane koji na tipicno balkansko-srpski nacin ubijaju svoje predstavnike i zele, kako je Seselj rekao pred nekoliko dana, opet osvojiti "srpski Dubrovnik, srpsku Dalmaciju, srpsku Slavoniju, srpsku Liku i Knin". Isto tako su nerazumljivi nedavni pregovori u Grckoj, koja zeli osnovati neku novu asocijaciju "Balkanskih drzava".ÂVrijeme je, da Hrvatska ustane i kaze jasno i glasno da ne spada na Balkan u udruzenje s takvim drzavama, nego da spada u Srednju i Mediteransku Europu, i kulturno i povijesno, te da EU i SAD nemaju pravo da je na tako nesto prisile. Jasno je, da unatoc svih nepotrebnih hrvatskih popustanja, koja su joj stetna, EU svejedno ne kani primiti Hrvatsku u EU i NATO u dogledno vrijeme. Zaista je krajnje vrijeme, da hrvatska vlada to shvati, te da se odgovorno brine samo za ono, sto je za dobrobit Hrvatske.S postovanjem,Hilda Marija Foley letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 11 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7041/1/E-CNN-Why-do-people-love-to-wear-fatigues.html ÂWhy do people love to wear fatigues?ÂThis must really hurt - to make so obvious how irrelevant theÂbiggest news network may become if it looses its independence.Saddam was never in army, but his entire tenure as president heÂwore military garb. GW Bush was dodging his military duty asÂmuch as he could, yet know he hails us from front pages ofÂAmerican dailies in an air force suit, modern day's Ceasar's choiceÂof clothes. Why do people, who were awkward, good-for-nothing asÂsoldiers, love to wear fatigues? I mean I am one of them and I don'tÂknow the answer...ivo letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7042/1/H-POLITIKA-BUSINESS-SPORT-I-IZOLIRANA-DIJASPORA.html ÂPOLITIKA, BUSINESS, SPORT I IZOLIRANA DIJASPORAOvim clankom zelim zbuniti gospodina urednika pri odredivanju rubrike ovog clanka.U danasnjoj "ponudi" tema na CROWNu su 3 iz businessa, 13 iz politike, 30- tak iz sporta. To bi znacilo da imamo najmanje problema s i oko gospodarstva, politika i politicari su na tragovima projekcija, koje su dali, pa je stanje drzave i u njoj sve bolje. Mozemo se onda amimirati sportom, mahati zastavama i slaviti na trgovima, uzvikivali Kostelicima, da bi sutra na tim istim trgovima uzvikivali zaposljavanju i vecim placama.A tada se vidi stanje gospodarstva i umjesnost politicara da ponesto hrvatske imovine prodaju, ponesto posude od MMFa - bit cu pristojan, pa za uvjete necu pitati.Zamislite da su nasi Kostelici austrijski Kostelichi, kako bi im mogla biti drugacija karijera. Herr Anton Kostelich bi odmah dobio uvjete da u nekom prekrasnom zimskom ambijentu postane sef tima skijaskih trenera u Europskom centru za skijanje, jer on jamacno zna prenositi skijaska znanja. Moglo bi se raditi u vise klasa, neke po kasi, dakle "de luxe", neke po znanju ucesnika. Mogli bi se tiskati udzbenici skijanja na vise jezika, mogli bi se organizirati sportski treninzi ljeti, na svjezem planinskom zraku....Ali kod nas nista od svega toga, kada zanos prode ostaju sumorni problemi od jucer, danas. sutra.Umjesto zaposljavanja, novaca za sve + PDV, pa bi crkve ministra Crkvenca zvonile do neba! Mora li tako biti? Hrvatska je sigurna zemlja, dijaspora navodno ima novac za investicije i osjeca se izolirana.Prijedlog: formirati inesticijsku grupu kod vas zaintresiranih, razgovarati s gospodinom Antom, , vidjeti vidi li on u Hrvatsjoj pogodan teren, zakupiti ga, organizirati pocetak Europske skole skijanja, javno ponuditi partnerstvo s privatnim hrvatskim investitorima, naci potpore tvornica sportske opreme, ukljuciti promicbenu infrastrukturu Ministarstva turizma, spremno docekati zimu...Bude li u nas bez snijega odvesti grupu tamo gdje ga ima i tako minimalizirati rizik..A ni sampioni nece vjecno ostati u vrhu, ali ipak dovoljno dugo da skola stekne ime "Kostelici", pa se i za njih kasnije nade posao pedagoga... Ja ne vidim zapreke za gornju ideju, pa ju ovim putem nudim.....prof Dubravko HEINRICHÂduhein@net4u.hr dipl. ing fizike,bio profesor gimnazije, a sada sudski vjestak za cestovni promet letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7043/1/E-Tankeri---Jadran--Uvazavanje-Okolisa--Strategija---Razvoj.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂTankeri u JadranuPuno dopisa i prijepisa o tankerima.ÂMozda nemam odgovore, ali imam sigurno pitanja. Da li je netko od odgovornihÂspreman odgovoriti na njih i pojasniti siutaciju ostalim citaocima CROWNa?1. Balasne Vode - Prociscavaci - Uvazavanje Okolisa 2. Tankeri s duplim dnom - povijest udesa?3. Koliko tankera sada plovi Jadranom? A koliko bi plovilo u najgorem slucaju?Â4. Strateska vrijednost ? Geopoliticka poluga ?5. Financijaska dobit - vrijednost ? Tocno u $.6. Turizam - kakav efekt ?7. Susjedi na sjeveru i jugu i zapadu imaju slicne ambicije. Sto se desava,Âako oni dobe taj posao? Tankeri i dalje plove nasim vodama uz tudji profit?ÂNajgora solucija u kojoj nemamo pravo rijeci.8. Sto ako se INA proda? Tada isto nemamo rijeci.Problem balastnih vodanigdje nije rijesen, sto ne znaci da je nemogucepostici rjesenje ili da ce se donijeti odluka da tonije vazno. I sada smo izlozeni balastnim vodama, upuno manjoj mjeri, doduse. No, novi tankeri su manjaopasnost po okolis od primjerice starih ribarica. Svedok se ne dogodi nesreca. Da li je moguce razviti tehniku prociscavanjabalastnih voda i prodati istu citavom svijetu?Tu je i pitanje koja je stvarna razlika izmedjuOmislja i Trsta, druge glavne Talijanske luke?Trideset kilometara. Ako nece Omisalj, Trst ili Koparili Bar - hoce. A kad pricamo o trasi tankera, oni binakon Druzbe Adrije isli dvije milje unutar nasihvoda, a ako nismo u projektu, u medjunarodnim vodama,dakle dvije milje dalje. Razlika je potpuno banalna, stim da nemamo nikakve mogucnosti utjecaja na njih utom slucaju.ÂTalijani prljaju Jadran svojom industrijom iz rijekePo, a ubiru od turizma u Veneciji vise od cijele RHa u predgradju Venecije imaju najvecu rafineriju ikemijsku industriju. Pa su onda tu jos i Trst,Bologna... Slicno rade i Grci, prvaci turizma, kojiispod Akropole imaju u luci Pirej svoju najvecurafineriju...ÂKad Amerikanci i Rusi krenu u projekt, on ce se mociodvijati i bez nas, a i dalje ce utjecati na nas.ÂNaime, Amerikanci moraju imati stabilne izvoreenergije ako zele stabilno gospodarstvo, razvoj,stabilan dolar, strana ulaganja... Situacija naBliskom Istoku je nestabilna i ostat ce takva.Amerikanci se zato okrecu Rusima kao partnerima jer suRusi stabilniji a i zele ih odvuci od moguceg dogovorasa Kinom. Dakle, Jadran je jedino toplo more s kojimRusi mogu racunati oko izvoza nafte. A Amerika racunas time. E, sad, ako se oni dogovore da ce sve to icipreko nas, to za nas znaci puno toga. Prije svega, RHpostaje regionalni igrac i izlazi na svjetsku scenu,umjesto dosadasnjeg lokalnog posluzitelja u tom poslu.To znaci da mozemo upotrijebiti nase kapacitete,proizvoditi, trgovati, utjecati. Tako da su dolarskecifre koje se spominju u ovom poslu jako teskoodredive. Jer, mi svjetskim silama nudimo nasupoziciju, jedinstvenu, koja nema neku fiksnu cijenu.ÂPoliticka posljedica svega je da dobivamo dodatnesigurnosne garancije. Rat sa Srbijom nas je unazadio iunistio nam turizam a ovim projektom to se vise nikadne moze dogoditi.Hrvatska treba postati razvijena zemlja, koja ce pametnotrgovati i zivjeti i od prodaje svojeg znanja a nesamo resursa, i od turizma.ÂSve uz jednu pretpostavku, a to je da se okolis maksimalno zastiti.No, treba znati gdje je ta granica. Osobno, mislim danitko razuman u RH ne zeli vratiti nasu zemlju uproslost. Moramo se razvijati, ali na odrziv nacin. Ane tako da Dalmaciju ocistimo od industrije iposlovnog sektora. Rijeka, Split, Sibenik, Zadar,Dubrovnik... moraju imati i druge izvore osim turizma.1. Balasne Vode - Prociscavaci - Uvazavanje Okolisa 2. Tankeri s duplim dnom - povijest udesa?3. Koliko tankera sada plovi Jadranom? A koliko bi plovilo u najgorem slucaju?Â4. Strateska vrijednost ? Geopoliticka poluga ?5. Financijaska dobit - vrijednost ? Tocno u $.6. Turizam - kakav efekt ?7. Susjedi na sjeveru i jugu i zapadu imaju slicne ambicije. Sto se desava,Âako oni dobe taj posao? Tankeri i dalje plove nasim vodama uz tudji profit?ÂNajgora solucija u kojoj nemamo pravo rijeci.8. Sto ako se INA proda? Tada isto nemamo rijeci.Nenad BachEditor in ChiefLetters@CroatianWorld.netÂToni Vidan iz Zelene Akcije pokrece kampanju nevladinihudruga protiv Druzbe Adrije. http://www.zelena-akcija.hr/ÂIsto tako, Vlada i Ministarstvo zastite okolisapripremaju uskoro konferenciju o Jadranu na kojoj ce,izmedju ostalog, biti rijeci i o ovom projektu.Navodno ce se donijeti odluka na razini svihJadranskih zemalja da u Jadran smiju uplovljavati samotankeri s duplim dnom, bit ce rijeci i o drugimoblicima i mjerama koje se mogu poduzeti da se Jadranzastiti. http://www.mzopu.hr/doc/structure.gifÂÂJanaf,http://www.janaf.hr/onama.htmÂMikrofon je Vas:Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 24 Feb 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7045/1/E-The-people-are-warm-and-delightful-Despite-the-war.html Distributed by CroatianWorld The people are warm and delightful. Despite the warÂThis letter appeared in the Sunday's Los Angeles Times Travel Section (Jan 26)HildaREADERS RECOMMENDCroatia: Walled cityDubrovnik, Croatia. "This city on the Adriatic Sea has a wonderful oldtown, Stari Grad, that makes visitors feel as if they've stepped back intime.ÂThe medieval city's walls built more than 500 years ago, are 80 feethigh. There are interesting churches, museums and cobbled streets. Thepeople are warm and delightful. Despite the war (the city was heavilyshelled in 1991), the city's cultural and historical heritage seemsintact. My wife and I visited during a cruise and highly recommend it."Bob MaiersRedondo Beach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 29 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7044/1/H-Zasto-Volimo-Hrvatsku---Matko-Marusic.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂZasto volimoHrvatsku?ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ- Matko Marusic -ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂNemojte pricati o tudem nepostenju! Mislite o svom -postenjuZasto volimo Hrvatsku? To nije politicko pitanje, ni nacionalno, ni osobno,nego pitanje svih pitanja: ono ce nam dobrim dijelom dati odgovor naovozemaljski smisao nasega zivota.Hrvatsku, drzim, volimo racionalno i iracionalno. Racionalno znaci razumski,tako da mozemo objasniti zasto je tome tako. Iracionalno je ne-razumski,nesto sto naprosto osjecamo i tesko nam je objasniti razlozima, korisnoscuili racunski.Ljubav kao slobodaHrvati su 888 godina (od 1102. do 1990.) strastveno zeljeli samostalnost inebrojeni su narastaji dali svoje najbolje sinove u borbi za slobodu. Zastoljudi toliko zele samostalnost, zasto zele slobodu? Buduci da je hrvatskaceznja za slobodom starija od nasih odnosa sa Srbima, jasno je da Hrvatstvonije anti-Srpstvo (ni anti-Talijanstvo, ni anti-Madzaronstvo). Nasa (isvacija druga) ceznja za slobodom proistjece iz covjekova prirodnog osjecajada ce mu biti najbolje kad bude sam sebi gospodar. Tako i jest, premdanaizgled ima i dobrih gospodara, te premda se ponekad zivot u ropstvu cinijednostavnijim od zivota u slobodi.Kad je covjek svoj gospodar onda on vjeruje da najbolje zivi.U tom se vjerovanju nalaze ponos i odgovornost, dva vrlo vazna osjecaja:ponos stoga sto samo ponosan covjek moze biti svoj gospodar, a odgovornoststoga sto gospodarenje znaci odgovornost. No, to su teme o kojima trebazasebno govoriti.Razumsko HrvatstvoImajuci svoju drzavu, covjek bolje zivi. Plodovi njegova rada pripadaju mupotpuno, i kroz ono sto sam stvori, oplemeni i ustedi, i kroz porez koji muse vraca kao javna usluga upravo njemu. Nitko ga ne iskoristava, a cak akoga tko njegov i iskoristava, to mu se barem dijelom vraca kroz javne usluge.Zapravo samo u svojoj zemlji ima smisla kupiti zemlju, za njivu, vrt, iligrob, vrijedi sagraditi kucu i moze se umrijeti okruzen svima onima do kojihnam je stalo.U vlastitoj drzavi, svi ljudi govore istim jezikom i na tom su jeziku sveknjige, natpisi, zakoni i sredstva javnog priopcavanja, a njime govore isusjedi, policajci, svecenici i politicari.No, to nije sve, nego tek pocetak: imanje drzave omogucava pojedincu dazdruzenim naporom sa svojim zemljacima postigne vise nego sto bi sam mogao.Zajedno se grade skole i stadioni, ceste i luke, parkovi i odmorista.Zajedno se bolje branimo i predstavljamo, biramo i bivamo birani pa tako iposredno i neposredno odlucujemo o svojoj sudbini. Simbolicno receno, samo usvojoj drzavi covjek moze postati predsjednik drzave. Zbog zajednickihkulturnih, povijesnih i religijskih korijena ljudi imaju slicne zelje istremljenja, pa se lakse sporazumiju i dogovore, lakse zajedno rade i trpe,i ljepse se zajednicki raduju uspjesima, svojima, tudim i zajednickim.(Neki bi rekli da se sve to moze postici i u velikoj zajednici cijelogacovjecanstva, no to nije tocno, zbog najmanje dvaju razloga. Prvo,covjecanstvo je toliko veliko i toliko raznoliko da se ne moze udruziti kaonarod u jednoj drzavi, a drugo - iako je vise puta pokusano, npr. ukomunizmu, to na svijetu zasad ne postoji, pa ne treba traziti od male,slabe i tek oslobodene Hrvatske da pode tim putom. Oni koji tako govore,najcesce Hrvatskoj rade o glavi. Uostalom, ne vidim kako bi se moglo postatigradanin svijeta, a da se prije nije odredio i ispunio nacionalni identitet.Buduci da je to nama Hrvatima nijekano stoljecima, vise to ne smijemodopustiti dok nam je na ramenu glava.)Osjecajno Hrvatstvo"Zivjeti u tudini znaci kretati se u praznom prostoru visoko iznad zemljebez zastitne mreze koju covjeku osigurava njegova vlastita zemlja, u kojojima porodicu, kolege i prijatelje, gdje se lako moze sporazumjeti sa svakimna jeziku koji zna iz djetinjstva" kaze veliki ceski pisac Milan Kundera("Nepodnosljiva lakoca postojanja"). Ta je recenica prije svega osjecajna,premda je izgovorena obicnim rijecima, a bliska nam je i u svojojzbiljnosti. Ne moze covjek zivjeti bez korijena, bez ljubavi, bez osjecajakoji se ne mogu i ne moraju objasniti razumskim argumentima.Zasto volimo svoju majku? Ima od nje i ljepsih i mladih i obrazovanijihzena, ali ne pada nam ni na kraj pameti da podemo traziti drugu majku. Zastovolimo "Hajduk" ili "Dinamo"? Nasa ljubav (na zalost) nije povezana snjihovim dostignucima, niti sa stilom igre, pa zasto onda ne bismo navijaliza neki bolji klub, koji igra stvarno bolji nogomet? "Nasi su", rekao bicovjek, no - sto to zapravo znaci? Ne poznamo osobno ni jednoga igraca,vecinom su iz drugih krajeva zemlje (ili iz inozemstva) - po cemu su oninasi da ih toliko volimo?Nasi su po onom ne-razumskom osjecaju pripadanja, radosti prepoznavanja,prvim sjecanjima, mirisima djetinjstva, ocevoj ruci koja nas je cuvala naprvoj utakmici... I volimo ih, iako bas nikako razumski ne mozemo objasnitizasto ih volimo.Lijepo je voljeti. Lijepo je pripadati. Eto, i zato volimo Hrvatsku.Nismo mi izabrali da budemo Hrvati. Mogli smo se roditi i kao Nijemci, ilikao Nigerijci. Mi za svoje Hrvatstvo nismo ni zasluzni, ni krivi. Ono nam senaprosto dogodilo. I ne mozemo ga promijeniti jednako onako kao sto nemozemo promijeniti majku ili nogometni klub za koji navijamo.Jos ljubavi za HrvatskuAko se sada doista usredotocimo na nasu, danasnju, zbiljsku Hrvatsku, vidjetcemo da ima jos mnogo razloga, razumskih i osjecajnih, zbog kojih je volimo,dapace, zbog kojih bismo je trebali jos vise voljeti.Prvo, ona je lijepa, neizmjeno lijepa, i, oprostite, vjerojatno jedna odnajljepsih zemalja na svijetu. Drugo, ona se nalazi na dobrom mjestu - usrcu zapadne civilizacije: okruzena je starom Grckom, velikim Rimom i svetimnjemacim carstvom. Firenza i Bec su na dohvatu nesto bolje setnje, Prag iSvicarska bliski su susjedi, Sveti je otac preko kanala, a Sveti Stjepan usjevernom dvoristu. Sjetite se samo Hrvata koji zive u Australiji: njima jeprva susjedna zemlja Malezija, a udaljena je 5.000 km.Na ovom mjestu ne moram nabrojiti bas sve hrvatske vrijednosti; mozda trebaspomenuti obilje pitke vode, vrlo plodnu slavonsku ravnicu, ugodnu klimu,dobru hranu i - lijepe i pametne ljude. Ukratko, covjek ima mnogo, i vrlojakih razloga da zivi u Hrvatskoj i da je snazno i strastveno voli.Ljubav i odgovornostNo, ljubav ne moze opstati sama od sebe, bez truda, vjere, odricanja injegovanja. Voljeti Hrvatsku vrlo je potrebno, jer cemo je tako boljezivjeti i ocuvati je za sebe i svoje potomke. No ta je ljubav ujedno ivelika odgovornost, kao sto je i svaka druga ljubav - prema Bogu, zeni,djeci, poslu. U ljubavi nije dovoljno samo voljeti. Ljubavi se morauzvratiti - mora je se njegovati, hraniti i cuvati svime onime sto jeprispodobivo njezinoj snazi i dostojno njezine vaznosti. Ljubav daje tezinujednoj strani vage; da bismo je odrzali, na drugu stranu moramo stavitiodgovarajucu kolicinu odgovornosti. Ljubav bez dostojne odgovornosti ne mozepostojati. Bit rasprave o ljubavi jest rasprava o odgovornosti potrebama teljubavi.Ljubav nosi obveze, a obveze se vracaju kao korist i ljepota zivljenja.Proistjece da u Hrvatskoj nesretno zive oni koji je nedovoljno vole i onikoji je vole ali je nisu dostojni.Ljubav i djelaSto treba i sto se moze uciniti u ime ljubavi za Hrvatsku? Moze se i mora seuciniti mnogo, a to bi trebao odrediti svatko za sebe, prema svojimsposobnostima i svojem videnju ljubavi za Hrvatsku. Ja cu ovdje sebi uzetislobodu i nabrojit cu cetiri bitne stvari, koje moze napraviti svatko, beztruda i troska, bez ucenja i mucenja, naprosto tako da uvijek misli kolikovoli Hrvatsku.1. Lijepa nasaSto cesce pjevajmo nasu himnu. I pritom drzimo desnu ruku na srcu.Neprijatelji Hrvatske proglasili su da je to znak HDZ-a, ali nije. Ta jegesta previse vazna da bi je svojatao itko osim hrvatskog naroda. Dokpjevate "Lijepu nasu" drzite ruku na srcu. To rade svi uljudeni narodi paradimo i mi.2. Hrvatski jezikHrvatski je jezik potiskivan, iznakazivan i progonjen srpskim imperijalizmom150 godina. Kroz to se vrijeme pokvario i promijenio toliko da se vise nemoze vratiti tocno na svoje prave korijene. No, moze se bitno popraviti,sustavnim, strucnim i domoljubnim naporom. Za manje strucne, reci cu ovo:sluzite se 6. izdanjem Hrvatskog pravopisa autora Babic-Finka-Mogus (izdala"Skolska knjiga", Zagreb). Ustrajte da u skoli Vasu djecu uce po tompravopisu. Najbolji hrvatski jezikoslovci su profesori Stjepan Babic iDalibor Brozovic.3. EkologijaSvim silama, u svakoj prilici i u svakom casu, cuvajte cistoci svojeHrvatske. Tu nema kompromisa: kad god je prljate a da Vas nitko nije vidio -prljaju je i drugi kao i Vi, i bit ce prljava i bit ce osiromasena. Odbacanja opusaka, preko razvrstavanja smeca do stroge discipline u odlaganjukrupnoga i kemijskog otpada - pocnite od sebe (!) i strastveno se baviteodrzavanjem cistoce Lijepe nase. Ucite djecu, opominjite odrasle, raspitujtese kod strucnih i nestrucnih! U strasnoj navali oneciscenja, sve vecem brojustvari koje su otpad i sve vecem broju stanovnika (turisti!), samo mi mozemospasiti Hrvatsku da ostane cista i zdrava.4. PostenjeKratko receno, postenje je sve ono sto nas uci sveta mater crkva i, kad semalo bolje zamislimo, svatko od nas zna sto je posteno a sto neposteno.Nemojte pricati o tudem nepostenju! Mislite o svom - postenju. Odsuzdrzavanja od psovke, preko drzanja rijeci, do placanja poreza. Nemagovora o varanju, sitnim kradama, zatajivanju, kasnjenju, neiskrenosti,laganju! Hrvatska - to smo mi! O kolicini lazi, krade i prjevare u Hrvatskoj- odlucujemo mi. Pocnimo od sebe. Drugi ce nas slijediti. Uostalom, uvijekje mocniji, uspjesnji i bogatiji onaj koji je posten, nego onaj koji jeneposten. Ako to ne vjerujete - pogledajte svijet oko sebe, ali dobro,pazljivo, u ukupnosti covjekova zivljenja. I vidjet cete da se raj, pakao icistiliste raspoznaju vec na Zemlji.Matko Marusic, MD, PhDÂEditor-In-Chief, Croatian Medical JournalÂmmarusic@mef.hr letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 29 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7046/1/H-Bermudski-Trokut.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 20 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7047/1/E-Thank-note---Your-Letters.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂYour LettersHello Nenad,Would you post the following for me in a future edition of Crown?****A couple of weeks ago I wrote asking for your help as my husband and I plan our first trip to Croatia. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to respond to us. We received many wonderful emails full of fantastic information, travel tips and stories! One thing is for sure - Croatia is a well lovedcountry, and we are so excited about our trip! I can't thank everyone enough for their help.Best wishes,Nancy De Waard*****Thanks Nenad!Nancypatandnan@prodigy.netÂÂOp-edThank you for your kind interest in our country and I thank all of you who sogenerously responded to Nancy's request.best, Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 19 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7048/1/H-Primjedbe-na-.html Distributed by CroatianWorldÂNEKEPRIMJEDBE NA "PRIOPCENJE" HKD-a "NAPREDAK"Prigodomumorstva clanova obitelji AndjelicProf.Antun PinterovicPsihoanaliticarÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂTuga, ozlojedjenost, pa i gnjev prigodom toga gnusnoga zlocina uKostajnici su naravna stvar. Ali nacinna koji takove osjecaje izrazava Prof. Dr. fra Andrija Nikic, predsjednik unaslovu navedenoga drustva i autor "Priopcenja"  nisunaravna stvar. Sa strane jednoga intelektualca, dakle covjeka uma i razuma(Prof. Dr.!), pa k tome jos i katolickoga redovnika, dakle propovjednikaevandjelja ljubavi iskrnjega, pa cak i neprijatelja, moglo se ocekivati i nestodrugo.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂUsporediti pocinitelja zlocina s Faraonom, Herodom, Sultanom i "njihovimsljedbenicima" je, po mom skromnom mnijenju, pruziti pocinitelju upravo onosto je tim odvratnim umorstvom htio postici: medijsku pozornost, te ideolosku,tako rekuc mitsku, vaznost za svoju ustvari sicusnu bolesnu i izgrednicku osobu.Jer nemojmo se zavaravati, Moamer Topalovic, indoktrinirani i fanaticni clanekstremne muslimanske toboze humanitarne udruge "Dzem-ijjetul-el-Furkan",koju financira Visoki saudijski komitet (sa sjedistem u Sarajevu!), nije nikakva"produzena ruka" nekakve paklene zavjere u vidu "planskogavjerskog ciscenja katolickog pucanstva u Bosni i Hercegovini s njihovihstoljetnih ognjista", kako bi to htio fra Nikic i sto bi dakako sam ubojicau svojoj bolesnoj masti sigurno zelio biti; ne, on je tek jedan ordinaranpsihijatriski slucaj paranoicnoga shizofrenicara s vjerskim delirijem, odnosno smastanjem o nekakvom svom "bozanskom poslanju", koje mu pristedjujesuocivanje sa svojim vlastitim ljudskim nistavilom: on cak nije uspio zavrsitiniti srednju skolu! A znamo da je neznanje, nenaobrazenost, dakle skucenostduhovnoga obzorja, najplodnije tlo za nicanje svih fanatizama. Da je ubojici kodtoga jedina Âsvrha promocija svojenistetne sicusne osobe pokazuje i cinjenica da je takodjer autor izjalovljenaatentata na svoju ruku naSlobodana Milosevica. Ne, tu nije pravi problem. Pravi je problem da psiholoski"profil" jednoga Moamera Topalovica nije vise osamljena pojava, ito ne samo u Bosni i Hercegovini! ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂPrvo je onda pravo pitanje: Sto je to Europska zajednica (i medjunarodnazajednica opcenito) ucinila  ili bolje: nije ucinila!  u doba srpskogaratnoga zuluma u Bosni i Hercegovini, da i ta europskazemlja tone sve to vise u islamski fanatizam iintegrizam?Drugoje pravo  i isto tako vazno  pitanje:ÂNijesu li hrvatske vlasti u doba srpske najezde na Hrvatsku i Bosnu iHercegovinu mogle osmisliti kakovu drugaciju politiku prema Bosni i Hercegoviniod one koju su provodile: rat s Muslimanima, podrska stvaranju hrvatskeparadrzave u bosanskoj drzavi, podjela Bosne i Hercegovine s Milosevicem? Nijeli se moglo osmisliti  daje bilo politicke volje  vec u pocetku srpskenajezde na Sloveniju, pa onda na Hrvatsku, jednu opcu vojnu koaliciju svihnesrpskih republika i pokrajina bivse Jugoslavije protiv Milosevica? To suuostalom mnogi protagonisti toga strasnoga rata bili i sami spontano osjetili:koliko je to Muslimana i Kosovara uslo u Hrvatsku vojsku da se bori protivzajednickoga napadaca?ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂA zadnje je pravo pitanje: Zar smo zaista zaboravili povijest? Zar smozaboravili da prva muslimanska pjesma na hrvatskom jeziku ali arapskim pismom (tzv.alhamiado knjizevnost) izvjesnoga Mehmeda Erdeljskog iz 1588/9 nosi naslov"Hrvatska pjesma" (Chirvattürkisi)? Zar smo zaboravili da se elitamuslimanskih intelektualaca i knjizevnika krajem XIX. i pocetkom XX. st.smatrala Hrvatima? Zar smo zaista potpuno zaboravili glasovite stihove MirzeSafveta: "Jer hrvatskog jezika sum / Moze da goji, / Moze da spoji / Istoki Zapad, / Pjesmu i um!"?ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂI na kraju: 18. lipnja 1993., u interviewu "Globusu" (str. 8),poznati muslimanski politicar Ejup Ganic, za kojega se ne moze reci da je baspro-hrvatski raspolozen, rekao je i sljedece: "Bojim se da su obicni ljudiu Hrvatskoj svjesni da zbog stanovitih kamenjara u zapadnoj Hercegovini, gdjenajbolje uspijevaju poskoci, mogu izgubiti drzavu. Tudjman se igra hrvatskomsudbinom podrzavajuci misljenje nekih ekstremnih ljudi u stotinjak kvadratnihkilometara hercegovackih kamenjara. Nitko ne moze osporiti da je to njihovo, alikako da ih uvjerimo, i njih, i Tudjmana, daje Bosna hrvatska drzava. Uvijek bila i ostala."(Podcrtao A. P.) Zar smo zaista i to zaboravili? Ili bolje: Da li smo to uopceculi? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 08 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7049/1/E-As-first-time-travelers-to-Croatia-we-need-recommendations.html Distributed by CroatianWorld As first time travelers toCroatiaDear Crown Readers,ÂMy husband and I will make our first trip to Croatia at the end of May! This will be a very special trip for us as we will be celebrating our wedding anniversary. As first time travelers to Croatia, we are very interested in hearing from you on your recommendations of "must see" sites. We're also interested in hearing from you on recommendations for hotel or private accommodation in various cities.ÂThank you very much,ÂNancy De Waard, Los Angeles, California, USAÂPlease email us: patandnan@prodigy.net letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Jan 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7050/1/E-Are-you-moving-to-Croatia.html ÂYour LettersTo:CrownDear Nenad,My name is Petar (Peter) Skrmeta and I live with my family in Fremantle, Western Australia. To you, your family and your "working team" at the CROWN I wish a Merry Christmas and Happy andSuccessful New Year.I visit your web site every day. I congratulate you and your team on such a hard work and excellent service to the global community, especially for "presentation of the Croatia to the world". Thank you very much for that.Recently I have obtained a new internet address of the employment web site in the Croatia, for those who are looking for work in Croatia or are offering employment in Croatia. Please, can you place this web site into your program. http:// www.posao.hrÂBy profession I am qualified Social Worker, Health Educator, Counselor and Psychotherapist. For the last 12 years I have been working for the Health Department of Western Australia. My personal desire is to return to Croatia next year and to contribute to the "Croatian Wellness" by my life and professional experience.ÂI often look at your "Are you moving to Croatia?" section, hoping that day will come when that information will be available, to help those who plan to return to Croatia.From the beginning of the year I will be actively looking for the employment in Croatia. Finding employment in Croatia is one of the most important components of the successful return(povratak). I am fluent in the Croatian and English, so I can write to you in eitherlanguage.I have also written a couple of poems in the past which I would like to send them to you.Tebi i "tvojoj ekipi" zelim sve najbolje.Uz iskrene pozdrave: Petar Skrmeta 50 Fallow Crescent SPEARWOOD WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6163 AUSTRALIApetars@modnet.com.au letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7051/1/H-Pet-i-pol-sati-cekanja-na-Sudu-za-Prekrsaje.html New Page 1ÂPet i pol sati cekanja na"Sudu za Prekrsaje"Stovano urednistvo,Pismo, poslano regularnom postom slijedi. Ispricavam se da ne mogu staviti punktacije, ali se nadam da cete razumijeti. A, ako niste razumijeli pricekajte na moje poslano pismo istog sadrzaja!Zahvaljujem na paznjiVas F.Z.BPet i pol sati cekanja na "Sudu za Prekrsaje"Roden sam Zagrebcan (1931., Kustosijanec), imigrirao sam u U.S.A. i vec 30 godina sam americki gradanin. U Rujnu ove godine (2002.) bio sam u posjeti mojoj dragoj Domovini po treci puta. Iznajmljenim autom imao sam manju saobracajnu nezgodu u Zagrebu (23ceg Rujna). Nasi hrvatski policajci su dosli, napravili izvide, veoma profesionalno obavili svoj posao, bili su veoma ljubazni (ne kao policajci u bivsoj Jugi, a to sa ponosom pisem), napisali zapisnik, utvrdili da sam ja bio krivac, te me uljudno zapitali mogu li iduceg dana doci na "Sud za Prekrsaje" u Petrinjsku 18 tocno u 10 sati u jutro. Odmah sam prihvatio sa zeljom da sto prije rijesim taj slucaj i nastavim odmor u dragoj mi Hrvatskoj.Sutradan, bilo je kisovito i prohladno jutro, zurio sam da stignem tocno u 10 sati u Petrinjsku 18 na prvi kat. Pokucao sam na vrata ureda, a cinovnica mi je odmah rekla:"Pricekajte na hodniku, mi i onako ne dobivamo dokumentaciju za sudenje prije 11 ili 11 i 30. To jutro na hodniku je bilo mnogo "sluzbenog osoblja", imali su neki sastanak, jer je tamo bila servirana kava, Coca-Cola, a cinovnice su jurile iz sobe na hodnik i obratno usluzujuci "goste". Ja sam bio jedina stranka, koji sam cekao na sudenje. Oko podne sam bojazljivo pokucao na vrata ureda te upitao sto je sa mojim pozivom za sud. Cinovnica mi je mirno rekla:"Morate cekati, pa zasto ne idete popiti kavicu preko puta u "Purger"?! To sam i uradio, vratio se, opet pitao, cekao i cekao!Odgovorni sudac, cije ime sam nasao na vratima jednog ureda, gospodin Mario Mestrovic, desetak puta je prosao hodnikom mimo mene, stalno pitajuci cinovnice o opskrbi kavom i Coca-Colom za goste. Ni jednom prilikom nije na mene obratio paznju. Neki postariji gospodin, pretpostavljam jedan od sudaca, prolazeci cesce mimo mene, priupitao me:"O, vi jos uvijek cekate, zasto ne odete nesto pojesti van, pa vi niste uhiceni!".U 3 i 30 poslije podne sam, konacno, bio pozvan u sudski ured. Sudenje je bilo rutinski kratko i u petnaestak minuta je bilo zavrseno. Platio sam kaznu za koju sam bio osuden, a sudkinja mi je rekla da imam pravo zalbe. Odgovorio sam, da za mene ne bi imalo nikakovog smisla izgubiti daljnjih pet sati, vec cu radije posjetiti koji Muzej ili slicno, iako sam imao razlog za "zalbu".Ovdje nije rijec o procesu sudenja, vec o tome kako se gleda na stranku, covjeka, koji je prisiljen cekati pet i pol sati na tvrdoj klupi na hladnom hodniku u Petrinjskoj 18.Razgovarao sam s mnogo prijatelja o toj nezahvalnoj situaciji birokratskog aparata tamo u Hrvatsko, a i poslije ovdje u U.S.A., mnogi su me savjetovali:"Ma, to ti je badava, ta gospoda tamo su navikla tako, da budu iznad drugih u ponasanju". No, jedan prijatelj, poznati pravnik i poznavalac "Medunarodnog Prava", dao mi je buklet od 70 stranica da ga procitam "Croatia: Strategic Plan 2000-2005" publiciran od AID (Agency for International Development"), gdje se izmedu ostalih zahtjeva za razvoj i produktivnost market ekonomije, izmedu ostalog trazi "more effective citizen participation and improved government" (efektivnija uloga gradana i naprednije upravljanje). Tako sam, konacno odlucio napisati ovo sa zeljom da bi kritika gradana pomogla, te da ljudi ne gube dragocjeno vrijeme zbog usadenih "birokratskih odnosa drzavnih sluzbenika". Smatram, da bi se takovi prigovori trebali objaviti cesce, kako bi se radni ljudi mogli vratiti na radna mjesta ili uzivati zasluzeni godisnji odmor.Razlog mojeg pisanja je upozoriti javnost i odgovorne na takove i slicne postupke drzavnih organa, u ovom slucaju sudaca, gdje se sudci odnose prema "onima dolje" iz visine, a zaborave, da su od tih bili izabrani!Ja sam, osobno, dobro upoznat s radom Suda u U.S.A., gdje sam bio "sudski prevodilac" kroz pet godina za nase ljude ovdje, izbjeglice iz Hrvatske i B.H., koji su se razbjezali svijetom nakon Domovinskog rata, a nisu jos naucili engleski jezik.Koliko sam cuo i od drugih prijatelja, koji su trazili razne dokumente, nisu bili iznenadeni mojem cekanju od pet i pol sati na Sudu!S postovanjem,Dr. Frank Z. Beluhan7979 Sailboat Key Blvd. #107South Pasadena, FL. 33707U.S.A.Ph# (727) 360 - 9549e-mail: frank13zb@aol.comÂProsinac 22, 2002Ovo pismo saljem na:Odgovorni Sudac za Prekrsajegosp. Mario MestrovicPetrinjska 18, Zagreb"Vecernji List" Rubrika "Odvjetnik""ARENA" Casopis letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7052/1/E-Should-Croatian-Diaspora-participate-on-the-Board-of-HRT-.html Should Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT ? International Club of Croatian Immigrants, Returnees and Investors from the Diaspora Public Announcement In response to the official letter that was sent to the Government of the Republic of Croatia, in particular to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, with regard to our request to having a representative from the Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT, we received a negative response from Mr Antun Vujic. From the response signed by Mr Vujic one can conclude that the Diaspora should not have any influence on the programming orientation of HRT as if the media house is someone's private company, not a public entity serving the needs of Croatians at home and aboard. The stance of Minister Anton Vujic unfortunately did not surprise us, rather it just went to prove that no-one is concerned with the Croatian Diaspora or their needs, nor in uniting Croatians abroad and at home. The Croatian Diaspora is, obviously, experienced as a foreign body that needs to be eliminated, of whose interests and requirements its not necessary to pay attention to, because they do not live in Croatia, but who might have some influence on the political program or the country's social and business arena. However, the nation's memory is a lot longer than those who think they speak in the name of the people but who, however, work against its real interests. They are forgetting, as does Mr Vujic, that in the creation of the Croatiannation, the immeasurable contributions of those which today they coldly ignore, not wanting, in any way in the field of their activities, tooffer to finally unite Croatians abroad and at home to become on body, one soul. The Minister points out how it is not necessarily needed to include tworepresentatives from the Diaspora on the Board of HRT - and would require a change in the laws that he does not even want to consider. In an era of many significant changes to the law, changes and additions to the laws of HRT would be a painless activity that would have the support of both the Government and Opposition parties. In short, the proposed changes would be supported by those who breathe Croatian. We don't know how the department's minister breathes, however its clear that something is not OK with his breathing. Likewise, its forgotten that the Diaspora, in defiance of the UN's embargo, and with that defiance armed the Croatian army and police, and before that act didn't doubt that it needed to do it. It was not a question of the legality of, but the moral responsibility to the country from where they came and to the people they belong to. The Croatian Diaspora does not deserve that kind of response from a Government official, if not for any other reason than that she is not Albanian, Italian, Irish nor Israeli rather she is the Croatian Diaspora. We hope that nationalistic signage is not what is bothering Mr Vujic, which would humor us even more!!! The fact is also forgotten that a large number of Croatians in the world follow the programming of HRT and for that spends not a small sum. And that is one reason why the Diaspora, the Croatian Diaspora, wants their own representatives and its own influence on the Board of HRT. We want quality programs and broadcasts that would be for the Diaspora, we want our voice to be heard by the numerous Croatian souls across this entire planet who live their dreams, who work hard to earn their crusts and who dream their dream to return to their homeland, their hearth. Its because of them that we ask this for, and not because of anything else. We hope that we have in this communication in some way directed attentionpublicly to the facts and that the Minister will nevertheless rethink and take appropriate measures to engage representatives of the Croatian Diaspora on the Board of HRT. Also the number of representatives (and the talk is of 2 representatives from the Diaspora) should not be the balance in any weighting, but can be regarded as a constructive force inside the Board that would openly speak for and protect the interests of the Diaspora in the national media house. With personal respects, Club Coordinator Niko Soljak letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 15 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7053/1/E-Croatians-learning-Croatian-lessons-needed---2nd-and-3rd-generation.html Croatians learningCroatianMy sister Nancy Brown forwarded to me your letter to her about your website. I am DELIGHTED to see your kind of Croatian web site. I havebeen studying my Croatian heritage and Croatian history for over 2 yearsnow, and I've visited many web sites. Your site is unique because it isdirected to 2nd and 3rd generation Croatians in the English-speakingworld.I would love to be a part of your network. In 2001, I traveled toCroatia and toured the country and visited relatives I had never metbefore. The experience left me with an overwhelming love of thatcountry and the need to learn more about Croatia and Croatians.Right now, I have been trying to find someone to tutor me in theCroatian language. My parents spoke it at home, but they never taughtit to their children (typical .. I guess). Needless to say, Croatian isnot taught in Colleges (with the exception of a few). No colleges in myarea teach Croatian (although they teach other Slavic languages).I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Last year, theLingual Institute in Philadelphia (which claims to teach ALL languages)put me in touch with a local woman who tutored me for a few months. SoI have studied the basics of Croatian, but unfortunately, that tutor isnot teaching any more and I have been unable to find anyone in my areawho tutors Croatian. I'm surrounded by other cities where there arepeople who teach Croatian (N.Y., Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Pa.,Harrisburg, Pa.). However, as hard as I've tried, there is no one nearPhiladelphia who could help me learn Croatian. If you know of anyonewho teaches in my area, please let me know. I study on my own withaudio tapes, but it is a hard language for English speakers to learnwithout some assistance.Thanks again for your web site.Marlene (Shilobod) RichterNewtown Square, Pennsylvania USAe-mail: mfsrich@ix.netcom.comOp-edDear All,This is very indicative letter. Steve Rukavina's son is learning too Croatian.2nd and 3rd generation of Croatian Americans are waking up and pursuing what isnot easy but very important - knowledge of language. I am delighted to see thistrend happening more often then before. These Croatians are "uspavanidiv". We have an amazing potential and cultural beauty in our 2nd and 3rdgeneration. WELCOME !!!Nenad BachEditor-in-chief letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 02 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7054/1/E-We-are-in-the-business-of-life.html Â"We are in the business of life"Op-edNo, I am not a rare Croatian. My experience is that we are an amazing individuals who need to learn how to be a great society. And that is the way it will be. I am getting a lot of verbal support from many people,Âbut as an editor in chief, it is very difficult to publish such letters thatpraise me. My concept is that YOU who are the CROWN subscribers are the POWER of CROWN.best,Nenad..here comes Steve and a beautiful balloon. At this hour (5:40 a.m. Cleveland time) I have viewed the Croworld page. It is just lovely, the whole Croworld concept and now I see the Albuquerque balloons there. Thank you Nenad for encouraging me. You are a rare Croatian. It is just my luck we met. The Croworld network has developed to new emotional heights. I like these developments. It focuses on Croatian being what they do best, knowing we have personality flaws, knowing we were alienated in the past, now that we are in the 21st century, now we are in the business of life. That we are experts in, the business of life, love and laughter. Damn good, CroWorldNet! Damn good! I am very proud to be associated with you Nenad and the CROWN.ÂMy self-esteem is already dancing on a fast moving locomotive. Yes, I like the concept, the design and the evolution of the CroWorldnet. Once upon a time, the actor Walter Brennan was playing a cowboy role, a young whipper snapper came by, challenged him verbally with the intent of fast shooting him. Before he tried popping him, he bragged how he heard that he, Walter Brennan, the role name escapes me, was the fastest gun in the west. Walter Brennan in hisgun slinging role, next to his side kick remarked, "Yup, no brag, just fact." CroWorldNet. The best. So says I. Yup, no brag, just fact. My personal self-esteem thanks you Nenad. I do not deny how low it was and is at times. Here, with CroWorldNet, I am in the swim, in the business of life, our greatest asset as Croatians. You brought it home for us Nenad.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ--Steve RenkoÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂrukav1@yahoo.comÂ"My self-esteem is already dancing on a fast moving locomotive." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 09 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7056/1/E-For-me-changes-in-BiH-is-not-rethorics-its-LIFE.html To me changes in BiH is notrethoric's, it's LIFE.Â"physics is one of very few human disciplines that truly works globally" And as long as it is in humanminds, it will manifest itself in one form or another, so we better face it !... 60% unemployment in BiH is a recipe for trouble:ÂThat EU-administred BiH ''state'' simply doesn't function ...... to expect that the EU will finance it forever is also an illusion !Four months ago I drove from Split to Dubrovnik and there noticedsome virtual border with BiH (where nobody controlled us but they askedvery tough questions in the harbor of Split ...). I spoke with many peopleand my own (possibly wrong) conclusion is that BiH is an internationallyadministered mumbo-jumbo ''state'' ... socio-political laboratory ...I myself believed for years that maybe something metastable can bemaintained but after I spoke seriously to my students from Sarajevo,none of whom will ever go back, I realized we are helping legallyadministered de-Croatization of BiH ...... in physics we call that highly metastable laboratory state closeto the phase transition ... and what do we do in science (that works) ?We either provide the energy to keep the metastability (and that's equivalentto money that the West sends there) but when you have no more energy /moneythe phase transition occurs ... it doesn't just stabilize itself unlessyou provide very well planned BOUNDARY CONDITIONS and then youcan even move it into direction you prefer.For the EU, the Hague is boundary condition game and ''equaly guilty''is the premise that Brian Gallagher, among others, has clearly shown,and the EU plan is NeoBalkania called the West Balkans via SAA ...So, for the EU the ''state'' of BiH is a ''laboratory'' in whichÂtheir politicians pretend they provide 'democratic' solutions, yet beware - they do not ...as we have seen and as this discussion and votes demonstrate ...OK, there is no direct killing or shelling of Sarajevo or other places but... sooner or later a bunch of wiser leaders will have to face thatproblem (and many other even tougher problems worldwide) ...... so we better be prepared and discuss possible solutions - sooner.Note that even in Switzerland after 7 centuries in existence some new cantonswere created or some borders rearranged, and although it is not aÂdirect parallel with BiH it was not an easy process either ... in some cases can be done.So, to me it's not just rhetoric's, it's LIFE. And as long as it is inÂhuman minds,it will manifest itself in one form or another, so we better face it - NOW !... especially with incompetent politicians in charge of Croatian policy ...DavorP.S. BTW, physics is one of very few human disciplines that truly works globallyand FYI my former students are literally everywhere, from the EU headquarters,in NATO, in the Wall Street or in leading consultancies etc ... and the sophisticatedmethods and models of physics are now applied in all walks of life (as the brainis only of one type) and most of the archetype solutions are known - to physicists ...... if you want to know more, feel free to contact me at your convenience. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7055/1/E-Proceed-in-a-sensitive-and-diplomatic-manner.html ÂIt is important for the promotion of the unique beautiful Croatian culture in the West to proceed in a sensitive and diplomaticmannerDoes anti-western rhetoric help the promotion of Croatia?It is important for the promotion of the unique beautiful Croatian culture in the West to proceed in a sensitive and diplomatic manner.ÂMany thousands of Croatian people have struggled for decades for the right to independence for Croatian people. I am dumbfounded therefore because of the apparent failure amongst many Croatian people to understand the main features of western democracy. Enemies to justice and democracy malinger in every society, where they abuse the freedom of speech and justice system to work against us all. The abuse of the law includes those who have pushed for the ad hoc court at The Hague through the UN, who now use the issue of Serbian aggression in the Balkans as a show trial against the West. We need to work together to identify and work against undemocratic forces.ÂTo illustrate my point, I will attempt to answer a question recently asked of me in Croatia. "Tell me one thing that America has done for Croatia, and tell me one thing that Russia has ever done against Croatia?" This question struck me dumbfounded for a moment, for just long enough to gather my composure, for the blood to return to my head, but by then no one wanted to hear the answer. Had they lost their memory? I could not believe that the aggression against Croatian people, and ongoing anti-Croatian political persecution has all been attributed to America.ÂWell, I interjected, America ultimately did support Operation Storm, and the current American government is not a signatory for the establishment of a permanent criminal court at The Hague. And as for Russia, well we should be aware that everything that the West has ever perpetrated against Croatia in the past has been under the pressure of Russian involvement, influence, or threat.ÂDo Croatian people not understand that America also is threatened, that it must look after its interests, just as Croatia must? Must every American foreign policy maker first check with Croatia to see if its decisions are up to standard? Must the American support of Croatia be total from the beginning of time, and guaranteed for the next millenium, otherwise it is not worth acknowledging? Why, not even Israel can boast such unqualified support from America or England, during its pre-independence struggle, its fledgling birth or throughout its few decades of existence!ÂIt's as if Croatian people themselves have made no political mistakes whatsoever in their tortuous road to recognition. Please allow me to explain how this looks from a western perspective. Croatia, according to most Croats, has always been in the West, and it has never been in the Balkans. Croats, they say, are pro-Western, anti-Communist, democratic-loving people who only want independence. As a person who understands the American way of thinking, because I was brought up in North America, of British ancestry, there are a few things that need clarification.ÂIf Croatians are western, why is it that the majority of westerners perceive them as Eastern? Pan-slavism is perceived by historians in the west as purely eastern for obvious geographical and historical reasons. The unfortunate truth is that pan-slavism was courted in Zagreb and Slavonia, which perhaps could be renamed Pannonia. Yes, since the existence of modern linguistics there is a slavic branch of languages, and yes history has to acknowledge the existence of pan-slavism, but no trace of a so-called slavic race exists on ancient maps. Honestly, the unique features of Croatian identity need to be better defined in the West!Croatian people constantly remind anyone who listens that Bosnia & Hercegovina was theirs a thousand years ago. They talk of the Drina today as if it is attainable just for the asking. They correctly say that Croatian people still rightfully live in B&H. But, don't they realize that B&H is, and was, the center of the so-called Balkans for several hundred years, and even if that is a sweeping generalization, it does not change the fact that it is perceived as Balkan, and Eastern, by westerners.ÂCroatian people are democratic-loving I am told. Why do Croatian people therefore constantly complain about the western influences of freedom of religion, or of foreigners wanting to invest in Croatia. It sounds as if my American relatives are good enough to provide military support to the struggle for Croatian sovereignty, or they are good enough to spend tourist dollars, but then they should step back and give billions to Croatia for development without leaving any trace of their presence.ÂPerhaps if independence and democracy are too hard to tolerate, then Croats are better off all going to the East to live and they could hand Croatia over to the Italians, Serbs and Hungarians. That is a cruel, insensitive statement, and I don't mean it, but, the sooner that Croatian people understand that democracy comes in a package which includes so-called decadent, global capitalism, then the sooner Croatian development can proceed unhindered. The problem is that Croatian people themselves don't want to get together and invest in their own country, but rather they prefer to get together and invest in My country.ÂAs for Russia, I would have thought it obvious that they have always been Serbia's ally, in body, mind and spirit, and that the road has always been paved for the creation of all Yugoslavias by Russian pan-slavic propaganda and foreign policy. Pan-slavism was the bedrock of Stalinism, and before that the unfortunate pan-slavic Croatian-Serbian coalition lead to Serbian despotic rule in Croatia, and to Bleiburg. Russia is an ever-present threat to Croatian independence, and not the West, where at least some support for Croatia exists, even if it is not perfect in its motives, entirety or duration.ÂIt is important therefore for the promotion of the unique beautiful Croatian culture in the West to proceed in a sensitive and diplomatic manner.ÂJean W. Lunt-Marinovic,ÂOctober 20, 2002. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 21 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7058/1/E-Make-love-not-war.html ÂMakeLove not War"Naturally the common people don't want war, but after all it is the leaders who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country." Hermann Goering, Germany, 1939 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7057/1/H-Sto-Ne-Smijemo-Uciniti.html ÂSTONESMIJEMO UCINITI?From: Luka KrilicGlavni Tajnik saveza Hrvatskih zajednica uItalijiPredsjednik hrvatsko  talijanske UdrugeClan nadzornog odbora Hrvatskog SvjetskogKongresaSTONESMIJEMO UCINITI ?Prijateljima Hrvatima mailist-a.Svi se slazemo, da treba poduprijetigenerale protiv Haag-a.Ali& & .svi miÂisto tako dobro znamo, kako je duga hrvatska povijest bila krajnjemukotrpna.Glavno obiljezje u svim povjesnimrazdobljima, od VII. stoljeca do danas, nasli smo se uvijekÂna strani onih, koji se bore, ali ne kao sto je slucaj kod najvecegdijela europskih naroda, za teritorijalna zauzimanja, radi vlastitog prosirenjaili osiguranja, nego samo u obrani vlastitog teritorija, radi ocuvanja svojegaidentiteta.Neprijatelji s kojima smo se borili, bilisu i jos su uvijek puno i dobro naoruzani, neprijatelji koji su se znali sluzitiprevarom, nasom dobrom voljom ili snagom, da nas pokore. Neprijatelji, kojipoznaju jako dobro nasa karakterna ogranicenja i kada nisu uspjevali izravnoslomiti jedinstvo hrvatskog naroda i tako ga drzavno podloziti, uvijek su sesluzili unutarnjom situacijom, t.j. iskoristavajuci same Hrvate, koji su se izjednog ili drugog razloga poceli sukobaljavati i tako raditi protiv vlastitihinteresa.ÂÂÂPrimjera radi, Englezi su obicnoiskoristavali tudinsku aristokraciju, koja im je tako pomagala u odrzavanjukolonijalne podloznosti njihovi naroda, a u korist britanske krune. Slicno su unas radili i Mletcani, pa Madjari i Austrianci.Sada znamo da su politicari preuzeli, uneku ruku, mjesto aristokracije, ali metode za njihovo pridobivanje ostalo jeisto.Slaba sastavnica naseg karakteramanifestira se u casu kada zauzimamo pozicije za koje mozemo reci:  & Samosam ja u pravu, ti i tvoje ideje su manje od nistice . U tom casu, kad se todogodi unutar jedne politicke klase prema drugoj, stigli smo do tocke gdje seradja podjela, koja moze dovesti i do kraja nase Nacije.Ponavlja li se ova podjela i dandanas?ÂDanasnja politicka klasa Hrvata slijeditocno upute onih centara moci, koje su bili presudni za dobivanje izbora 2000?U cemu su glavne razlike bivse vecine navlasti od sadasnje, koja je postala pokroviteljicom interesa Medjunarodnezajednice na podrucju Balkana?Kad odgovorimo na ova pitanja, stigli smodo bitnoga: t.j. da u Hrvatskoj, bilo radi vlastite gluposti ili vlastitihosobnih interesa ili necega drugog, dolazimodo opasne razdiobe: s jedne strane narod, (i emigracija zbog drugih uzroka) radinesposobnosti vlastitih politicara, udaljujese sve vise od politike u zemlji, as druge strane stranke najvise zauzete borbom za vlast, ne primjecuju, da jepredmet sukoba zapravo drzava, koja se na taj nacin malo po malo raspada.Sto bi moglo biti rjesenje ??Pokusajmo napraviti jedno preispitivanjevlastite savjesti od 1990. do danas. Iz emigracije vidljivo je da nije doslo doostvarenja mnogih zelja, ciji je konacni cilj bio povratak u Domovinu. Ondasnjisustav Hrvata nije uspio progutati taj gorki zalogaj, kao onaj kojega mi kaotakvi predstavljamo. Cijela jedna upravljajuca klasa: politicari, intelektualcii dio hrvatskog naroda, trebala je priznati sama pred sobom najprije, a onda ipred drugima, ne samo da je sluzila gubitnickoj strani (komunizmu), nego da suzapravo stajali na strani kolonijalista (Srba), pa da su radi toga bili glavni,iako ne i jedini, razlog stanju napustanja borbe i podloznosti Hrvatske.Tudjman je pokusao uvesti odredenatumacenja hrvatske povijesti, dobivajuci na taj naciÂkonsensus veceg dijela hrvatskog naroda i Diaspore, sto mu je omoguciloda dodje do ostvarenja drzavne nezavisnosti, ali u isto vrijeme, ovakovo tumacenje predstavljalo je pocetak njegova svrsetka.Treci dio hrvatskih izbornika, t.j. onajkoji je ostao vjeran komunistickim idejama, ostao je po strani, za vrijemesukoba, trazeci da shvati dogadjanja i iznad svega da analizira vlastitupovijest. Kada su zakljucili, da bi trebali staviti u pitanje vlastituÂproslost, to nisu ucinili (zahvaljujuci i losem primjeru upravljanjajavnim poslovima, koju je preuzeo novi kurs vlasti), pa su nastavili ponovnostari put, pojacan  bezuvjetnom  pomocii Medjunarodne zajednice.Mozemo li reci, da je jos i danas jedan diopoliticke klase protudrzavni ili da je njihova pozicija posljedica eurospkepolitike?Postoji li danas u Hrvatskoj jedna poltickagrupacija, koja bi predstavljala obrat po efikasnosti svojeg politickog programa?Sto zapravo hocemo mi iz emigracije, jesmo li shvatili sto je bitno u nasojulozi i gdje mozemo mi biti od koristi ?ÂNovine, televizija, internet, mreza, ne ocrtavaju nista drugo,nego predstavljaju hrvatsku realnost kao nesto strasno , crno, pesimisticno,nista ne ide kako treba, dapace sve ide lose, sve je trulo, sve korumpirano.Vidimo kao u prividjenju, da je politickalinija Medjunarodne zajednice, koja se sluzi iÂsudom u Haagu, a koja se sastoji u principu u cinjenici da prikaze, kakosu u balkanskome ratovanju svi jednako krivi za nesto tesko, cime se zapravoopravdava pozicija Ujedinjene Europe,koja je, pod svaku cijenu, od svojega pocetka , nastojala uz prkosa plebiscita,prije svega sacuvati teritorijalni integritetÂSFRJ, uspjela je, kako se cini, uci i u mentalitet nasegÂnaroda. Prema tomu sve je lose, ne mose se imati povjerenja u srednjeljevicare, kao ni u srednje desnicare, nismo dovoljno zreli, da se samiupravljamo, vratimo se  bratstvu i jedinstvu pod okriljem Europe i Nato-a.Moramo shvatiti, da politicka linija, kojuslijedi sud u Haagu, nije prije svega obrana Srbije, na stetu Hrvatske, negozapravo opravdavanje pasivne politike U.E. Radi toga Hrvatska na ovom mjestu jeunaprijed odredena za poraz, jer ako sud prizna status zrtve i agresora, priznaobi izricito nesposobnost europskih drzava da upravljaju vlastitim kontinentom.Zapadne diplomatske kancelarije su pravikrivci za sve ono sto se dogodilo u ex-Jugoslaviji, Milosevic je bio samo njihovinstrument kojega su svi skupa sdusno pomagali !!Ovdje bi se trebalo prisjetiti onoga stosmo rekli na pocetku, t.j. kad nas vanjski neprijatelj ne moze pobjediti,izkoriscuje nase karakterne slabosti da postigne vlastiti cilj, u cemo nazalosti uspijeva.Ne smijemo biti toliko naivni, pa nepriznati, da ima mnogo stavri, koje bi trebalo promijeniti, ali isto tako nesmijemo nevidjeti mnoge pozitivne stvari koje su ucinjene kroz proteklih 11godina. Da se ucini jos bolje treba prije svega imati ideje, ciljeve iodgovarajuce ljude, koji bi ih znati ostvariti.Evo sto bih htio reci nama Hrvatima, kojizivimo u inozemstvu:  & stanimoza cas, procijenimo gdje smo bili prije 11godina i gdje smo danas, sto smo bili ondai sto smo danas . Mozda cemo tek tada doci do odgovora, da je najvaznije, dane razbijemo igracku o kojoj smo toliko sanjali i koja nas je kostala tolikokrvi i zrtava, Drzavu. Sve se moraodigrati u politickoj borbi, koristeci se instrumentima, koja nam pruzademokratski sustav.Moramo nastojati da ne stvorimo protivnikau politici predmetom demonizacije, kojega treba unistiti pod svaku cijenu.Sto je nasa glavna zadaca u ovomhistorijskom casu ?Kao sto je u vrijeme drugog svjetskog ratabila pod svaku cijenu postici samostalnost zemlje, sada uz to treba bitiocuvanje Nacije sto je vise moguce. Usprkos svim mogucim krivinama i poteskocamami moramo u toj borbi izdrzati.To znaci, da je dobro, upraviti naseproteste protiv politicke linije Medjunarodne zajednice, kao i suda u Haagu, ONU i drugi, ali uvjek pazljivi, da se neupustamo u unutrasnju politicku borbu u Hrvatskoj, sto mora ostati ekskluzivnadomena hrvatskih stranaka, koliko vise moguce, legalna i demokratska.Emigracija se mora kretati drugim stazama iprema drugim objektima, ako ima snage to uciniti, prije svega mi Hrvati moramorazumjeti pravu narav neprijatelja s kojim se sukobljujemo, ili cemo opet bitiizvrgnuti novoj propasti.Zavrsio bih s jednim pitanjem: kako jemoguce, da jedan  civilizirani narod u trecem tisucljecu gradi 360km zid,visok 20 mt., sa svrhom za etnickogciscenje, a da se ne cuje nikakav protest u uobicajenim medijama i nikakva osudaMedjunarodne zajednice ? Kako moze jedan priznati europski drzavni poglavar ucis vojskom u jednu nezavisnu republiku, razoriti im prijestolnicu pa mjesto dabude obtuzen za genocid, biva primljen sa svim pocastima u Nato ? Kako mogu Srbi,poslije svih ubijanja, rusenja, protjerivanja i silovanja, izvrsenih u Bosni, nesamo biti priznati nego dobitipolovicu drzavnog teritorija ?Jesmo li shvatili tko je zapravo kralj uovom svijetu i narocito: kako se krece ? letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7059/1/E-Job-Opening-for-Croatian-Consulate-in-Hamburg.html Â"Serbo-Croatian" on the City of Hamburg's Official WebsiteThis really pissed me off when I read the original Croatian text, this morningso I translated it for everyone else to read...Another reason why we need to be more proactive in marketing ourselves andurge our diplomats to do the same!-MarkoÂSource: http://www.online.hr/_clanak.asp?id=90162ÂÂFriday 13, September 2002"Serbo-Croatian" on the City of Hamburg's Official WebsiteThe official website for the city of Hamburg, one of the five best in Europeaccording to the results of the European E-City Awards(http://www.eec-award.com/) offers information about the city in 21 languages.That in and of itself is applaudable. We understand that the publishing ofmaterial in over 20 languages is an incredibly time consuming task, butirregardless it is hard to understand why one of the languages is"Serbo-Croatian."To get to the web pages in "Serbo-Croatian" one clicks on the "Serbo-Croatian"flag.We asked the authors of the website for a comment along with a question as towhy "Czechoslovakian" or "Swedodanish" languages aren't offered.Â"The Croatian Consulate sent us the same criticism four months ago" saidRainer Scheppelmann the person responsible for the official Hamburg website."We suggested to the Consul to make a Croatian version, or to translate thematerial from Serbian. The existing material was at the time labeled asSerbian. Unfortunately the Consul has not responded since then, untilyesterday, when he said that they would give us a Croatian version in week.His desire was to leave the "Serbo-Croatian" variant, because he didn't wantthe website to have only Serbian."The Croatian Consulate needed four months to respond. Will one week be enoughtime to translate three pages from Serbian into Croatian, will remain to beseen.ÂMatija Babic letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 09 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7060/1/E-Call-White-House-to-voice-your-opinion-on-Iraq.html ÂPOLL - ANKETAApparently, the President wants to know your position on the U.S. going toÂwar with Iraq. Please, make the call & voice your choice(phone numberÂbelow)...ÂPhone the White House at 202-456-1111 between 9am and 5 pm, Monday throughÂFriday EDT. A machine will detain you for only a moment and then a pleasantÂlive operator will thank you for saying "I oppose" (or "I approve of") theÂproposed war against Iraq.ÂThe president wants to know. Tell him. Time is running out.ÂThen please forward this e-mail to at least five people right away. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 02 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7062/1/H-Jalta-po-Pavuni.html Jalta poPavuniÂUpravo sam se vratio s konferencije (fizicara) u Jalti, pa ukratko:Sve strahote komunizma i manipulacije naroda boljsevizmom su ocitina Jalti, a i u cijeloj Ukrajini, koja je najveca europska zemlja;(usput letio sam preko Istambula - koji je posebna i opet zanimljiva prica)Tranzicijski paradoksi: na glavnom trgu veliki spomenik Lenjinu tocno isprednajveceg i najelitnijeg McDonalds restorana (!) koji je prepun, a u luciveliki britanski 'crusing-ship' iz Londona prepun ostarjelihÂbritanskih turistakoji su dosli vidjeti gdje su se to sastali Staljin, Churchill i Roosvelt ...... da, ovdje se vidi povijest 20-og stoljeca mozda bolje nego drugdje ...i odmah uocite do koje smo mjere svi bili (i ostali) manipulirani ...Po hotelima bogati i bahati mafijasi okruzeni brojnim djevojkamakoje se vise-manje prostituiraju na sve moguce nacine, izgubljeneu kaosu tranzicijskog drustva ... a bauljajuci ''radni narod'' = sobaricei konobari sluze (obuceni u stare socijalisticke odore tek malodosminkane) kako neo-bogatase tako i nas grupe ''bogatih'' stranacasluzbeno dovedene i placene od NATO-a ili EU i slicnih ''pomagaca'' ...Drustvo je kapitalisticko, ali mentalitet je u prosjeku jos soc-komunistickii svi zale za dobrim starim vremenima ''sigurnosti'' i ''soc-glamura'',mada mislim da se nece pokusati vratiti unatrag jer novac igru vodii nisam vidio neke velike zelje za novom ''boljs-revolucijom'' ...Na cable-TV - svi kanali svijeta (bolji izbor nego u US-hotelima !),te borba za gledatelje izmedju anglosaksonskih business kanala protivtzv. USA neo-krscanskih entuzijasticara (koji najavljuju kraj svijeta) ...Ipak globalni dojam jest da su svi ti narodi velike zrtve Lenjina i grupeavanturista koji su ih uvukli u boljsevicko-komunisticku avanturu:Covjek ne moze ne zapitati se: a sto da su ostali carevina, te krscanskazemlja te evoluirali u post industrijsko drustvo ...Hrvatska je ipak u nesto BOLJOJ situaciji, mada arhetipno je sve to isto ...... i trebat ce 1-2 generacije da de-hipnotiziramo i nasu naciju ...... jer i Hrvatska je bila komunisticka ... pa o raznim ''vodjama'' necu ...Svi oblici ljudskog djelovanja koji ignoriraju Ljubav Krista su uvijekdugorocno pogubni, a komunizam sa svojim manipulacijama u 20-omstoljecu je stravicno unazadio sve (bivse) komunisticke zemlje.Srecom da u nama, Hrvatima, jos ipak zivi nasa Vjera i Ljubav zaÂLijepu Nasu ...Dr. Davor PavunaKristov Hrvathttp://ipawww.epfl.ch/lpme/LPMESubPages/Pavuna/pav.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7061/1/H-Pismo-o-Dr-Vesni-Bosanac---Svjetski-Zbor-Hrvatskih-Lijecnika.html Dr.Vesna BosanacU prilogu vam saljemo javno pismo upuceno Dr. Andru Vlahusicu, Ministruzdravstva Republike Hrvatske od strane predsjednistva Svjetskog ZboraHrvatskih Lijecnika.Srdacan pozdrav,Ivan DikicW.A.C.P.-BEETHOVENSTR.39, 28209 BREMEN, GERMANYMinistarstvo Zdravstva RHMinistar Mr.sc.Andro Vlahusic,dr.med.HR-10000 ZagrebSeptember 8, 2002Postovani gospodine Ministre,izrazavamo duboku zabrinutost u svezi Vaseg istupa na HTV-u i nedavnihmedijskih napada na kolegicu Dr. Vesnu Bosanac, ravnateljicu Opcebolnice u Vukovaru. Usprkos tome sto istraga jos nije zavrsena, Dr.Bosanac se vec javno proglasava jednim od glavnih krivaca. Ministarstvozdravstva Republike Hrvatske trebalo bi ciniti upravo suprotno -funkcionirati pravno i moralno, te se ne ukljucivati u napade nalijecnike prije nego su dostupni podaci o njihovoj krivici. Zelimo Vaspodsjetiti da je Dr. Vesna Bosanac vec prije iskazala zavidne kvalitetepozrtvovnosti i medicinske etike posebice tijekom rata u Vukovaru. Dr.Bosanac je herojski podnijela sva ratna zla i posljednja napustilasvoje radno mjesto zbrinjavajuci bolesne i ranjene tijekom ratnihzbivanja na tim prostorima.ÂUslijed ovakvog nekorektnog postupka od strane Ministarstva zdravstvaRepublike Hrvatske izrazavamo najostriji javni prosvjed i apeliramo naVas da se prestane sa napadima na Dr. Vesnu Bosanac sve dok se nezavrsi cijeli istrazni i pravosudni postupak.ÂPredsjednistvo Svjetskog Zbora Hrvatskih Lijecnika -WACPPredsjednik Dopredsjednik TajniciProf.dr. Zeljko Bosnjak, USA Prof.dr. Ivan Dikic,Svedska Doc.Dr. Josip Bill, Njemacka Prof.dr. Davor Vugrin, USAIvan Dikic, M.D., Ph.D.Group Leader-Molecular Signaling LaboratoryLudwig Institute for Cancer ResearchHusargatan 3, Box 595S-751 24 Uppsala, Swedentel: 46 18 160 403fax: 46 18 160 420Mob: 00 46 70 768 1336e-mail: Ivan.Dikic@licr.uu.seÂhttp://www.icst.irb.hrÂhttp://www.LICR.uu.se/groups/molsign/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7064/1/E-Origins-of-the-Word-Croat.html Origins ofthe Word Croatan alternative hypothesis:Most texts dealing with the origins of theword Croat, or more specifically the slavic variants of Hrvat or Horvat, seem toaccept the thesis that the term can be traced directly to Persian inscriptionsfrom about 500 BC. This view holds that the name derives from an ancient Iranianpeople living in a region referred to as Harahvatis, which, in modern terms, wassituated in what is now present-day Afghanistan.On the face of it, the seemingsimilarity of the words Harahvatis and Hrvat lends credence to this theory.However, it should be noted that such superficial similarities in form are notnecessarily indicative of a direct linguistic link; especially when the positedcognates (ie supposedly related words) are from different language families, asis the case with the Harahvatis / Hrvat hypothesis.In point of fact, the field of linguisticsis rife with instances of false etymologies. Even in closely related languagessuch as English and German, phonetic similarities can be misleading. Take forexample the word form gift, which exists both in modern English and German. Tothe casual observer these words might seem related. However, the English wordgift actually is derived from the postulated Indo-European root 'ghebh,' and iscognate, not with the German word gift (poison), but with the German word geben(to give).Not being familiar with the extent andnature of the specific data which gave rise to the Harahvatis thesis, obviously,I am not able to attempt a categorical analysis of this theory's viability.However, if, as it appears to be, the primary basis for the Harahvatis theory isphonetic similarity, then I believe serious questions might well be raised.Common sense alonedictates that any phonetic reconstruction of a dead language be taken with agrain of salt. In fact, linguists have long argued over the merits of evenattempting phonetic reconstruction; critics pointing out that the"comparative method" used in historical linguistics should only beascribed to reconstructing phonemic forms without respect to detailed phoneticattributes.Simply put, a phoneme represents a soundin a given language which is linguistically significant. For example, thecontrast between p and b in such English words as pin and bin. Phoneticanalysis, on the other hand, is a detailed description of the physical qualitiesof a sound (ie is it voiced, aspirant, nasal, sibilant, etc). In extinctlanguages we can, atbest, only make educated guesses at what the underlying sounds related to theorthography might have been. Therefore, just how similar the forms Harahvatisand Hrvat really are to one and other is not necessarily as closeas our modern-day interpretation might lead us to believe. In any case, there isperhaps another possible explanation for the derivation of the term Hrvat, whichavoids some of these uncertainties, and is perhaps more analytically"elegant" in being less removed from recent facts, both in terms oftime and space. The basis of this alternative explanation is to be found in awell established sound change occurring in the Czech and Slovak languages,wherein g becomes h. For example, the word for hunger in modern Croatian (andmost other slavic languages) is 'glad,'whereas the corresponding Czech andSlovak form is 'hlad.' Examples showing that this shift from g to h is aregularly occurring sound change are many and included the following:gavran (raven) > havranglas (voice) > hlasgolub (pigeon) > holubgrad (city) > hradgriva (mane) > hrivagrom (thunder) > hromjagoda (strawberry) > jahodaknjiga (book) > knihaAlong the same lines, the word formountain, gora, has the corresponding form hora. Given the fact that theancestors of modern-day Croats appear to have migrated into the Dinaric rangefrom the central European tablelands(ie modern Slovakia, and Poland) it seems quite plausible that these people maywell have been referred to as something like 'those who went into the mountains'or "hora," and thus, by extension, the word "Horvat" (whichisthe current slavic form of the word in all but the south slavic languages; withthe "o" apparently having elided into a vocalic r in south slavic) .It has not been my intention in this briefpaper to write an exhaustive argument for the "hora" derivationalexplanation of the word Horvat, but merely to raise the issue as a possiblealternative. Given the inherent difficulties in dealing with extinct languages,as well as the possible complication of ascribing a slavic "corevocabulary" word's origins to anon-slavic language, it seems the "hora" explanation provides asimpler and more direct derivation. In linguistics, as indeed in mostdisciplines, often times the least complicated solution also proves to be themost accurate.Article by: EdKesichoriginal site: http://www.nycroats.com/political_origins.htmÂÂThe site was updated with a few new mp3s and downloads section.ÂMaks sure you right click and save the file extension from .croto .mp3. Otherwise, the file will not play.Also, check out the e-cards section.. Give us some feedback.Cheers,Eddy M.eddymate@yahoo.comÂPS : email me if you would like a nycroats e-mail. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 26 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7063/1/H-Marko-Tarle---Hrvatska-je-civilizacijski-heterogena-zemlja.html Hrvatska je civilizacijski heterogena zemlja Obrazovni sustav između trkača olovnih nogu, Potemkinovih sljedbenika i hrvatske sutraa
njice Hrvatska je mala i siromaa
na zemlja, pa mora izvoziti da bi opstala. Naa
a knjiga je skupa, jer je naklada mala, naa
e cestarine su visoke, jer nam je promet rijedak, ~
ito je u nas skupo, jer su nam zemljia
ne parcele male, a proizvodni troa
kovi, iz istih razloga, visoki. Moramo izvoziti a
togod mo~
emo, a ne proizvoditi u suvia
ku ono a
to ne mo~
emo izvesti / Mo~
e li visoko a
kolstvo biti uspjea
no, pa ma kakve mu planove izabrali, ako na sveučilia
ta i veleučilia
ta sti~
u osobe insuficijentnog znanja, s kojima se ne mo~
e započeti moderni proces univerzitetskog a
kolovanja? Upravo smo suočeni s tim fenomenom. Hrvatska je civilizacijski heterogena zemlja, pa je takva i razina stečenog a
kolskog znanja. Naa
a se zaostalost mo~
e prevladati dizanjem opće civilizacijske razine naroda: previa
e je nepismenih i polupismenih MARKO TARLE Hrvatska je javnost zaokupljena sterilnim političkim i politikantskim događanjima, tra~
enjem izlaza iz gospodarske propasti i raspravama o bitkama iz povijesti. U posljednje vrijeme pozornost privlači raznolikost stajalia
ta o cjelini i pojedinim sferama osnovnoga i srednjeg obrazovanja: zastupa se reformiran, progresivan i budućnosti okrenut obrazovni sustav, ali i retrogradna, pa i pre~
ivjela stajalia
ta. No oni koji su ovlaa
teni mijenjati dosadaa
nji sustav prilaze obrazovanju s činovničko-formalističkog aspekta: raspravljaju o trajanju pojedinih obrazovnih faza, o dekretima vodećih činovnika u a
kolstvu, o novcu za nove učionice, problemu za koji se mo~
e, na~
alost, pobrinuti i demografska katastrofa, o vlastitom anga~
manu kao autora ud~
benika i pridru~
enoj materijalnoj koristi, o podupiranju programa prvog činovnika a
kolstva i produljenju njegova mandata. Na tom putu zaboravljaju uočiti a
umu gledajući u pojedina stabla. A mnogo je otvorenih pitanja. Evo nekih, mo~
da ne i najva~
nijih. Zbog netransparentnosti sustava potrebno ih je zapitati koja je svrha obrazovanja, kako je ono povezano s ciljevima cijelog drua
tva? `
kole trebaju mladom čovjeku dati osnovno znanje i odgoj, kojima će se, nadograđujući to cijeli ~
ivot, uklopiti u a
iru zajednicu i u njoj djelovati na vlastitu i opću korist. Apstrahirajući vječni problem novca, danas treba postaviti pitanje strukture i opsega programa znanja i njegova prijenosa učeniku, profila ljudi koji o sustavu odlučuju, a zatim potrebnog stupnja naobrazbe i iskustva učitelja u nastupajućoj informatičkoj civilizaciji. Mladi se čovjek danas osposobljava za ~
ivot u prilično dalekoj sutraa
njici. Danaa
nji desetogodia
njak aktivno će djelovati u drua
tvu za petnaestak godina, i to u sljedeća četiri desetljeća. Kako će izgledati drua
tvo budućnosti? Čitajući klasike drua
tvene futurologije kao a
to su Toffler, Rifkin, Fukuyama, Huntington ili Evans, vidimo da su prije pet, deset ili trideset godina predvidjeli revolucionarne drua
tvene promjene s priličnom točnoa
ću. Prateći djelovanje naa
ih planera obrazovanja sumnjam da su upoznati s modeliranjem drua
tva budućnosti koje se temelji na prirodoslovnim i socioloa
kim istra~
ivanjima, te na novim zasadima u tehnoloa
kom razvoju. Bez uvida u budućnost drua
tva nema smislene organizacije dr~
ave, ali ni obrazovanja. Hrvatska je mala i siromaa
na zemlja, pa mora izvoziti da bi opstala. Naa
a knjiga je skupa, jer je naklada mala, naa
e cestarine su visoke, jer nam je promet rijedak, ~
ito je u nas skupo, jer su nam zemljia
ne parcele male, a proizvodni troa
kovi, iz istih razloga, visoki. Moramo izvoziti a
togod mo~
emo, a ne proizvoditi u suvia
ku ono a
to ne mo~
emo izvesti. Proizvodnja mora biti izvozno orijentirana. Kako to ostvariti? Mnogo je preduvjeta i uvjeta, ali je, čini mi se, prvi, i to zato jer je dugoročan, obrazovanje ljudi znanjima potrebnim za rentabilnu izvoznu proizvodnju. Drugim riječima, naa
obrazovni program i njegova realizacija moraju biti analogni obrazovanju djelatnika u drugim zemljama, onima u koje izvozimo, a znanja naa
ih ljudi kompatibilna s obrazovanjem radnika i intelektualaca u tim zemljama. Uostalom, i to jedan od uvjeta za ulaz u Europsku uniju. Predlo~
eni projekt obrazovanja to ne omogućava. Ciljevi i metodologija obrazovanja mogu se temeljiti samo i jedino na viziji ukupnog razvoja hrvatskog drua
tva, uzimajući u obzir naa
e specifičnosti. Postoji li takva koherentna univerzalna vizija? Čini se, ne postoji. To ipak ne smije abolirati organizatore naa
eg obrazovanja, jer to danas rade ljudi zastarjelih navika, koji obavljaju posao prema činovničkom obrascu, crtajući murale na potemkinovski način: va~
no je pod svaku cijenu zadr~
ati pozicije vlasti. Oni nisu uopće za to krivi, oni bolje ne mogu i ne znaju, a smatraju čak da su vrlo uspjea
ni. Zar su krivi oni koji su ih postavili na kormilo obrazovanja? Ne, i oni rade, prema svom najboljem uvjerenju, misleći da djeluju u korist općeg dobra. Narod je, napokon, odlučio povjeriti im posao odabira izvra
nih činovnika, a oni to rade na način koji će im, vjeruju, honorirati glasači. To je pogrea
na logika političara, to su kobni drua
tveni paradoksi koji nas sve pretvaraju u trkače olovnih nogu. No cijeli se sustav obrazovanja oblikuje za sutraa
njicu o kojoj prosječni glasač malo a
to zna: budućnost civilizacije projicira se prema znanstvenim mjerilima, a socijalna futurologija pripada jednoj od slo~
enih znanstvenih disciplina, teoriji determinističkog kaosa. Shvativa
i taj tragičan raa
omon hrvatske danaa
njice talentirana mladost okreće leđa svom tlu i kolovođama progredijentnog gnjiljenja hrvatskog drua
tva, a dio koji ostaje brine se samo za svoje egzistencijske potrebe. To je sumorna slika propadanja Hrvatske. Mo~
e li visoko a
kolstvo biti uspjea
no, pa ma kakve mu planove izabrali, ako na sveučilia
ta i veleučilia
ta sti~
u osobe insuficijentnog znanja, s kojima se ne mo~
e započeti moderni proces univerzitetskog a
kolovanja? Upravo smo suočeni s tim fenomenom. Hrvatska je civilizacijski heterogena zemlja, pa je takva i razina stečenog a
kolskog znanja. Naa
a se zaostalost mo~
e prevladati dizanjem opće civilizacijske razine naroda: previa
e je nepismenih i polupismenih. S podacima iz popisa stanovnia
tva od 2001. nema priključka razvijenom i bogatom svijetu. Obrazovanju moramo prići kao procesu u kojem svaka karika određuje čvrstoću cijelog lanca: sve nastavne projekte treba pro~
eti u jedan smisleni niz, od osnovne a
kole do doktorata. Tranzicijsko i poratno stanje, svjetska recesija, naa
a zaostalost i neučinkovite vlasti doveli su u nas do oko 400 tisuća ljudi bez posla. Među njima je i nekvalificiranih, za koje planiramo javne radove, dr~
avno poduzetnia
tvo i intervencionizam. No a
to je s desecima i stotinama tisuća ljudi srednje i starije dobi koji su manje, via
e ili čak visokokvalificirani, ali ipak nemaju znanja potrebnih za ovo doba, za poduzetnike, prete~
no strance, kojima smo prodali lukrativna poduzeća? Ta skupina nezaposlenika, s danaa
njim znanjima, tea
ko mo~
e naći regularan posao, pa će većina do~
ivotno opterećivati proračun i ~
ivjeti na marginama sive ekonomije. U Hrvatskoj obrazovanje odraslih joa
nije uređeno zakonom, čak ni danas, osmu godinu po svra
etku rata. U koncepciji Vladina programa za obrazovanje odraslih, a
to je temeljni preduvjet smanjenja nezaposlenosti, samo su stranica ili dvije posvećene suhom normativiziranju aktivnosti, no bez ijednog konkretnog zadatka. Zapanjuje kratkovidnost činovnika i njihovo nerazumijevanje vitalnih potreba najugro~
enije skupine stanovnia
tva. Malo nam je učitelja osposobljeno za suvremeni način poučavanja mladih na svim razinama. U Americi, na primjer, svake godine djeluju »a
kole« za kontinuirano obrazovanje stručnjaka određenog profila, na kojima znanstvenici iz svijeta i SAD-a prikazuju sve novosti koje su se u pojedinoj struci dogodile u godinu dana. U Finskoj sam joa
u ljeto 1980. promatrao godia
nji sastanak srednjoa
kolskih profesora nekih struka, na kojem su sveučilia
ni nastavnici upoznavali profesore s promjenama u njihovu području. A mi planiramo stručno usavra
avanje ravnatelja i predla~
emo osnivanje »a
kole za ravnatelje«. `
to će nam vrstan ministar vojske i generala
tab, ako vojnici malo a
to znaju o pua
ci? U planiranom Odjelu za istra~
ivanje i razvoj a
kolstva segment »usavra
avanje nastavnika« je jedna osamnaestina njegove aktivnosti bez i jedne jedine pojedinosti o djelovanju. No projekti zato vrve prijedlozima o mnogim vanjskim i stručnim suradnicima. Sapienti sat! Među novim članovima vlade dva su vrsna znanstvenika koji sigurno znaju za presudnu ulogu znanja i obrazovanja u priključku Hrvatske »normalnom« svijetu. Nadajmo se da će naići na razumijevanje i potporu u ukupnom kolopletu hrvatske vlasti. Autor je doktor znanosti, znanstveni konzultant, publicist iz Zagreba letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 26 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7065/1/H-Dok-mu-zivo-srce-bije---BOGATSVO-Australskih-Hrvata.html Komentar objavljen na hrvatskom radiju 3zzz Melbourne, Hrvatskom radiju Sydney i australskom Hrvatskom VjesnikuOGROMNO BOGATSTVO AUSTRALSKIH HRVATAMarjan BosnjakPonekad se dogodi da nismo ni svjesni sto sve imamo, kakva imamo bogatstva i kakve vrline. Ovoga tjedna vam zelim govoriti o jednom zaista ogromnom bogatsvu kojeg imaju australski Hrvati, a da toga mnogi nisu ni svjesni.Ovoga tjedna vam zelim govoriti o nasim hrvatskim umirovljenicima, jer su oni za nas i za nasu zajednicu, jedno zivo bogatstvo.ÂA koliko je to nase zivo bogatstvo? kao sto rekoh -mnogi nisu ni svjesni.Na hrvatskim radio programima, kako na drzavnom SBS-u, tako i na 3zzz, pa i u Hrvatskom Vjesniku, svi smo povremeno culi ili citali vijesti, obavijesti i drustvene oglase nasih umirovljenickih drustava, koji oglasavaju ili neki rucak ili neki izlet.Svi smo dakle culi o nasim umirovljenickim drustvima i svi znamo da postoje. Ali znate li mozda koliko ih imamo? Znate li mozda koliko umirovljenika oni okupljaju?Znate li da samo ovdje u nasem gradu, u Melbourneu, ima cak sedam hrvatskih umirovljenickih drustava, te jos dva u obliznjem Geelongu.?A znate li da hrvatsko umirovljenicko drustvo u Springvaleu ima cak 718 clanova? Drustvo u Sunshineu ima preko 300 clanova, u Clifton Hillu skoro stotinu a u Centru hrvatske zajednice u Geelongu 150.A koliko umirovljenika tek imamo u drugim gradovima, u Sydneyu, Perthu, Adelaidei, Brisbaneu, Canberri?Mi ocito nismo ni svjesni s kakvim ljudskim resursima, s kakvim znanjem i zivotnim iskustvom raspolazemoNasi umirovljenici su nas ponos, ali i nasa neocekivana snaga i bogatstvo.ÂPravo bogatstvo nije samo novac, nego su pravo bogatstvo- ljudi, jer su ljudi ti koji stvaraju i novac i sva druga bogatstva.U povijesti, vecina naroda je svoje stare ljude cijenila i postivala. Stari ljudi su postivani radi svojeg znanja, radi svojeg zivotnog iskustva, i radi svoje mudrosti.Neki u novije vrijeme pogresno misle da kada ljudi jednom prestanu raditi, kada odu u mirovinu, da tada prestaju biti produktivni i korisni, da je tada njihova vrijednost na neki nacin puno manja, nego kada su bili zaposleni.Takvo je primitivno shvacanje potpuno pogresno.Dapace sto se tice nase Hrvatske zajednice, upravo su nasi umirovljenici ti koji nasoj zajednici i nasem drustvenom zivotu mogu najvise doprinijeti,Nasi su nam umirovljenici dragocijeni jer imaju i vremena i znanja a takodjer i veliku ljubav prema svojem hrvatskom narodu..Umirovljenici su ljudi koji ne moraju svakoga radnog dana otici na posao i za nekoga raditi.Oni imaju puno vise slobodnog vremena kojeg mogu posvetiti i sebi i svojoj obitelji, i svojim unucima, i svojim hobijima, ali i svojim drustvima i svojoj hrvatskoj zajednici.Mnogi od nas koji nismo u mirovini moramo svakoga radnog dana otici na posao i za nekoga raditi. Mnogi smo pored toga vremenski ograniceni i obiteljskim i brojnim svakodnevnim obvezama, radi kojih jednostavno ne stignemo sudjelovati u hrvatskom drustvenom zivotu koliko bi htjeli i trebali.ÂNo za razliku od nas, nasim je umirovljenicima svaki dan relativno slobodan. Oni nemoraju ici nekome ostvarivati profit. Oni svoje vrijeme mogu posvetiti ili svojim privatnim aktivnostima ili nasim drustvenim.ÂA sve je vise nasih umirovljenika koji vec sada svoje vrijeme posvecuju nasoj hrvatskoj zajednici i nasim drustvima.Sve vise je umirovljenika koji pomazu svojim crkvama. Koji pomazu sa opcim odrzavanjem, sa uredjivanjem vrta, s ciscenjem, ili necim drugim. Sve su to vazni poslovi koje netko mora napraviti.A evo jos nekoliko primjera;Ima nasih umirovljenika koji, recimo, vole nogomet i koji svoje slobodno vrijeme daruju nasoj Croatiji Melbourne. Neki od njih, poput Ivana Pavlovica i Rudija Horvata, tamo preko tjedna pomazu u uredu, odgovaraju na telefone, vode kuhinju, rade za barom, organiziraju zabave, sakupljaju pomoc za klub i upisuju clanarine.ÂTu je i nas umirovljenik Pero Micic koji vec duze vremena dobrovoljno radi na hrvatskom radio programu i odgovara na telefone. A tu su i drugi umirovljenici koji ili dobrovoljno pred crkvama prodaju knjige ili pisu pisma ili pak organiziraju peticije.ÂMnogi drugi umirovljenici redovito priredjuju ili ruckove ili organiziraju izlete-ponekad cak i ambiciozne. Tako su nedavno umirovljenici iz Sunshinea pod vodstvom gdje Ecije organizirali vrlo uspjesno putovanje cak u Lourdes, Vatikan i Hrvatsku.Mnogi drugi umirovljenici dobrovoljno rade na zabavama,- ili sluze ili kuhaju ili ciste.ÂOvakvih bih primjera mogao navesti jos mnogo.ÂDa nije nasih umirovljenika koji to rade sasvim dobrovoljno, to bi morao raditi netko drugi, netko koga bi se vjerojatno moralo i platiti, a kao sto svi znamo, nasi klubovi, nasa drustva i nase ustanove uglavnom i rade dobvrovoljno pa bas ni nemaju previse sredstava za place ili za skupe radove.Nasi umirovljenici su zapravo jedna citava vojska vrijednih i sposobnih ljudi i zena koje ne smijemo iskljucivati iz naseg drustvenog zivota, nego dapace, koje, trebamo jos vise ukljucivati u sva nasa drustva, u sve nase aktivnosti.Hrvatska bi drustva zamolio da nasim umirovljenicima otvore vrata i pruze ruku, te da ih pozovu da se jos vise ukljuce u drustveni rad.Nasi su umirovljenici jedna ogromna snaga, koja u vecini, i hoce i moze, biti od velike koristi za cijelu nasu hrvatsku zajednicu.ÂA sve nase hrvatske umirovljenike koji ovo citaju/slusaju bih zamolio, nemojte cekati da vas netko pozove. Ako mozete i hocete pomoci, nazovite vi prvi. Budite Vi, ti koji ce poduzeti prvi korak, koji ce prvi kontaktirati. Nazovite Vi svoje najblize hrvatsko drustvo, hrvatski dom, hrvatski klub ili hrvatsku crkvu i ponudite im svoje znanje i svoju pomoc. Barem nekoliko sati tjedno.I nasoj zajednici a i Hrvatskoj su danas potrebni svi Hrvati, i stari i mladi, jer svi mi, i stari i mladi volimo svoj narod i svoju Domovinu, kako to vrlo dobro kazu zadnje dvije kitice nase hrvatske himne  Lijepe Nase Dravo, Savo, Drino, tecinit ti Dunav silu gubi,Sinje more svijetu reci,ÂDa svoj narod Hrvat ljubi.Dok mu njive sunce grije,Dok mu hrasce bura vije,Dok mu mrtve grob sakrije,Dok mu zivo srce bije.Marjan BosnjakBosnjak@telstra.com letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 25 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7066/1/E-SPINDLETOP-CENTENNIAL---ANOTHER-MISSED-OPPORTUNITY.html ÂSPINDLETOP CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: CROATIANS MISS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITYby Drucilla BadurinaDear Mr. Spahich:First, the distinction bestowed upon you in 2000 by the Republic ofCroatia is most laudable. A few years ago, I had the honor of accepting,on behalf of Professor C. Michael McAdams, the Republic of Croatia'sState Honors presented to him at a ceremony at the Croatian Embassy.You, he and others have been rightfully recognized for your many yearsof tireless work in supporting and defending the Croatian nation's rightto self-determination as a free, independent democracy, often when itwas not popular even in the United States.Your message of 6/18 which included various correspondence about Houstonand Rijeka as future sister cities, a possible honorary consulgeneralship and other "news" items was very interesting. Hopefully,these "projects" will be the just the beginning of a continuing endeavorto enlighten present and future generations of Texans as well asAmericans nationwide about Croatia and Croatians.Unfortunately, even though we're entering the second decade of Croatia'sindependence, there still is a notable lack of any proactive,continuous, effective education/promotion campaign or program aboutCroatia and Croatians on the American scene.What follows is an archival article by Badurina & Associates which youmay not have read and might be of interest to you. It might be of someinterest to Houston Croatians also.The best of luck with the sister city project.Sincerely,Drucilla BadurinaPresident,Badurina & Associatese-mail: badurinapr@aol.com BADURINA & ASSOCIATES P. O. Box 5447 Falmouth, Virginia 22403 E-mail: USACroatia@aol.com January 20, 2001SPINDLETOP CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: CROATIANS MISS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITYNational Public Radio (NPR) recently featured a report on the January 10celebration in Beaumont, Texas commemorating the centennial ofSpindletop, the world's most important oil strike. This famous oilfield in Southeast Texas changed the course of history, inaugurated thehuge Texas oil industry and the petroleum era and, according to thereport, "helped to transform the United States into a superpower."Spindletop is also known as the "Lucas gusher" named after miningengineer, Captain Anthony F. Lucas, who discovered the oil field.Spindletop was the ultimate confirmation of his belief that the area wasa natural petroleum reservoir, despite ridicule and skepticism about histheory during the time of his exploration. Today there is a monument inhis honor at Spindletop and, since 1936, fifteen years after his death,the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering hasawarded the Anthony F. Lucas Medal to notable individuals in the fieldof petroleum development.What NPR did not correctly report was that Anthony F. Lucas was aCroatian immigrant, born in Split, Croatia in 1855. He was the son ofFranjo Lucic, a sea captain, from the Croatian island of Hvar. As wascommon among many immigrants, he changed his surname from Lucic to Lucaswhen he came to the United States. Yet, NPR's broadcast reported thathe was Austrian. While certain words on his Washington, DC tombstoneinscription such as Spalato and Illyrian (referring to his birthplace,Split, and his Croatian ancestry) might baffle the average American,these should be comprehensible and unambiguous to anyone doing seriousresearch about the subject. Nevertheless, most books and articlespublished in the United States about Spindletop say Lucas/Lucic wasAustrian or German or Italian.A 1995 article entitled: Captain Anthony F. Lucas: An Austrian Pioneerby an associate professor of English and German at Lamar University inBeaumont, Texas indicates the Texas Energy Museum in that same city hasa life-sized, talking figure representing Captain Lucas that explains,in a German accent, that he was Austrian born. The writer says that hissurname is an Americanized form of the Slavic "Luchich" {sic}. Thisparticular article even appears on the Austrian Information web site.Austria seems quite happy to claim Lucas/Lucic as its own!Spindletop is indeed an important part of Texas history as well asCroatian and world history, well known to many of the 20 million pluspeople living in the state especially those educated in Texas elementaryand secondary schools. Spindletop is also well known nationally andworldwide to millions of individuals associated with the petroleumindustry and ancillary companies. In fact, Spindletop is such asignificant part of Texas history that early in 1999 then GovernorGeorge W. Bush and the Texas Legislature created the Spindletop 2001Commission to plan and implement the state's official celebration ofthat 100th anniversary. Former US president and Texas oilman, George H.Bush, was the keynote speaker at the January 10, 2001 commemoration atSpindletop. He reminded his audience that what began at Spindletop,Lucas' discovery, was "not a misguided adventure but rather aprovidential blessing to be used and shepherded wisely."That event and others scheduled during the yearlong celebration wouldhave been marvelous promotional and educational opportunities forCroatian American organizations and/or the Republic of Croatia'srepresentatives in the United States. However, none had the wisdom orsagacity to seize these opportunities to definitively reclaim CaptainAnthony F. Lucas' Croatian identity, begin to successfully reversecontinuing historical error, and in the process, begin to effectivelypromote Croatia and Croatians among those millions of Texans and otherAmericans familiar with Lucas/Lucic and Spindletop but mistaken about orunaware of his true ethnic heritage.Undoubtedly, the Spindletop centennial was a ready made public relationsdream served on a silver platter. But Croatian American organizationsand Republic of Croatia representatives in the US were eitheruninterested, unconscious or on another planet. They seem to havemissed or ignored the importance of this special opportunity to promoteCroatia and Croatians among Americans in the second largest state in theUS and home state of the new US president, George W. Bush. Their trackrecord for constantly, effectively publicizing/promoting Croatia andCroatians among Americans in the US is negligible. Maybe they'll gettheir act together in time for Spindletop's bicentennial. In themeantime, almost ten years after the Republic of Croatia's independence,the mechanical figure of Croatia's Captain Anthony F. Lucas at the TexasEnergy Museum continues to exclaim to thousands of tourists visitingSpindletop that he was Austrian born.Op-ed: from The Franklin Institute Onlinehttp://sln.fi.edu/fellows/fellow2/jan99/spindletop.htmlDrucilla Badurina and many others spoke about Spindletop for many years. Lets make a difference and organize acampaign to change label Austrian into Croatian. Someone needs to lead, where and whom to address, but a public exposure to the media (newspapers, TV etc) with couple of good articles published would be a GREAT start.We need 3 fine articles. Please supply.Nenad BachSpindletopSpindletop is the name of a small knoll just south of Beaumont Texas. Anthony Lucas, an Austrian-born mining engineer, has been supervising the drilling of an oilwell since October 27, 1900.His crew must install a new drilling bit on the string of a drill pipe. The date is January 10, 1901. The drilling crew begins lowering the new bit to the bottom of the hole. They run about 700 feet (200 meters) of drill pipe into the 1,000-foot (300-meter) hole. Suddenly, the well starts spewing drilling mud. The mud, a liquid concoction that carries rock cuttings out of the hole, drenches the rig floor and shoots up into the derrick.The crew evacuates the rig and waits to see what will happen. The flow stops. The workers return to the rig and start cleaning up. Without warning, mud erupts again. Then a geyser of oil gushes 200 feet (60 meter) above the 60-foot-high (18 meter high) derrick.See the photo to the right.The spouting oil blows all the drill pipe out of the hole. The blowing well elates Lucas and his crew as they watch the display from a safe distance. They estimate that it is flowing over 3 million gallons (over 12,000 cubic meters) of oil per day. In oilfield terms, that's over 80,000 barrels of oil per day.Before Spindletop, a big producer flowed 50 barrels (8 cubic meters )per day. The Lucas well produced 1,600 times that amount. It showed that buried layers of rock could contain tremendous amounts of oil. What is more, it proved that rotary drilling was an effective way to obtain it. Spindletop marked the beginning of the modern petroleum industry. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 22 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7067/1/E-Croatia-A-Moral-Calculation-money-and-technology.html From the November 2001 issue of World Press Review (VOL. 48, No. 11)Croatia: A Moral CalculationMilan Ivkosic, Vecernji List (pro-government), Zagreb , Sep. 13, 2001ÂInstead of questioning the moral state of mankind led by politicians, the world's public today questions only how to avoid the consequences of the situation-in other words, how to prevent and punish terror. Terror is never innocent, but there is no terror without reason. Avenging terror, punishing it, does not mean eliminating its causes. Furthermore, an inappropriate reprisal can exacerbate those causes.ÂThe world of capitalism bows to two gods-money and technology. Everything that cannot adapt, or does not want to adapt, to financial or technological standards faces scorn, poverty, and grief. Is there any person worthy of world renown, aside from the pope, whom the Western world has produced in recent decades? An admirable person, exemplifying morality and unselfishness? In recent decades, have the Western powers been headed by a president or royal family uncorrupted by financial or sexual scandals?ÂTerrorists kill innocent people because of cracks in the moral facade of the Western world. Such moral faults are security gaps as well. Certainly the mass killing of innocent people gives Americans the right to seek revenge, but U.S. security is enhanced to the extent that these moral cracks are eliminated. Christian civilization can defend itself only by Christian means. Without it, [Christian] civilization is not what its name implies.Âhttp://www.worldpress.org/Europe/253.cfm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7068/1/H-Dan-Bastille----14-srpnja---Nothing-to-Celebrate-on-Bastille-Day.html ÂNothing to Celebrate on Bastille DayÂThe evil legacy of the French Revolution.ÂBy Russell LewisÂFrom The Wall Street Journal EuropeJul 12 2002ÂUnatoc svemu tomu mnogi ce tvrditi kako je Francuska Revolucijasvjetionik slobode u svijetu, koja je pokazala narodima kako strgatilance feudalnoga praznovjerja i tiranije. Krivo."Vodeci su revolucionari bili sasvim neprijateljski prema slobodimisljenja kao i Talibani. Briljantnoga kemicara Lavoisiera, koji jeotkrio sastav zraka i ulogu kisika, revolucionarni je sud osudio nasmrt. Kada je molio odgodu izvrsenja smrtne kazne kako bi zavrsio nekevazne eksperimente, predsjednik suda mu je odbio molbu obrazlozenjemdostojnim Mullah Omara: 'Republika nema potrebu za ucenjacima(strucnjacima)'."Francuzi ce se naveliko veseliti (danas), na 213. obljetnicu (1789.)kada je naoruzana rulja zauzela Bastilleu, kraljevski zatvor, sto seslavi kao pocetak Francuske Revolucije. "Srusena je feudalna tiranija irodjena moderna demokracija. Cinjenice ipak govore drukcije. Revolucijai Napoleonski ratovi koji su uslijedili tako su oslabili Francusku davise nikad nije povratila pre-eminenciju u Europi koju je uzivala podbivsim kraljevima."ÂZauzimanje je Bastille bio sramotan cin. Pijana rulja koja se domoglaoruzja pobila je strazare i upravitelja koji nisu pruzali otpor.Oslobodjeno je 7 zatvorenika, od kojih nijedna nije bio politicki.Cetvorica su bili krivotvoritelji, dvojica mentalni defekti.Napoleon je dobio mnoge bitke, ali je izgubio rat koji je biorazarajuci. Poginulo je dva milijuna mladih Francuza, gotovo koliko u 1.i 2. svjetskom ratu ali od mnogo manje populacije.Napoleoniski zakon o jednakom nasljedju doveo je do smanjenja porodjajasto je dovelo do demografskog zaostajanja za Njemackom s kojom je bilajednaka po broju pucanstva.Francuska je izgubila i teritorijalno. St. Dominique (Haiti iDominikanska Republika danas), najveci proizvodjac secera u otocima WestIndies bili su odsjeceni britanskom blokadom. Napoleon je ThomasuJeffersonu prodao Teritorije Louisiane (velik dio danasnjeg americkogMidwest-a). Dotle se Britanija oporavljala od gubitka americkih kolonija(1776.) u postavljala temelje svog drugog, u povijesti najvecegaimperija.Seljaci su dobili zemlju, ali nisu imali orudje za obradjivanje.Francuska je promasila industrijsku revoluciju, trebalo joj je 20 godinaza oporavak na razinu od prije 1789., kada se Francuska industrijskirazvijala brze nego Engleska.Napoleon je prezirao Englesku kao zemlju piljara. Vise je francuskihtrgovaca zavrsilo na giljotini nego aristokrata. Revolucionari uvodeprotekcionizam. Laissez-faire je francuska fraza, ali su Britanci onikoji su je prakticirali...Unatoc svemu tomu mnogi ce tvrditi kako je Francuska Revolucijasvjetionik slobode u svijetu, koja je pokazala narodima kako strgatilance feudalnoga praznovjerja i tiranije. Krivo."Vodeci su revolucionari bili sasvim neprijateljski prema slobodimisljenja kao i Talibani. Briljantnoga kemicara Lavoisiera, koji jeotkrio sastav zraka i ulogu kisika, revolucionarni je sud osudio nasmrt. Kada je molio odgodu izvrsenja smrtne kazne kako bi zavrsio nekevazne eksperimente, predsjednik suda mu je odbio molbu obrazlozenjemdostojnim Mullah Omara: 'Republika nema potrebu za ucenjacima(strucnjacima)'."Politicki glavni proizvod Revolucije bila je drzava daleko apsolutnijanogo ona Luja XIV. (centralizam...)Najzlokobnije nasljedje Francuske Revolucije je koncept da se teskipoliticki problemi najbolje mogu rijesiti nasiljem. Njezin je najgorivid doktrina kako pravedna ili prosvijecena elita (kao boljsevici! o.ra) ima pravo -- naravno, za vlastito dobro naroda -- nametnuti svojepoglede terorom. Nasljedje koje svi mi i danas ispastamo. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 14 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7069/1/E-LASTOVO---ROCK-QUARRY---voice-your-opinion.html Vanja Jurica Eko Zone - Save Lastovo 20290 Lastovo Croatia Tel: 385-20-801-167 Tel: 385-20-801-122 E-mail: vanja@du.te.hr July 2, 2002Dear friends,My name is Ms. Vanja Jurica and I am the president of "Eko Zone - SaveLastovo", a non-profit environmental agency registered in Lastovo.We are kindly asking you to help us stop our local authorities fromopening a Rock Quarry on our beautiful island. Please write a letter toCroatian Ministry/authorities (names and e-mail addresses are detailedbelow) to voice your opposition to this project. Time is of the essencebecause the Croatian Ministry is expected to approve the "Lastovo ZoningPlan" this week, and the Rock Quarry Project is "buried" in the fineprint of this plan which was submitted to the Ministry without firstgoing through the required public hearing and comments process at thelocal level.The Rock Quarry project would allow Microlastovo, a local company, incooperation with an Italian company, to purchase, excavate and transportrocks to Italy, from the southern shore of Lastovo, called Nagojna, whichyears ago Lastovo people proposed to be the Nature Park. This will havea negative environmental/economic impact on the entire island whichmeasures only 5 by 7 kilometers. If allowed to proceed, the RockQuarry Project will: - create dust and noise pollution which will negatively affect the health of people, and sea and land animals, including a large number of protected species, - pollute drinking water which is so scarce on the island that water has to be taken from the ground through a desalinization process, - negatively affect tourism, fishing and property values, - leave a permanent ugly scar on the island, and - pollute surrounding islands, including Korcula and Mljet due to constantly changing winds. The planned Rock Quarry is only about 1 mile from several of the mostbeautiful bays on Lastovo and the world, including for example, SkrivenaLuka, where, ironically, only a few years ago, local authorities parceledthe land around the bay, and invested money for a new road, electricityand telephone service, so that existing and new residents would enjoytheir lives in paradise. Today these residents enjoy living just liketheir ancestors have done for centuries, breathing clean air, fishing inpristine waters, farming on unpolluted land, and making some incomerenting their rooms to tourists who are willing to take a 5-hour ferryride to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of Lastovo. The peace, quiet,cleanliness and beauty of Lastovo will all be ruined by opening a RockQuarry. This is at a time when other Croatian islands and mainlandlocations are shutting down rock quarries.The following is a short history of events regarding the Rock Quarry, asthe Lastovo people understand it:- After representatives of an Italian quarry company were turned away byKorcula and Mljet, they came to Lastovo to request permission topurchase, excavate and transport rocks to Italy.Â- Meanwhile, one of Lastovo's 7 supervisors, Mr. Jancic, registered aprivate company, Microlastovo, in his name, in order to work on the RockQuarry Project. He also continued working as a City supervisor, andvoting at the City Council meetings which is against the law due toconflict of interest. Microlastovo asked the City for permission to opena rock quarry and the majority of the City supervisors rejected the idea.- In June 2001, Microlastovo asked the City to allow them to do afeasibility study to determine if the project would be suitable forLastovo; the City supervisors approved this request (4 yes, and 3 novotes).Â- At every subsequent monthly City Council meeting, the mayor would notallow discussion or voting on the Rock Quarry Project, even though someof the supervisors wanted to discuss it.- Meanwhile, the mayor of Lastovo submitted the final "Lastovo ZoningPlan" (which included the Rock Quarry project just recently voted downby the city council, but somehow no longer includes the Nature Park whichpeople proposed to be at the same place years ago) to the CroatianMinistry in Zagreb for approval, without the People of Lastovo'sknowledge and without the required public hearing and comments.- In June 2002, Microlastovo presented the feasibility study to the CityCouncil , and City supervisors voted "no" on the "Rock Quarry" Project (5no, and 2 yes votes, 1 of the yes votes by Mr. Jancic who has an economicinterest in the project).- More recently, the People of Lastovo found out that the Zoning Planincludes the Rock Quarry Project, they immediately circulated a Petitionand more than one- half of the Lastovo population signed against the project.- Various Environmental Agencies and other organizations also aresupporting Lastovo people to stop the "Rock Quarry" project.- Our organization, "Eko Zona - Save Lastovo" has been writing to theMinistry asking them to throw out the Rock Quarry Project from theLastovo Zoning Plan for the reasons stated above.ÂAgain, the Ministry is supposed to make a final decision and sign theLastovo Zoning Plan at the beginning of July 2002. Because time isshort, we kindly urge you to send your e-mail as soon as possible to thefollowing organizations:info@mingo.hr ministarstvo gospodarstvaÂoffice@mps.hr ministarstvo poljoprivrede i sumarstvaministar@pravosudje.hr ministarstvo pravosudja i lokalne samoupravekabinet@mzopu.hr ministarstvo za zastitu okolisazavod@mzopu.hr Zavod za prostorno planiranjemailto:dnz-zupan@du.tel.hr ured zupana dubrovacke neretvanske zupanijecc: vanja@du.tel.hrÂThank you for your support,Vanja JuricaPresidentEko - Zona Lastovo letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7070/1/H-Zasto-Hrvatska-zaostaje-za-postkomunistickim-zemljama.html Zašto Hrvatska zaostaje za mnogim postkomunistickim zemljama?«Tisuce mladih ljudiÂ…osjecajuci da su se vrata buducnosti zalupila pred njihovom zemljom, marljivo rade samo za osobno dobro». To nije, kako ste mogli pomisliti, misao iz razgovora s nekim od analiticara naših društvenih kretanja, nego je zadnja recenica kubanskog pjesnika i novinara Roula Castanede u clanku «Prava blokada Kube». Hrvatska i Kuba imaju danas malo ili nimalo dodirnih tocaka, ali se njihove mlade generacije osjecaju gotovo istovjetno. Buducnost zajednice koja prisiljava mladog covjeka da se od nje okrece i egocentricno se brine samo za sebe, nikako nije blistava. Zašto je u nas do toga došlo? Što je razlogom da su zemlje poput Ceške, Slovacke, Madžarske i baltickih republika, kojima smo bili uzorom u kvaliteti življenja sve do pada Berlinskog zida, odmakle od nas u mnogim civilizacijskim parametrima? Tu možemo ubrojiti i Sloveniju koja je uvijek bila ponešto ispred nas, a sada je tu prednost dobrano povecala. Prvih smo godina samostalnosti jadikovali o posljedicama rata, ali je danas bjelodano kako su suštinski uzroci zaostajanja negdje drugdje. Sada, suoceni sami sa sobom, tražimo krivce za vlastitu nesposobnost. Za naše desnicare to su Medunarodni monetarni fond, Europska unija, Svjetska banka, OSSE, masoni i globalizacija, kao da sve to nisu aktivni cimbenici i u ostalim tranzicijskim zemljama. Nekada smo bili ispred drugih komunistickih zemalja radi otvorenih granica, dotoka deviznih zarada naših radnika i višeg stupnja opce i osobne slobode. Postoje razlozi zašto su danas neke države iz te iste skupine ispred nas: niži koeficijent korupcije, znacajnija uloga intelektualca, pametnija gospodarska pretvorba, dosljednija i poštenija denacionalizacija, bolje novcarsko ponderiranje u gospodarskom razvoju, veca otvorenost prema izvozu, energicnije reforme u poljoprivredi, industriji i bankarstvu, ali i lustracija komunistickih tajnih službi.Naše rasprave o oporavku zdravstva, školskog sustava, gospodarstva, državne uprave i svih drugih podrucja društvenih djelatnosti propadaju vec na samom polazištu. Osobe koje su zadužene za promjene iz zatvorenog u otvoreno društvo, iz kolektivistickog u poduzetnicko privredivanje, ne uocavaju da kapitalizam nije više onaj isti o kojem su citali ili ucili prije nekoliko desetaka godina, da se dešavaju promjene u samim temeljima civilizacije. Kljucni ljudi države nisu svjesni da kompjuter kojim se oni danas pocinju služiti, nije puko osobno orude kao kemijska olovka ili aktovka, nego je uredaj cija primjena, u sklopu s njemu pridruženom tehnologijom, potpuno mijenja sve društvene odnose. Vrijeme u kojem živimo može se usporediti samo s Gutenbergovim dobom iz petnaestog stoljeca. Tada je pisana rijec postala masovnom civilizacijskom tekovinom koja je tankom sloju pismenih ljudi oduzela monopol na znanje, obrazovanje i tumacenje vjerskih postulata. To je u doba cezaropapizma bio korak koji je doveo do širenja pismenosti, reformacije i demonopolizacije katolicanstva, odvajanja crkve od svjetovne vlasti, te oblikovanja modernog društva i državne zajednice.Informatizacija je danas civilizacijski revolucionaran korak koji vodi do stvaranja postmodernog društva. Mnogi od nas to ne opažaju i ne shvacaju jer su promjene postupne, ali i jer se odvijaju uz stalne otpore mocnika industrijskog društva u odnosu na plimu informacijskog vala. I to ne samo u nas. U najrazvijenijoj sili, Sjedinjenim državama, danas je na sceni društveni sukob usporediv s gradanskim ratom iz devetnaestog stoljeca. Tada se je odvijala oružana bitka za premoc izmedu agrarnog juga i industrijskog sjevera, a danas je tamo prisutan civilizacijski sukob izmedu naftno-agrarnog juga i informaticko-industrijskog sjevera, paradigmatski predstavljen koncernom «Seven Sisters» i informatickim kompleksom koji predvodi Bill Gates. Ishod ovog sukoba nece se razlikovati od ishoda rata iz 1860-tih, i to jednostavno zato što uvijek pobjeduje novcano akumulativnija i za mlade generacije civilizacijski privlacnija opcija. Nakon pukih stotinu i pedeset godina civilizacijski je razvoj pomaknuo krvavi obracun prema podrucju legislative, medija, novcarstva i politike. To je ogroman i pozitivan napredak koji zapadna civilizacija želi proširiti i na ostatak covjecanstva. Tome se diljem svijeta protive svi koji dobro žive u agrarnom, ranom industrijskom ili cak u nomadskom društvu, te nam namecu civilizacijski prevladane krvave obracune. To je temeljni okvir u kojem bi trebalo sagledati sve današnje bitke, od Al-Qaide i Palestine, do Bosne i Južne Amerike, u kojima je žudnja za bogatstvom i moci, uz zadržavanje dosadašnjih društvenih odnosa, fatalno zacinjena religijskom iskljucivosti.ÂNema pozitivnog pomaka prema postmodernom društvu bez dirigentskog štapica u rukama intelektualaca, pobornika informacijske civilizacije, okruženih vecom skupinom istomišljenika. Vrlo je upitno želi li to itko od današnjih politicara, a još je upitnija njihova sposobnost ostvarenja takvih ciljeva. Pri tom je potrebno razbiti neke zablude o dometima i ciljevima globalizacije. Protivnici globalizacije s pravom tvrde da najbogatije zemlje žele zavladati resursima siromašnih, nametnuti gospodarski imperijalizam i osigurati dugorocni geopoliticki utjecaj. Sve je to vjerojatno tocno, ali zar se jednako tako nisu uvijek ponašali jaki i mocni u svim društvenim sustavima? No uvijek se, pa i danas, respektira zajednica s kvalitetama primjerenim civilizaciji svoga vremena, dok slabi i nerazvijeni imaju malo medunarodnog utjecaja. Pridružimo se mi Sloveniji u civilizacijskim dometima pa nece biti straha za hrvatsku sutrašnjicu. Zar možda mislimo da nismo za to sposobni?ÂZanimljivo je da svi kriticari globalizacije ne spominju ili ne uocavaju temeljnu dugorocnu odrednicu globalne civilizacije: globalizacija znanja i informacije. Mislite li da bi Al-Qaida mogla izvršiti napad u rujnu 2001. bez svjetske novcarske i informacijske protocnosti? To je cijena koju globalna civilizacija mora platiti. Potpuno sam siguran da najrazvijeniji nerado daju na uvid cjelokupno svjetsko znanje najsiromašnijima, pa i potencijalnim protivnicima, ali su na to prisiljeni radi vlastitih interesa. No time se izjednacuju uvjeti stjecanja znanja u centru Manhattana, na obroncima planina Himalaja i u australskoj pustinji. Preduvjet je stotinjak dolara za mobitel i pokretno racunalo, te znanje engleskog jezika.ÂDakle, koristimo maksimalno globalizaciju na podrucjima koja nam odgovaraju i koja su nam važna, pazeci pritom da za to platimo cim manju cijenu na nekom drugom planu. Tu leži velik dio politicke mudrosti male, siromašne i tranzicijske zemlje. Kljucni je korak izbor ljudi koji to razumiju i mogu to provesti. Te ljude biraju glasaci, pa treba izbornom tijelu približiti dugorocni, strateški plan razvoja i življenja u ovoj zemlji. Kome ce ljudi vjerovati? Nadam se ne onima koji nastavljaju davno završene bitke, ni onima koji se hrane mržnjom prema starozavjetnoj poruci «oko za oko», nikako ne onima koji su, bez obzira na sirenske rijeci, upropastili sve što su god mogli, pa ni onima koji su imali jasne reformske prilike, no koji su beskrajnim oklijevanjem izgubili opce povjerenje u vlastitu kompetentnost. Dakle kome vjerovati? Poruka je jasna. U Americi ceš politicki uspjeti ako si prethodno na polju svoje profesije pokazao vrhunske domete i neupitno poštenje. Amerika je uspješna zemlja. Zar bi bilo pogrešno slijediti njen uzor i na našim prostorima, i to u dobu koje vapi za znalcima od povjerenja i poštenja? Sjetimo se gesla na kojem pociva americka demokracija: »Možeš varati sve ljude neko vrijeme ili neke ljude sve vrijeme, ali nikako baš sve ljude cijelo vrijeme». Nadajmo se da smo tijekom dvanaest godina civilizacijski sazreli za izborni posao odvajanja žita od kukolja, znalca od neznalice, kreativca od birokrate i poštenjaka od opsjenara, pod uvjetom da nam to politicari dozvole vecinskim izbornim pravilima. Položimo li taj ispit ucinit cemo velik korak prema razvojnom prikljucku danas odmaklim tranzicijskim zemljama.Marko TarleÂAutor je doktor znanosti, znanstveni konzultant i publicist letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 30 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7071/1/H-Dr-Marko-Tarle-Intelektualac-u-hrvatskoj-politickoj-sadasnjici.html ÂIntelektualac u hrvatskoj politickoj sadasnjiciU posljednje smo vrijeme svjedoci medijskih «carki» izmedu intelektualaca ipoliticara u kojima prvi ocjenjuju «lik i djelo» politicara, dok ovi drugiprozivaju intelektualce kao «voajere» pripisujuci im puko kritizerstvo ibijeg od odgovornosti za stanje u drustvu. No dok je pojam politicara svakomjasan, a u ironicnom smislu predstavlja covjeka koji spretno izrazava iliostvaruje svoje zelje umjesnim ophodenjem, prema filozofu NiccoliMachiavellija pocesto i na marginama etike i postenja, dotle pojamintelektualca za razne ljude, pa i za one dobrano obrazovane, ima vrlorazlicita znacenja.Inteligencija predstavlja drustveni sloj obrazovanih ljudi koji vrse strucneposlove i znanstvena istrazivanja utemeljene na misaonim procesima. To suljudi koji stvaraju nove duhovne i znanstvene vrijednosti, ali i oni koji upraksi primjenjuju ta ista dostignuca na raznim podrucjima ljudskogstvaralastva s ciljem stvaranja opceg dobra covjecanstva. O njima, dakle,ovisi dinamika tehnoloskog napretka drustva kao i pridruzeni civilizacijskiiskorak, oni su prema Kantu i Hegelu istinski kreatori univerzalne povijesticovjecanstva. No inteligenciju sacinjavaju isto tako vrhunski reproduktivci:sjajni pijanist Pogorelic umjetnicke skladbe Wagnera, Chopina i Verdijapriblizava sirokom slusateljstvu, dajuci pritom tim djelima i neki svojeosobne znacajke, tehnolozi su Flemingovo otkrice penicilina pretocili uindustrijski proizvod za spas milijuna zivota, ekonomski su strucnjaciznanstvene makroekonomske postulate nobelovaca Keynesa i Friedmana pretociliu gospodarske odrednice globalnog trzista. Svi su oni, kreativni ireproduktivni znalci, visoki znanstvenici i vrhunski razvojni strucnjaci,pripadnici sloja inteligencije.No intelektualac, tko je to? Zar puki pripadnik inteligencije? Mozda i jest,ako ga shvatimo kao sastavnicu ove zbirne imenice. No shvatimo li ga kaovrhunskog Intelektualca doci cemo do sasvim druge definicije, ili tocnijedo zbroja nuznih duhovnih uvjeta koji krase njegovu osobnost. Opcenito sesmatra da su to tolerantni ljudi visoke kreativnosti, znanstvene ilisocijalne, a ne samo reprodukcijskih znacajki, osobe sirokog obrazovanja idrustvenih pogleda, polivalentni pojedinci koje resi izrazajnost i priznatakvaliteta na mnogim podrucjima, ali prije svega duhovna neovisnost ineslomivost, uspravan hod kroz zivot i atribucija «nepokvarljive robe». Upravilu je sve to pridruzeno i odbojnoscu prema bogatstvu i bogacenju.Koliko smo takvih ljudi upoznali tijekom zivota? Cini mi se ne samo da ih jevrlo, vrlo malo, nego tvrdim da nisam sreo politicara koji zadovoljava ovajobrazac pridruzen visokom intelektualcu. Sjetimo se imena Gotovca, Supeka,Zupanova, Lasica, Silobrcica i Grubisica, te jos ponekih.A sto se u politici dogada s intelektualcem? Politicari ce rasirenih rukudocekati kreativca, saslusati ga, koristiti njegove misli i projekte, cestoih prividno odbacujuci zbog navodne politicke neprihvatljivosti, a krozmjesec-dva ili godinu-dvije, plasirat ce ih u javnosti kao svoje umotvorine,a iskoristenu ce osobu marginalizirati, odbaciti i politicki obezvrijediti.Pogubno je za buducnost Hrvata sto siroke mase glasaca nisu shvatile da sekreativni intelektualci ne nalaze «na cesti», ne pobiru s burze rada, nestvaraju dekretom birokracije, ali je jos pogubnije sto nije shvaceno dasamo oni, i to upravo takvi intelektualci, mogu danas, u ovom bespucu imisaonoj magli trasirati put prema uspjesnijoj civilizaciji. Svi mi kaonarod nismo shvatili da takvi pojedinci mogu siriti oko sebe samo duh koji isami posjeduju, dakle klimu kreativnosti, istine, analiticnosti i postenja,da ce zahtijevati od svih u svom okolisu upravo takvo djelovanje, da ceprenositi sposobnost uocavanja bitnih, realnih a ne verbalnih, vrijednostiza opce dobro od nebitnog i stetnog politikantsva, da ce nuzno stvarati okosebe atmosferu rada, stvaralastva i zdravog natjecanja, nasuprot danasnjempolitickom mediju spletaka, karijerizma i dodvoravanja. Samo oni, istinskiintelektualci, zato mogu pridonijeti ozdravljanju naroda od svekolikihvirusa koji trajno unistavaju drustvo, samo oni mogu biti istinski luconoseduhovnog ozdravljenja hrvatske nacije i vodici na putu prema obzorimasretnijeg zivota.U ovoj duhovnoj i civilizacijskoj mocvari u kojoj se nasao hrvatski narodgospodarska je kataklizma samo rezultanta gnjiljenja moralnih zasada,rusenja gradanske etike, bujanja egoizma, klanjanja zlatnom teletu, teznjiiskompleksiranih bolesnika za potpunom vlascu nad ljudima i uskracivanjaelementarnih gradanskih prava svakom tko ugrozava partikularne interesepolitickih mocnika. Duhovni sklop intelektualca predstavlja istinski antipodmentalnom profilu vecine hrvatskih politicara. Zato je svaki poziv naukljucenje intelektualaca na aktualnu politicku platformu suvisan manevar ipredstavlja mission impossible.Intelektualac sa svojim civilizacijskim i kulturoloskim profilom, kao i ponjemu izabrani suradnici, jedini mogu trasirati put izlaska Hrvatske iz oveopce trulezi. To je danas posao za njih, samo oni mogu vratiti duhovni kurshrvatskog broda na pravi smjer. Toga se upravo boje politicki aparatcici, ito kako oni proizasli iz proslosti, tako i mnogi novokomponirani, jer ihovakav scenarij izlaze na politicku vjetrometinu. Uostalom, nije li bas zatojos jugokomunizam operirao sintagmom «posteni intelektualci», ciljajucipritom na pokorne sluge i srebroljubne puzavce iskljucivsi pritom sveistinske intelektualce s pozornice drustvenog utjecaja. Zar nije prvipredsjednik hrvatske drzave ponavljao da su svi «pravi i drzavotvorni»intelektualci uz njega, a da izvan njegova pokreta intelektualaca i nema?Nisu li danasnji politicki vrhovnici, svaki u svom dvoristu, vecmarginalizirali i/ili eliminirali impozantnu listu intelektualaca ipripadnike inteligencije, koji su dosada vec mogli pozitivno utjecati napropadanje hrvatskog drustva u zivi pijesak.Cini se da je u pravu Igor Mandic tvrdeci da je poziv politicaraintelektualcima za ukljucenje u politiku vodi do ukidanja same mogucnostiautonomnog postojanja intelektualaca. Mislim da je duhovni habitus vecinenasih politicara i istinskih intelektualaca razlicit poput fotografskognegativa i pozitiva, tako da zapravo i ne postoji mogucnost njihove trajnekoegzistencije na politickom poslu. Ako je tocan bar dio rijeci profesoraKregara u razgovoru objavljenom u Nedjeljnoj Dalmaciji ovih dana premakojima nase stranke nemaju profilirane opce interese ili interese svojihclanova, nego interese stranackih vodstava, .ako one nisu zajednicesimpatizera koje dijele isti svjetonazor vec organizacije podcinjene uskimstranackim vodstvima,. ako sluze tek kao motor za drustvenu promociju i todemotivira sve one koji misle da politika nije bitka za polozaje imaterijalno bogacenje vec za opce dobro,.. ako je njihova karakteristikanedostatak unutarstranacke demokracije vezano uz financijsko poslovanje ikandidaturu na izborima.cini se da ne samo odabrani intelektualci, nego nivrhunski pripadnici inteligencije nemaju mjesta na ovakvoj politickoj sceniHrvatske. No tada nije samo sudbina politickog zivota ove zemlje zapecacena,nego je i buducnost Hrvatske drzave obojena vrlo tamnim bojama.Drustvena kriza u koju tonemo ima i svoje dno. Ono se moze doseci, poslijerasprodaje svega vrijednog u drustvenom naslijedu, novim valomnezaposlenosti i prestankom djelovanja stozernih drustvenih funkcija,posebno zdravstva i mirovinskog fonda. To bi destabiliziralo regiju iugrozilo pridruzene geopoliticke cinitelje. Tada cemo sigurno docekati nekognama dodijeljenog Petritscha s ovlastenjima starorimskog diktatora. Zarnemamo dovoljno mudrosti da zaustavimo ovakav scenarij?Marko TarleAutor je doktor znanosti, znanstveni konzultant i publicist letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 18 May 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7072/1/H-Hrvatski-jezik.html Â"Hrvatski jezik je sluzbeni jezik medjunarodno priznate Republike Hrvatske, i kao hrvatski jezik, a ne nesto drugo, treba se predavati na sveucilistima, spominjati u sluzbenim dopisima, itd. "ÂÂStovani gospodine Bach,ÂÂVec nekoliko godina imam priliku biti ukljucena na CroWorldNet. Iznimno cijenim sav vas rad i vrijeme koje ste ulozili i ulazete na promicanje HRvatske putem Interneta, kao i na povezivanje Hrvata koji ne zive u Hrvatskoj. Javljam vam se ovaj put s misljenjem u vezi nastojanja da se hrvatski jezik afirmira kao samostalan na sveucilistima te u ostalim javnim institucijama u svijetu. Vidjela sam do sad nekoliko puta pisma gospodje Hilde Foley u kojima govori o hrvatskom jeziku. Potpuno razumijevajuci njezinu zelju da se hrvatski jezik konacno legitimira kao samostalan--napokon, i sama uvijek spominjem hrvatski jezik kao odvojen lingvisticki entitet u svim mojim javnim i privatnim nastupima--moram reagirati na argument u kojem gospodja Foley kaze kako su Hrvati govorili hrvatskim jezikom od sedmog stoljeca. Sa duznim postovanjem prema gdji Foley, kao i s ogromnim postovanjem za njen rad i dobre namjere, moram reci kako je to je jednostavno netocno. Sve do 19. stoljeca nije bilo 'hrvatskog jezika' kao standarda, a stvarnost rascjepkanih hrvatskih teritorija bila je okarakterizirana s tri dominantna dijalekta. Izraz 'hrvatski jezik' neki su autori koristili za razlicite dijalekte, ali ono sto je najvaznije jest da je 'hrvatski jezik' kao termin u razlicitim povijesnim periodima imao razlicita znacenja. Sasvim sigurno hrvatski jezik nije u predmodernom razdoblju bio nacionalni jezik.ÂÂUzasno je vazno da se ova cinjenica shvati jer s argumentom da Hrvati govore hrvatski 'od stoljeca sedmog' svaka diskusija gubi na ozbiljnosti i time na kredibilitetu. Stovise, ne trebamo se plasiti toga da se hrvatski kao standard moze locirati tek u 19. stoljecu jer to je vrijeme kad i tzv. 'veliki' evropski narodi prolaze kroz iste procese. To vazi i za Francuze, koji, ako je suditi po njihovim zakonima o francuskom jeziku, do svog jezika drze vjerovatno vise no ijedan drugi europski narod. Naime, francuski seljaci iz jedne regije nisu se mogli razumjeti sa seljacima iz neke druge regije cak niti krajem 18. stoljeca.ÂÂNisam lingvista i ne mogu ulaziti u diskusije kojima se doticu leksicki, sintakticki, itd. elementi hrvatskog jezika, i njegovog odnosa prema srpskom. Ali, u kontekstu evropskih naroda utvrdjivanje lingvistickog standarda bio je uvijek vise-manje politicka odluka ( i proces), i jedan od glavnih nacina nacionalne homogenizacije. Sto se prije ovo prihvati kao cinjenica, to prije ce nasa nastojanja da afirmiramo hrvatski jezik kao nesto sto treba stajati odvojeno od srpskog jezika postati plodna.ÂÂMoji prijatelji Svedjani mi kazu kako mogu razumjeti norveski jezik bez da taj jezik uce. Svejedno, ova dva jezika nitko ne predaje ili o njima govori kao svedsko-norveskom. Imajuci to u vidu, mislim kako svaka rasprava o autonomnosti hrvatskog jezika treba pocivati na sljedecem: Hrvatski jezik je sluzbeni jezik medjunarodno priznate Republike Hrvatske, i kao hrvatski jezik, a ne nesto drugo, treba se predavati na sveucilistima, spominjati u sluzbenim dopisima, itd. Ovakva argumentacija, vjerujem, tesko moze naici na bilo cije suprotstavljanje.ÂSrdacno vas pozdravljam,ÂÂSlavica JakelicÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 18 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7073/1/H-Zivotno-sam-i-radno-zainteresiran-da-mome-narodu-bude-bolje.html ÂÂZivotno sam i radno zainteresiran da mome narodu bude bolje.Op-ed na dnu starniceSramota je da je hrvatski akademicar stoljecima samo sutioVecernji List: 13. travnja 2002Prof. dr. ZARKO DOLINAR, HRVATSKI ZNANSTVENIK I SPORTAS SVJETSKOGA GLASA Zbog izraelske vlade, zidovi ce se zamjeriti svijetu. zalosno je da covjek u Hrvatskoj svoje znanje i iskustvo moze vrednovati jedino ako stupi u politiku. Hrvatska je jedna od rijetkih drzava na svijetu u kojoj se preko noci stvaraju placeni politicari Sramota je da je hrvatski akademicar stoljecima samo sutio. cak se time i prsio. Svi su vecinom ustraseni i zabrinuti za svoja namjestenja, za svoj ugled i egzistenciju Europsko prvenstvo u stolnom tenisu u Zagrebu pratio je i prof. dr. zarko Dolinar, hrvatski znanstvenik i sportas svjetskoga glasa. Za one koji ga manje poznaju, nije naodmet spomenuti da je u Zagrebu 1959. stekao doktorat znanosti iz anatomije, histologije i embriologije na Veterinarskom fakultetu, da je 1962. izbacen sa Sveucilista te od 1963. zivi i radi u Baselu u svicarskoj. Ondje je na Medicinskom fakultetu habilitirao te gotovo 25 godina bio nastavnik, a bio je i vicedirektor Anatomskog instituta te ekskatedralni nastavnik. Uz anatomiju, bavio se genetikom, citologijom, histologijom, embriologijom i patologijom. U stolnom tenisu bio je visestruki drzavni prvak, a bio je i prvi Hrvat koji je na svim svjetskim prvenstvima svih sportova osvojio zlatnu, srebrnu i broncanu medalju. clan je mnogih udruzenja i nositelj brojnih odlikovanja. Medju odlikovanjima istice se odlicje Medjunarodnoga Crvenoga kriza "Henry Dunant" te izraelsko odlicje "Pravednik medju narodima" koje je dobio 1993. godine. To izraelsko odlicje te njegova nesumnjiva znanstvena reputacija bili su dovoljan razlog da s njim porazgovaramo o vidjenju dugogodisnjih i sadasnjih dogadjaja na Bliskom istoku svojevrsnom sutnjom domaceg intelektualnog i znanstvenog miljea, koji se, za razliku od javnosti, o tome mahom nije izjasnio. Prof. Dolinar, je li cudno da se hrvatski intelektualci nerado odredjuju prema drustvenim zbivanjima, posebice ako je u njih upletena i politika? - Mozemo li uopce reci da u nas postoji termin intelektualac? Glagol intelegere znaci nesto stalno razmisljati, kombinirati, analizirati, istrazivati, stalno duhovno prebirati... U nas to nije uobicajeno. Sramota je, a to govorim u ime stotina nasih ljudi, da je hrvatski akademicar desecima godina, stoljecima, samo sutio. cak se svojom sutnjom i prsio. Grof Janko Draskovic prvi je hrvatski intelektualac koji je progovorio 1813. godine i zahtijevao hrvatski jezik te drzavnu samostalnost. Svi su ostali vecinom ustraseni i zabrinuti za svoja namjestenja, za svoj ugled i egzistenciju. Rijetki su takvi u povijesti covjecanstva koji se odluce nesto javno poduzeti. U nas je narocito zalosna situacija. Koji su razlozi za tu situaciju? - Ponajprije to je genetski urodjeni strah u covjeku, a i u drugim zivim bicima. Na drugom su mjestu zene koje koce svoje muzeve kako ne bi ulazili u nepotrebne konflikte. I trece, tu je i vlastito iskustvo koje kazuje da su lose prosli oni koji su javno kritizirali. Kolona uspravnih u povijesti covjecanstva neobicno je uska i kratka. Uspravan je covjek onaj koji iskljucivo trazi istinu. To mora ciniti i znanstvenik intelektualac. Znaci, uzrok tog muka primarno je strah, a sekundarno jednostavno odgovor "ne tice me se", a onda i nedostatak iskrenog, pravog patriotizima, pripadnosti... Usto su bivsi rezimi u posljednjih 900 godina na nasem covjeku ostavili uzasne tragove. Ja sam zivotno i radno zainteresiran da mome narodu bude bolje. No kad idete analizirati probleme, zakljucit cete da je na djelu 50 posto svjesna ili nesvjesna sabotaza. Prva je nerad pa nesolidnost, nemoralnost, nered, zakasnjavanje, telefonomanija, dromomanija, odnosno putomanija, neoznacavanje puteva, nepridrzavanje dogovora, silno trosenje... U Hrvatskoj se dobrim dijelom odgajaju kameleoni, poltroni, ulizice, bleferi, siri se protekcionizam, nepotizam, u svemu se pretjeruje, napuhava se i nekad laze. Pisao sam i izjavljivao da nam treba takvo Drustvo knjizevnika koje nece samo pisati o "talasanju slavonskog zita" nego u prvom redu o osiromasivanju radnika i cinovnika, o propasti drustva, sporta i sveucilista. sto ce nam inace Drustvo knjizevnika? Vec su cetiri tisuce godina teoretske discipline iznad prirodnih. Svima bi trebalo biti napokon jasno da u sredinu svega treba staviti covjeka s njegovim zbirom kvaliteta, s depresijom, zaloscu... covjeka treba interno upoznati (DNK) kao biolosko bice, kroz njegovu genetiku koja nam mnogo kaze o svakom pojedincu. Svoju narav ne mozemo mijenjati! Imamo li mi uopce nezavisnih intelektualaca? - Ima ih, ali nezainteresirani su za javni nastup. Jednostavno sute. Vec 50 godina sanjamo o nekome tko bi trebao imati kraljeznicu, uspravnost, inteligenciju, sposobnost, znanje, karizmu, popularnost... Za velike ideje dovoljan je jedan covjek. No stanje je zalosno, ako ne i katastrofalno. Mogao bih se rasplakati nad stanjem od 1991. godine. Svega smo se naslusali kad je rijec o hrvatskom problemu i svi su nam drugi krivi za nase probleme, a ne zelimo priznati da smo sami sebi krivi. Porazavajuce je i to da u javnosti vidim stalno ista imena iz teoretskih znanosti koja spretno eksploatiraju tu svoju inteligenciju. Zar nemamo jos nekih drugih strucnjaka? sto biste rekli za nase politicare? - Porucio bih im da prestanu odlucivati jer su im odluke kratkotrajne, nesigurne i cesto izazivaju lomove. cudim se da u nas nema vise psihicki ozlijedjenih ljudi. Ja se ne bavim politikom, ali ne mogu reci da se u to necu mijesati. Pa to mi je domoljubna duznost. Za stanje krivim i one koji sute i sute i sute i hvale se kada kazu da se ne bave politikom. zalosno je da covjek u ovoj zemlji svoje znanje i iskustvo moze vrednovati samo ako stupi u politiku. To je katastrofalno. Hrvatska je jedna od rijetkih drzava na svijetu u kojoj se preko noci stvaraju placeni politicari. Meni treba 12 semestara da postanem veterinar, farmaceut ili lijecnik, a visokoodgovorni element u Vladi ili Saboru postaje se preko noci, i to bez potrebnih kvalifikacija. To je zanimanje je nastalo s najmanje diploma i znanja. Drugorazredni cinovnik iz drugorazrednog ureda preko noci postaje zakonodavac. Nepojmljivo. Nema, medjutim, gore stvari nego kada ignorancija, odnosno neznanje, sjedne na vlast. Sa skupinom ljudi radio sam od 1978. do 1988. godine rang listu vrijednih profesija na uzorku od 800 najuglednijih Europljana. Na prvome mjestu zanimanja stavili su ortopeda, a zatim kirurga, dijagnosticara, farmaceuta, pravnika za zakone, policiju, postara, pedagoga... Medju prvih 25 zanimanja nema politicara! Kako kao "Pravednik medju narodima" tumacite raskorak izmedju ovotjedna obiljezavanja sjecanja na holokaust i izraelske ofenzive protiv Palestinaca? - U mislima sam na holokaust jer sam s haskovcima po ulicama pomagao zivim ljudima koje su hvatali kao sinteri pse. No zgrazam se da se ti holokausti i dalje dozivljavaju. Izraelska vlada donosi katastrofalne i riskantne odluke zbog kojih ce se, na zalost, taj kulturni narod zamjeriti mnogima diljem svijeta. U tom grmu lezi zec. Njihova vlada svojim postupcima samo dodatno stimulira covjekov centar u mozgu za revansizam, zlo, osvetu, agresiju... Dakako da nije humano i to sto Palestinci ubijaju izraelske civile. U Jeruzalemu nece nikad biti mira sve dok se ne pomire tri najvece religije: zidovstvo, islam i krscanstvo. Tu nije rijec samo o borbi protiv terorista, nego je rijec i o vjerskom konfliktu i netrpeljivosti. To je posebno delikatno pitanje jer ako prozboris protiv Arapa, onda si antiislamist, a ako progovoris protiv zidova, odmah ti prisiju da si antisemit. Zar ne bi bilo logicno rjesenje da izraelska vlada tim jadnim ljudima koji zive na standardu Isusa Krista pruzi mogucnost da zive na tom podrucju? Pa i jedni i drugi gotovo su po svemu isti, osim sto ih dijeli religija. Mislim da gotovo nitko u Hrvatskoj ne zna da je taj pojas Gaze velicine mizernih 65 kilometara duzine te 30 kilometara sirine, odnosno priblizno tek trecina nase Slavonije. Vec godinama pokrecem akademicare koji imalo imaju hrabrosti da kazu da cemo se u ovom svijetu kakav jest tuci za svijet kakav bi trebao biti, a to je bezgranicna domovina bezgranicno slobodnih ljudi. To je teoretski lijepo, ali neka bude i prakticno. Tezimo tome da covjek u buducnosti iskazuje svoje najbolje genetske strane, a danas on cini ono najgore - kolje, proganja, mrzi, ubija, osvecuje... Ministrima bih darovao bicikle da se ne voze sluzbenim automobilima Neki ce reci da vam je lako kritizirati kad ne zivite u Hrvatskoj. sto biste predlozili kao rjesenje? - Studenti bi svisnuli da uvedemo rezim zapadnih fakulteta. zalostan sam da na nekim nasim fakultetima nema vise ni onog najvaznijeg, a to su predavanja ex katedra. Odredio bih obvezna predavanja te javne ispite pred komisijom kako bi se sprijecilo mito i korupcija. Trazio bih obveznu pedagosku izobrazbu nastavnika jer oni su jedini ucitelji bez ijednog sata pedagosko-didakticke izobrazbe. Apsurd je da u Hrvatskoj imamo vise profesora nego asistenata, da dijelimo besplatne doktorate i diplome profesora, cime osiromasujemo inventar znanja, odnosno duhovno i kulturno blago naseg naroda. Ukinuo bih besplatne drzavne telefone na 00 te bih odredio da svi sluzbenici moraju svima biti dostupni, odnosno da budu na svom radnome mjestu. Zabranio bih i sluzbene automobile. Ako to mogu ministri i nobelovci na Zapadu, neka se i nasi ministri voze na biciklima ili u tramvaju. Osobno bih svima njima darovao bicikle. Ionako je porazno malo spontano aktivnih u sportu, svega sest do osam posto. To je moja dalja zalost. zalosno, ali istinito. Buduci da sam kompetentan nesto reci i o sportu, moram naglasiti da nismo osnovali rasadista sporta kao sto su to bili HAsK, Gradanski ili Concordija. Vlast se distancirala od iseljenika Slazete li se s tvrdnjom da je sadasnja vlast zapostavila hrvatsko iseljenistvo? - Ne znam sto smo se mi vani zamjerili bilo kome, ali dakako da se osjeca da smo sve vise zapostavljeni, da se vlast od nas distancirala, da nas nitko nista ne pita kraj naseg oveceg znanja, iskustva i materijalnih mogucnosti. Ne znam koji je razlog za to stanje. Pa samo AMAC, Medjunarodna udruga bivsih akademicara hrvatskih sveucilista, koju smo osnovali 1988. na celu s nobelovcem Vladimirom Prelogom, okuplja oko 45.000 clanova. To je najzalosnija vojska koju jedan narod moze imati - emigrirane akademicare. Nema drzave koja to ne bi iskoristila. Zar netko misli da ti ljudi nemaju sto za reci i darovati? Netko se grdno vara. Ministrima bih darovao bicikle da se ne voze sluzbenim automobilima Neki ce reci da vam je lako kritizirati kad ne zivite u Hrvatskoj. sto biste predlozili kao rjesenje? - Studenti bi svisnuli da uvedemo rezim zapadnih fakulteta. zalostan sam da na nekim nasim fakultetima nema vise ni onog najvaznijeg, a to su predavanja ex katedra. Odredio bih obvezna predavanja te javne ispite pred komisijom kako bi se sprijecilo mito i korupcija. Trazio bih obveznu pedagosku izobrazbu nastavnika jer oni su jedini ucitelji bez ijednog sata pedagosko-didakticke izobrazbe. Apsurd je da u Hrvatskoj imamo vise profesora nego asistenata, da dijelimo besplatne doktorate i diplome profesora, cime osiromasujemo inventar znanja, odnosno duhovno i kulturno blago naseg naroda. Ukinuo bih besplatne drzavne telefone na 00 te bih odredio da svi sluzbenici moraju svima biti dostupni, odnosno da budu na svom radnome mjestu. Zabranio bih i sluzbene automobile. Ako to mogu ministri i nobelovci na Zapadu, neka se i nasi ministri voze na biciklima ili u tramvaju. Osobno bih svima njima darovao bicikle. Ionako je porazno malo spontano aktivnih u sportu, svega sest do osam posto. To je moja dalja zalost. zalosno, ali istinito. Buduci da sam kompetentan nesto reci i o sportu, moram naglasiti da nismo osnovali rasadista sporta kao sto su to bili HAsK, Gradjanski ili Concordija. Razgovarao Zvonimir Despot Copyright (C) by Vecernji listOp-edOvo je obvezna literatura. Malo je takvih od kojih mozes ucitiiz svake recenice. Hvala i Zvonimiru i Zarku. Potrebna nam je sprega umova sada, a netek za dvadeset godina. Svjetonazor ovakvog kalibra nam je potreban na vrhu. Nadnu je samo gubljenje vremena za sve nas. Malo takvih se radja, a izgleda josmanje prepoznaje. Vrijeme je da SAMI SEBI postanemo prijatelji. Tko je bolji ipametniji, stavi ga ispred sebe. Ako ne iz altruizma, onda iz prakticnog razloga.Radi sebe. Prosirio bih informaciju da Zarko nije samo nosilac tri medalje vec i tri doktorata i sest katedra.Â"Zivotno sam i radno zainteresiran da mome narodu bude bolje." (ZD)Nenad Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7075/1/HE-Hrvatska-MOZE-BOLJE-Croatia-CAN-DO-BETTER.html ÂÂHRVATSKA I HRVATI MOGU, AKO ZELE...ÂÂÂOd hrvatskog osamostaljenja i sve do danas Hrvatska drzava nije do sada uspjela u svijetu zauzeti vidno mjesto kao sto to uspjevaju hrvatski sportasi. Od sjajnog ratnog uspjeha, a zbog provincijalne uskogrudnosti i hrvatske skucenosti Hrvati zavrsili na medjunarodnom sudu. Obskurni hrvatski filmovi snimani za domace trziste nisu dovoljni Hrvatskoj donijeti priznanja, divljenje i odobravanja za uspjesno dobiveni rat i spasenje Europe od Miloseviceve ratne kuge, jer to je ipak posao profesionalaca na Zapadu, a Hrvati i Hrvatska to nikako ne zele shvatiti. Hrvati ne zele sami sebi priznati da je hrvatski narod kroz svoju povijest pokazao da su Hrvati jedan od najhrabrijih naroda Europe i da se to mora kazati cijelom svijetu. Hrvati jos uvijek ne zele sami sebi priznati da smo mi jako ponosan narod. To su karakteristike kojima bi se osamdeset posto naroda i drzava ponosilo, dalo ih na znanje svima na svijetu, ali Hrvati to zanemaruju. Moc uspjesnog reklamnog komuniciranja na Zapadu je od presudne vaznosti. Zato se Hrvati pitaju zasto ih svijet ne razumije, a sve rade po udzbeniku Zapada?ÂÂÂÂGdje je promasaj?ÂÂÂ1. Hrvati kao drzava i narod nisu dovoljno glasni i jasni;ÂÂÂ2. Hrvatska vlada na celu s Dr. Franjom Tudjmanom nije znala kako kapitalizirati na dobivenom ratu i spasu Bosne i Hercegovine, te spasu Bihaca i tridesetak tisuca ljudi koji bi zavrsili kao i 7000 pobijenih u Srebrnici, a nova vlada koja je dobila izbore i svojom izbornom pobjedom pokazala put i drugima u regiji, takodjer nije znala kako kapitalizirati sjajnu pobjedu i traziti od Zapada veliku nadoknadu i priznanje.ÂÂÂ3. Hrvatska i Hrvati ne zele braniti svoj stav i uvjerenja, vec misle svojim dodvoravanjem dobiti potrebnu pomoc i priznanje, a time upravo dozivljavaju prezir i omalovazavanje kod mocnika i velikih drzava.ÂÂÂ4. Hrvati i Hrvatska vlada u deset godina samostalnosti i medjunarodnog priznanja jos uvijek nemaju PR odnosno Advertising agenciju koja bi sirila istinu o Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj i stvorila pozitivni hrvatski identitet u svijetu. Bez profesionalnog PR-a i advertising agencije hrvatska vlada ostavlja neprijateljima sirenje crnih legendi o Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj u svijetu, a to steti ugledu i koci napredak.ÂÂÂSto uciniti?ÂÂÂHrvatice i Hrvati u domovini i svijetu koji su zainteresirani za boljitak Hrvatske i Hrvata mogu deoprinijeti da se ta hrvatska stereotipna slika (bad image) izmjeni u svijetu i poimanje (perception) o Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj promijeni. Svojim stalnim pritiskom i zahtjevima Hrvatskoj vladi u Zagrebu moze se traziti od vlade ugovaranje jedne profesionalne reklamne agencije u svijetu (u New Yorku, jer su najbolje) koja bi predstavljala Hrvatsku i Hrvate. Hrvatska vlada ima zaista vaznih prioriteta kako zaposliti vise ljudi u Hrvatskoj, kako izgraditi atocestu Zagreb-Split i jos mnogo slicnih, a Hrvati u cijelini imaju vazan prioritet Hrvata u Bosni i Hercegovini, medjutim PR Advertising agencija bi trebala postati prioritet broj jedan i vladi i svim Hrvatima. Pozitivno predstavljanje Hrvata i Hrvatske u svijetu stvorit ce hrvatski identitet i plasirati ga u svijetu, a vaznost tog identiteta u sve vecoj globalizaciji osigurat ce prostor Hrvatima i Hrvatskoj za dulje vrijeme. Pozitivan i prepoznatljiv hrvatski identitet u svijetu doprinijet ce respektu Hrvatske i Hrvata, respektu i vecem izvozu hrvatskih proizvoda, velikom prilivu investicija u Hrvatsku, dolasku veceg broja elitnih turista, respektu hrvatskih znanstvenika i politicara itd... Hrvatima u Bosni i Hercegovini jak i pozitivan hrvatski identitet u svijetu donijet ce vodecu ulogu, a time i spas, a nama vani spasit ce stotine tisuca druge i ostalih generacija od potpunog odnarodjenja. Da li je onda mnogo odvojiti za sve to par desetaka milijuna dolara i platiti profesionalnu agenciju da taj posao obavlja za nas?ÂÂÂKoji je vas odgovor i misljenje?ÂÂÂJosip Remenar - SutrA magazine - New YorkÂÂÂ*****************************************************ÂÂÂCROATIA CAN DO BETTER IN THE WORLDÂÂBY THE SCRIPTÂÂÂDespite Croatia is doing from very beginning (1991) all political and military moves by the American script, continue to be disgraced by the White House. Despite Croatia is very exemplary student of modern democracy, so far is getting only resentment. Croatia is not getting any recognition for the loyalty, just apposite, Croatia and the Croatian people are punished for misbehavior of the others.ÂÂÂÂWhy?ÂÂÂCroatia and the Croatian people are not loud enough.ÂÂÂCroatia and the Croatian people don't capitalize on their positive moves and the contribution to the peace in the region.ÂÂÂCroatia and the Croatian people don't stand up for their beliefs and their contribution.ÂÂÂCroatia and the Croatian people don't advertise and let all the world know about their Country, their position, their national interest, their contribution to the peace and democracy.ÂÂÂHow to change that?ÂÂÂCroatia and the Croatian people need urgently professional PR-advertising firm in the world to spread Croatian positive contribution to the piece and stability, world wide culture, democracy, cooperation, tourism etc. The language is not English or French, or Croatian, that language is universal - accepted all over the world. Only professionals in PR and Advertising agencies speak that language which capitalists, politicians and the rulers of the world understand.Once Croatia makes a name in the world, Croatian products will be much easier to export, investments to Croatia will come, elite tourists will go to Croatia in bigger numbers, Croatian people will be more respected and accepted, and after all, it will help Croatia to survive in ever changing global world. How much that will cost Croatia, well, not even one percent what Croatia may get in return on short run and much more on the long run. Is that much to ask from Croatian people to help them selves?ÂÂÂJosip Remenar - SutrA magazine - New YorkÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7074/1/H-Od-sebicne-ljubavi-gori-je-samo-pakao-.html ÂOd sebicne ljubavi, gori je samo pakao !ÂÂKad bi nasi politicari imali vise pameti, a manje "ljubavi" za Hrvatskom, bilo bi nam svima bolje. Poznavajuci ljudsku narav, pogotovo narav s mesijanistickim sklonostima, moze nam se lagano dogoditi da svi dozivimo gore nego bolje. U politici ima vise zvanih nego odabranih, a odabrani cesto precjenjuju svoje skromne sposobnosti i belaju nikad kraja.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂSvi pratimo carkanja na AMAC mrezi imedju nasih poletnih jurisnika. Da se radi samo o njima, hajde de. Covjek bi im i oprostio. Ali netko mora biti pomalo i priglub i ne vidjeti da je njihovo carkanje simptom jednog zastrasujuceg stanja. Zaista, ne shvacam zbog cega je to gromoglasna novost te objaviti na jos dosta mjesta i za jos neku stranku. Jos manje razumijem zajedljivi odgovor. Istina o Politicaru ce ionako izici na vidjelo. O tome ce se pobrinuti nasi stvarni neprijatelji na izborima.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂNo, sto je moja poanta ? Pitam se i ja, sto je. Ali cini mi se da bi se mogla iskopati iz ove nase politicke zavrzlame i tihih uboda noza ispod vode. Ako vec svatko ili vecina na ovoj AMAC mrezi ima neke savjete za nase "spasitelje", moja bi bila da nas ne vole toliko, vec nas obdare mudroscu, ako je imaju. Treba nam njihova mudrost, a za sada ona jos uvijek negdje drjemucka, ili naprosto zivotari u mamurnom stanju.ÂÂOd sebicne ljubavi, gori je samo pakao !ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂI.T.ÂÂOp-edÂEdited for CROWNÂnbÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7077/1/EH-The-Island-of-Vis--Otok-Vis--NATO-Membership.html ÂIn response to a letter to the Slobodna Dalmacija in March, from Frank Brozovich, President of the Croatian American Association, Rudolf Arapovic said on the internet:ÂÂ"I had this idea about Vis--NATO base long ago, in the early nineties. But I changed my mind about it. It would pollute the Adriatic and bring along more damage to Croatia than benefit. It would pollute the air, the water, and the soul of the people and the country. Imagine the scare of the monster aircrafts in the air over the Adriatic, the sound/noise of it. It would scare and frighten tourists. Being a country of 4 1/5 million people, Croatia would be better off without NATO on Vis. Questionable is also the strategic location of Vis's position in (almost) closed waters. And it's against the "market" principle of offer and demand; if an offer runs ahead of demand, it loses its value."ÂIn support of Rudolf Arapovic's comment I would add that I grew up in Hong Kong in the 1950s - on the top floor of a large building right on the edge of the waterfront in the city centre, looking out over what was then an absolutely beautiful harbour - the pearl of the orient (Hong Kong means "fragrant harbour" - now totally polluted) - and I remember clearly, as if it were yesterday, looking down on the huge American aircraft carriers and flotilla of ships coming into port. The hundreds, thousands of American sailors and military personnel pouring on to the streets - overbearing, noisy - often drunken morons, beautiful Chinese girls swarming amongst them, hanging on their arms. It was the daily scene the total time the ships remained in the harbour. I walked amongst them in the streets, groups of them were everywhere, you had to circle around them - loud and obnoxious. Even though I was then only a young girl the memory remains vivid.ÂFor several reasons there has to be considerable consternation in viewing the island of Vis as a location for a Nato base. The aircraft carriers which are huge floating cities, and the accompanying smaller ships, will all pour their effluent and waste into the narrow confines of the Adriatic sea (particularly around Vis), polluting the beautiful waters of Croatia's precious coast the LAST remaining unpolluted coast of Europe - Croatia's biggest asset, Croatia's absolute goldmine! The realisation of this potential, which can very feasibly be extended into a booming six month tourist period but has never been properly marketed, goes far beyond the dubious "greatest asset [of] the potential of Croatia's educated populace" - one could well ask what "well-educated and skilled populace" when so many of them flee the country?!ÂNot only will Croatia's sea be polluted, but as Rudolf Arapovic says, so also will be its skies with the shrieking of jets that neither tourists nor the local residents will easily tolerate - and worst of all the vast majority of the thousands of foreign military personnel, far from home, will be without wives or families to keep them in line and will pollute the region as one huge bar-room - there for their pleasure. They will spill over into all the surrounding area, destroying the beauty of Croatia's coast and its tourist dollars. The financial and cultural cost of their intrusion on Croatia will far outweigh any benefit accrued. Let the other, more powerful and affluent countries of Europe and the Mediterranean, bear this costly imposition as they already do - you can be sure, if America needs to use a Croatian base at any time it will do so when the need arises - Nato membership or not!ÂAdd to that, the fact that as a pre-requisite for EU entry the borders are due to be opened between all the former Yugo states (except Slovenia but including Albania) as per the Stabilisation & Association Agreement signed by Racan in October last year (with Sanader even saying he will continue with this good work that Racan initiated! ) and girls from all around the Balkan region will flock to the area looking for a fast buck. As will those prepared to work as servants for the wealthy foreigners that are being enticed by the Racan government to buy-up big on the Dalmatian coast "the last remaining cheap land in Europe" is what they have been advertising in the countries of the European Union - and the phones have rung red hot!ÂThe Serbs too will flood back with even bigger egos than they had before to over-rule everything again in the knowledge that they have been guaranteed by Mesic even more "rights" than Croats - with the blessings of the Hague and the UN. So not only will Croatia's coast be polluted but as the bread-basket of the SOUTH-EAST European Union all the Croatian profits from its meagre industry will go to maintain its poor Balkan neighbours (because with globalization the profits from the bulk of Croatia's industry will be going of course into foreign hands). The ultra rich and the haute bourgeoisie from countries of the WESTERN European Union, and America, will be indulging and profiting from their prime Croatian real-estate with their investments secured in Croatia's FOREIGN banks and being invested of course in their own countries outside of Croatia.ÂCroats will have no choice but to immigrate once more. Leaving their land, once again, to be raped by their enemies. Without a bullet Croatia will be conquered - it will surrender itself - its dignity, its integrity and ultimately its sovereignty. So - as I said in my article of November last year "Is Croatia Destined to be the Harlot of Europe?" This title was to draw awareness to the article from concerned readers, and apparently it caused some to jump with indignation simply because they did not properly read my statements or try to comprehend what the article was saying. But though it is good that they cringed from the notion of Croatia becoming the harlot of Europe, only by fully knowing and understanding all that is impacting on Croatia will they realise the possibilities of such a worst scenario arising. Given all the right ingredients, and the lack of foresight or action by sufficient caring Croats, this could easily become the destiny, the future, of Croatia.ÂIt is well that Croatia, given it history of bad decisions, is last on the list of Nato's candidates for entry - that at least gives time for a far more serious consideration, and time for comparison, of the negative and positive effects, on similar post-communist countries in the region who have already joined Nato.ÂÂÂÂ(H) Otok Vis i hrvatska kampanja uclanjivanja u NATOÂOpinionsÂSuzanne Brooks-PincevicÂApr 4, 2002ÂNÂÂU odgovoru na pismo Frank-a Brozovich-a, Predsjednika Udruge americkih Hrvata, u Slobodnoj Dalmaciji, Rudolf Arapovic je rekao:Â"Tu ideju o Visu kao NATO bazi imao sam davno, ranih devedesetih godina. Ali promijenio sam misljenje o tome. To bi zagadilo Jadran i Hrvatskoj donijelo vise stete nego koristi. Zagadilo bi zrak, vodu i dusu ljudi i zemlje. Zamislite zastrasujuci prospekt monstrouznih aviona u zraku iznad Jadrana, njihovu buku. To bi zastrasilo turiste. Kao zemlji od 4 1/5 milijuna stanovnika, Hrvatskoj bi bilo bolje bez NATO-a na Visu. Upitna je i strateska lokacija Visa u (prakticki) zatvorenim vodama. To je i protiv trzisnog principa ponude i potraznje; kada ponuda ide isprijed potraznje, gubi svoju vrijednost."ÂKao prodrsku ovoj primjedbi Rudolfa Arapovica, dodala bih to da sam odrasla u Hong Kong-u pedesetih godina - na najvisem katu jedne velike zgrade na samom rubu obale u centru grada, s pogledom na onda stvarno prekrasnu luku, perlu istoka (Hong Kong znaci "mirisava obala", sada potpuno zagadjena). Sasvim se jasno sjecam, kao da je to bilo jucer, kako sam gledala dolje na ogromne americke nosace aviona i flotile brodova koje su dolazile u luku. Stotine, tisuce americkih mornara i vojnog osoblja izlijevalo se na ulice: drske, glasne, cesto pijane budale, lijepe kineske djevojke medju njima, pod ruku s njima. To je bio svakodnevni prizor tokom cijelog vremena dok su brodovi bili u luci. Hodala sam medju njima po ulicama, grupe njih glasnih i neugodnih posvukuda, moralo ih se zaobilaziti. Makar sam onda bila samo mlada djevojka, sjecanje na to ostalo je svjeze.ÂKonsternacija oko gledanja na otok Vis kao lokaciju za Nato bazu treba, iz vise razloga, biti poprilicna. Nosaci aviona, koji su zapravo ogromni ploveci gradovi te prateci manji brodovi, ispustati ce svoje smece i kanalizacije u uski prostor jadranskog mora (narocito oko Visa) i time zagaditi prekrasne hrvatske vode i dragcijenu obalu, ZADNJU koja je jos nezagadjena u Europi, te glavni hrvatski posjed, pravi rudnik zlata za Hrvatsku! Ostvarenje tog potencijala, koji se vrlo vjerojatno moze produljiti u izvrsnu sest-mjesecnu sezonu, ali koji se jos nije nikada pravilno trzio, ide dalje od upitnog "potencijala hrvatskog obrazovanog naroda" - kojeg to dobro obrazovanog i strucnog naroda, kad toliko njih bjezi iz zemlje?!ÂNe samo da ce se zagaditi more, nego kako Rudolf Arapovic kaze, isto ce biti i i s vasim nebom zvizdanjem mlaznjaka kojega ni turisti ni lokalni stanovnici nece moci jednostavno podnositi. Jos najgore, tisuce stranih vojnika, daleko od kuce i bez svojih zena ili obitelji koji bi ih drzali u redu, pretvoriti ce to podrucje u jedan ogroman bar koji postoji samo za njihov uzitak. Oni ce se upravo prosuti po okolnom terenu, unistavajuci ljepotu vase obale i dolare vasih turista. Novcani i kulturalni trosak tog njihovog upada u Hrvatsku uvelike ce nadmasiti ikakavu zadobivenu korist. Pustite da druge, snaznije i bogatije zemlje u Europi i Mediteranu snose taj skupi namet, kao sto to vec i cine. Mozete biti sigurni da ako Amerika zatreba upotrebu hrvatske baze u bilo koje doba, ona ce to ostvariti kad bude potrebno s clanstvom NATO-a ili bez njega!ÂK tome dodajte cinjenicu da kao prerekvizit ulaska u EU, otvoriti ce se granice izmedju svih bivsih Yugo drazava (osim Slovenije, ali ukljucujuci Albaniju) kao sto je predvidjeno Paktom za Stabilizaciju, kojega je Racan potpisao proslog Listopada (s time da Sanader cak govori da ce on nastaviti taj dobar rad koji je Racan zapoceo!) i djevojke iz cijele Balkanske regije nahrupiti ce u potrazi za lakom zaradom. Isto tako i oni koji su spremni raditi kao sluge za bogate strance koje je Racanova vlada namamila da mahom pokupuju dalmatinsku obalu. "Posljednja jeftina zemlja u Europi" reklama je koja se vidi po zemljama europske Unije i telefoni nisu prestali zvoniti!ÂSrbi ce takodjer nahrupiti natrag sa jos vecim egoima nego ranije, da bi ponovno preuzeli sve znajuci da im je Mesic garantirano vise "prava" nego Hrvatima, uz blagoslov Haaga i UN-a. Tako ne samo da ce Hrvatska biti zagadjena, nego ce kao hraniteljica jugoistocne europske Unije, sav profit iz svoje slabasne industrije davati na odrzavanje svojih siromasnih balkanskih susjeda (profit od vecine hrvatske industrije ce globalizacijom otici, naravno, u strane ruke). Ultra bogatasi i visoka burzuazija iz zemalja ZAPADNE europske unije i Amerike, uzivati ce i profitirati od svojih prvoklasnih hrvatskih posjeda, njihove investicije osigurane u hrvatskim STRANIM bankama i naravno, investirane izvan Hrvatske u njihovim drzavama.ÂHrvati nece imati izbora nego se jos jednom iseliti. Napustiti svoju zemlju da jos jednom bude silovana od njihovih neprijatelja. Bez pucnja ce Hrvatska biti osvojena: ona ce se predati, sebe i svoje dostojanstvo, svoju cast i na kraju, svoju suverenost. Bas kao sto sam proslog studenog rekla u mojem clanku "Da li je hrvatskoj namjenjeno da bude europska drolja?" Taj je naslov trebao privuci paznju citaoca i izgleda da su neki ozlojedjeno poskocili zato sto nisu pravilno procitali moje izjave ili pokusali shvatiti sto je clanak htio reci. Iako je dobro da su se skutili pred tom predodzbom, samo potpunin znanjem i razumijevanjem svega sto prijeti Hrvatskoj mogu se shvatiti mogucnosti da do takvog krajnje loseg scenarija stvarno i dodje. Uz prave cimbenike, te pomanjkanje vidovitosti od strane onih Hrvata kojima je stalo, ovo bi lako mogla postati sudbina i buducnost Hrvatske.ÂDobro je da je Hrvatska, uz svoju povijest pogresnih odluka, zadnja na listi kandidata za clanstvo u NATO-u. To barem daje vremena za mnogo ozbiljnije razmisljanje, vremena za usporedbu negativnih i pozitivnih ucinaka u slicnim post-komunistikim zemljana u ovoj regiji koje su vec uclanjenje u Nato.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 04 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7076/1/H-Opozov-konzula-Sole.html ÂTo:Âpremijer@vlada.hrÂCc:ÂUred@Predsjednik.hr,ÂPredsjednik@sabor.hr,ÂGlasnogovornik@mvp.hrÂÂÂGosp. RacanÂPredsjednik Vlade Republike HrvatskeÂZagreb, HrvatskaÂÂPostovani gosp. Racan,ÂÂSa velikim razocaranjem citamo nevjerovatne vijesti da hrvatska VladaÂzeli opozvati generalnog konzula u Chicagu Domagoja Solu. Gosp. Sola jeÂjedan od rijetkih zaista sposobnih hrvatskih konzula i predstavnikaÂHrvatske u inozemstvu.ÂÂOn se bavio sa svom snagom na promociji Hrvatske i kao osoba koja govoriÂizvrstni engleski, on je idealna osoba u toj poziciji. Dapace, kad Vi uÂHrvatskoj nebi igrali toliko stranacke politike, umjesto da se izaberuÂljudi koji imaju politicko iskustvo i znanje drzave u kojoj rade, onda biÂgosp. Sola bio covjek koji bi bio idealan izbor za veleposlanika u SAD.ÂÂNadamo se da cete Vi taj opozov svrgnuti, jer je zaista totalnoÂnepravedan i neumjeren.ÂÂSa postovanjem,ÂÂHilda Marija FoleyÂGlasnogovornica NFCAÂNacionalna Federacija Americkih HrvataÂ1329 Connecticut Ave. NWÂWashington, D.C. 20036ÂNFCAhdq@aol.comÂÂÂOp-edÂSvoje misljenje mozete poslati na gornje adrese.ÂYour opinion you can send to the above addresses.ÂnbÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 03 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7078/1/E-More-in-common-than-we-may-think.html ÂÂWonderful, enlightening, and educational discussion which I didn't get toÂread until now due to Easter preparations. I grew up in Miami (where myÂfather still lives) and love it there, too. Great city...howeverÂcrime-ridden it is!ÂÂMuch of what you both (Davor and Adrianna) say is very true. How to changeÂit is another story. I think we all do what we can, on however a small scaleÂthat may be. I am an elected school board member so I try on a daily basisÂto encourage our school district to begin foreign language instruction atÂearly ages for our children. What I am finding is that everyone (here)Âagrees with me, but money----as usual----is a huge obstacle. In America, weÂdepend on the taxpayers for monies to run our schools and we (my schoolÂdistrict/community) have a huge levy ($$$) on the ballot for May because ourÂstate (OH) supposedly has run out of money for education. It is veryÂfrustrating!ÂÂThe diversity issue and the racial issues are ones with which we contend onÂa daily basis. Educated people fight the system and the social mores butÂagain, it is difficult to see any major progress so we can only do what weÂcan do....inch by inch, person by person. True, there are many "uglyÂAmericans" but then again, there are many wonderful people who live here whoÂare educated and compassionate sorts who try to buck the system.ÂÂI guess what I would like to say is that there are social ills and politicalÂproblems and economic sores in all countries and if we all can take the timeÂto get to know one another on a person by person basis, then we will be ableÂto break through those barriers and find that we have more in common than weÂmay think.ÂÂAll I can say is that people had better start getting along in the future orÂwe won't have anything left of our world. It's a scary place right now, asÂwe all know. I understand what you say about perceptions of AmericaÂpolitics/military might and I agree with most of it. Again, how to change itÂis mind-boggling.ÂÂSo I continue to dance kolos and play tamburitza music. I believe thatÂCroatian people not only have a very rich and beautiful folkloric heritageÂbut that part of the reason that this heritage has been so much a part ofÂeveryday life, is that it truly is an escape from the realities of life.ÂÂMelissa Pintar ObenaufÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 02 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7079/1/E-NATO-and--once-we-conquer-our-fears-Croatian-identity.html Â"...once we conquer our fears and open the way for our creative energy to rush out and blossom into life."ÂÂDear Suzanne and Jean, you're both right and both wrong. I don't think that our patriotism is dead and buried, but, thru enough, it stands on very shaky legs. Considering however our checkered past it is a miracle that we managed even to survive, but survive we did. Right now, we are in the state of limbo, neither here nor there, which is in our case, as it is with most of former colonial subjects, a sort of a passage from boyhood to manhood. There is a story which I heard once from some african fellows whose country had recently attained a freedom, when they came to some conference, they instinctively asked which door were to be used for the colored delegates. Library of books have been written by eminent political scientists about behaviour and doubts of the peoples who having become free had no idea what to do with their freedom.ÂÂÂÂÂYes, we managed to get rid ourselves of the Serbs, but are we trully free , trully innerly free from our own colonial hang-ups ? I would argue we're not. The question without doupt will incur a sharp reaction and perhaps some of the people with lofty idea of our past might even ofended. But how is one to explain explain the surrender of our precious freedom to our former oppressors, the communists ? The act of surrender was so shocking to me that the empiric approach is not enough to explain all its consequeces. Only descent, in my view, into the deepest structure of our mental universe can lighten up the labyrinths of our soul in which the frighten little boy from the colonial past is still hiding from the world and the responsibilities of a grown up.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂUnless he comes out of the closet, the world around will remain hostile and ugly. It will be eternally filled with cantankerous and curmudgeon people, the conspirators, the enemies, the evil and those who were predestined to do us harm. et cetera, et cetera. et cetera...Yes. by God, I forgot the Masons. Yet, there is hope. We can reach our full maturity once we conquer our fears, the frighten child within..., and open the way for our creative energy to rush out and blossom into life.ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂIvo TasovacÂÂÂÂÂ(E) NATO and Croatian IdentityÂgeopoliticalÂJean W. Lunt-MarinovicÂApril 1, 2002ÂÂAccording to X.Y, NATO has always been against Croatian interests, Western Nations such as America or Britain make up the axis of evil ("osovina zla"), and Croatia must distance itself from all the above-mentioned. If I didn't know that I was reading my emails as received through the AMAC distribution, then I would think I was reading from one of those anti-NATO, Russian-backed conspiracy-theory magazines. I studied communist politics at university prior to and during the recent so-called Balkan conflict. As I was studying the creation of Yugoslavia, first and second, Yugoslavia itself was falling apart before our eyes on TV every night. I witnessed the surprised reactions to Serbian aggression, of lecturers or professors, as Serbian bombing increased day by day. Most western academics were not against Croatian people in those early stages. In contrast, it was the approach of the media which was most shocking. (My point being that in the West we do not all think the same, but we (in West) are probably suffering from the same anti-democratic influences which currently hover over Croatia.) Correct me if I am wrong, readers, but NATO did intervene in a way which was in Croatia's long-term interests over the past few years. Therefore the statement "Â…kako mi Hrvati mozemo vjerovati da ce nam NATO biti prijatelj, kada oni do sada rade protiv nasÂ…". Yes, of course NATO's intervention in the former Yugoslavia had many critics, even from within, but that didn't change their strategic decision-making. Also, if we want to look to the beginning of Yugoslavia as an idea, yes we can look to the Illyrian movement (as cited by Cic) ("Illirskim pismima iz 1877") but we can also look to Strossmeyerism and his National Party politics which included the promotion of Serbian politics against Starcevic-Strossmeyer alleged that Starcevic was poisoning Croatian youth with his ideas about national independence! My professor, Robert Manne in Australia, (a university professor of political department, and well known television and media commentator, and former journal Quadrant-editor) actually 'laughed' during his lecture about the creation of Yugoslavia (1989) when he commented that "Croats created Yugoslavia (Yugoslav Committee) and have been trying to get out of it ever since". Serbs have now declared (March 2002) that Yugoslavia does not exist any more. Now, instead of calling the western nations evil, perhaps Croats need to rid their nation of many artificial 'south slavic' glorification symbols, scholarships, and street names, etc. so that western leaders and observers etc. can get some clear signals about Croatian national identity!!ÂÂCommentary byÂJean W. Lunt-Marinovic, Melbourne Australia,Â1 April 2002.ÂÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 01 Apr 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7081/1/E-Janica-in-history--but-NOT-alone-.html Â---------------------------------Â>Olympic coverage is now excellent for Janica Kostelic. She is making historyÂ>in Alpine skiing. SutrA magazine - New YorkÂ>Â>Not so long ago, it was 1976. editorial in the New York Times observed aboutÂ>Croatian people:" They don't do things often, but when they do, they do itÂ>spectacular way." This is in our character. Just remember Vukovar inÂ>fighting. Remember soccer 1998 and the game against Germany. What aboutÂ>Goran Ivanisevic in Wimbledon and Janica now? - editorial was right.ÂÂÂThis is only partly true and typical of the media hype that is oftenÂmisleading, so caution and wisdom are needed.ÂÂTrue, from western media point of view, Croats have done theseÂspectacuar achievements, yet we all know many other Croats that theyÂdo not care about, as Croatia is VERY small country by NYC standards ...ÂÂAnd let me 'profit' to add: do not forget numerous Croats who are notÂvisible and who do outstanding work worldwide; I will name just aÂfew, yet the list is very looong (and ignored by our ignorant policants;Âmost of them cannot be even called politicians):ÂÂFather Zlatko Sudac, New YorkÂDr. Marko Turina, ZurichÂÂDr. Nenad Ban (ETH), ZurichÂMme Prof. Katarina Livljanic, Sorbonne, ParisÂDr. Dubravko Babic, Hewlett Packard, Palo AltoÂDr. Neven Matasovic, Huntington BeachÂDr. Igor Zoric, Chalmers, SwedenÂDr. Ivica Kopriva, Washington D.C.Â...ÂÂI have deliberately chosen these as most of you have never heardÂabout the last six people (the list is, I remind you, MUCH LONGER)Âand yet they are top leaders, respectively in fields of bio-science,Âmedieval music, quantum optoelectronics, geo-civil engineering,Âsurface science, optically guided misile systems ...ÂÂ... and I repeat - NY Times is not likely to ever write about the lastÂfive (and there are many more) - yet they are TOP in their field.ÂÂSo, the problem is not how HIGH is our upper national ''limit''Âor how deep are our talents, but rather HOW to unite all thatÂmarvellous know-how and the national talents and wisdomÂÂÂ... and that's where present politicians and ''leaders'' areÂa total disaster, as Croatian American Times wrote: they evenÂmissed completely the Davos economic forum in New York ...ÂÂIf you know of any additional Croats competent in their own fieldÂor our people that do any outstanding work in any area, pleaseÂlet me know at your convinience,ÂÂThanks in advance,ÂÂDavor PavunaÂMontreux, SwitzerlandÂ&ÂRovinj, CroatiaÂhttp://ipawww.epfl.ch/lpme/LPMESubPages/Pavuna/pav.htmÂÂÂP.S. I am fully aware that there are also many Croats who doÂmany marvellous deeds that will never be of any interest toÂany 'elite' or to any media, yet that are still in human terms andÂin Divine Eye simply marvellous and a glorious part of theÂGrand Divine Plan ... to which you -the readers- belong too !ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7080/1/E-NOW-is-the-time-to-talk-about-CROATIA-.html Â----------------------ÂDragi Hrvati(ce), oprostite sto je ovo na engleskom,Âali trenutak je povijesno vazan, nadasve ...Â... u engleskom medijskom podrucju ...ÂÂÂDear Croats in North America and elsewhere,ÂÂÂWith all the attention of the media now focussed on our Golden JanicaÂand with the 'Butcher of the Balkans' now under trial ... it is a ratherÂfavorable moment that we INDIVIDUALLY use our media-related talentsÂand do as much as we can, individually and jointly, at removingÂyears of lies concerning Croatia(ns) in the English-speaking media ...Âor simply - to enhance the positive image of Croatia(ns).ÂÂÂWhether you will write a brief letter to your local journalÂor talk to the people in your Parish or just to a few friends,Âplease notice: NOW is one of those magic moments in timeÂwhen we all have to ACT - that will surely results in brighter futureÂfor our children everywhere (as north American media are powerfull).ÂÂÂIt is nice to celebrate Janica's victories, but we ALL count andÂgiven the fact that we have far too many enemies and that theÂold dream of greater Serbia is still alive (ses the message below)Ânow is the time to act, positively and responsibly.ÂÂÂThanks in advance, on behalf of all our children,ÂÂÂDavor PavunaÂÂÂ------ÂÂÂWELCOME TO IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORT, NO. 319, February 20, 2002ÂCOMMENT: SERBS IN NO MOOD TO REPENTÂÂWestern leaders are kidding themselves if they think the Milosevic trialÂwill prompt Serbs to reassess the former Yugoslav president's nationalistÂlegacy.ÂÂBy Petar Lukovic from BelgradeÂA not particularly intelligent journalist from the West might be impressedÂby the fact that Slobodan Milosevic is defending himself, just like in theÂfilm "Home Alone".ÂÂBut having lived all these years under Milosevic and his wife Mira, not aÂsingle word said by SM at The Hague comes as news to me. I have heard itÂall a thousand times.ÂÂI have heard how he defended Yugoslavia, believed in peace and tried toÂfind a solution for all its peoples and nationalities. That he is neitherÂa nationalist nor a racist. That he did nothing bad in Kosovo, nor inÂBosnia and Croatia. That he was against the bombing of Sarajevo. That itÂis not true that the Serbian army and p olice killed a single civilian.ÂÂI get a distinct feeling of "deja vu" hearing all this. It is as ifÂMilosevic had come back like a boomerang, repeating all the speciousÂremarks that tripped off his tongue when he ruled Serbia for all thoseÂyears.ÂÂIn addressing the Kosovo conflict first, the tribunal began with the wrongÂtopic. That clumsy act gave Milosevic the chance to attack The Hague withÂall the weapons he has at his disposal.ÂÂNow, every time Milosevic is questioned on Serb crimes against theÂAlbanians, he'll immediately counter with evidence of NATO crimes againstÂSerb and Albanian civilians. He is not going to let the court off the hookÂover the alliance bombing, which is, let's face it, his trump card.ÂÂThe impression given by the court is that Kosovo was the start ofÂMilosevic's own jihad. But where are Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and theÂevents that took place earlier? A debate on NATO's bombing can only makeÂsens e after a debate on the previous wars.ÂÂSo what now? Since Milosevic's fictional account of himself as aÂpeace-maker directly collides with the Balkan casualty toll - more thanÂ300,000 killed, more than 2 million expelled, more than half a millionÂwounded - one logical question is whether this trial will help the SerbsÂconfront his legacy?ÂÂYou might think this was a real opportunity, if not for total catharsis,Âthen for the start of a settling of accounts for all the lost years. ToÂbegin with, one might imagine there would be a reassessment of the rolesÂplayed by some of the nationalist academics, such as Dobrica Cosic,ÂVasilije Krestic, Mihajlo Markovic, other intellectuals who were so imbuedÂwith chauvinism, like Momo Kapor, Dragos Kalajic, Brana Crncevic andÂMatija Beckovic, and of war-mongering criminals such as Vojislav Seselj,ÂMilan Lukic and Veselin Sljivancanin.ÂÂSerbs must at some stage come to terms with their recent past. But itÂwon't be any time soon. Suffice it to say that they will not be switchingÂon trial coverage to experience some sort of catharsis. At least, it wouldÂbe naïve to think so. The feelings of the average Serb, who nowadays is inÂlove with the new nationalist Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica, areÂthat Milosevic is not guilty.ÂÂIf he is guilty, so they will tell you in strict confidence, it is onlyÂbecause he did not deliver what he promised. We are dealing with a loser.ÂWhy don't we have a Serbian Zagreb, a Serbian Rijeka, a Serbian Karlovac,Âor a Serbian Dubrovnik, they ask? Where are the Serbs in Croatia? Did weÂbomb Sarajevo for all those years just so it could fall into the hands ofÂthe enemy?ÂÂToday's Serbia is marketing itself as a modern, democratic country,Âdedicated to the ideas of transition and globalisation. But it is stillÂvery far from meeting European standards, not only because it refuses toÂextradite the war c riminals who freely stroll around Belgrade, such asÂMilan Milutinovic, Dragoljub Ojdanic, Ratko Mladic and VeselinÂSljivancanin, but because Milosevic's spirit, like it or not, still rulesÂSerbia.ÂÂIt is incapable of facing the past, and above all, incapable of facing theÂreality that Serbia is not Yugoslavia, that it has no claims to Croatia,ÂBosnia, or, to everyone's deep sorrow, to Kosovo.ÂÂTo hope that The Hague might pave the way for a collective SerbianÂcatharsis is about as realistic as thinking that Kosovo will remain inÂSerbia or that Slovenia will be so good as to ask to rejoin some form ofÂYugoslavia.ÂÂThere can be no reassessment of Milosevic's legacy as long as the newÂauthorities maintain their ambivalent attitude to the criminal past; asÂlong as the question of responsibility is seen as relative; as long asÂMomcilo Perisic, the "Knight of Mostar" and an ex-general who broughtÂmisfortune to so many cities, sits in th e Serbian government; and as longÂas the extreme nationalist Vojislav Seselj propounds his extreme versionÂof Kostunica's own policy.ÂÂAs the Milosevic trial gets underway, I see little sign that ordinaryÂSerbs are remotely interested in drama unfolding in The Hague. People goÂabout their business as usual. The cafes are full. The few people who areÂemployed go to work. The beggars work in three shifts.ÂÂAnd as far for me, I see no reason why I should sit at home in front ofÂthe TV and listen to Slobodan Milosevic when I was forced to do so for theÂpasst 14 years.ÂÂPetar Lukovic is a leading Belgrade commentatorÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000