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| RAGUSAN PRESS 2527 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, CA 94070 President: Adam S. Eterovich Phone: 650-592-1190 croatians@aol.com www.croatians.com Dear Friend: We have just published two new studies on Croatians in California. We intend to donate 100’s of these books to major libraries and institutions in America and Croatia. Croatians in California, 1849-1999. By Adam S. Eterovich. Ragusan Press. 640 pages. Soft Cover. 2001. ISBN 0-918660-98-x $30.00 Gold Rush pioneers, the wild west, saloons, restaurants, farms, orchards, vineyards, fishermen, music, celebrations, societies, churches and 1000’s of individuals. Includes 803 Biographies and 115 Illustrations. Bibliography of over 1000 entries. General Index to Croatian Pioneers in California, 1849-1999. By Adam S. Eterovich and Jerry L. Simich Ragusan Press. 368 pages. Soft Cover. 2001. ISBN 0-918660-99-8 $30.00. An Index by Name, Date, Occupation or Activity, Location, Town of Origin and Reference Source. Abstracted from cemeteries, voting registers, census, society records, church records and other sources. 45,000 individuals-family groups. CROATIAN AMERICAN TIMES NEWSPAPER Croatian American Times (Cro-AT) is the only WEEKLY INDEPENDENT newspaper in North America that serves Croatian Americans. The Times is bilingual, being published in Croatian and English, and international in scope. Daily contact is maintained with journalist and reporters in Croatia and America. Circulation to Croatia is 5000 weekly. Cro-AT is published with the intention to provide business, cultural and social information and news to the American and Croatian community. It provides business and trade opportunities for Americans, Croatian Americans and Croatians in Croatia. Cro-AT reports on all historic, social, benevolent, church and other activities within the Croatian American community and promotes, thru advertising and articles, Croatian American and Croatian enterprises. Their advertising rates are reasonable and affordable. Subcription is $95.00 per year or $2.50 weekly. Write or call Croatian American Times at 44-37 Douglaston Parkway, Douglaston, NY 11363; Phone 718-819-0401; Fax 718-819-0407; E-Mail CroatianAmerican@aol.com. Call or write for a free sample. Distributed 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! |
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| Croatian Canadian Joe Sakic winns gold for Canada. Two goals two assists. By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Silver to start, silver to finish. The U.S. men's hockey team settled for a silver medal to close out America's most successful Winter Games, with Canada ending a 50-year gold medal drought in its national sport with a 5-2 victory over its southern neighbors. The Sunday loss provided the U.S. Winter Olympians with silver bookends: two silvers on the first day of competition, one on the last. There was plenty of gold in between, along with more silver and bronze, as the United States finished with a record 34 medals. While the two U.S. medals back on Feb. 9 were cause for celebration, the hockey medal was cause for mixed emotions. Even the return of coach Herb Brooks, head of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" team, couldn't produce a gold medal for the home team. "We don't have anything to feel bad about," said U.S. defenseman Phil Housley, who scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the 3-2 semifinal victory over Russia. "These memories are something I will carry with me for a long time." It was the first Olympic loss ever with Brooks behind the bench, ending a 12-game unbeaten string. And it was the first U.S. Olympic loss on home ice in 70 years. While the Americans and Canadians were winning medals, the biggest doping scandal of the games saw cross-country skiers Johann Muehlegg of Spain and Larissa Lazutina of Russia stripped of their most recent gold medals after drug positives. "Technically, they are Olympic champions," said IOC president Jacques Rogge, announcing the pair will keep their other Salt Lake City medals. "Morally, it is a totally different issue." Both gold medalists, along with a third cross-country skier, were thrown out of the games — more a symbolic gesture than anything just hours before the closing ceremony. Between them, Lazutina and Muehlegg had won a half-dozen Salt Lake City medals. In the much-hyped hockey final, Joe Sakic and Jarome Ignila scored twice each for the Canadians, who fell behind 1-0 before bouncing back to dominate play. Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur now has an Olympic gold medal to go with his two Stanley Cup titles. "We felt all along the expectations of all the people in Canada," Brodeur said. "It's always fun to be part of a great team." Brodeur's New Jersey Devils teammate, Brian Rafalski, had one of the two U.S. goals; Tony Amonte had the other. Distributed 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! |
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| Golden Kostelic Makes History Fri Feb 22, 7:13 PM ET By Alan Baldwin PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) - Croatia's Janica Kostelic hurtled into history Friday, taking giant slalom gold to become the first Alpine skier to win four Olympic medals at a single Games. The 20-year-old was the first woman to win three Alpine golds at one Games and joined France's Jean-Claude Killy (1968) and Austrian Toni Sailer (1956) as the only skiers ever to do it. Her margin of victory was enormous for a woman who had never before been on a giant slalom podium -- 1.32 seconds ahead of Sweden's Anja Paerson and 1.66 clear of Swiss world champion and bronze medallist Sonja Nef. Her success was all the more extraordinary considering that she comes from a country that had never before won an Olympic medal but that has now won more golds than skiing powerhouse Austria at these Games. "She's proved that mentally she's the strongest ever," said Paerson of her friend and rival. "She's incredible. She can really ski with the pressure on and right now she's the one we have to beat. "I'm so happy for her because she had a rough season with her injuries...I can only congratulate her." Kostelic, the 2001 World Cup overall champion, has lingering pain in her legs after repeated surgery on her knee last year but has now won a medal in every race she has entered at Salt Lake City. NO ENERGY "I've got no energy left," she gasped, brandishing the Croatian flag in the finish area. "I think I'll just go and pick up my medal and go to bed." "I did not expect four medals, I thought I would get maybe one in combined," she said. "I didn't care about the record. I just take one race at a time." Kostelic, whose early career was a battle against adversity with scarce resources and occasional nights spent sleeping in her father's car at World Cup events, had seemed a long shot before Friday's start. She had never before finished on the podium in giant slalom, a fourth place her best. She had won the combined and slalom golds and taken a silver in super-G but even she thought the giant slalom likely to be one race too far. Instead her opening run from a 19th start position blasted away any doubts and her second was every bit as crushing on a piste set by Paerson's father Anders. "I came here hoping to take a medal and I've got two which is more than I could ask for," said Paerson. Her delight contrasted to the disappointment felt by Austrian Alexandra Meissnitzer, a former world champion and silver medallist from Nagano four years ago, who failed to match the pace and fell back from second to fourth. Spain's Maria Jose Rienda Contreras had been third, hoping to become her country's first Alpine medallist since Blanca Fernandez-Ochoa in 1992, but she faded to sixth. Kostelic was fastest by 0.49 after the first run and she was again fastest in the second leg. Paerson was second quickest to move up from fourth place and claim her second medal of the Games after securing a bronze in the slalom. Nef, who crashed out of Wednesday's slalom and almost fell in the first leg, saved Swiss pride with the team's first Alpine medal of the Games. "After the first run I knew gold would be difficult, if not impossible, but I knew I still had a chance of taking a medal," said Nef. "I'm very pleased with my second run." Distributed 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! |
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| -------------- Nisam Vam htio kvariti weekend, ali ovo je vise nego zabrinjavajuce: Upravo sam primio Croatian American Times of 12 veljace. U uvodnom komentaru, urednik g. Vjekoslav Krsnik je skandaliziran da na ''Svjetskom ekonomskom forumu'' tzv. 'Davos u New York-u', nije bio nitko iz Hrvatske !?!? Uvodnicar dalje kaze da je npr. Srbija poslala najjacu politicku delegaciju mladih na Zapdau skolovanih ljudi; narocito je fascinirao ministar financija Bozidar Djelic koji je zavrsio Harvard Ja nisam clan niti jedne stranke, dakle, uopce ne reagiram po nekoj ''partijskoj liniji'' - ali ovo je takav stupanj NESTRUCNOSTI i neznanja da za to padaju ministri, a reagirati mora i Vlada ! Pa ljudi moji, da je Hrvatska vlada poslala 2 ministra i 6 pametnijih strucnjaka (sto su valjda u stanju skupiti), te da su doveli jos 6 strucnih osoba s vezama po Americi te jednu lobby-agenciju te savjetnike to bi ih kostalo u tjedan dana red velicine oko $100k ali <<$1M. KONTAKTI i OZRACJE koje jedna briljantna grupa je u tjedan dana u stanju ostvariti, te vrijednost takve akcije se mjeri (na srednje pruge) u milijunima dolara, te dapace u milijardama dolara (na duze pruge) ... Ne. Nasi ni ne dodju !?!? U zemlji u kojoj je sluzbeno ovog trenutka oko 400'000 nezaposlenih ... i gdje je svaki poslovni aranzman i kontakt s 'decision-makerima' u inozemstvu vazan (jer ce privuci investicije kad-tad) ... oni ''ustedjuju'' nekoliko desetaka tisuca dolara putnih troskova !? Mogu shvatiti da se poneka poslovna prilika propusti, ali propustiti strateski sastanak (gdje se stvaraju KLJUCNE veze i poznanstva) vjerojatno radi $100k troskova to je neoprostivo u 21-om stoljecu. U krajnjoj liniji to naravno znaci da su te osobe u vladi nesposobne jer nemaju pouzdanje da nesto ucine s ''investicijom'' od $100k+, te jos i gore: oni NAPROSTO NE SHVACAJU DOBA U KOJEM ZIVE ... Normalno bi bilo barem nekoliko ostavki u Racanovoj vladi, a ustvari i premijer Racan bi se trebao povuci jer : TKO NORMALAN bi dozvolio da mu Beograd ima BITNO sposobnijeg ministra financija (a vjerojatno i mnoge druge) u trenutku kad potpisuje SAA i igra se sa Veliko-srbima stabilizacije ?!? (ako dvojite da san o Velo-srbiji postoji, javite se pa cu Vam poslati nezavisne dokaze sto stvarno misle nasi susjedi). Zacudo, u hrvatskim medijima ovo cini se nije niti skandal ... (a nesposobni ministri im doslovno kradu novce iz dzepa!). Davor Pavuna Montreux, Svicarska i Rovinj, Hrvatska Distributed 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! |
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| Yes Nenad, a member of the miracle on ice, gold medal american ice hockey team of 1980 Lake Placid. Have great weekend. Bog, Martin. Placid life The miracle now is trying to find Mark Pavelich, who has passed up previous reunions. By DAVID WHARTON Times Staff Writer January 30 2002 Small lakes dot the northern woods of Minnesota, blue specks on the map, too many to count, and beside one of them Mark Pavelich lives happily ever after. Far from the sport of hockey that brought him acclaim. Far from the world and its commotion. "Just the wild and his wife and his dog," a friend says. "He moved out there for a reason." Once in a while, he visits the nearby town of Lutsen for groceries or someone spots him driving his truck on a back road, headed for a fishing spot perhaps. Few know the exact whereabouts of his cabin. So when a reporter calls—after getting the unlisted number—Pavelich is polite but guarded. Mostly "ums" and "ahs" followed by silence. The conversation quickly moves to that night in Lake Placid, N.Y., against the Soviet Union, more than 20 years ago, when he collected the puck along the boards and slid it in front of the net. "The past is the past," he says. That puck ended up on the stick of teammate Mike Eruzione, who scored to give the U.S. squad an upset over the USSR on the way to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. The "Miracle on Ice" still ranks among the nation's greatest sporting moments and, in many ways, Pavelich was symbolic of the American team. An underdog because of his small frame. Selfless and hard working. Quietly fierce. In the years since, he has become something else: A mystery. Some of his teammates have basked in the enduring spotlight, playing in celebrity golf tournaments, getting paid as motivational speakers. Others have kept in touch by phone, gathering in small groups for dinners or golf vacations, bonded by their experience. Pavelich has kept to himself. The players now hope he will come to their biggest reunion yet. With the Winter Games back on American soil—and patriotism in vogue—they have been invited to play an exhibition Friday at Staples Center, the day before the NHL All-Star game. It will mark the first time in two decades all of them have gathered. All, perhaps, but one. "We may have to send one of those drone planes or Global Positioning Satellites to find him," former defenseman Ken Morrow says of Pavelich. They might have to kidnap him. "He's not being aloof," says Bill Baker, another former teammate. "You've just got to know Pav." ___ Lutsen sits snug against Lake Superior, two hours north of Duluth, almost to the Canadian border. Even in this town, remote as it is, the man and his ways are noteworthy. "People are always talking about him," a local named Doc Rose says. "How's he doing and what's he doing." Rose is among the few who have been shown the way to Pavelich's cabin a dozen miles off the highway. He is a retired trainer for the Minnesota North Stars—the NHL team that moved to Dallas—and has known Pavelich for years. He recalls when the player moved to Lutsen in the late 1980s after playing professionally in New York, of all places. Pavelich bought a townhouse by the shore, but, as Rose explains, "he went into the bush as soon as he got a chance," trading his home for a parcel of forest land, moving into a garage with only a couch to sleep on. From there, he set about building a cabin. "One board at a time," Rose says. "Nothing extravagant but well-built. And you'd have a heck of a time finding it." There is fishing in the lake outside his door and small game to hunt in the woods. Asked about his home, Pavelich says only that "there's a lot of stuff to do other than hockey." Not that he's a recluse. Several houses stand nearby. Friends who know the way are met with a friendly welcome and perhaps a fish dinner cooked on the outdoor grill. Still, the place is secluded enough that whenever Rose stops by, he feels as if he is intruding. And visitors, especially acquaintances from New York, come away wondering how Pavelich survives out there. The question should be: How did he survive in the bright lights and big cities? He was born in nearby Eveleth, in rugged country known as the Iron Range, where boys learn to hunt and fish from an early age. The town claims to have the world's largest hockey stick at 107 feet long, so they also learn to play. Pavelich was small for the game, never growing taller than 5 feet 8, but all those childhood days on outdoor rinks molded him into a clever skater and stickhandler. "A throwback player who could control the puck like he had it on a string," says Baker, who grew up nearby in Grand Rapids. In the late 1970s, those skills made Pavelich one of the greatest players in the history of the University of Minnesota Duluth. They subsequently earned him a spot on the Olympic team. More than half of the American players and their coach, Herb Brooks, came from Minnesota. The others were from Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts, sworn rivals on the ice. Yet from this group emerged a close-knit bunch, Pavelich playing the quiet one. "I've known him since high school and he was always a man of few words," Baker says. "You never know what he's thinking." He earned respect with his work ethic and a knack for passing the puck. Former goaltender Jim Craig recalls him as "an honest man, just a wonderful guy to be around." Little was expected of the Americans that winter, their coach reportedly telling them before the Olympics it would take some luck to win a bronze. But after an opening tie against Sweden, they rolled to four consecutive victories against the likes of Norway and Romania to reach the medal round against the powerhouse Soviets. Pavelich played an essential, supporting role that night, assisting on two of the four goals. Two days later, the U.S. defeated Finland to win the gold medal, and Pavelich wound up with six assists in the seven Lake Placid games. The players became overnight heroes, appearing on television, visiting the White House, attending promotional events across the nation. "A lot of commotion," Pavelich says. "I tried to avoid it as much as possible." Then he signed with the New York Rangers and moved to Manhattan. The team photo shows a young man with shaggy hair and heavy features, his lips pressed together in only the faintest semblance of a smile. He claims to have enjoyed his time in New York, taking in the sights of the city, but teammates recall he wasn't much for the nightlife. "He'd rather do his job and be gone," says Baker, who joined his pal in New York for a season. "He'd rather go to the corner bar, have a few beers and talk to the old-timers than go to Studio 54." On the ice, Pavelich scored 76 points as a rookie—still a team record—and led the Rangers the following season with 37 goals, five of them in a memorable game against the Hartford Whalers. Though such numbers surely established him in the league, he retired after only five seasons because of differences with a new coach. There would be flickers of comebacks, a dozen or so games with the North Stars and San Jose Sharks, but his career was basically over. "It was pretty easy," he says. "I just stepped away from it." ___ The players who reunite at Staples Center this weekend like to joke that Eruzione made a career of his historic goal. That includes two decades of working as a broadcaster, speaking at corporate meetings and playing in celebrity golf tournaments. "When the Olympics ended, Mike and I ... thought we could have some fun with this for a year, maybe two," his agent, Bob Murray, says. "In our wildest dreams we never thought he'd still be doing this." Craig, too, gets hired as a motivational speaker. "It was more than a hockey game," he says. "I've learned over the years how much this meant to people." But for Pavelich, those two weeks in Lake Placid seem distant. He describes himself as "kind of retired" and says a couple of years have passed since he last wore a pair of skates. Rose guesses he saved enough money from his playing days to live simply and comfortably, often fishing for his dinner. There is little need for nostalgia. So he has skipped every reunion, large and small, save for the wedding of former teammate Steve Christoff. Even those players who live within a few hours' drive of Lutsen say they have not seen him in years. "I call him to see how he's doing," says Phil Verchota, now a bank executive in Willmar, Minn. "He's just private. He doesn't like social functions." His teammates hoped he would make an exception for a golf vacation they arranged in South Carolina two years ago. They left a plane ticket for him, and Baker, now an oral surgeon in Brainerd, Minn., arrived early at the airport, eager to talk about old times. "I waited and waited but he never showed," he says. "I had an empty seat beside me on the plane." This time, with an insurance company paying to bring the team to Los Angeles, Pavelich is noncommittal when asked if he will come. "Well, um ... we'll see," he says. Verchota, who spoke to him recently, was doubtful. The players say they will be disappointed if he does not attend, but also admit to getting a certain amount of enjoyment from his reticence. They joke about him being a hermit. They speculate about him chasing Bigfoot. And, in more serious moments, they suspect he isn't so mysterious after all. "He could care less about the limelight," Craig says. "He just lives his life and is happy ... all of us should be that courageous." If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives. For information about reprinting this article, go to www.lats.com/rights. Distributed 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! |
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| Shower her with LOVE ! Zatrpajte ju s ljubavlju ! janica@hrt.hr http://www.janica.croski.hr/ Nenad Bach (E) Janica Kostelic Sports Katarina Tepesh Feb 23, 2002 N Janica Kostelic: "To be famous doesn't mean anything to me." February 2002 SNOWBASIN, 18. February - After she won a gold medal, 20 years old Croatian ski champion Janica Kostelic won a silver medal. "Yes, it is true, I can be found everywhere", she said. She was surprised by the question whether she was thinking about ending her career. "Now, what kind of question is that? I am only 20 years old and I hope you will be watching me for at least the next eight years" she answered. Talking with journalists, Janica said that she was not a person who cared about fame. "To be famous does not mean anything to me. I don't care about it. My passion is skiing and skiing makes me happy." (Hina) (from the article from Vjesnik, 19.02.2002.) Janica is the first Croatian sports(wo)man in the history of Croatian sports who won a gold medal at Winter Olympics. If somebody asked me to describe Janica, I would answer: she is original, self-confident, non-pretentious. She never acts or makes efforts to impress you trying to fit into the preconceived expectations. She appears to be happy to be herself. Watching her during interviews or skiing is so refreshing. With only 20 years of age, Janica is a living proof that the beauty of a person comes from her spirit, the one which relies on its uniqueness. And Janica relies on her own strength, knowledge, skills, potentials. No matter how much the media people try to confuse her asking her questions which are so stereotypically limiting, they can not confuse her. She is sincere and does not think how to impress you. As if she made a decision to be herself whether you like her or not. Janica does not imitate anybody and is not like anybody else. That makes her uniquely beautiful and accomplished young woman. If only other girls would realize that they also possess potentials worthy of exploring and developing, potentials which are unique and unfortunately lost in imposed efforts to imitate others. They should not imitate Janica, no matter how important her role model is, because Janica is and should remain the one and only, just as each one of us. Written by Nena Sudar, Zagreb, Croatia http://www.crowmagazine.com With 4th Medal, Croatia's Kostelic Makes History PARK CITY, Utah, Feb. 22 -- The Croatian Sensation did it again. Janica Kostelic blew away the field in the giant slalom today for her record fourth Alpine medal of the Salt Lake City Games, joining Jean-Claude Killy and Toni Sailer as the only skiers with three golds at one Olympics. The 20-year-old Croat -- who had never finished higher than fourth in a World Cup giant slalom -- also became the first skier ever to win four Alpine medals at an Olympics, winning a medal in every event in which she competed. "I wonder if she's human. She's the greatest right now," said silver medalist Anja Paerson of Sweden. "She's so mentally tough, nothing bothers her." Kostelic, who won gold in the slalom and the combined event and silver in the super giant slalom, was not considered among the favorites in the giant slalom. But she won by 1.32 seconds in an event usually decided by fractions of a second. She took a half-second lead on the morning run and could have skied conservatively and still won. Instead, she more than doubled her lead in the second run. Five men and four other women have won three Alpine medals at an Olympics. There were only three Alpine events until 1988, when the Super-G debuted and the combined event was reintroduced after a 40-year hiatus. "It's great, but someone is going to break that record soon. The next Olympics, maybe," Kostelic said. "I just tried to stay calm, because I had three medals before this. I had nothing to be nervous about." Kostelic, who won Wednesday's slalom in a heavy snow on a rutty course, won the giant slalom in spring-like conditions on a well-groomed slope. She finished the two runs in 2 minutes 30.01 seconds. Paerson was second in 2:31.33, adding to the bronze she won in Wednesday's slalom. World champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland was third. Kostelic is the only Croatian to win a Winter Olympics medal, but that distinction may not last long. Her older brother, Ivica, is a favorite in Saturday's men's slalom. The Kostelic siblings are coached by their father, Ante, and the entire family made big sacrifices for skiing. Since their embattled homeland has only two small ski resorts, they traveled around Europe to compete in junior races -- often sleeping in tents or in the car, living on salami and pickle sandwiches. In the Croatian capital of Zagreb, screams of joy came out from downtown apartments and shots were fired in the air as Kostelic won. "It's unbelievable! She's amazing, I'm so proud of her," said Zagreb resident Nevena Morandic, wiping away tears of joy. "She's the best thing our country has." After her victory, about 20 Croats joined Kostelic for an impromptu dance in the finish area. They kneeled and formed a chorus line behind Kostelic, swaying to "That's the Way (I Like It)" over the loudspeakers. Kostelic, who missed the first half of the World Cup season while recovering from three operations on her left knee, ranks only 30th in the giant slalom on the World Cup circuit this season. Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. 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| Croatian American Association News Release, February 20, 2002 With the objective of securing justice for Croats indicted by the ICTY, The Croatian American Association has been urging Congress to have a close look at the activities of the International Crimes Tribunal for Yugoslavia at The Hague. The prosecution of Ante Gotovina in a political attempt to assuage the feelings of Serbs after Milosevic was handed over is of particular concern to us. It is the contention of the CAA that the proceedings of the ICTY do not meet minimum American judicial standards, particularly in the areas of investigation, prosecution and the rules of evidence. Congress is presently concerned about the future possibility that American armed forces personnel might have to face future politicized proceedings unless preventive legal prohibitions are adapted by the United States. A hearing of the full House International Relations Committee will be held on February 28th in Washington, DC. It is the CAA’s belief that one of the results of the hearings will be a more fair treatment of Croats by the ICTY. Subject: FULL COMMITTEE HEARING NOTICE Committee on International Relations U FULL COMMITTEE HEARING NOTICE Committee on International Relations U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515-0128 February 14, 2002 TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS You are respectfully requested to attend an OPEN hearing of the Committee on International Relations, to be held in Room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building: DATE: Thursday, February 28, 2002 TIME: 11:00 A.M. SUBJECT: The U.N. Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda: International Justice or Show of Justice? WITNESSES: The Honorable Pierre-Richard Prosper Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues U.S. Department of State Professor Jeremy Rabkin Department of Government Cornell University Larry A. Hammond Attorney at Law Osborn Maledon, P.A. Note: Additional witnesses may be added. By Direction of the Chairman The Committee on International Relations seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202/225-5021 at least four business days in advance of the event, whenever practicable. Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices) may be directed to the Committee. Subject: Croatian American Association Alert -------------------------------------------------------------------- Senator Joseph Biden Jr. Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee 446 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Please return petitions to: CAA USA Box 287 Washington, D.C. 20006 Representative Henry Hyde Chairman The Committee on International Relations 2000 Pennsylvania Ave. 2170 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Honorable Richard Armitage Deputy Secretary of State United States Department of State 2201 “C” Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20520 (202) 647-4000 We the undersigned are opposed to the U.N. confirming Paddy Ashdown to succeed Wolfgang Petritsch as United Nations High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.N. High Representative is endowed with dictatorial powers to restrict the freedom and rights of the citizens of BiH. In the past year the office of the U.N. High Representative acting with impunity has removed fairly elected Croat officials, ordered the raid on a main Croatian Bank, and defamed the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, its Cardinal and Bishops. On Good Friday, 2001, armed British soldiers in two armored personnel carriers were allowed to openly threaten Catholics, at Medjugorje. The U.N. is so insensitive about such things that it is now trying to impose Paddy Ashdown on the Catholic Croats of BiH. Many Croats still remember the treachery of some British government officials at Bleiburg, Austria 1945. Croats have not forgotten that many in the British government supported Slobodan Milosevic in 1990-95 as he murdered his way through Croatia and BiH. Ashdown, a former British Marine major, demonstrated his anti-Catholic bias when he was in Northern Ireland. He has made a career in the former Yugoslavia by being anti-Croat and pro-Serbian. Ashdown is famous for creating the fiction of Tudjman drawing a map of divided BiH on a napkin. Croats in BiH, and two and a half million American Croats, fear that the State Department’s quiet elimination of funding for U.S. peacekeeping in BiH, combined with the State Department’s support for Paddy Ashdown, indicates an American Abandonment of BiH. That would expose the region to dangerous instability and leave the Catholic Croats in BiH at the mercy of those who already reduced their number to a half. We ask you to use your good offices to oppose Paddy Ashdown’s confirmation and seek the appointment of an American citizen as U.N. High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. SIGNED: Distributed 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. 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| Croatia calls for Milosevic henchmen to face trial HELSINKI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Croatia called on Wednesday for other associates of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic to follow their former leader and face trial at the war crimes tribunal in the Hague. "It is not enough to get Milosevic in the Hague. He must be accompanied by his close associates. Unfortunately many of them are walking free," Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula told a news conference in Helsinki. "This is not a vendetta. We are not in the vendetta business. It is very important to extend international justice and the international tribunal in the Hague is a very important instrument that can bring more justice," he added. Milosevic is accused of crimes against humanity in Croatia in 1991-92 and Kosovo in 1999, as well as genocide in the 1992-95 Bosnian War. Lawyers must show the U.N.-mandated court Milosevic himself either ordered such atrocities, knew of them yet failed to halt them or, at least, knew about them after they were committed but failed to punish the perpetrators. Milosevic has argued there is no evidence linking him to the crimes. Other war crimes suspects -- including fugitive indictee Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Ratko Mladic -- remain at large in the former Yugoslavia and local authorities have come under international pressure to hunt them down. Picula said Croatia had cooperated with the Hague in trying to track down war criminals. Distributed 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! |
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| GLOBALNA ILI IZUMIRANJE HRVATSKE! ‘Opinion’ commentary by, Jean W. Lunt-Marinovic, Melbourne Australia, 23/02/2002. "Croatia is a small nation." "Emigration is a Croatian tradition." "Global Croatia." "Without our blessed diaspora there would never have been an independent Croatia on the map." These pro-diaspora statements quoted above compete with issues of greater importance for Croatia. The unpopular issue I refer to is "Izumiranje Hrvatske". Croatia is now in a transition period. This generation which fought and died and struggled, making us all proud, is being replaced by an aging population in Croatia. In other words, things won’t always be the way they are in Croatia today. For example, in any Croatian zupanija, such as Zadar, even under the harshest of occupying regimes, there have been more graduating doctors or priests, etc. per capita, than from amongst those assimilated Croats in the so-called democratic and prosperous world. In sports also, Kostelic, or Ivanisevic, or Suker have shown us how the world applauds their personal triumph when they win under their national flag. The richness of the spirit can overcome any financial struggle. The struggle for Croatia’s survival can only be successfully generated from within Croatia itself, but Croatia is dying-out due to an undefined glorification of the overseas diaspora. Diaspora input must be measured against the consequences of mass emigration and its negative effects on the nature of Croatian politics. In Croatia panslavists gained more power in the last election by default! Abroad there is a limit to what can be done on a political dimension. Whilst foreign governments are now obliged to tolerate Croatia’s new status, the legacy of the past will distort the truth for a couple of generations to come. Amongst the overseas Anglo/Celtic elite, when you mentioned the "C" word (Croatia) you were in for it—I speak here as a person perceived to be ‘one of them’, and not as a person perceived to be of Croatian background. Overseas I have witnessed many red faces over past decades, when I have challenged various professors, politicians, government administrators and committee members, or multicultural advocates, that access and equity legislation should be applied to Croats also. I have witnessed an entire roomful of multicultural writers walk out in protest whilst I was reciting my poem about Croatia. (see poem below) I have watched the faces of lecturers and administrators go red when I challenged their ‘facts’ or decisions in front of students or colleagues. I have been left standing alone by street revolutionaries who walked away from my question of why Croats are always deemed reactionary and Yugoslavs are always progressive. I have questioned the campaigning ‘right’ during elections who ignored my questions, and moved onto another topic—the silent treatment! Which is worse? Better know your rights! Not all opposition rests with non-Croats however. The same attitudes surfaced when I tried to push my point of view through the Croatian disapora agendas. My agenda has always been that Croats should not, without question, ‘sponsor-on-demand’ their relatives to settle ‘overseas’. It is easy to say that the problem lies only with the government of Croatia, or with the international community, but this should not take away from the responsibility of us all. As ‘relatives’ who live overseas, we hold the key to Croatia’s population decline, or growth. The role of the diaspora needs to be placed under more scrutiny and held accountable. What Croats in the overseas diaspora fail to accept is that this ‘sponsor-on-demand’ relationship is not a bridge between Croatia and its "diaspora"—rather it is a direct contribution to the dying-out of Croatia. ‘Global Croatia’ is an umbrella concept that can excuse too many competing agendas, and underpinning these agendas is the inherent acceptance of continued mass emigration. Assimilation, once overseas, is unavoidable, and in the meantime, Croatia continues to suffer from ‘brain drain’ and ‘brawn drain’. Croatia is not so small—but its population is! Emigration should never be called a ‘tradition’—continuing mass emigration is a ‘scandal’. The term ‘global Croatia’ is an oxymoron. (Written by Jean W. Lunt-Marinovic, Melbourne Australia.23/2/2002) Below is my poem and article published in Hrvatski Tjednik, 23/7/1985. (I recited this poem at a meeting in 1986 of Victorian Multicultural Writers’ Association) THE SPIRIT OF SOSICE (Dedicated to Croatian Students) In the shadows of night at Sosice There’s an eerie whisper in the air The branches of the old oak trees Have witnessed a tragedy there. No one passes that bottomless pit The place which nature forsook Scarcely wide enough across to fit One man … yet so many men it took. It’s forbidden to go near that hole Because if you listen near its top You’ll hear the echo from every soul As one after another they dropped. Like a sea shell’s constant call From the sea bed underneath The young cadets tell of their fall … How they were pushed to their death. Five hundred cadets fell so young To their death that fateful day Murdered before they could belong But their spirit still lives to say: "Croatia had been in the dark For many centuries it’s true But in 1941 she set her mark And raised her ‘red white blue’. "We were young and proud to enlist Though little of Croatia we’d seen Yet the one thing we’d always missed Was the freedom ‘that might have been’. " ’If only’ our fathers and theirs before Hadn’t won wars for a foreign race ‘If only’ they’d known what lay in store Of the veil on their Motherland’s face. "The uniforms we wore were Croatian And we pledged our lives for her Never again to be in the situation That our enslaved forefathers were. "It was our privilege to defend We were proud unto the last fellow Who’d have known we’d meet our end On the path towards Gornje Selo. "Captured before we’d seen battle By a yugoslav partisan band We were then herded like cattle And swallowed up in the land. "The flesh was ripped from our side As our bodies plunged into the deep But we screamed out before we died: ‘Our Croatian spirit will never sleep.’ " This poem is a tribute to the 500 military cadets who died as loyal Croats, who placed love of their country above a communist ideology. More than 20,000 military trainees were disposed of by the yugoslav regime in a barbaric fashion after the war. I have chosen to write about the fate of these 500 because a relative who still mourns the brutal act has related her loss to me. As you sit in class take a good look at the student next to you. Are you envious of his pride and confidence as he sings on his National Day, whether it be Australian, American, Canadian, Italian, Greek, etc.? Are you always left out when it is time to show the class where their country is on the big map of the world, or read the history of their country’s heroes in an encyclopaedia, or show a picture of their flag in the pages of history? The cadets in the poem were eager to participate in Croatian history. After centuries they had the chance to re-join their Motherland’s dismembered body, to straighten her spine, bent over centuries of being pulled from one empire to another: Venice, Ottoman Turkey, Austria/Hungary, France, yugoslavia. Their dream was short-lived. Their spirit however is alive in the Croatian youth of today. One day when Croatia is free it is your duty to build monuments at all such places where those who died knew the meaning of being Croatian. Under yugoslavia today those places are closed to the world with barb wire. Their patriotism deserves much more, it deserves an esteemed place in history. Jean W. Lunt-Marinovic, July, 1985. Distributed 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! |
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