Friday, May 7th, 1999

Sorry for the Inconvenience

    It was Jamie Shea that apologized for the "inconvenience that power outages have caused the Serb people". Mr. Shea is often compared here to Ivica Dacic, spokesman of Milosevic's party, because of his cheesy remarks, endless denials, and twisted truth. On the other hand, people of NATO countries are spared of listening to Dacic's speeches. It is just one of many aspects of war that has only one side.

    Through the ages, wars had two or more sides. Two tribes fighting each other, two faces of lies and propaganda, victims that suffer on both sides. Not in this case. Here, we have victims on only one side - the other side has only collateral damage. We have only one side committing atrocities - other side is committing "humanitarian actions". Also, only one side is spilling lies and sickening propaganda - other is telling the truth, facts and valid information.

    In a small rectangle of TV screen, truth can be sculptured to suit anyone. We've been watching it during communism, then another 10 years of Milosevic's rule. In rectangle of Serbian TV screen, we've seen endless conspiracies against Serbs, anti-government protests presented as barbarism, opposition leaders seen as traitors, Albanian refugees fleeing from NATO bombs only, we never saw any ethnical cleansing or Albanian civilians being slaughtered by military or police forces. Those who wanted to know the truth kept searching for other sources of information. Those who rely on TV as bastion of truth, believed what they saw.

    It is hardly different from what's going on now. Those who blindly believe in what they see on TV, can't possibly see Serbs as anything else then bloodthirsty ethnical cleansers, pathologic rapists and murderers. On the other hand, Kosovo Albanians are saintly innocent victims, KLA are romantic freedom fighters. If believers from Headlineland don't want to look outside magic glittering rectangle, nothing will move them away from their stand. There is no room for Serbia that's not drenched in Albanian blood. Every voice from Serbia, even a voice that speaks for piece, democracy, against ethnical conflicts will be wiped by headlines.

    So, according to the Holy Screen, NATO "had no choice but to continue attacking every element of the Yugoslav armed forces until such time as Milosevic meets the demands of the international community". Latest included power shortage in almost entire Serbia. Despite Mr. Shea's witty remarks, this was far away from plain inconvenience. I doubt that anyone was much upset because they couldn't watch a TV movie or couldn't read their e-mail. Half of the country was left without water supply. Hospitals, without enough fuel for power generators were too busy trying to keep critical patients alive to worry about lack of entertainment. I doubt that any parent of a preemie considered this an inconvenience. For them, as for many others who required urgent operations, or those who are in intensive care units, it was matter of life and death.

    After three days, many parts of Serbia are still without power, and many still have no water. Food in a refrigerators, stashed away for hunger that will inevitably come, is slowly rotting away. There is no way to cook, since there is no gas. No water for toilet. NATO officials said that electrical grid is a "legitimate target" since Yugoslav army is using it, so that attacks of this kind are to be repeated. Statements like this justify virtually any target, since Yugoslav army is also using water supply, food, hospitals and other civilian buildings (including residential).

    It is rather amusing that NATO military experts actually believe in Milosevic accepting their blackmail. Milosevic has been sacrificing his people for past 10 years. He is not suffering fuel, food, water or power shortages. There is no victim among Serbian people that will force him to accept any kind of agreement.

    By justifying NATO attrocities, making them look like "humanitarian actions", painting systematic destruction of the country as bombardment of military targets, NATO caused us greatest inconvinience of all. It made our lives worth nothing.

    Transformation of Serbia from ghetto to concentration camp is hardly the solution. Unless, it is supposed to be the "final solution".

Cancer Woman