Posted on 09/26/2006 5:37:05 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Prelude to "American Hiroshima" during this Ramadan?
“The more I read the papers, the less I comprehend the world and all its capers, and how it all will end.”
Startling article to begin with!!
I had no idea George Gershwin died in 1937!!
Oh Lady Be Good, Rhapsody In Blue...
You know, I should know more about the history of that immediate area than I really do, SA -- other than what my father told me about our family.
Our family originaly came from Hercegovina down to the Bay of Kotor (now in Montenegro) in the 16th century because the Moslem Turks were killing off all the Christian leaders and thinkers. Some great-great grandfather of mine raised the Serb flag in what is now the town Herceg Novi, Montenegro ("Hercegovina"= "Dukedom", ""Herceg Novi"="New Dukedom") My dad's immediate family has been in that area ever since.
Dad said that when he was growing up there just before & after WWI, there were no problems between the Catholic Dalamatians (Croats) and Orthodox Serbs -- they honored one another's holidays and the whole town -- Catholics and Orthodox alike -- spent one day ever year shoring up the islands on which two Catholic churches resided. Christian inter-marraiges were common, with a deal worked out by the Catholic and Orthodox Bishops that whatever the man's religion was would prevail unless the couple demanded otherwise, but marrying a Muslim was simply unthinkable to both. Pre-WWI, both Catholic and Orthodox alike hated their Austrian masters (The Austro-Hungarian Empire) and when forced to serve in the Austrian navy, neither would fire on their people or their neighbors. Other than historical fights with the Moslem Turks, everyone there pretty much got along -- until WWII. Then things got really ugly.
When I hear crap about "the historic hatred between Serbs and Croats going back centuries", I know it is crap. The fight between Serbs & Croats doesn't really go back further than the rise of fascism approaching WWII. The fight against aggressive Islam by Serbs and Croats both, goes back centuries to the time when they were invaded and faced conversion or death by Islamic invaders.
Today, Croatia is less threatened by Islam because there are few Moslems in Croatia and it's only border with it is Bosnia, so it can afford to be cool about it. Serbia, on the other hand is surrounded and there are a lot of Moslems living in Serbia and who have taken over Kosovo -- it is natural that she would feel more threatened, especially when she's been "ganged up on", including by the Montenegrins from whom I descended.
Formeryugosailping
Formeryugosailping
Too beautiful! Makes me want to plan a new vacation!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.