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Posted July 2, 2001
Anti-Seppuku
[Regarding Justin Raimondo's column, "Free Slobo":]
Seppuku may have been a part of Japanese culture prior to 130 years ago, but it is in no way today. The last ritual suicide we had here was that of novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima in the early 1970's. He made his point (a point that I know you agree with), but frankly we would have preferred that he stay alive.
What does killing yourself solve? Nothing. Which is why seppuku is mostly seen here as a cowards way out.
~ Clancy Dalebout, Japan
Repercussions
[Milosevich's hand-over] is very likely to attract a lot of attention as to how the ICTY actually operates. If it becomes clear that Milosevich is being tried by a Star Chamber, the whole business will probably backfire on the West and the ICTY. Most of those brought before the ICTY were relatively anonymous. Milosevich is not, and this means lots of media attention. Although the major media outlets in the US have clearly been biased, they do have competition via the Web, and there is also a far more critical European media. Not only that, many legal experts, not to mention criminal lawyers, are going to follow this trial.
In the more than 10 years that I've been following the breakup of Yugoslavia and ongoing civil wars there, if there is anything I've learned it's that nothing in the Balkans occurs in a vacuum. There are going to be repercussions and not necessarily ones that will be in the US's, or the West's, favor.
~ G. Vukmanovich
Idiotic Smoke & Mirrors
The US is …trying to bait the …developing countries into an arms race, like they did with the Russians. Star Wars, Smar Wars. It's just smoke and mirrors and no one should take any notice of the village idiot when he starts playing these games. The newspapers, the economists, [and] the marketeers …are selling on perceptions, so rather than engage in this war of words and nonsense, let us have some common sense and get about improving the world. Something that Uncle Sam has no interest in doing unless it serves him.
Not everyone believes the BS, and more so nowadays in Europe than ever before. Bush was told so by Sweden, Poland and Russia in recent weeks.
~ P. Soden
Disgusted by Apocalyptic Prophecies
It [was] with the greatest of disgust that I read the article of Mr. Justin Raimondo… I …am Bulgarian and I am getting a bit tired of the West and American prophecies, published in newspapers and magazines, forecasting the doomed future of the Balkans. What do you folks know about Eastern Europe? How dare you write only apocalyptic stories…? Why don't you make a conscious effort to suggest a solvable alternative to the ethnic boiling pot in the Balkans, instead of gloating over what is going on and predicting obvious developments of the story?
Don't you think that people are a bit tired of the know-all of Americans and Europeans who are constantly suggesting solutions to the Balkan's future, without actually participating in it? How the hell do you expect a country, 70% of the population of which lives below poverty, to start making plans? Is this the most reasonable thing to suggest after happily concluding that the Albanians will go on to Sofia? …Do you know that there are no Albanians in Bulgaria? No, of course you do not.
~ B. Inkova
Justin Raimondo replies:
No, there are no (actually few) Albanians in Bulgaria. But if we extrapolate from current events, in the very near future there will be. . . .