how do cahtolics in the U.S. feel about the war in Kosovo?

-- ENRIQUE ORTIZ (eaortiz@yahoo.com), May 11, 1999

Answers

Enrique, I hope you don't mind my adding my perspective on this. Though I'm not Catholic, I am in the U.S. Does 50% count?

I believe that what is happening in Kosovo is a tragedy on many levels and U.S. involvement seems to have greatly magnified the tragedy and is bringing the world close to a very dangerous precipice.

While Milosevic and his government had been committing horrendous violence to the ethnic Albanians, the U.S. was completely inept in its early attempts at diplomatic intervention. Madeline Albright's negotiations seemed clumsy and incompetent and Bill Clinton's actions seem too closely tied to his personal and political troubles.

I think the U.S. should have involved many others (especially the Russians) in the negotiations before even considering using force to resolve this crisis. And I think if force was the ultimate answer, it should have been initiated under a UN mandate, not NATO or the U.S.

And when and if force was authorized, it should have been done in a way to protect the ethnic Albanians. By simply punishing the Serbs, we've left the victims defenseless and homeless.

From the beginning, this sad situation has been mishandled, poorly planned, and incompetently executed. In my book, the U.S. has made and is making a BIG mistake.

Enrique, where do you live and what is your perspective of the situation?

-- David (David@matt6:33.com), May 12, 1999.

the propaganda continues. ...we are hearing the term "ethnic albanian" over and over. what is an ethnic albanian? are these not "serbian moslems"? has the kla not fought to put a moslem replublic there? prior to the news media making this front page news, in kosova as well as croatia catholic churches were being burned and/or ravaged and destroyed. this, in my oppinion, is a religious/political war which n.a.t.o, pushed by the brits and the americans, has sided with the moslem insurgency. i have a suspicion that our relationships with the oil producing moslem nations has impacted greatly on decisions made regarding this. remember, this whole mess started with the recognition of another yougoslavic republic as an independant state. (croatia)

-- juan (declined@aol.com), May 12, 1999.

Dear David:

i live in a latin american country that many times has been mistreated (to say the least) by U.S. governments past and present. this accounts for the ill feelings of my country persons toward whatever the U.S. does in foreign lands, especially wars.

i ask: where would the american financial world would be without a war? it's my opinion that the U.S. won't achieve peace in the world if it needs a war to have a strong economy.

i'm waiting for my church to make a strong statement against this war or any other war. otherwise haw can we say that we follow the heavenly message:

-- ENRIQUE ORTIZ (eaortiz@yahoo.com), May 13, 1999.

Dear David:

i live in a latin american country that many times has been mistreated (to say the least) by U.S. governments past and present. this accounts for the ill feelings of my country persons toward whatever the U.S. does in foreign lands, especially wars.

i ask: where would the american financial world would be without a war? it's my opinion that the U.S. won't achieve peace in the world if it needs a war to have a strong economy.

i'm waiting for my church to make a strong statement against this war or any other war. otherwise haw can we say that we follow the heavenly message: PEACE ON EARTH?

-- ENRIQUE ORTIZ (eaortiz@yahoo.com), May 13, 1999.

Dear Juan,

I did not mean to perpetuate propaganda. The term "ethnic Albanian" is the one commonly used in the U.S. media to refer to the 700,000+ people who are being violently exiled from Yugoslavia. But calling them Serbian Moslems doesn't change my view of them or the situation.

I realize that we do not have the complete or a necessarily accurate picture of what is happening nor of the history of what has happened in the past in that region. From what I have heard and read, sorting out who has done what to whom and why is a very complicated issue and changes depending on who you ask. I truly wish I KNEW what the whole story was/is, but we can only go on what we hear and read.

In the past few weeks, I've read stories of small children who were brutually murdered by Serb soldiers because they were crying or because they did not lay down on the ground fast enough when ordered to. I've read stories of Serb soldiers playing "games" by burning each house in a village and shooting the last person to escape the house. I've read stories of Serb soldiers separating the women from their families and raping and murdering them. I've read stories of Serb soldiers taking large groups of older boys and men away never to be heard from again.

Such stories are from newspapers and agenies not affiliated with any government and I see that no nation is denying that such atrocities are indeed being committed. So my sympathies are understandably with the present victims regardless of what they may have done in the past. And while I recognize that a small fraction of such violence was being committed prior to the bombings from NATO, nevertheless, no one is forcing the Serbs to do such things now. While I wish that the U.S. and NATO had kept their noses out of this affair and/or used more skill in pressing for a peaceful resolution, I cannot help but despise the present actions of the Serbs.

If you know exactly what is happening and why so that you can cut through the propaganda, I would genuinely like to be enlightened.

-- David (David@matt6:33.com), May 13, 1999.

Dear Enrique,

I can understand your feelings. Between it's military and economy, America has the potential to offer the world a great deal of assistance and in many ways it does. Many countries benefit greatly from American altruism. Yet, all too often, we exercise so little wisdom and so much selfishness, that we build resentment and distrust throughout the world. Not that this helps, but many Amercian citizens are just as distrustful of our government.

-- David (David@matt6:33.com), May 13, 1999.

As a practisng Catholic I also am troubled at times with USA foreign policy. As a Marian I believe the USA has been given the task of maintaining demise of global evil policies detremental to world matters.

Yes we are unhappy with deciosions made for we are humans attemtpting to be humane in this global village. Unperfection is a flaw and can be stated as an occasion of sin.

Peace And Well Being.

Jean Bouchard

-- jean bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), May 13, 1999.

dave....wish i could be a clairvoyant and give you answers and tell you of the future for that part of the world. i only call it as i see it. by puting together a collection of occurances, in my mind a picture emerges of powerfull potentates in this world furthering their agenda at the expense of many. the news media paints graphic pictures of "ethic albanians" moslem serbs, being mistreated by their government, whom they decided to rebel against for the purpose of installing their own government. where was the news media when the isrealis were doing the same thing to the palestinians? in my way of thinking both are similar as they are of religious connotations. today in the former portugal colony of east timor (taken over by indonesia) catholics and moslems are at each other's throats. the moslem still considers us infidels. clinton was criticised for continued conflicts with iran and iraq, the arabs accused him of warring on the moslem countries. is this a connection? i don't know but speculation abounds. the brits and europe get most of their oil from the mid-east, may this be a connection? don't know. it would be nice to be able to wave a magic wand and have it just go away. but it won't. when mc veigh blew up a building and killed many people he was charged with murder. when we drop a bomb and kill people it is called "colatteral damage". most of us are not privy to the import of history in that part of the world, but seemingly in response to a newspaper article saying the serbs were winning the propaganda war, bombs fell on a privately held t.v. station. i don't know guy. wish i did. something is wrong and in my humble oppinion, a one world police force makes me cringe. how about you?

-- juan (declined@aol.com), May 13, 1999.