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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
KameronCole
Stefanie Knowlton
For crimes against humanity
As atrocities are endured by the ethnic Albanians at the hands of the Serbs, we need to
remember the real target: Milosevic
If NATO’s attack against Yugoslavia is
to be successful, Slobodan Milosevic
must be sent to one of two places; to
hell or to the Hague.
The Hague, located in the Netherlands, is
the United Nations headquarters where war
criminals face trial and imprisonment.
Make no mistake about it, Milosevic is a
war criminal.
At the Hague, Milosevic could rot away
in his cell with ex-Nazis, terrorists and even
some of his former cronies who were con
victed of war crimes for their participation
in ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.
In hell, Milosevic could shovel coal with
fellow genocidal maniacs Adolph Hitler
and Pol Pot.
In either scenario, whether it takes more
Opinion
Aaron
Artman
bombing or the use of
ground troops, the people of
Kosovo must be allowed to
return to their homes and
Milosevic must pay for his
crimes.
Forget Milosevic’s at
tempts to spin the allied air
strikes as representing
NATO’s aggression and crim
inal acts. Disregard the fact
that the ethnic Albanians and
the Serbs have been engaged
in a civil war for most of their
history in Yugoslavia. Avoid cultural rela
tivism (the notion that we cannot tell people
of other cultures or ethnicities what is right or
wrong) because it is not be acceptable, espe
cially in 1999, for a leader of any culture to
perform acts of genocide.
The situation is not black and white but
when compared to the Vietnam War or the
Gulf War, it seems the bombing of Yugoslavia
gives a clearer picture of right and wrong.
NATO is right, and Milosevic and the scores
of Serbs who are either active or tacit support
ers of his ethnic cleansing are wrong.
The United States and its allies have their
own skeletons in the closet. The horrific
treatment of the Native Americans is one ex
ample of near genocidal policy carried out
by the government. And obviously the poli
cy of enslaving African Americans repre
sents an ugly time in our nation’s history.
In Yugoslavia, however, the skeletons are
not even close to the closet. They are alive and
well and represent the men who carry out
Milosevic’s agenda in a cowardly fashion.
The way ethnic Albanians are disposed of
represents a kind of terror that is fiercely one
sided in modem history. It is doubtful, no
matter what kind of atrocities were commit
ted by the Albanians during their historical
dispute with the Serbs, that the elderly, weak
and poor deserve to live in constant fear.
According to Mishar Juareka, who told
her story to John Kifner of the New York
Times on April 6, Serbian police used
knives to kill four children after surround
ing a large group of Albanians in her village
of Balencia. Juareka said the children
were killed because their parents did not t
have enough money to pay off the po- J
watched an entire ethnic population be
eliminated from Yugoslavia.
The situation is very complex. Given that
American and civilian casualties have been
practical'y non-existent in the military con
flicts we have endured as students, the no
tion of entering a conflict with the potential
for casualties is a tough sell.
An even tougher sell, however, is back
L
ing out of Yugoslovia before Milosevic is
eliminated or incarcerated. Like it or not,
the United States has a policy of policing the
world. In the case Operation Allied Forces,
the cops had better get their man.
Aaron Artman is a columnist for the Emerald.
His views do not necessarily represent those of
the newspaper.
ace.
In another scenario, Albanian C
refugees described a March 26 inci
dent where 100 people were gathered
from villages in Kosovo and shot with
automatic weapons. After spraying the
crowd with bullets, Milosevic’s
henchmen reportedly burned sever
al of the bodies.
Those who aren’t killed don’t
fare much better. Their houses
and shops are often burned. Even
if their homes remain intact, they
are forced to leave, as witnessed
by the near 400,000 refugees who
rgp fWINGftrBor/
nave nea Kosovo.
This creates a major
dilemma for NATO
decision makers. It is X
obvious that NATO’s
attacks have given the
green light to Milosevic
and his policies of terror.
Many would argue that
the increase in aggres- i
sion is the fault of the f
alliance. |
Proponents of that \
argument should con
sider the alternative.
Without Operation Al
lied Forces, Milosevic
would be able to carry
out his agenda at his
own pace while NATO {
stood aside and
watched. Ln 50 years,
we could all sit around
the fire with our grand
children and tell them
that the United States—
me most avia supporter ot
freedom in the world—sat and
Giovanni SaHmenafcmerald
Letters to the Editor
Column hard to swallow
The editorial printed on Friday, April 3
by Vince Medeiros was absolutely unac
ceptable. [ODE April 3 “Short and sweet.”]
Not only was the article’s sexist content
unbelievably offensive, but it contained
graphic and unnecessary sexual descrip
tions, the inclusion of which leaves me baf
fled at the editorial integrity of the Emerald.
What sort of professional ethic allows
such degrading and inappropriate material
to be considered printable, much less enter
taining? And what sort of message does it
send to the greater campus community
when women are referred to as “prey,” and
when sexually objectifying women for sport
and drunken sex with prostitutes consti
tutes a spring break worthy of a nearly full
page column?
I would like to think that the Emerald has
higher journalistic standards. The Emerald,
as a widely-read student newspaper, has a
responsibility not to print material that
through its blatant sexist content condones
and advocates violence against women. But
maybe the “hungry male staffers” are too
busy “devouring stack of high-quality
Swedish pom” to notice or care what kind
of trash they print.
Molly J. McClure
Psychology and Women’s Studies
KWVA not listener’s choice
I, like most students, don’t like every
thing that I hear on KWVA. Personally, I
think there is too much of an emphasis on
noisy puck rock. However, I would not
question the station’s right to program what
they want.
There is certainly no lack of diversity on
KWVA. There is brit-rock, The Hacienda
show-my favorite, ska, hip-hop, world mu
sic; also a great show on Mondays 4-6,
garage, rockabilly and, of course, lots of col
lege rock and punk.
True, most of this music is not popular.
But isn t that the point of independent ra
dio? I like Phish and the Dead as much as
the next guy, but there are already three
shows featuring the Dead’s music on other
stations.
Jezukewicz’s self-righteous crusade is
misguided and self-serving, and his ranti
ng seems a little paranoid.
If he really wanted to make a difference,
he could either apply of be a DJ at KWVA
the way everyone else has to: list 100 bands
you would like to play; not just two, or he
could go to KRVM or KLCC and attempt to
get a show covering Phish, String Cheese In
cident, Leftover Salmon and other jam
bands who, unlike the Dead, are ignored by
radio programmers.
If Jezukewicz was actually successful in
making KWVA play exactly what the listen
ers wanted to hear, we would probably start
hearing Celine Dion and the Goo Goo Dolls
much more than the Dead. And God knows
we don’t need any more of that on the radio.
Nick Levine
Junior, Music Education
LETTERS POLICY
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Letters may be dropped off at EMU Suite
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