Salon Newsreal | Postcards from Yugoslavia

A L S O+T O D A Y

Endgame?
By Jeff Stein
As the crisis spirals out of control, everybody scrambles for a quick solution. Everybody but Milosevic
A raft of refugees
Reports of genocide, political assassinations and a Serbian "scorched-earth policy" punctuated the sixth day of allied bombing in Yugoslavia

T A B L E+T A L K
Has Larry Flynt delivered dynamite revelations or dirty laundry leftovers? Dissect the Flynt Report in the Politics area of Table Talk

___________________
Want to know more about the history of baseball? Find it at barnesandnoble.com
___________________

R E C E N T L Y
Calling Kosovo
By Laura Rozen
Serbs and ethnic Albanians are united -- in misery -- as the bombing and the terror continue
(03/29/99)
The empires strike back
By Jeff Stein
As the world focuses on the Balkans, the return of Germany and Japan to military action barely made news
(03/29/99)
Play béisbol!
By Steve Kettmann
A report from Havana on the historic Cuba-Orioles game
(03/29/99)
Outlaw nation?
By Laura Rozen
Even Serbs who hate Milosevic are outraged at NATO bombing
(03/27/99)
Verdict on Starr's witness
By Murray S. Waas and Suzi Parker
Whitewater figure David Hale is found guilty on Arkansas state criminal charges.
(03/27/99)
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POSTCARDS FROM YUGOSLAVIA | PAGE 1, 2,
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From a Yugoslav in Belgrade who has been writing to Salon correspondent Jeff Stein.
I know you are a journalist. If you are for peace you can stop the killing of many people, including yours. For example: NATO is bombing Pristina heavily tonight. They have been bombing from the beginning but not like tonight. At the same time on CNN they are pushing news about large numbers of refugees. It is not truth. People are running but not from Serbians. They are running from your bombing. They are running from Albanian terrorists who are forcing them to take guns and fight even if they don't want. At the same time some of the Albanian leaders are in Switzerland and Germany. They take money from narcotics and leave Kosovo.
If you as a journalist give a chance to tell the other side (Serbs), then you have a chance to save your soldiers too. With this false news of refugees they are preparing the ground and making excuses to enter with NATO troops in Kosovo. Do you have enough bags for all of them? Do you have more planes? As we were talking, you lost two more planes over Kosovo. Today you lost one in Bjeljina. NATO says you lost only one. If they are lying how can you trust them regarding the complete situation in Kosovo?
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From Andrei, a resident of Belgrade writing regularly to friends in the United States.
Sunday, March 28
You don't know a thing about situation in Belgrade. I am trapped inside my own house, alerts are on for more than two-thirds of a day and even when they are not on I am afraid to go out and risk meeting some friendly MPs that would be glad to give me a first class ride to Kosovo if they caught me. That leaves me at my own house, I am even afraid to answer a door bell, because of the friendly gentlemen that walk around in uniforms and give free tickets To Kosovo. And you get a "completely free" uniform and a gun to go with that ticket. That is an offer even you couldn't refuse. What else can I do except check my mail every half an hour and eat?
Only thing that is lifting my morale is that we have our own modern tech miracle -- like you have your stealth plane. Our tech miracle is a guy called Avram Izrael. He is the main guy in the civil protection service. He has the pleasure of telling us two messages at least four time a day: "Alert, alert, NATO air forces are above Belgrade air space, please don't panic and go to your shelters calmly and quietly." The second is, "Alert, alert the threat of bombing has now stopped. Please return to your homes calmly and quietly." Honestly the guy is on TV every two hours informing citizens and his shift started two days before bombing. That means that the guy has not slept for some seven days. The theory is that since he can't be human he is a robot -- a first Serb robot that looks like a human -- real technology miracle. Admit it that even you don't have that kind of technological miracle. Now that you know about it you should surrender!!! :-)))))
The longer this is going on more I am thinking about getting away from this country. I cant do that until things calm down since the borders are closed down for all men aged from 18-65. I am thinking about getting away after things calm down and not returning. Things will only get worse when this thing stops, it doesn't matter how it ends.
From dark and depressing Belgrade,
Your friend
Andrei
Monday, March 29
I finally got some sleep. I slept through the two air attack alerts and in the end I was finally woken up by my mother after seven hours of sleep. She is working in the state government and they have to work, even if the country is in the war. That means that she has to stay here and even if she didn't have to stay, I don't think that she would leave. So we will both stay here. I am becoming very emotionally tired and depressed from all these things that are happening. If I watch the news I get even more irritated but if I don't watch the news I feel completely helpless and locked out of the world. I don't know which of the two is worst. I will probably go with watching the news and getting irritated. It feels better than isolation.
I feel bad cause all I talk about is my problems. Sorry if I sound boring.
Andrei
SALON | March 30, 1999
E-mail Anthony York.

A L S O+T O D A Y Endgame? By Jeff Stein As the crisis spirals out of control, everybody scrambles for a quick solution. Everybody but Milosevic A raft of refugees Reports of genocide, political assassinations and a Serbian "scorched-earth policy" punctuated the sixth day of allied bombing in Yugoslavia T A B L E+T A L K Has Larry Flynt delivered dynamite revelations or dirty laundry leftovers? Dissect the Flynt Report in the Politics area of Table Talk ___________________ Want to know more about the history of baseball? Find it at barnesandnoble.com ___________________ R E C E N T L Y Calling Kosovo By Laura Rozen Serbs and ethnic Albanians are united -- in misery -- as the bombing and the terror continue (03/29/99) The empires strike back By Jeff Stein As the world focuses on the Balkans, the return of Germany and Japan to military action barely made news (03/29/99) Play béisbol! By Steve Kettmann A report from Havana on the historic Cuba-Orioles game (03/29/99) Outlaw nation? By Laura Rozen Even Serbs who hate Milosevic are outraged at NATO bombing (03/27/99) Verdict on Starr's witness By Murray S. Waas and Suzi Parker Whitewater figure David Hale is found guilty on Arkansas state criminal charges. (03/27/99) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		POSTCARDS FROM YUGOSLAVIA \| PAGE 1, 2, - - - - - - - - - - From a Yugoslav in Belgrade who has been writing to Salon correspondent Jeff Stein. I know you are a journalist. If you are for peace you can stop the killing of many people, including yours. For example: NATO is bombing Pristina heavily tonight. They have been bombing from the beginning but not like tonight. At the same time on CNN they are pushing news about large numbers of refugees. It is not truth. People are running but not from Serbians. They are running from your bombing. They are running from Albanian terrorists who are forcing them to take guns and fight even if they don't want. At the same time some of the Albanian leaders are in Switzerland and Germany. They take money from narcotics and leave Kosovo. If you as a journalist give a chance to tell the other side (Serbs), then you have a chance to save your soldiers too. With this false news of refugees they are preparing the ground and making excuses to enter with NATO troops in Kosovo. Do you have enough bags for all of them? Do you have more planes? As we were talking, you lost two more planes over Kosovo. Today you lost one in Bjeljina. NATO says you lost only one. If they are lying how can you trust them regarding the complete situation in Kosovo? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From Andrei, a resident of Belgrade writing regularly to friends in the United States. Sunday, March 28 You don't know a thing about situation in Belgrade. I am trapped inside my own house, alerts are on for more than two-thirds of a day and even when they are not on I am afraid to go out and risk meeting some friendly MPs that would be glad to give me a first class ride to Kosovo if they caught me. That leaves me at my own house, I am even afraid to answer a door bell, because of the friendly gentlemen that walk around in uniforms and give free tickets To Kosovo. And you get a "completely free" uniform and a gun to go with that ticket. That is an offer even you couldn't refuse. What else can I do except check my mail every half an hour and eat? Only thing that is lifting my morale is that we have our own modern tech miracle -- like you have your stealth plane. Our tech miracle is a guy called Avram Izrael. He is the main guy in the civil protection service. He has the pleasure of telling us two messages at least four time a day: "Alert, alert, NATO air forces are above Belgrade air space, please don't panic and go to your shelters calmly and quietly." The second is, "Alert, alert the threat of bombing has now stopped. Please return to your homes calmly and quietly." Honestly the guy is on TV every two hours informing citizens and his shift started two days before bombing. That means that the guy has not slept for some seven days. The theory is that since he can't be human he is a robot -- a first Serb robot that looks like a human -- real technology miracle. Admit it that even you don't have that kind of technological miracle. Now that you know about it you should surrender!!! :-))))) The longer this is going on more I am thinking about getting away from this country. I cant do that until things calm down since the borders are closed down for all men aged from 18-65. I am thinking about getting away after things calm down and not returning. Things will only get worse when this thing stops, it doesn't matter how it ends. From dark and depressing Belgrade, Your friend Andrei Monday, March 29 I finally got some sleep. I slept through the two air attack alerts and in the end I was finally woken up by my mother after seven hours of sleep. She is working in the state government and they have to work, even if the country is in the war. That means that she has to stay here and even if she didn't have to stay, I don't think that she would leave. So we will both stay here. I am becoming very emotionally tired and depressed from all these things that are happening. If I watch the news I get even more irritated but if I don't watch the news I feel completely helpless and locked out of the world. I don't know which of the two is worst. I will probably go with watching the news and getting irritated. It feels better than isolation. I feel bad cause all I talk about is my problems. Sorry if I sound boring. Andrei SALON \| March 30, 1999 E-mail Anthony York.