Although I do sympathize with the citizens of Serbia in this unfortunate campaign by the American government against their country, after reading this letter by Goran, or whatever his name is, I feel the need to ask, do you support the genocide of innocent ethnic Albanians in Kosovo?

So many people are screaming out against American "Imperialism", and "Fascism" over this conflict, but, despite the many horrifying events of America's past, the leaders of this country are actually doing something decent now (although even I have my doubts about what the government's real intentions may be).

People seem to be comparing this NATO bombing to America's role in the VietNam war. The idea is going around that America is getting involved in a civil war that it has no reason to be apart of, except for the purpose of flexing it's imperialistic muscles.

But here is what people seem to be missing; Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic is purposely having innocent citizens of a certain race and religion killed. If not killed, then he is having his army sweep the rest of them out of the country, and burning they're villages as they do it. For anybody who hasn't figured this out yet, this is no longer just a civil war.

Normally, I am one of many Americans who feel that this government, and everything it does, is corrupt and basically evil. The bombing of Iraq, for example, was pointless and highly illegal according to the United Nations. And, from what I discovered in reading this letter, the use of certain weapons goes against what America supposedly stands for, i.e., morals and freedom.

But to me, all of what I've heard about America's actions in this un-declared war with Serbia, both legal and illegal, pales in comparison to the stories coming out of the mouths of Albanian refugees about mass killings and torching of entire Ethnic Albanian villages. In my opinion, the obvious genocide inflicted on the Albanian majority by the Serbian army is much worse than anything America has yet to do in this war. (By the same token, American actions in Iraq, VietNam, and many South American countries make it necessary to put America on the same spot we're putting Serbia in.)

Although I can not imagine what the civilians of Serbia are going through right now, and for their sakes I hope this ends soon, the Serbian civilians must think of what the Kosovars are going through. At least the Serbs have places to hide. Where can the Kosovars go except to another country?

On that same idea, what about the innocent Americans bombed at Pearl Harbor in 1941? Or the innocent Germans bombed in Berlin or Nuremberg in WWII? Or how about the innocent Japanese killed in the mass bombings over Tokyo, and in the atomic blast of Hiroshima? My point here is, throughout history, when war is waged and bombs are dropped, the innocent do suffer. But from what I've seen and heard, the innocent in Serbia aren't suffering nearly as much as the innocent in Kosovo.

Sincerely,
Marc Coignard

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