Kosovo: Memories?

by Frank Gougher (Pennsylvania)

I can hardly consider the situation in Kosovo while ignoring my own past memories. I can still remember the promises of the sixties and the seventies.

1. Bombing with minimal troops.
2. The bombing isn't working. Send in more troops.
3. Keep on sending more troops until we win.
4. We can't win this war. Bring everybody still alive and not missing back home, and with honor. We even ignored the last part of this promise.

Why couldn't the most powerful nation in the World win that war? (1) We were fighting a guerrilla war on the enemies own turf and terms. (2) A great number of Americans didn't view it as their war, nor did they support it. Not exactly a formula for success. With all this in mind, I can't help feeling: "Here we go again. Can we win this thing? And if we do, what is the ultimate outcome?"

Interestingly enough, Dr. Henry Kissinger was interviewed Saturday (4/3/99) by MSNBC. Having come to this country as a young man in the 1930s to work his way through high school at a menial job, and having eventually become an elder World statesman, he certainly deserves our attention. Dr. Kissinger briefly confirmed much of the Serbian, Albanian, Nazi and Russian history described in part one of this article.

Until the bombing started, Dr. Kissinger was not in favor of the president's or NATO's principles of negotiation, nor was he in favor of military action. Before any such action was taken he recommended Congressional approval, and after a full and unlimited debate. Had this happened, perhaps all the information about this situation would have come out, leading to a better result?

Unfortunately, now that we're so deeply involved, Dr. Kissinger believes that the only way to save the credibility of the US and NATO is to pull out all the stops and win. For once, I hope the good doctor is wrong. To win for the wrong reasons leaves integrity and honor in question. To lose for the wrong reasons leaves no honor at all.

If nothing else, we should certainly learn something from this that we ignored in VietNam. Of course our president needs the temporary authority to commit military action in defense of an immediate threat to our nation and it's possessions. However the authority to declare war, especially for any other reasons, is given to Congress by our Constitution. In this situation, a few weeks, even a month, wouldn't have made much difference, except we'd all believe we are doing the right thing. Being on the right side and for the right reason can surely affect the outcome of a war.

What we're dealing with is a government that has no regard for it's people, and a people with no regard for their government. Even if we can force this guy to back off, can we really remedy the basic problems? Or, will we have to occupy this nation for eternity? In fact, this is not an individual problem. The World is full of governments who abuse and oppress their people. Can we afford to be responsible for all of them?

Our nation is working because we respect our government -- most of the time, and our government respects us -- most of the time. Most of us respect our rule of law, most of the time. As slow and cumbersome as it is, it works, most of the time. We put our faith in the courts. We do our negotiating there in a peaceful manner, and it works, most of the time. It's fair to the majority, most of the time. Some of our politicians are corrupt and mislead us, but only when they think we don't know it. When the majority becomes aware, they do our bidding or are replaced, most of the time.

Our politicians respect us because our Constitution demands that they do, and backs us up with it's first two amendments. We Americans may become lazy and apathetic, and we are fooled much of the time. But when it comes to the majority of us being robbed of our freedom and possessions they are in for a fight, and the bullets won't be traveling one way. They know this and respect this, most of the time.

With all of this in mind, I had a politically incorrect thought last night. Since this is really a civil war, perhaps we should take all of the illegal guns and ammunition we rounded up last year and make a donation to the Serbian Albanian refugees. Suggest they go home and reclaim what is theirs. This sure wouldn't stop the bloodshed, but it would drastically affect the odds.

Freedom is usually won by people who desire it and don't have it. And it is usually paid for in blood. That's what our forefathers did for us, and what we'll have to do to maintain it, if our freedom is ever seriously threatened. I pray this never happens. But if it ever should, I hope some powerful nation, or group of nations, doesn't view it as a golden opportunity. After all, we are currently setting the precedent.