Kosovo Declares Independence

[Joemailman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/world/europe/18kosovo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It's a long article, so I just posted the link.

The Serbian Prime Minister has said they will never recognize the state of Kosovo, and there has been some violence in the Serbian sections of Kosovo. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail. The U.S. and the European Union don't need another conflict on their hands.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Good for them. They've been very patient. the desire for independence is overwhelming, their case is strong.

[SkinBasket]

I thought everyone knew Kokomo wasn't a real place.

[Harlan Huckleby]

kokomo is a place in a song by beach boys but Kokomo is also a place in a blues song by Missssippi Fred McDowel that Bonnie Rait used to sing.

I say its a real place. are you against hope?

[Joemailman]

[hoosier]

kokomo is a place in a song by beach boys but Kokomo is also a place in a blues song by Missssippi Fred McDowel that Bonnie Rait used to sing.

I say its a real place. are you against hope?

Beach Boys, ha! Chuck Berry.

[Harlan Huckleby]

No Particular Place to Go

Huh, that's an obscure reference. I used to be a huge Chuck Berry fan as a youth. Guess it was in protest of the Elvis Presley craze. No, actually I'm not THAT old, but a friend of mine had a huge collection of Chuck Berry records from his older brother. CB was a great performer even when he got old.

Here's a little disgusting anecdote for the chillin's: There was a rumor going around that Chuck Berry had feces-based sexual fetishes, he would make teenage girls, umm, do things. People believed it. That talk was started by white people who were concerned that Chuck had become such a sex symbol, they wanted to disgrace him in the eyes of their horny daughters.

[Zool]

Hey Chuck its your cousin Marvin......Marvin Berry

[Harlan Huckleby]

Independent Kosovo
The birth of Europe's newest state was long overdue.
Monday, February 18, 2008; Washington Post

THE DECLARATION of independence yesterday by the Balkan province of Kosovo was both inevitable and long overdue. Kosovo, whose population is more than 90 percent ethnic Albanian, has been governed by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO intervened to stop a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Serbian army. That campaign and the years of repression that preceded it forfeited Serbia's right to hold on to the province; as a practical matter the Albanian majority would never have peacefully accepted renewed rule from Belgrade. The democratically elected government will be closely assisted and overseen by a large mission of the European Union, while 16,000 NATO troops -- including 1,400 Americans -- will provide security. If all goes well, Kosovo and the other independent pieces of the former Yugoslavia, including Serbia, will eventually be reunited inside the European Union.

This logical step toward completing a united and democratic Europe would have occurred years ago if not for the lingering and poisonous nationalism of Serbia and its encouragement by Vladimir Putin's Russia. Serbian politicians of all stripes have ardently declared they will never accept Kosovo's independence, while Mr. Putin has prevented the U.N. Security Council from adopting the careful scheme a mediator worked out more than a year ago. European governments frightened by the prospect of Serbian-sponsored violence or a move by Russia to recognize breakaway provinces elsewhere in Europe dithered for months before agreeing to deploy the new E.U. mission.

So far it appears that the backlash against the new state will be containable, and the fears -- which were echoed by some American conservatives -- overblown. Both Russia and Serbia have backed down a little, swearing off the recognition of other splinter states or the use of violence. Up to 100 countries are expected to recognize Kosovo, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and most of the other E.U. members. Serbian President Boris Tadic won reelection two weeks ago on a platform of moving Serbia toward the European Union despite its recognition of Kosovo.

The Kosovo government of Hashim Thaci has promised "security for all citizens"; he will need to act aggressively on that pledge and prevent any incitement against the 100,000 Serbs remaining in Kosovo. It is NATO's job to prevent violence by either community; Western troops will be needed for the foreseeable future. In the end, though, a peaceful and prosperous future in the Balkans will depend on the Serbs. If they choose to break with their ugly history of nationalism and embrace a liberal democratic future inside the European Union, Kosovo's course can also be smooth. If they choose endless and futile resistance to Kosovo's independence, the Serbs will isolate themselves from Europe and likely become vassals of Russia. Now is the time for Mr. Tadic and other would-be modernizers of Serbia to match their convictions with courage.

[Joemailman]

The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is being attacked by rioters. There was a massive demonstration opposing Kosovo's independence, and some of the people left that to attack the embassy. MSNBC and CNN are covering the story.

[Freak Out]

The U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is being attacked by rioters. There was a massive demonstration opposing Kosovo's independence, and some of the people left that to attack the embassy. MSNBC and CNN are covering the story.

Not a real shocker. The Serbian President can make all the promises he wants but there is a very large part of the population that is ultra nationalist. This is only the beginning of a tough transition.

[Harlan Huckleby]

there's nothing Serbia can do about it.