Let us not forget Kosova

[Joe Maides]

First of all, I would like to extend my thoughts, prayers, and condolences to the family and friends of those involved in the tragic situation in Colorado. It is always terrible whenever there are trajedies of mass killing. In light of this, I would also like to ask that we also remember those in Kosova.

I'm sure that I do not have to tell you of the extent of horrific atrocities that are occurring in Kosova. That's why I am a little surprised that it has never been brought up on this bbs. I would have brought it up sooner, but I wasn't sure if this was the appropriate forum to discuss the issue. I realize that the trajedy in Colorado sparked conversation because it happened in our own backyard and there are societal issues that must be dealt with. I just want to make sure that we do not forget about the people of Kosova.

I am in contact with people in Albania and Macedonia on a daily basis and I still have not gotten use to hearing stories of lost loved ones, orphaned children, raped women, and of course, the countless murdered. The situation is very grim. Let me assure you that what the media is telling the public is quite true. In fact, they are editing a lot of things out because they are just too gruesome to show or talk about on TV.

Please excuse me for getting on a soap box. I just feel very strong about this. I hope I have not offended anyone. My intention was to remind and ask for your thoughts and prayers for the people of Kosova. I'm sure that most (if not all) of you are already doing so, but since the Colorado trajedy was brought up, I thought I would bring up Kosova. Murder and terror are horrible no matter where they occur.

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[DOGBOY]

I thought this was a premed/medical discussion area?

 

[Joe Maides]

I agree Dogboy. That's why I said that I hadn't mentioned it earlier. I just brought it up in light of the situation in Colorado. I apologize if it seems inappropriate. I would actually sort of agree with the assertion that it is a topic better discussed elsewhere, but I was willing to make an exception in this case because it is a topic that transcends many subjects, including compassion for others, especially those who are suffeting from ill health and injuries.

So, I will ask Gregory to end this thread in order to avoid bringing any negativity to this topic.

 

[justwannabadoc]

It seems like you haven't visited this thread much. If you were here more often, you would quickly realize that the last person you should ever apologize to is dogboy. Feel free to post whatever you want. True, this is supposed to me a discussion site on med school medical topics but hey, discussing ethical issues is important as well, even if they have very little relevance to medicine.

 

[Gregory Gulick]

Yes, this is a meeting place for premedical students to meet and discuss topics of interest to them. What those topics of interest are is fully up to the discretion of the users themselves (so long as the content is in agreement with The Interactive Medical Student Lounge Rules & Policies you agreed to when initially joining this forum).

In my personal opinion, I think any and all humanitarian issues that deal with the health, safety, and welfare of others should be considered fitting and proper for discussion.

 

[Ozteo_Ben]

Hey there Joe,

In reply to your post on Kosovo, I am really interested in what the Serbians have to say about themselves. The media only seems to report about the ethnic albanians and the NATO bombings.

Shamefully, I have not followed closely the whole unfolding of the war. I do not agree and can not understand how they can rationalise the concept of ethnic cleansing, nor do I understand how any civilised human beings can stand there and support the Milosevic government. Surely, there would be at least some Serbians out there who would protest against Milosevic's ethnic cleansing?? The only protests I hear from the media is Serbians' protest against the NATO bombings..

I don't know.. I just don't understand politics, war or anything at all... Why do we never learn from our history???

Disgusted,
Ben

 

[NickCVM]

Serbs (civilians) cannot voice their opinions when they feel like it - Those people have spend their whole lives without ever questioning their government. Serbia is not the US - wh/ you can just slash the president bc/ he had an affaire. Living under a dictatorial regime is something that most of you had never had to experience - Be thankful for that. Those people have been born and bread to trust their government and "the great Serbia".

By the way, bombing Belgrade is great but it doesn't do a whole lot for the civilians in Kosovo. It has to be clear that NATO cannot win this war from 35K feet in the air - A town is yours only when the infantry has crossed it - To help those civilians we are going to have to send ground troops - which will most likely result in the loss of American soldiers - are we ready for that? I'm not convinced.

If you read this country's history - you will realize that even during the highest power of the Nazi regime - Serbia was never fully occupied. Why? It was called Tito's partisan war.
I'm afraid that if we send ground troops we are going to encounter the same fierce resistance. I could be wrong.

As it is to date, NATO (US mainly) s'got no real objective, no way out and no way in.
--Nicolas--
WesternU'03

 

[rhillstr]

Medicine relates to ALL areas of life because it's about people. If you see medicine as treating diseases and don't see the relativity of Kosovo then you missed the point. Don't forget you're in the business of helping people, especially in osteopathy.

 

[DO DUDE]

I think the main issue surrounding whether we use the full strength of the military is the fear that the unstable leadership in Russia will make a stupid decision on how to react. Prior to this whole thing starting the Russioans were cooperating with Y2K inspection teams that were checking their nuclear capability. Now they aren't. I doubt they would attack NATO forces intentionally, but I also doubt they have the needed command and control structure to prevent it from happening.

 

[justwannabadoc]

Nick,

You are absolutely right. We need to realize that we are extremely fortunate to have the ability to express our opinions. Not many people in the world have as much freedom as we do. It's not surprising that we don't hear any Serb civilians complaining about Milosevic. Who is going to be dumb enough to do it on Serb television during this conflict? You might as well just hang a sign around your neck that says "Shoot Me." Also remember that any interviews with Serbs are conducted by Serb reporters, not international journalists. Kind of obvious what's going to come out of their mouths.

In terms of sending in ground troops, I would probably support it. First, we've already involved ourselves in this conflict so we might as well finish the job. Second, and more importantly, I think we have a moral responsibility as the world's primary superpower to get involved when genocide is taking place. I do not think we should interfere in civil wars or regional conflicts but that's not what's going on in Kosovo. People are being exterminated because of their nationality/culture. Sound familiar? Just think back to the 1940's.

Many people don't feel that Kosovo is our problem so we should not risk the lives of American troops. They might feel it's unfortunate that people are being killed and driven out of their homes but it's not worth American lives. I disagree. Take a minute and put yourself in the position of Albanians? Wouldn't you want the U.S. and NATO to intervene? Of course. I think if your ancestors were victims of what is going on in Kosovo, you would be far more likely to support sending ground troops. The reason is that you would better understand just how much suffering the Albanians are experiencing. The footage you see at border crossings give only a small glimpse of what these people are going through. After all, it has to be suitable to air on the nightly news and thus can only be so graphic. I come from a culture that once experienced ethnic cleansing. It was as widespread as in Germany and the attrocities committed equally severe and barbaric. Horrifying medical experiments were performed, women were raped, children were killed, etc... Unfortunately, few people know about it because it is rarely taught in schools and many people would rather just forget about it. So for me, whenever I see genocide or anything similar taking place, I pray that it will quickly come to an end. If it requires intervention from an outside force, fine. If those outside forces suffer casualties, I wish it wasn't necessary but I still hope they someone helps those in need. Human nature can be extremely cruel and evil and sometimes, it takes extreme measures to eliminate it.

[This message has been edited by justwannabadoc (edited April 23, 1999).]