[kan-l] sample letter

[Teresa Crawford]

**** Kosova Action Network Discussion List ****
This is an example of the kinds of letters people can copy and forward or use as a guideline for their own letters.  Getting letters to the editor in your local newspapers, faxing and mailing your congresspeople.  Also email to president at whitehouse.gov, secretary at state.gov. Remind politicians and the media about what is happening in Kosova now not just the tactical victories of successful bombing runs but the hunting down and killing of Kosovar intellectuals.  

Teresa


Dear President Clinton and Madame Secretary,

To bomb or not to bomb? That isn't the question. Life should be so simple;
it's not.

The bombing campaign against Milosevic's massive military forces was
inevitable, but it should have been carried out in 1995 at the end of the
Bosnian War, in which 250,000 Bosnian civilians perished. The war criminals
involved are now, many of them, busily at work in Kosova. They were never
arrested even though that was a part of the Dayton Peace Accord in 1995.
The Albanian "problem" was intentionally created by the London Conference of
1912-13 and not the Battle of 1389 as Serb propaganda leads us to believe. At
that time, with the break-up of the Ottoman empire, the Western powers decided
to divide the eight million impoverished and unarmed Albanians into four
countries so the would remain geo-politically powerless. Europe has overlooked
their existence ever since---even during the Dayton Peace plan, which was
supposed to included a follow-up to the Kosova "problem," but didn't.
Even four weeks ago, at the collapse of the first set of "peace talks" in
France would have been a much more advantageous time to strike. In the past
four weeks, he has done much to prepare for this type of assault. And now
Milosevic is using this bombing period to consolidate Serb solidarity in
Serbia and to declare a military state of emergency in the more democratic
Republic of Montenegro. He is also using the time and the news blackout to
round up the villagers and to track down Albanian leadership in their homes,
causing widespread panic throughout Kosova.

Furthermore he has been able, within the space of only two days, to incite a
certain amount of panic in neighboring Albania and Macedonia, two brand new
and highly unstable "democracies."

The reason for this rapid escalation, in which he has not even had to use his
air defense system? Milosevic knows the West will not commit the necessary
ground troops that would provide protection for the unarmed civilians and the
support for this bombing campaign.History shows many scenarios in which it is
possible to wait out bombing raids. The London Blitzkrieg. The Budapest
Blitzkrieg.

Then super-liberals and super-conservatives will voice a negative reaction
that will rise to the surface, and whatever forceful momentum had been
acquired to initiate the campaign will evaporate. That is what he is counting
on.
 
Our "sound bite" media will seek out tiny cracks in the NATO alliance as it
has already and we, the listening public, will become saturated with these
differences. The media has already forgotten the Rambouillet peace plan of
four weeks ago, which essentially is supposed to be the focus of this action.
The peace plan would have restored to Kosova some measure of safety, human
rights, and basic civil protection, all things they have been without for the
past ten years.

Sincerely,
Alice Mead
Kosova Action Network coordinator

alooscnon at aol.com
598 Shore Rd.
Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
767-7289

The Advocacy Project
<http://www.advocacynet.org>

contact information:
teresa at advocacynet.org
(315) 471-7790 voice mail
510 Greenwood Place
Syracuse, NY 13210






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Submitted by: Teresa Crawford <tmcrawfo at mailbox.syr.edu>