Scotland

It is tempting to cheer for the independence of Scotland strictly out of spite for all the ills the United Kingdom has visited upon the world over the past three centuries. But that's not really fair to the English, who are just as oppressed by the coterie in London as the Scots or for that matter the Welsh.

Why on Earth would anyone want to be ruled by people who allowed Rotherham to happen? Who created a culture of repression in which protecting children from sexual abuse became impossible out of fear of being labeled a "racist"? Who deliberately flooded the country with unassimilable immigrants to spite their own people?

From the very beginnings of human society, people have made an implicit bargain: they would tolerate government - be in in the form of tribal chieftan or faceless bureaucrats - in exchange for its promise of protection for their lives and property from enemies foreign (invaders) and domestic (thieves and murderers). Modern government has not only outright failed to deliver on its end of the bargain, but has actually become the biggest threat to lives and property of its subjects. Examples are a legion, from the depredations of Quisling Cult regimes installed by "color revolutions" from Serbia to Kyrgizstan, to the sex-slavery of Rotherham and the police violence in the United States of America.

So the question isn't so much whether the Scots ought to "throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security" (source), but why so many others have not done so - and what are they waiting for?

The International Court of Injustice

After much hemming and hawing, the International Court of Justice finally declared today that the "declaration of independence" by the Albanian provisional government in the occupied Serbian province of Kosovo did not violate international law, or UNSCR 1244.

Seriously?

Certainly there is no law against declaring independence. But that doesn't mean "Kosovo" had the right to do so. Under UNSCR 1244, it had to remain a part of Serbia - even if under temporary UN control - pending the outcome of status talks. But there were never any talks - there was just NATO messenger Martti Ahtisaari, declaring that Kosovo ought to become an independent, Albanian state. And Serbia was told to take it or leave it.

Technical details, you'll say. After all, the Albanians are such an overwhelming majority. But you never wonder how they got to be such a majority over the past century. Could it be because they sided with the Austrians, the Nazis, the Communists, and NATO - every time at the expense of the Serbs? Between the murder and expulsion of non-Albanians, and the highest birthrates in Europe (much higher than in the neighboring Albania, and unrelated to the level of education), no wonder the Albanians are a majority today. Yet they claim they have historically been the victims of oppression....

But weren't there Serb atrocities? Genocide, mass ethnic cleansing, tens of thousands killed? In short, no. Lies your friendly NATO spokesman fed you to go along with the program. The KLA was romanticized by the media as this idealistic, young, progressive freedom-fighting movement. KLA hats are New York chic. Surely these people have nothing to do with jihadism, and all the church-burning and throat-slitting and bus-bombing - if you've ever heard of them, to begin with - are just righteous revenge for whatever evils the Serbs must have committed to merit such treatment. But then, what of the Albanian behavior in the 1980s, before any of the alleged Serb atrocities had taken place?

This isn't about democracy. It isn't about liberty. There is no such thing as a "Kosovar" ; it is just a matter of time and convenience before the "independent" Kosovo merges into Greater Albania (or "ethnic Albania," as its advocates claim). Meanwhile, Kosovo still buys most of its power, even most of its bread, from the rest of Serbia. Its "government" is a collection of murderous mobsters; between them, they've killed more Albanians than the Serbs were ever accused of.

Oh sure, the U.S. government, much of the EU and many of their client states elsewhere recognize the "Republic of Kosovo." And I suppose more will jump on the bandwagon now, as the propaganda mill spins the ICJ verdict as "justice". But saying something exists doesn't make it so.

No, dear reader, it really isn't as simple as the mainstream media, the State Department, NATO, and now even the ICJ would have you believe.

I know many of you out there can't be bothered to care about this. What's it to you that some country out there got robbed of a piece of land, along with its dignity? But if fabricating and exaggerating atrocities to attack and occupy a country on behalf of a separatist, terrorist movement, isn't illegal... then what, pray tell, is?

You may not care about it now, because the people being bullied are the Serbs, a people you've been told was OK - nay, necessary even - to hate and despise. But tomorrow, it may happen to you. And then it will be too late.

Kosovo Catastrophe

Conservative magazine Human Events published a piece by UPI editor Martin Sieff yesterda, criticizing (well, more like blasting) the Empire's idiotic policy in Kosovo. Sieff's piece is good, with one exception: he seems to believe that the Russian mafia and security services will organize a wave of attacks against EU and U.S. interests in retaliation to the recognition of Kosovo; I think this is extremely unlikely.

For some reason, I looked at the comments posted under Sieff's article. As of the time of this posting, there are about three pages of comments, ranging from isolationists who don't care and Albanians who shower Sieff with ad hominems, to those who claim Serbs should be given a free hand to fight against the jihad.

One comment, on the bottom of the first page, caught my eye. I reproduce it here, because there is no direct link to it. It is from PaulAndrewKirk of Redmond, Wa.:

I have served two tours in Kosovo with the US Military and I can tell you the following as factual:

1. Almost all facets and levels of the provisional government in Kosovo are corrupt. In fact its the worst I've ever seen and I've had to deal with some pretty corrupt governments during my career.

2. Supervised independence or even full independence will not improve the miserable lives of the ordinary people of Kosovo. Partly because of what I've listed as fact "1"., and partly because it will take decades of imense amounts of foreign aid throughout economy in order to bring Kosovo into a functioning state that wouldn't need foreign assistance for its survival.

3. Ethnic cleansing is still a common occurence in Kosovo but, this time its the ethnic Albanians ethnically cleansing the Serbs, Roma, Ashkali, Croatians, and Turk minorities through intimidation and at times outright force. I have personally witnessed this on many occasions.

4. No amount of foreign investment will provide enough jobs for the amount of unemployed people in Kosovo. The only way for Kosovo to maintain stability is for the EU to open its borders for an influx of foreign workers from Kosovo.

5. Islamic extremism is on the rise in Kosovo. KFOR soldiers have been attacked in Gjilan [sic: Gnjilane], Ferizaj, [sic: Urosevac] and Prizren when I was there. You just won't see or hear about it in the news. More Mosques have been built in Kosovo in the last five years than schools, roads, health clinics, and all other santitation project combined. Compliments of Muslim charities from the Middle East.

6. Mass graves of Kosovo Serbs and Roma have been found during my rotation and reported to the UN. Yet nothing has been done. Why? When we posed the question to our UN contacts in Pristina they replied: "During the transitional stage of Kosovo this would be destablizing. We'll wait until there is a final resolution before we proceed." All those journalists interested in a real story...start looking in around Novo Brdo.

7. The US Government along with key EU allies never had any intention of allowing Serbia a fair opportunity to negotiate with the Kosovar provisional government on the possibilities of a workable settlement that might have been permanent. I was party to a couple of meetings where US Government officials point blank told the Kosovar representatives that no matter what, the US will support independence and that going to these conferences in Vienna were just to give a favorable impression on the world opinion.

These are the facts. Some people might be outraged and some might be supprised [sic] however it really doesn't matter in the final analysis of all things considered. Superpowers will do what they want.

Kosovo independence will do nothing for stability of the region, in fact, the opposite will occur.

The Kosovar Albanians are now joyous they will have a new nation but, when all the partying ends and the dust clears, all that will exist is another backward, poverty stricken, underdeveloped, internationally protected country in an area of hostile neighbors thats todays news story and tomorrows breeding ground for extremism and resentment.

There you have it. The Empire-sponsored "Republic of Kosovo" is a crime, but also a mistake.

The Sellout

In the early hours of January 23, Chinese news agency Xinhua carried a story with the following title: "FM: Serbia supports Europe's engagement on its territory under int'l law"

The story quoted a statement by Vuk Jeremic during his visit to Romania, when he reportedly said:

Our conviction is that the EU, in accordance with the international law, or with a new U.N. resolution, will send a mission to Kosovo and this will clear off all issues linked to such an engagement's legal conformity."
(NB: by "this" Jeremic is most likely referring to the SAA, which Serbia is supposed to sign next week)

Prime Minister Kostunica, who is supposedly Jeremic's boss (it's no secret that Jeremic actually works for President Tadic), has said that an EU mission to Kosovo would be a violation of the SAA. So, unless Kostunica secretly changed his mind, this statement by Jeremic is direct opposition to the established government policy.

Both Kostunica and Tadic have denied reports that they have struck a deal before the second round of presidential elections; according to these rumors (published by Blic, a foreign-owned tabloid with open sympathies for Europhiles, "democratic reformers" and other transnational progressivists), Kostunica demanded rejection of the EU mission to Kosovo as the condition for supporting Tadic against the Radical challenger Tomislav Nikolic. To even have a fighting chance in the runoff, Tadic absolutely needs Kostunica's support; but will Kostunica lend it, if Tadic's pet diplomat is actually inviting the EU to Kosovo?

Taken at face value, assuming it was correctly translated and properly quoted (Not to doubt Xinhua, but Jeremic speaks decent English, and ought to know better than to say "clear off" when he means "clear up."), Jeremic's statement is an invitation. He doesn't say the EU can only send a mission in case of a new UN resolution; that would be acceptable, since any UN resolution on Kosovo replacing 1244 would have to get Russian approval, and Moscow is a more principled advocate of Serbian interests at this point than certain members of the cabinet in Belgrade.

What he does say is that Belgrade ("we") expects the EU to send a mission anyway, and that the SAA would "clear off" any questions about the mission's legality.

George Lucas's otherwise execrable "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" (1999) had one redeeming scene. At one point, the Sith lord, who is orchestrating the downfall of the Galactic Republic by instigating a conflict over a small planet, commands his proxies:

Darth Sidious: This turn of events is unfortunate. We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops.
Nute Gunray: My lord, is that... legal?
Darth Sidious: I will make it legal.

And this just in: Hashim Thaci, leader of the terrorist KLA and now "Prime Minister" of occupied Kosovo, announced today after meeting with EU and NATO officials that a declaration of independence was a "matter of days."

Coincidence? No way.