Rasa Ardys-Juska, Editor

Perspectives

It really amazes me that after years of Holocaust education via the schools, television and films, some Americans find it abhorrent to intercede in another Holocaust, or media denoted, ‘ethnic cleansing‘.

I suppose the term ‘ethnic cleansing‘ seems benign and even harmless. It almost conjures up this picture of cleaning off a part of your beliefs in exchange for fresher, more improved ones. I could almost guess that is precisely what many do think it means.

After many months of the Bosnian conflict reports and images followed closely by the Albanian reports, how can people still believe that this ethnic cleansing is not akin to a holocaust? How can we still be expected to stand idly by and allow it to happen? It amazes me when some people say that we should mind our own business. "Isn’t Yugoslavia considered a democracy?" How interesting that under Tito’s communist regime the Yugoslavian regions lived harmoniously together. There is a Lithuanian saying, "Some are tomatoes, some are radishes." Who’s to say which leader showed their true colors.

It’s also ironic that some American political groups who support the NRA, military might, and the moral democracy take a stand against NATO intervention because they simply dislike Pres. Clinton. They say anything — even to the implied support of ethnic cleansing — just to run contrary to the President.

A part of the Holocaust education received in schools is the motto, "Never again". Yet holocausts have occurred over and over again — in Cambodia and the African nations. We should feel proud to be able to finally support a solid military stand against the perpetuation of another holocaust. As Lithuanians, whose population was ‘cleansed’ a third by the Stalin purges, we salute the NATO troops for their perseverance in extending a compassionate hand to Milosevic’s victims. NATO troops are living the Holocaust motto and we salute them without hesitation.