SERBS AND THE WEST: THE ROAD AHEAD by DR. VOJISLAV KOSTUNICA... was an article published about a week ago, that was taken from the 'Chronicles' e-zine sponsored by something called The Rockford Institute- Center for International Affairs (CIA< what a sense of humor these Rightists have!). The director is someone called Srdja Trifkovic, and previous to that, was none other than Thomas Fleming, a Rightist 'antiwar' crony of the antiwar.com/ Justin Raimondo crowd. Who are these people, and what is their connection to Kostunica? Kostunica spoke earlier at a conference in Belgrade in January this year, co-sponsored by yet another shadowy Rightist think tank, called The Lord Byron Foundation, allied with the above Rockford Institute (Lord Byron was an English poet that visited Albania in the 19th Century). In attendance were Thomas Fleming, Srdja Trifkovic, an ex- Canadian embassy official to Yugoslavia, and an ex-Thatcher government official. Kostunica got written up favorably in January in 'Chronicles' of The Rockford Institute, for his role at this Conference on The Balkans. It is in studying the background of The Rockford Institute, that things get real interesting. Trifkovic writes about oil deals with the Lithuanian government , and has on his biography a degree from an elite university in Houston, Texas, and an commentary that he was once part of the 'Ollie North' show. Thomas Fleming and 'Chronicles' show articles attacking the Southern Anti-Poverty Institute of Morris Dees and several commentaries on Southern US history ad issues of race from a Rightist super-defensive note. Also on Chronicles, are several articles by a William Murchison. The Murchison family is a family from North Texas, who made their fortune off natural gas and oil. Their politics are even more Rightist and extremist than the Coors family of Colorado. Clint Murchison was the owner of the Dallas Cowboys for many a year, when Tom Landry's religious fanaticism played such a prominent role. William Murchison owns the Dallas Morning News, a decidely racist, retrograde Dixie-mindset, daily newspaper. He thinks of himself as an intellectual, and writes his own column that he tries to distribute in all conservative venues. Constant themes are fighting against socialistic liberalism, both in the churches and the state. And how the South has gotten a raw deal in matters dealing with race. Horatio Alger is their hero (the Murchisons consider themselves to be another successs story, and have even claimed to have sponsored the invention of the hamburger!) Their principle concern is that corporations must be protected from socialistic government interference. They believe that the whole idea of globa warming is a conspiracy against the oil industry. This is a multi-billionaire family, intimately connected with trying to influence the Republican Party to move yet further to the Right. Bascally William Murchison is considered to be a kind of nut, but one that provides positions and influence for people like Thomas Fleming and Srdja Trifkovic. He is an inside player with people like Dick Cheney and the Bushes. And he is most probably the force behind The Rockford Institute. Kostunica must know about these connections to some great degree, and his involvement with these sponsors from at least beginning in January of this year, demonstrate less than an independent Serb vantage point. While Milosevic was off being bashed by the Clinton Administration, Kostunica was hobnobbing with the Republican Party crowd, at conferences promoted by this Rockford Instiute/ Lord Byron Foundation. I am sure that this is only the tip of the iceberg about these interconnections. Tony Abdo _______________________________________________ Crashlist resources: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/crashlist
