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Utah Girl, what is the point of this article?

I will just quote the end:

A stable and prosperous Croatia is vital to Western security interests because it is a pivotal front-line state in the war against global terrorism. For centuries, the Croats served as the ramparts of European Christendom, protecting Rome and Vienna from invading Ottoman armies

Now, that's a lot of do-do. Kuhner needs to go back to school and take History 101. Better he needs to look up the history of Yugoslavia.

Croatia is nothing. Croatia is a horeshoe, always has been and always will be, of someone else's horse. Since Starcevic, Croats have spent 24/365 hating Serbs. In fact, hating Serbs defines them! They adopted Serbian language in 1850 because their native tongue is too underdeveloped for serious prose, they can't claim nationality on religion, so what defines them? Simple: their hatred for Serbs. Serbs make their day.

For centuries the Habsburg masters of Croatia found precisely the Serbs to be the "ramparts of European Christendom, protecting Rome and Vienna from invading Ottoman armies." They paid them to do so. They were priviledged for doing that. The Croats were serfs. The Habsburgs likened Croatian native language (which is not a form of Serbian they use today) to something children speak, and they certainly never trusted the Croats.

Croats will never stop whining about the Serbs, except when they need them. Serbs never needed Croatians, so they don't whine about them. Serbs gave up more for Yugoslavia so Croatians and Slovenese could have their states they couldn't get on their own than anythign Croatians and Slovenes have done for Serbs.

You are correct about the serfdom part.....In Croatia, Dalmatia, & Slavonia some 80% of the Latin population were Serfs until 1848. On the other hand, the Orthodox population were either Yeoman Farmers or Professionals. This tendancy carried through to the late 20th century. The Orthodox population of Croatia & Dalmatia always were better educated and owned more hard assets than the Latin population.

The zenophobic nationals of Croatia & Dalmatia (such as the writer of this hate piece) pretty much come from the white trash/cracker portion of society. Like poor zenophobes everywhere the HDZ and HSP used racist arguments to explain away their followers low social-economic standing.

Now after 12 years of being in control, and Croatia-Dalmatia poorer than it was in 1988.......the zenophobic crackers in the HDZ & HSP have no more one else to blame....hence the desperate confused tone of the screed UtahGirl posted.

It is very sad what the HDZ & HSP did to Croatia-Dalmatia. Unemployment is stuck at 23-23%. foreign debt is $13-14 Billion and rising. Toruist revenues are 1/2 their 1988 levels (in real dollars). The best and the brightest have left and show no signs of coming back. What little industry exists in the hands of absentee owners.

The HDZ & HSP offered their followers a ez-pass into the EU & prosperity back in 1989-90. What those followers got was a one way ticket into poverty & oblivion. It is tragic.