Mike J. wrote:
> Bob wrote:
> > My knowledge of western Europe is much better than my knowledge of eastern
> > Europe. When I was in school, eastern Europe was part of the 'Evil Empire',
> > behind the 'Iron Curtain' and somewhere few folks traveled.
>
> As Wheatfield Wille would say, "har!" Your knowledge of "western" Europe
> isn't so hot either!
>
> (I'm presuming you're joking here...the former Yugoslavia was never "behind
> the iron curtain," and Reagan's fantasy "evil empire" was the Soviet Union
> and its dominions--specifically, the Warsaw Pact countries. Saying Tito was
> a Soviet pawn is about as accurate as a European saying that Castro is an
> American one.)
Mike, I'd say your statement is misleading, at least from a Western European point of
view.
While Yugoslavia was not a member of the Warsaw Pact, and while Yougoslavia held a
more independent position visavi the Soviet Union, and while it established it's own
type of Yugo-communism, it was still considered an Easter European communist country,
and as such for a reason lumped together with the rest of the communist world "behind
the iron curtain", where indeed fewer folks would travel than for instance in Western
countries.
I have no idea why you imply that Bob S. said that Tito was a Soviet pawn, as he
didn't say anything of the kind. But your own analogy, where you seem to say that
Tito's regime was as far from the Soviet regime as is Castro's from the U.S., is
simply grossly misleading.
The Yugoslavian communist regime was indeed ideologically closer to the Soviet regime
than it was to any type of Western democracy.
In his friendly message, I'd say Bob got it correct enough. (And certainly he didn't
ask for an argument.)
So stop picking on Bob now, or I'll put a spell on all your Pentax lenses that will
make all the glass float away... :)
Lasse
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