I "met" Bob Djurdjevic of "Truth in Media" on the Internet about two years ago as a journalist specializing in global financial matters. He came across to me as a professional reporter, always striving for objectivity and documentation of facts. I knew that he enjoyed the respect of his colleagues, but I thought, before the NATO war broke out, that Bob was "narrowcasting" rather than "broadcasting" to a very specialized audience - those with interests in understanding global finance.
Ever since March 24 of this year, when the NATO war broke out, I saw a different "Bob Dj" (as he will sign himself and as we call him in our circles) emerge - an OpEd columnist whose editorials are glittering with political passion and personal conviction.
Bob Dj is a Serb - so naturally he took the Serbian side. Because of the punch of his reporting - and thanks-but-no-thanks to the prevalent biased lapdog media reporting - very rapidly Bob moved from relative Net obscurity to the Number One spot in NATO War reporting.
Today his website, referenced below, is visited by more than 100 countries, and hits on his website are now in the millions.
But I didn't know until yesterday about the personal history of Bob Dj. Here is his latest column. I think it will go down in free speech cyber lore as one of the milestones of what many call the New World Order War:
Communist Media - Then and Now - an OpEd column by Bob Djurdjevic
A Political Quiz: Where Are the "Reds" Today?
The following are two real life stories. Everything you're about to read happened. Just as written. Please read them carefully. At the end, you will be asked to answer some multiple-choice questions intended to cleanse your mind of some communist-style info-pollution:
(A) There was a scent of linden tree blossoms in the air when tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of the nation's capital on a hot June day, stopping the traffic and shouting anti-government slogans. Appreciative passers showed their support for the protesters' cause with thumbs up signs. Tourists stopped to take pictures; cab drivers and passing cars honked their horns; street cars saluted the dissenters by ringing their bells. The police mostly kept their distance from the marchers, but were highly visible. And sometimes violent (see a photo in the TiM Web version of this column).
One foreign tourist on the Boulevard of the Revolution asked this writer what the demonstration was about. I pointed to a huge banner, written in Serb Cyrillic, which was hanging from the top floor of the College of Engineering building. It read: "Down with Red Bourgeoisie!" Upon hearing the translation, the tourist became very frightened, and sped away toward his hotel.
The stunning show of mass dissent was the first public demonstration against the government since the end of the last war. As this writer addressed his fellow-protesters later on, he said in his speech: "We will not be cowed by police billy-sticks, nor guns! Our cause is just, and we shall persevere until the government yields to our demands."
The date was June 5. The year was 1968. The nation's capital was Belgrade. The country was Yugoslavia. The system of government was a communist dictatorship. The "last war" referenced above was World War II. The demonstrators were outraged Belgrade University students. The speaker and one of the leaders of this spontaneous student anti-government uprising was your TiM editor.
History was being made on that Wednesday, June 5, yet the Belgrade media remained mum about this event. Neither the local television, nor the radio, carried any reports about it (that we saw or heard). The following day, the capital city's establishment newspapers did not have even a single story about the event which had already buzzed the whole country - through the grapevine. Instead, as a diversion, the Belgrade media carried reports about anti-American demonstrations in Paris in which the students protested the Vietnam war.
Other major national establishment media also spiked this news story. So the students had no choice but to start publishing their own "samizdat" - daily newsletters, run off overnight on old klunker-"Gestettners" at the College of Architecture. Distribution of which in the daytime turned out to be one of the most dangerous jobs back then. The largest number of arrests occurred as student-messengers of freedom and truth, which the establishment media were trying to withhold, spread the newsletters hand-to-hand in the Belgrade streets.
By contrast, the American media, including the Washington Post, New York Times and others ran major stories about the Belgrade students' protest against Marshall Tito's communist government. ---
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(B) There was a scent of linden tree blossoms in the air when tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of the nation's capital on a hot June day, stopping the traffic and shouting anti-government slogans. Appreciative passers showed their support for the protesters' cause with thumbs up signs. Tourists stopped to take pictures; cab drivers and passing cars honked their horns... The police kept their distance from the marchers, but were highly visible.
The stunning show of mass dissent was the first public demonstration against the government since the end of the last war. As this writer addressed his fellow-protesters, he said in his speech: "I came to join you in your righteous protest against an American government which has become so un-American... This is a government... run by corrupt politicians, like Bill Clinton. And it is a government run against the interests of the American people."
One tourist on the Memorial Bridge was offered a pamphlet explaining what the demonstration was about. He refused it, became very frightened, and sped away toward his hotel. And he wasn't even a foreign tourist.
The date was June 5. The year was 1999. The nation's capital was Washington, DC. The country was United States of America. The system of government was supposedly a free Republic. The "last war" referenced above was Vietnam. The demonstrators were outraged American citizens. The speaker was the same as in the Belgrade story.
History was made on that Saturday, June 5, yet the Washington media remained mum about this event. Neither the local television, nor the radio stations, carried any reports about it (that we saw or heard). The following day, the capital city's establishment newspapers did not have even a single story about the event which had already buzzed the whole country - via the (Internet) grapevine. Instead, as a diversion, the Washington media carried reports about a charity jog of women against breast cancer.
Other major national establishment media, such as the New York Times, for example, also spiked the March on the Pentagon news story. So the Truth in Media and others friends of truth and liberty had no choice but to start publishing it in their own newsletters - via the Internet.
By contrast, Serb media ran major stories about the Washington protest against the Clinton government's war on Yugoslavia. ----
And now, here are some important questions about the caveats from the above two nearly identical stories:
1. Name the capital of the free world:
(a) Washington
(b) Belgrade
(c) Neither
(d) What's the free world? Does one need a visa to go there? Which New World Order Comrade is responsible for issuing it - Clinton or Milosevic or... ? (I'd really like to get off this planet and go to the free world ASAP, please. So, a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope is enclosed to expedite your reply)
2. What are some significant differences between the story (A) and story (B)?
(a) Beats me
(b) Two demonstrations took place on two different continents (c) Protest in story (A) was held on a Wednesday; in story (B) on a Saturday (d) Speech in story (A) was delivered in Serbian; speech in story (B) was in English (e) Speaker in story (B) was 31 years older than that in story (A) (f) Yugoslavia is a communist dictatorship with state-controlled media; United States is a democracy which practices freedom of the speech and of the press
The TiM readers who have chosen the (f) above are being given an "F" in PoliSci, and removed from our list forthwith. They will be required to show a grade "B" or higher in a remedial PoliSci 101 class, before being able re-subscribe to TiM. As for their U.S. citizenship, we understand that may be also being suspended, and could be revoked if they do not attain the said grade after three tries.
As for all those who had chosen (a) through (e), you may now proceed to some mind cleansing questions:
3. What are some significant differences between the Yugoslav communist media 31 years ago, and the free and independent media in the U.S. today?
(a) None that I can see
(b) They lie and cheat in different languages (c) U.S. media brainwash more people
(d) There was no Communist Network News (CNN) in 1968, thus Belgrade's Politika and Moscow's Pravda had to do all heavy lifting of spreading communist propaganda (e) What is the "free and independent media?"
4. What are some significant differences between the Yugoslav communist president 31 years ago, and the U.S. president today?
(a) Marshall Tito did inhale, and commanded an army he created; Komrade Klinton didn't inhale (much), and dodged the draft; until he was handed an army to command (b) Marshall Tito is a dead "red" thug; Komrade Klinton is still working on his thuggery (c) Marshall Tito killed out of passion and conviction; Komrade Klinton kills because it's good for business (d) Marshall Tito was a womanizer in spite of Jovanka; Komrade Klinton is a womanizer because of Hillary (e) Marshall Tito acceded to Belgrade students' demands in June 1968 after 12 days of protests; Komrade Klinton is ignoring the dissenters after six years of protests
5. What are some significant differences between the Yugoslav citizens 31 years ago, and the Americans citizens today?
(a) Most Yugoslavs were NOT brain dead back then, despite 23 years of communist brainwashing; the only people buying the establishment media lies and distortions back then were either Communists, the brain dead citizens, or those paid to "believe" it; altogether less than 12% of the population (b) Most Americans ARE brain dead today because of 86 years of communist (in disguise) brainwashing (which started with establishment of the Federal Reserve and the income tax in 1913); altogether more than 70% of the population who support Komrade Klinton, according to the CNN (c) Belgrade students were willing to risk their lives for their cause; most Americans are not even willing to risk their weekends, let alone wallets, for their rights
6. Based on your answers to questions 3. through 5. above, name the richest communist country in the world with the most powerful AgitProp aparatus (AgitProp - Communist Ministry of Agitation and Propaganda) - the new Evil Empire:
(a) United States of America (USA)
(b) Sjedinjene Americke Drzave (SAD)
(c) Los Estados Unidos (EE.UU)
(d) Soyedinyoniye Shtati Ameriki (SShA) (e) Vereinigte Staaten
(f) Les États-Unis (EU - which is why it may be about time the European Union should now realize what its initials really stands for) (g) Etc.
Now, wipe off the tears from your George Washington's family portrait. And yours, too, if you think we still lived in a free Republic which our Founding Fathers had passed on to us.
This writer has just done the same. For being an anti-communist dissident in his youth; having emigrated to a country which he thought had guaranteed its citizens life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Only to find myself having to live under communism - again. And have to fight it -again.
And march - again.
And speak out against it - again.
The game is getting old. The speaker is getting old. But the fire of truth and liberty burns in his heart as brightly as ever. And it will, forever... Until its very flame, even from the grave, scorches the enemies of truth and liberty.
It was in the service of God and country that this writer spoke out on Wednesday, June 5, 1968. It was in his service of God and country that he spoke out on Saturday, June 5, 1999.
Different countries. Different continents. Different languages. Different protesters.
Same enemy. Same speaker. Same God. Same eternal flame.
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ATTRIBUTION: Bob Djurdjevic is a Phoenix-based writer and founder of the Truth in Media (www.truthinmedia.org). ----------------
Bob Djurdjevic
TRUTH IN MEDIA
Phoenix, Arizona
e-mail: bobdj@djurdjevic.com
The Special Truth in Media Global Watch Bulletins on NATO's war on Serbia, such as the one enclosed above, can also be accessed at our Web site: www.truthinmedia.org which is being updated throughout the day.
Visit the Truth in Media Web site http://www.truthinmedia.org/ for more articles on geopolitical affairs.
Thought for the Day:
"To their everlasting shame, our NATO leaders have chosen war over peace in Kosovo. They have abandoned diplomacy in favour of bloodshed. They have taken us back to the Cold War and the arms race. They have smashed the framework of world security. They have guaranteed that we will start the new century as we did this one, with killing and carnage. They have left us with a terrible legacy. With six months to go before the millennium, they have taken us back to barbarism."
Back to Table of Contents of the June 1999 ZGrams