among
other things.
A genocide is taking place in
Kosovo.
Arafat is busy gathering support
for his potential state.
Netanyahu is engaged in blatant
electioneering tactics.
And Dubai is holding its annual
international shopping festival
(“the like
of which no one has ever seen,” as some assert).
A genocide is taking place
in Kosovo.
Nigeria is hosting a soccer
championship
(the World
Cup for under 21, to be specific).
Hillary Clinton,
accompanied by her daughter,
is making a world tour
promoting her political future.
And “Life is Beautiful,” and “Shakespeare
in Love” are making Oscar history
(proving
that the story is
still much
more important than the budget,
a fact that
gets often forgotten nowadays).
A genocide is taking place in Kosovo.
The Serbs see themselves as the
victims thereof,
-the blood on their hands is their
own, they insist-.
(Because in
1389, a Serb died valiantly in Kosovo,
today, a
Serb kills shamelessly therein).
The Russians,
seeking to reassert their presence in the international arena,
voice their unswerving solidarity
with their blood relatives.
And the Chinese are definitely
not happy.
(while the
Albanians,
who are not
necessarily innocent themselves,
are only
complicating matters with
their
unnecessary public suffering).
And a certain Mrs. Savage, and a
certain Jamie Shea
are making quite a name for themselves
in
NATO briefings.
(Sex appeal
and righteous indignation
are a rather
dangerous combination)
A g e n o c i d e is taking place in Kosovo.
My best friend is busy hating his
new job,
and helping his parents prepare for the
Hajj.
My mother is dazzling the Syrians,
as usual, with her latest TV series.
And I…
well, I am rather busy myself these days,
bemoaning my latest heartbreak, that
is,
in some hapless, and equally
busy,
discotheque,
over a cup of
wine.
Red wine.
(And in the
back of my mind,
I am also wondering,
not whether
there is a God or not,
this whole
issue is rather irrelevant really,
but whether
there is,
has ever
been,
or could
ever possibly be,
humanity).
Note: “Only a killer
could achieve credibility by killing.” Whatever they mean, these are the words
iterated by Slobodan Milosovich on April 14, 1999, in the a press conference
that followed a meeting with the president of Belarus.