🚀 go-pugleaf

(This is a repost - Sorry if it appears twice anywhere)


In <1k3qigINNkc1@news.aero.org> dgolber@aero.org (Dave Golber) writes:

>There is a ruined fortress at the top of the hill in Ohrid, which
>is referred to as "Tsar Samuil's".  Dates from about 1000 AD.

 OK. Did Samuil ever once refer to himself as a Macedonian?

>I can't off the top of my head give a specific reference, but I would
think
>that any history book of this period of the Balkans would discuss this.

 I agree. Samuil had a large kingdom encompassing much (if not most) of
Macedonia. But that did not make his kingdom a "Macedonian" kingdom. He
never used the term "Macedonian" to refer to himself or his people. To
Samuil, "Macedonia" was just a Byzantine territory he conqered, and
which was soon afterwards reclaimed by the Byzantines.

>I am really disgusted with the numerous references to Tito, Stalin,
>and even Hilter as the origins of the use of "Macedonian" to refer
>to certain slavs living north of the current border.  This is
>ridiculous.

>Does anyone disagree with me?  Do I have to go look up references?

 I do agree that blanket characterisations of the entire Vardar
population
are unfair. The Vardaris (Slavs and Albanians) are infact the victims of
decades of repression from Yugoslavia. Their folk culture, their
religious affiliations, their language, and ofcource their name were
altered by Belgrade in order to sever Vardari ties to Bulgaria and
Albania, and in order to establish a claim on Greek territory during the
period of the Greek civil war.

 Unfortunately, the power in Skopjie today lies in the hands of former
Tito associates, esp. Gligorov. He is infexible in the issue because:
 1) To back of now would be an admission of guilt for the former
    communists
    who created the "Macedonian" myth.
 2) He is now able to use Greece as a 'threat' to justify the terrible
    situation in his country, both economically and politically. He has
    been
    claiming all winter that Greece is blocking supplies to the FYRM,
    while
    the truth is that the FYRM simply has no money to buy the supplies
    with. If it was a matter of Greek blocade, why are the supplies not
    shipped via Bulgaria? It is a 15km detour from Greece to the FYRM
    via
    Promachon/Kylata, and Greece has never refused passage to a Bulgaria
    bound truck. And the road structures do exist for importation of
    goods
    via  Turkey/Bulgaria, or via Albania. Only the money does not exist
    for the FYRM.
 3) He can use this endless soap-opera to keep himself in power by
    creating a constant state of fear in the FYRM.

 >Dave Golber

Michael