Come take a ride in Tito´s time Machine – Part 13 – GREEKS BETRAY MACEDONIANS
Risto Stefov
November 12, 2009
If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.
Anxious to meet up with TrueMacedonian, I arrived early at the usual place the next morning only to find Tito pacing back and forth, looking at his watch and swearing and cursing. "Where are they? I told them to come earlier," he kept repeating. With Tito there what was I to do? How could I board the Delorean unseen?
After pondering my situation for a while, it occurred to me that I should somehow distract Tito and then board the Delorean before the others arrive. But how could I do that? As I slowly snuck through the woodland and came as close to the Delorean as possible without being seen, it occurred to me to throw a rock behind the bushes. When Tito turned around and went to investigate the noise, I quickly snuck into the trunk and quietly closed the hatch behind me. And just in time too because as the others arrived I overheard Tito scolding them for being late. "There´ll be more about this later," he said "I don´t have time to deal with you now. We are going to Constantinople, to March 13th, 1897," were Tito´s orders as the time machine swished its way to the next destination.
The next day I discovered the following piece in The New York Times;
"MACEDONIANS AND TURKS FIGHT
LONDON, March 13. – A dispatch from Constantinople states that fighting has occurred near Gravena between a number of Macedonian insurgents and a body of Turkish troops. Details of the fight are lacking." (New York Times, March 14, 1897)
No sooner had the team left than they were back again and according to Tito´s instructions were going to Constantinople again but this time to May 11, 1901.
It must be nice, I thought to myself, to be able to plant seeds and see the fruits grow in a matter of minutes. Isn´t time travel wonderful?
The next day I checked the New York Times and discovered the following;
"Wholesale Execution of Macedonians.
VIENNA, May 11. – A dispatch from Constantinople announces the wholesale shooting of revolutionary Macedonians, including women. Twenty-four persons were executed at Monastir, fourteen at Beria, eighteen at Iating, eighteen at Seres and twenty-nine at Uskab." (New York Times, May 12, 1901)
Again with the sad and devastating news! Why can´t we have some good news for a change? Is it too much to ask? The team was back and off again, unfortunately in my state of thought, pondering the sad news I missed the first part of Tito´s orders and only heard that we were going to March 21, 1902.
The next day I checked The New York Times for March 22, 1902 and discovered the following piece;
"SERIOUS REVOLT IN ALBANIA
Rebels said to be masters of town of Yanina – fighting between Turkish troops and Macedonians.
LONDON, March 22. – According to the Rome correspondent of the Daily Mail, the Italian consul at Yanina, southern Albania, has sent news of a serious revolution in Albania. The governor´s palace at Yanina was attacked and several gendarmes were killed. The revolutionaries are masters of the town.
The consul says further outbreaks have occurred at Berat, Paramythia and Avlona and that the revolution is spreading throughout Albania.
The correspondent of The Morning Leader in Vienna reports a conflict between Turkish troops and Macedonian revolutionists at Sistova near Kastoria. The Turks surrounded the village and overcame the rebels. In the course of the fighting four Macedonians and two Turks were killed and twenty-six of the rebels were wounded.
All the male inhabitants of the village were arrested. (The New York Times, March 22, 1902)
As I finished reading the third article I realized that the team had already been on three missions today and should be going home next but when I looked at my watch it was too early to go home.
The team was back again and instead of going home Tito had another mission in mind. "We are going to Athens," he said "to March 30th, 1902".
I see! That´s why Tito wanted the team there early, so it could go on an extra mission. But why go on an extra mission?
I got my answer the next day when I read the following piece in the March 31st, 1902 New York Times newspaper;
"GREEKS BETRAY MACEDONIANS.
Threatened Outbreak This Spring Will Probably Be Prevented – Montenegrins To Invade Turkey?
London Times, New York Times Special Cablegram
LONDON, March 31. – A dispatch to The Times from Athens says the grave situation in Macedonia and Albania causes considerable uneasiness. It is thought that the propaganda from the Macedonian committee in Bulgaria is somewhat discredited among the wealthier classes, owing to the crimes and extortion connected with it. Still, the physical force party, which may be compared to the Fenian section of the Irish Nationalists, continues to follow the lead of President Sarafof who has planted a general rising of the Christians in the coming Spring.
The dispatch says the overtures made in Athens and Belgrade have not been found tempting and that the Greeks have disclosed the scheme to Turkey. This, in conjunction with a strong military precaution being taken, will probably prevent the threatened outbreak. Improvement, however, is impossible without reform, and the Sultan´s personal fears and the disunion of the European powers make the prospect of reform remote." (The New York Times, March 31, 1902)
This particular mission took a little longer than expected, I guess the team has learned to be extra cautious when traveling in Athens. None the less the team was back in time to get a good night´s sleep.
It´s late already, there is no point in me waiting for TrueMacedonian to return I thought as I exited the trunk. "But! What? How?" were the only words I could muster in my startled state as I found TrueMacedonian standing beside the Delorean.
"I am sorry to have startled you," he said "but I never left the Delorean. I stayed here all the time as the others disappeared over the horizon, unaware that I wasn´t with them."
Before I could muster another word, TrueMacedonian said he had something for me to read. He rummaged through his deep pockets and pulled out a book with a book mark stuck in it.
"Ah, here it is," he said. "Read this page and tell me what you think?"
Here is what I read;
"The Greeks had not taken much interest in their past until Europeans became enthusiastic discoverers and diggers of their ruins. And why should they have cared? The Greeks were not Greek but the illiterate descendents of Slavs and Albanian fishermen, who spoke a debased Greek dialect and had little interest in the broken columns and temples except as places to graze their sheep. The true philhellenes were the English – of whom Byron was the epitome – and the French, who were passionate to link themselves with the Greek ideal. This rampant and irrational phili-Hellenism, which amounted almost to a religion, was also a reaction to the confident dominance of the Ottoman Turks, who were widely regarded as savages and heathens. The Turks had brought their whole culture, their language, their Muslim religion and their distinctive cuisine not only here but throughout the Middle-East and into Europe as far as Budapest. The contradiction persists even today: Greek food is actually Turkish food, and many words we think as distinctively Greek, are in reality Turkish – kebab, doner, kofta, meze, teramasalata, dolma, yogurt, moussaka, and so forth; all Turkish." ("The Pillars of Hercules", by Paul Theroux, page 316)
After reading the text I was speechless. All I could think of was the nerve of those Modern Greeks calling the Macedonians artificial. "Artificial, who is artificial, don´t they know their own history?" I blurted out as TrueMacedonian nodded, understanding what I was talking about.
"Think about it," he said. "But don´t let it boggle your mind. I have to go now because I am sure Tito will be on my case tomorrow if I don´t get some sleep." And with those words, TrueMacedonian left, leaving me to think about what I had just read!
To be continued.
Other articles by Risto Stefov:
http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
Risto Stefov
November 12, 2009
If we "must" believe that Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980), the Yugoslav dictator, along with the Communists, "invented" the Macedonians then we must also believe that Tito possessed a "Time Machine" because in this series of articles we will show you that the Macedonians existed way before Tito´s time.
Anxious to meet up with TrueMacedonian, I arrived early at the usual place the next morning only to find Tito pacing back and forth, looking at his watch and swearing and cursing. "Where are they? I told them to come earlier," he kept repeating. With Tito there what was I to do? How could I board the Delorean unseen?
After pondering my situation for a while, it occurred to me that I should somehow distract Tito and then board the Delorean before the others arrive. But how could I do that? As I slowly snuck through the woodland and came as close to the Delorean as possible without being seen, it occurred to me to throw a rock behind the bushes. When Tito turned around and went to investigate the noise, I quickly snuck into the trunk and quietly closed the hatch behind me. And just in time too because as the others arrived I overheard Tito scolding them for being late. "There´ll be more about this later," he said "I don´t have time to deal with you now. We are going to Constantinople, to March 13th, 1897," were Tito´s orders as the time machine swished its way to the next destination.
The next day I discovered the following piece in The New York Times;
"MACEDONIANS AND TURKS FIGHT
LONDON, March 13. – A dispatch from Constantinople states that fighting has occurred near Gravena between a number of Macedonian insurgents and a body of Turkish troops. Details of the fight are lacking." (New York Times, March 14, 1897)
No sooner had the team left than they were back again and according to Tito´s instructions were going to Constantinople again but this time to May 11, 1901.
It must be nice, I thought to myself, to be able to plant seeds and see the fruits grow in a matter of minutes. Isn´t time travel wonderful?
The next day I checked the New York Times and discovered the following;
"Wholesale Execution of Macedonians.
VIENNA, May 11. – A dispatch from Constantinople announces the wholesale shooting of revolutionary Macedonians, including women. Twenty-four persons were executed at Monastir, fourteen at Beria, eighteen at Iating, eighteen at Seres and twenty-nine at Uskab." (New York Times, May 12, 1901)
Again with the sad and devastating news! Why can´t we have some good news for a change? Is it too much to ask? The team was back and off again, unfortunately in my state of thought, pondering the sad news I missed the first part of Tito´s orders and only heard that we were going to March 21, 1902.
The next day I checked The New York Times for March 22, 1902 and discovered the following piece;
"SERIOUS REVOLT IN ALBANIA
Rebels said to be masters of town of Yanina – fighting between Turkish troops and Macedonians.
LONDON, March 22. – According to the Rome correspondent of the Daily Mail, the Italian consul at Yanina, southern Albania, has sent news of a serious revolution in Albania. The governor´s palace at Yanina was attacked and several gendarmes were killed. The revolutionaries are masters of the town.
The consul says further outbreaks have occurred at Berat, Paramythia and Avlona and that the revolution is spreading throughout Albania.
The correspondent of The Morning Leader in Vienna reports a conflict between Turkish troops and Macedonian revolutionists at Sistova near Kastoria. The Turks surrounded the village and overcame the rebels. In the course of the fighting four Macedonians and two Turks were killed and twenty-six of the rebels were wounded.
All the male inhabitants of the village were arrested. (The New York Times, March 22, 1902)
As I finished reading the third article I realized that the team had already been on three missions today and should be going home next but when I looked at my watch it was too early to go home.
The team was back again and instead of going home Tito had another mission in mind. "We are going to Athens," he said "to March 30th, 1902".
I see! That´s why Tito wanted the team there early, so it could go on an extra mission. But why go on an extra mission?
I got my answer the next day when I read the following piece in the March 31st, 1902 New York Times newspaper;
"GREEKS BETRAY MACEDONIANS.
Threatened Outbreak This Spring Will Probably Be Prevented – Montenegrins To Invade Turkey?
London Times, New York Times Special Cablegram
LONDON, March 31. – A dispatch to The Times from Athens says the grave situation in Macedonia and Albania causes considerable uneasiness. It is thought that the propaganda from the Macedonian committee in Bulgaria is somewhat discredited among the wealthier classes, owing to the crimes and extortion connected with it. Still, the physical force party, which may be compared to the Fenian section of the Irish Nationalists, continues to follow the lead of President Sarafof who has planted a general rising of the Christians in the coming Spring.
The dispatch says the overtures made in Athens and Belgrade have not been found tempting and that the Greeks have disclosed the scheme to Turkey. This, in conjunction with a strong military precaution being taken, will probably prevent the threatened outbreak. Improvement, however, is impossible without reform, and the Sultan´s personal fears and the disunion of the European powers make the prospect of reform remote." (The New York Times, March 31, 1902)
This particular mission took a little longer than expected, I guess the team has learned to be extra cautious when traveling in Athens. None the less the team was back in time to get a good night´s sleep.
It´s late already, there is no point in me waiting for TrueMacedonian to return I thought as I exited the trunk. "But! What? How?" were the only words I could muster in my startled state as I found TrueMacedonian standing beside the Delorean.
"I am sorry to have startled you," he said "but I never left the Delorean. I stayed here all the time as the others disappeared over the horizon, unaware that I wasn´t with them."
Before I could muster another word, TrueMacedonian said he had something for me to read. He rummaged through his deep pockets and pulled out a book with a book mark stuck in it.
"Ah, here it is," he said. "Read this page and tell me what you think?"
Here is what I read;
"The Greeks had not taken much interest in their past until Europeans became enthusiastic discoverers and diggers of their ruins. And why should they have cared? The Greeks were not Greek but the illiterate descendents of Slavs and Albanian fishermen, who spoke a debased Greek dialect and had little interest in the broken columns and temples except as places to graze their sheep. The true philhellenes were the English – of whom Byron was the epitome – and the French, who were passionate to link themselves with the Greek ideal. This rampant and irrational phili-Hellenism, which amounted almost to a religion, was also a reaction to the confident dominance of the Ottoman Turks, who were widely regarded as savages and heathens. The Turks had brought their whole culture, their language, their Muslim religion and their distinctive cuisine not only here but throughout the Middle-East and into Europe as far as Budapest. The contradiction persists even today: Greek food is actually Turkish food, and many words we think as distinctively Greek, are in reality Turkish – kebab, doner, kofta, meze, teramasalata, dolma, yogurt, moussaka, and so forth; all Turkish." ("The Pillars of Hercules", by Paul Theroux, page 316)
After reading the text I was speechless. All I could think of was the nerve of those Modern Greeks calling the Macedonians artificial. "Artificial, who is artificial, don´t they know their own history?" I blurted out as TrueMacedonian nodded, understanding what I was talking about.
"Think about it," he said. "But don´t let it boggle your mind. I have to go now because I am sure Tito will be on my case tomorrow if I don´t get some sleep." And with those words, TrueMacedonian left, leaving me to think about what I had just read!
To be continued.
Other articles by Risto Stefov:
http://www.maknews.com/html/articles.html#stefov
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3446
Many thanks to TrueMacedonian from http://www.maknews.com/forum for his contribution to this article.
You can contact the author at rstefov@hotmail.com
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