Editor’s Word - Our Compatriots at „Hradcany“

I had barely managed to distribute the no.9 issue and there I had, another deadline of issue no.10 with my editorial nowhere in sight. So I sat down and started writing. My head was full of thoughts some bitter, some even hopeless since I’ve just read a few dailies, listened to the news and saw and heard some of our polititians live on TV and the radio. It was not only our ridiculous political figures and puppets getting lost in battles fighting to get a bigger share of assets, but also the blood-chilling threats from Kremlin as well as the world-wide millitant Muslim expansion (and a succombing attitude of many governments), that were the cause of my bad mood. Fortunately, there are things and happenings that can lead a person away from the darkness of sadness.

In the middle of September there took place in Prague the Conference of Czechs Living Abroad. There came 160 participants from different continents . Numerous speeches were presented. The theme was the historical numeral eight - 1948 and 1968. The lectures and speeches were distinctive, well prepared and interesting a well as the queries, answers and debates. The only negative point as practically every time at such events, was the lack of interest on part of the media. The only exception was the Czech Radio. It greatly supports compatriot issues not only in compatriot broadcasting but on other stations as well.

After the Conference, there followed a Czech Folk Festival. You may recall that last year was the first one. It was very nice. I wept through all the concerts I had seen. It touches your heart when you hear girls from Odessa sing „Ta Nase Pisnicka Ceska“ and the group Slavicek from Romania singing Moravian folksongs.

I was a little more cynical this year, however, I experienced a great joy. The director of the organization Sedm paprsků, Věra Doušová is one of those amazing beings who live in this world to do amazing things, regardless of profit. Last year she managed to bring to life the first festival and this year she was able to expand it to more days and elevate it to a truly respectable social level. (It had the artistic and patriotic one last year as well as it always will have, whenever people who have their heart in the right place meet.)

The performances took place first of all during the closing reception in the Karolinum, followed by the Rytířský hall of the CR Senate, the Salesian Theater, and then along the way to Hradčany Square. It was beautiful! Two hundred people, mostly girls and women (even though the men were not missing ) danced, sang, and presented happy smiles. Many of them, same as last year even though they were of Czech origin, were in the Czech Republic for the first time. They did not hide their enthusiasm.

Most of the groups came from the Ukraine, Russia, but sad to say, only one from the West, from Texas.

Although the entire festival was wonderful, it was the closing on Sunday that impressed us the best with a procession around the Hradčany Square where singing and dancing continued.

The festival put me in such a great mood, that I shall leave the political reproofs that I had originally written for this editorial for the next November issue, the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. I may even tone it down a bit. After all we do have a bit of Democracy and freedom, don’t we? Just think that the chief prosecutor Polednová- Brožová who sentenced Milada Horakova to death was finally sentenced to six years in prison. State Attorney Vesecká, asked the president to grant her amnesty.There followed a wave of complaints and objections from various associations. Attorney Vesecká did not even use her brain since they will have released the old woman in a few days anyway on account of her poor health as they did the other few sentenced communist criminals.

And this is how Vesecká discredited herself. I hope she’ll be forced to resign. Isn’t that a pretty good Democratic news? - But mainly just imagine that that old woman guilty of murder when she was young, feels no regrets for what she did. On the contrary, she shouted threats at the judge as she was leaving. It was on TV so all could see it. Isn‘t that proof (at least a little) of our Democracy and freedom?

Why, Milada Horáková would not have been able to shout anything like that.

In this issue you’ll also find out about a series, which has been filmed and still is being shot called Daughters of the 50s those whom the Communists in construed trials imprisoned or killed fathers or mothers

Those are good news, aren‘t they?