Croatia: For Home – Ready! Flushing Out Communist Crimes

On 18 November 2013 at Vukovar, on Remembrance Day for victims of homeland war, Croatian government and president experienced a profound taste of rejection by the very majority of Croatians who found themselves in Vukovar on that day and there were over 100,000 there. In fact, it can be said with confidence that the current pro and ex-communist loyal government has been on a steep down-slide of popularity during the past year with calls for its resignation echoing in many corridors and cities on a daily basis.

Those that adore the five-pointed red star, adored communism in ex-Yugoslavia, have no issues with wearing or people wearing badges with the red star in the streets, have no problems with people chanting “brotherhood and unity” (communist Yugoslavia slogan) even though that “brotherhood and unity”, that “red star”, that communism murdered more innocent people as a matter of communist policy than the pro-Nazi WWII Ustashe regime put together!

19th November 2013 came. Oh what a highly opportune moment for ex-communists and current communists at heart to once again show their ugly face that continues ignoring communist crimes!

Imagine: at the Croatia Vs Iceland, World Cup Brazil 2014 qualifying soccer match, Zagreb. Croatian team wins and secures its place for Brazil 2014 World Cup playoffs. Anyone who is into any competitive sport whatsoever would know how elating this moment of victory can be, how emotions of love, pride, devotion and belonging can take us into a spin of complete ecstasy!

Josip Simunic, Australian born defender on the Croatian national representation soccer team, took a microphone to the field after the match, evidently overjoyed, reveled and shouted gregariously: “For home!” The many thousands of fans from the stands responded loudly: “Ready!”

Oh, Josip! Didn’t you know that the pro-communist government, drowning in widespread disillusionment and rejection by the people, will label you a “Nazi”, an “Ustashe”, straight away?

Didn’t you know that the Croatian mainstream media is controlled by ex and pro-communists and is always ready to keep horrid communist crimes buried and that they would send to the world the concoction that the salute you uttered, is a Nazi/fascist salute and not a salute signifying love for Croatia as homeland?

Didn’t you know that the communist-at-heart government and president in Croatia will not budge a millimeter in order to reject to the world the notion that the salute “For Home – Ready” is a pro-Nazi salute exclusively?

So, since the government or the president will not bother explaining to the world what in fact “For Home – Ready ” stands for, because it suits their hypocritical, communist, ways not to do so, I have found this article in Dnevno news portal and translated parts of it into English.

“As is the case with all good Croats, I was taught in school throughout my childhood that the greeting ‘For the home Ready!’ is a fascist salute. They teach good Croats all sorts of things. But, as luck would have it, good Croats are also raised and taught by their parents, grandmothers, grandfathers, the street, friends … Church!

So, they taught me at school that only the Ustashe saluted and greeted with “For the Home Ready” and that when I hear someone use that salutation I should know that that someone condones the evil that Ustashe perpetrated.  And that’s how they teach the children in schools today. The media that hates everything that has to do with Croatia propagate the same.

But … there’s always that but …

But I was never clear why would this salutation be considered evil. When I separate the words I see that it’s all about calling to defend the home. Ones own home because a home does not belong to strangers. If it belongs to strangers then it is not a home. Is it because they want to say that Croats do not have a right to a home? I do not know, but it seems like that to me. In these my thoughts and resistance of the notion that this salutation is evil I came across many details that have convinced me that there is no justification in forbidding someone to defend their home!

When the Croatians stopped being barbarians and embraced Christianity in the seventh century, they were very serious about it. The Croats took their Christianity so seriously that they vowed to Pope Agatho never to lead wars of conquest but only to defend themselves.

Pretty cool, huh!?

As such, Croats could be role models for the ‘civilised’ Europe whose people like the territories that belong to others…

One doesn’t need to be too clever, it’s enough to take a map of Croatia, see its shape, in order to realise that for centuries the Croats had been increasingly pulling into themselves and retreating before the bullies who wanted to gnaw the flesh from the bone…

Well, well, there are people such as Croats who are ready to defend their home. Of course, those who are bothered by the resistance and who like to take someone else’s land will employ every effort in ensuring that no one says he/she is ready to defend his/her home. Words have power. If the Croats say they are ready to defend their home that will become a part of their identity. It will become part of them. Then it becomes difficult to attack someone who is willing to die for his/her home. The tactics used by such people are to make even the mere mention of defence repugnant to Croats. When they hit, no one would defend because, through their education programs and the media, they have convinced the Croats that the one who defends himself is actually a criminal.

Of course, once you say that you are ready to defend your home, your family, your neighbours, friends, brothers, sisters … they will say that you are Ustasha. End of discussion. Because, well, the Ustashe were using that term. I don’t want to get into the Ustasha and Partisans issues here, I dream of the day when historians add up all the victims and bow to all the victims. Regardless of whose victims, we should pay tribute to the victims. A victim is a victim. It is certainly wrong to consider some victims more worth than others or to uplift one victim while ridiculing the other. You need to stand up and admit that Croats existed before and after World War II… It was then when two devils struggled against each other to own the kind and simple Croatian spirit. Each wanted to alienate and destroy the Croatian people and plant the seeds of discord, which still lasts.

I remember how much shouting and screaming there was when (at the time of secession from communist Yugoslavia) Croatia got its new flag, which contained its historic crest. Then there were many who claimed that it was the Ustasha emblem… Also, I remember when Croatia introduced the Kuna currency; it was accused of being Ustasha currency! We all know that Ustashe did not develop the Croatian coat of arms and the Kuna but that these are historical parts of Croatian national identity. Perhaps it’s time to remove the label of evil from the very noble salutation such as is ‘For Home!’.  Ustashe did not invent this salutation; they only took it from the rich Croatian history (centuries before them). Just as the Partisans and the Ustashe ate bread during WWII, so we eat it now. It would be wrong if someone complained that I was a Partisan or Ustasha while I’m eating a sandwich, because I’m eating it. Such a person would really need to be sent for (medical) observation. Because that’s not normal.

Oh yes, one more thing … in all this digging and researching I discovered that the Ustashe had the salutation “To Poglavnik (Leader) and home – ready”. So when you remove ‘Poglavnik/Leader” from the salutation you are left with the historic Croatian salutation to that what the Croats promised Pope Agatho when accepting Christianity as their main determinant.

…The fact is that in all my life I had no idea about these details I speak of, which I have discovered. It just goes to show how strong is anti-Croat propaganda and how the Croats are taught that it is not good to defend your home.

I personally think that law should prohibit the use of any form of five-pointed star in any colour because it is a satanic symbol. Such a star has not brought good to any nation. However, the carriers of the satanic symbol are very well connected and networked so that whenever someone mentions ‘For Home” they’re ready to lodge complaints with some authority or other. Fortunately, the salutation ‘For Home – Ready” is not illegal in Croatia. This is corroborated by court decisions, which have found that ‘For Home, ready’ is a historical Croatian greeting/salutation.

So, next time you hear that someone greets you with the words ‘For home!” be ready to reply – ‘Ready!’ because that means that you remember well the promises that proud Croat grandparents gave to Pope Agatho and, with that, everything that such a greeting carries in its original form. Of course, Croatian enemies won’t like this, but the Croats should be proud of it. For home! – By Elvis Duspara/Nacija”

To put it in Josip Simunic’s words: “Some people have to learn some history. I’m not afraid. I did nothing wrong. I’m supporting my Croatia, my homeland. If someone has something against it, that’s their problem.”

To endure the hateful fate encountered at the hands of former and current communists, who keep on justifying the unjustifiable, one must truly be strong! One must shout “For Home – Ready” from the rooftops until such a time when communist crimes are brought to justice and condemned with same force as Nazi crimes have been. There is simply no other way to peace and tolerance. It’s inherent in human nature not to tolerate double-standards especially when it comes to crimes against humanity. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)