Granted, comparing the Koran to “Mein Kampf” in “Fitna” was an overkill – but given the temperature surrounding the debate on Arabs in Europe, that’s not much of a shocker. Quite rightfully, the Dutch court decided to let him go on counts of inciting ratial and whatnot hatred. Which makes it all the more shocking that the people running the Dutch chapter of Arab European League were fined for publishing a Holocaust-mocking cartoon.

Do I like the idea of publishing cartoons mocking the Holocaust? Not particularly – after all I am Polish and the Germans organized most of the killing in my country (yes, Germans – not same “Nazi” nation as the politically correct propaganda would have us believe). But freedom of speech and real tolerance means precisely that: tolerating (not liking! not supporting!) things we don’t agree with, even through gritted teeth. Once we hand some authority the power to decide what can be debated in public, we land on a slippery slope. After all, nazi rule in Germany did not start with gassing people in chambers, killing innocent civilians or raping and pillaging other countries.

Burning the “wrong” books came first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApZyx9skwzI&feature=related

Oh. My. Goodness. I’m not entirely sure what the weather is like on Bill’s planet, but it sure as hell is different than here – the fact that we exist in parallel universes is absolutely beyond doubt. Tourists don’t come to Amsterdam? Then why the hell is next to impossible to park a bike (let alone a car) in the centre? Free sex and drugs? Yeah, well, I don’t know what kind of crew is O’Reilly’s correspondent hanging out with – but the rest of us, mere mortals, have to pay for everything. Free stuff in Amsterdam – only an inbred redneck from flyover country could come up with something like that. Corruption? I wish – maybe at least some of the official procedures could go a tiny bit faster. Anarchy?  Sure, some places are a no-go after dark – but which big city doesn’t have those? And the police is there – visible, competent, and polite even when they’re busting you for cycling without your lights on…

And the funny thing is, there’s quite a few things wrong with Amsterdam – or Netherlands in general – but none of them has anything to deal with the apocalyptic picture painted by the pseudo-journalists from FOX. I took a tram to work today (the weather is turning totally Dutch-autumn-style, unfortunately) and for the sake of killing time, I was staring at  the in-tram display. Normally it’s news mixed with some horoscopes and crap about celebrities doing this and that – but the novelty today was the phone number where you can report an appartment scam.

I’ve been living here a while, so idiotic rules like the pro-squatting rules (if I keep my appartment empty for a year, I can’t kick out squatters, should I be unlucky enough to get such pestilence) or gemeente appartments (eight years of waiting and you get to live for 300 euro inclusive per month) don’t impress me much. Obviously, each big city has the problem of demand for places to live exceeding the supply – and every municipality devises its own way of handling it – but come on… Does it take so much brain to imagine, that patient will try to get those appartments and then immediately sublet them? They are not a root cause of the problem, merely a symptom – and, as befits good socialists, that’s precisely what the officials are targetting. Seems like they’ve been taking some lessons from their older colleagues in the Eastern Bloc: combating the big-bad-evil speculators has a long tradition there. Too bad I had to get off the tram before I could check whether financial incentive was being offered.

There is a theory that says there’s nothing new happening in this world – just old things that have been really well forgotten. Balkenende IV has a number of ideas stinking of Big Brother (the per capita amount of phone tap, which Hirsch Balin recently talked about in the Tweede Kamer) – but this short ad was a bit of an eye-opener for me: old ideas are coming back in a new form.

Anarchy my ass.

Not that I am scared of gay people – and that is what the word literally means – but fine. On the other hand, there is a Gay Pride: a parade, where gays, lesbians and the lot are showing their pride of being gay – clearly indicating it is something, that makes them distinct from everyone else. Somehow those two parts don’t add up – but maybe I’m just being picky.

Anyway, kamerlid Jonker will be bouncing among the participants, together with some Christian gays and lesbians. The declared purpose of the exercise: promote the dialogue between the gay community and Christian churches. And this is the part where I don’t really know what to think.

On the one hand, dialogue seems like a good idea: the currently employed tactics leads to both sides just digging themselves deeper into their respective trenches. The priests are either bending over backwards to avoid being accuses of intolerance, or screaming on top of their lungs against depravity represented by anyone who’s homo. Gay activists on the other hand have a number of favorite rhetorical devices, among which a common line is one about churches persecuting them. That’s not really going anywhere.

On the other hand, though, what is there to discuss and debate about? We live in a culture which seems to value dialogue for the sake of dialogue, but in this particular instance… I mean, think about it: what can possibly come out of it? The gay people abandoning the idea of pride parades or moving towards celibacy? Clergy softening the doctrinal approach (and I am talking about the churches that are critical of gay lifestyle, leaving aside diehards who call for prosecution and punishment)? Bollocks…

Three issues remain, on the sidelines of the above: first, even assuming that I am a gloomy prick and the dialogue is a good idea in this case, why is it supposed to be conducted by a kamerlid (last time I checked, there was a separation of church and state in the Netherlands)? Is a canal cruise, with techno blasting from all speakers, really the best time and place for establishing a serious talk? And last but not least, isn’t the boat where Jonker will be dancing, paid for by the taxpayer (i.e. myself, among other people)?

But nobody really seems to care about those things, which leads me to suspect a cynical publicity stunt: the kamerlid can show his party is cool and trendy, the activists can show they are being taken seriously, and everyone will be having fun – which seems to be all there is to care about these days.

And all the folks who struggle to reconcile their Christian beliefs with the official opinion of the church? Who gives a shit a about them… Pick the side of the baricade and shut up.

But fear no more, my fellow vreemdelingen – the PVV still remembers about us. This week they asked all the ministries for detailed calculations: how much is our presence in this country costing the taxpayer, and how much are we delivering in return. One Sietse Fritsma summarized the point in quite a succinct manner: a disproportionate amount of money is given to non-Western migrants and there is no value for it.

Try as might, I can not place Poland as a Western country – so I took those words personally. On the other hand, Wilders said on multiple occasions he feels at home in Israel: maybe this is his reference point? In which case my homeland is in the West, but so is Ukraine or Belarus…  I’m not so sure this is what PVV has in mind.

Anyway, the rant by Fritsma got better. He is asking the ministries – but seems to know the answer already, predicting that many migrants are poor / unemployed, which affects the balance in question. They incur costs on the education system as well as health – the last one due to a high rate of semi-incestous relationships – and justice, who have to invest more to combat terrorism.

Ok, so as a badly-educated, sister-fucking terrorist immigrant in this country I have a point to make towards the people subscribing to the views of mr Fritsma: bring it on, bitch. I will ignore the fact, that being professional politicians, none of you probably worked an honest day’s work in his / her life. Bring it on, let’s have a look at the numbers so we can get a clue on what do immigrants contribute to the economy of this country -  and is the Dutch goverment getting value for its money.

If you find people abusing the social security system, cut them off tomorrow – Maroccan, Polish, Bulgarian – I don’t care. One tiny question: once you’re at it, could you have a look at the Dutch, who may be second-generation unemployed and living off somebody else’s money (for instance my taxes)? Or will there be an exception?

Having finished that part, please have a look at the professionals employed e.g. in the finance industry – and compare the amount of taxes we are paying (quite substantial, to my deepest sadness) to what we take in social security (zero in your humble servant’s case – i did not even get the 30% rule).

I could go on like this, but you probably get the picture. I have a prediction to make too: once the numbers are there, i don’t think your initial point will hold. I do not expect an apology – populist scumbags like the PVV do not have the guts to do it.

Just sodomieter op.

Whenever the left wing get hold of social issues, it is usually the time to run for you life:  it is therefore quite surprising that the integration minister Van der Laan decided to shorten the leash of the the Utrecht-based wethouder Spit. The latter was in charge of organizing inburgering courses – and in her municipality, those were separate for men and women.  Despite the “urgent appeal” from her party comrades (God, I love the sound of this phrase), Spit insisted that this was the right way, as it made sure more people participated. Fuck the values this country claims to adhere to, fuck the purpose – numbers! What is this thing with the left and their obsession with masses?

And shockingly for a leftie, minister Van der Laan has an excellent point: men and women have equal rights in this country, so organizing separate courses – thus bowing to the cultural norms of the new citizens’ countries of origin – defies the whole point of the exercise. On top of that, Van der Laan sticks to his guns and vows to stop financing of separate courses as soon as 2010 – confirming, that the central budget will only subsidize courses which are in line with the equal rights agenda.

Well, well, well… Who would have thought a spark of common sense can appear in the overwhelming mass of political correctness? And in the least likely of places – among the social democrats?

For what it’s worth from a non-voting citizen – well done, minister.

Normally, reading the news describing the ideas of social democrats (or socialists, or communists, or whatever the mental offspring of Marx decide to call themselves) is a bit of a depressing experience. Quite fortunately, they have dropped the methods employed by their older colleagues from behind the Iron Curtain: people do not get disappeared, there is no central economy (although God knows how the orgy of bailouts will end)… Nevertheless, they still feel the same urge to adjust the society to their ideal – and if the facts are contradicting their theory, woe to the facts. They claim to be all for secular society – and make a point of discussing religion much more that christian democrats. Go figure.

But sometimes I open the newspaper, some red-or-pink sorry bunch is mentioned – and I can’t help smiling. Socialism is a self-contradictory doctrine and – as it is pretty obvious to any logically thinking person – nature does not tolerate contradictions (at least not in the long run). Most recently, as it turned out, the PvdA are learning this lesson the hard way.

For a party declaring its support for secular society, it always surprised me that the social democrats under the command of Mr Bos are dedicating so much attention to religion. Being a Christian myself, I usually start feeling ill at ease under such circumstances – as a rule, religious communities tend to be better off without state interference. But what the hell do I know? I am just a barbaric Oostblokker after all…

As it turns out, politics tends to make strange bedfellows – and a number of people in this country are feeling exactly the same way, although for rather opposite reasons. Three of them, who happen to be Dutch of Maroccan origin, decided to make their point in yesterday’s edition of the “De Pers”. And boy, does it make some interesting reading.

Mohammed Mohandis is 24 and a gemeenteraadslid in Gouda. He’s a member of Jonge Socialisten (the PvdA’s Hitlerjugend) – but despite that, he seems to be a smart guy making some interesting points. First, he mentions the strange way religion is treated in this country – sort of an absence as a higher form of presence. In his view, the PvdA is – with typical left-wing subtlety, might I add – treating all citizens with ancestry in islamic countries as devout Muslims. Which is not exactly the case in practice, but who cares? On the one hand, the underlings of Mr Bos are preaching the Netherlands as a secular society, on the other – they are bending over backwards to avoid disturbing the people from Muslim countries (who, as we all know, are a bunch of bloodthirsty islamic terrorists). For those with left wing brains: the last sentence was sarcastic.

That, understandably, annoys people like mr Mohandis – after all there are quite a few secular Muslims, as well as people who step away from the faith. This is neither the time nor the place for a theological discussion about the implications of such action, but one thing I absolutely agree with: people who make this dramatic choice need to feel the support. Not because you are in love with the liberal version of islam, or because you don’t care… No, you need to support them because this extreme scenario shows what good is your talk about individual rights and freedoms. Will you stick to your guns, or show your true colors as an excusable bunch of hypocrites?

To me, the answer is obvious – and so it is, it seems, to the 24year old Gouwenaar. He mentions an interesting phenomenon: some people of Moroccan descent, who feel disappointed by the stereotype practiced by the PvdA, turn to D66 instead… Somewhat radical change, some might say – but clearly the latter party is perceived as more sincere in its attitude towards personal liberties.

The newspaper interviewed also two other raadslids – and the message is pretty much the same: enslavement with political correctness, attention towards Muslim issues mostly during the election period (and ignoring the needs of secular Moroccans as soon as election heat is overr)… Depressing, on the face of it: PvdA used to be massively supported by the Turks and Moroccans, so – despite my dislike of the party – I am sorry to see those people screwed. On the other, it seems like they might be starting to realize what workers, women, blacks and gays figured out a long time ago: minorities have always been treated by the left in a strictly instrumental way and nobody under a red flag really bothered to listen to their needs. Once they figure it out, the tactical alliance will be over – and maybe the voice of Dutch citizens with Turkish or Moroccan roots will be heard for what it is, without being muted by the pink-red flag.

The sooner the better.

Subsequently, nothing coming out of their mouth is really worth any attention – to name just two recent examples, CDA is considering a flat income tax rate in 2011 (yeah, right – why not in 2111? and even if you lower the taxes, how are you going to pay all the parasites abusing the social security), while the Bogeymen and his wild bunch are rambling about their support for free market (by promising even more redistribution of public money – i know Wilders sports the most disastrous haircut in modern history, but did the barber chop his brains in the process as well?)…

This overgrown intro serves one purpose – surprisingly even for myself, showing a positive example of somebody proposing a novel approach to an old problem. The Groenlinks are a bit of a curiosity even for lefties (a region of the political spectrum populated by freaks sort of ex vi termini) – a hybrid formed by communists, evangelical Christians and pacifist. Sounds like fire and water with a bit of fart on top, but clearly there was a demand for someone like that. Among their more spectacular actions was a vehement opposition against nuclear arnament in the 80s – which of course prompts a question for links to the Soviet military intelligence, for whom the West disarming itself must have been an equivalent of a teenager in a “Playboy” party  – as well general pro-social justice, pro-ecology stuff.

Same old, same old? Not anymore. Clearly there are some people with brains at Groenlinks, who realize that times are changing, crisis is upon us, we need to save money – and they came up with this:

http://vraaghetfemke.groenlinks.nl/

Wow. I mean, you know man – wow. How come nobody else thought about it? Nobody in politics has anything to say which would be worth our time, so why bother? Let’s generate an automatic response system (written in Flash) that repeats the same old slogans over and over again. It’s female (the automaton) – proving that the party is truly progressive and free of sexism. It has a rather lower carbon footprint than a live spokesperson – showing the concern for ecology. It’s online – a sign of true progressiveness. It’s cheaper than an MP – disproving claims, that the left wing parties artificially increase bureaucracy…

Who would have though a bunch of left wing loonies are capable of coming up with an idea so simple and yet so brilliant?

First and obvious idea: show the voters we respond to their fears (which is precisely what the PVV is playing upon), but do it a more civilized and gezelling manner. After all, that’s precisely the stunt Sarkozy pulled on Le Pen and his National Front during the most recent presidential election in France – and boy, did it do the trick.

The offensive is occurring in multiple media and the recurring face is the mug of mister Jan Kees de Jager. Last time I mentioned his comments on taxation for “De Telegraaf”, this time I busted into him in “De Pers”. Apart from the usual crap about himself personally (honestly: who cares?), he makes two interesting points. First, with surprising accuracy he addresses the issue of PVV economic policies. Some people accuse the Bogeyman of being a populist (read: big spender of public money – which makes him different from the rest of the bunch how exactly?), while at the same time others – mostly from the left – hate him for declaring his support for the free market… Which begs a question: what is he really up to? I am not a huge fan of the CDA, but their guy makes an excellent point: for a party with 43% support (if you trust the polls, and that’s a pretty big “if”), it would be nice if the PVV showed their true colors. That is, of course, assuming they actually have any.

A second important issue which makes people unhappy about Wilders is his attitude towards immigration. This used to be about muslims – “Fitna” and related fun – but clearly the “Poolse tsunami” in this country is all the rage nw. To be honest, I was not aware of being a part of the phantom menace sucking the life out of the Dutch economy. Who knows, I am so ferocious, maybe I can bully my boss into giving me a raise?

Jokes aside, mr de Jager makes another good point here. He does not bullshit about tolerance, equal rights, free market for labour and capital within the EU – thus reassuring there is a good reason for the Dutch reputation for being practical, pragmatic and cool-headed. I mean, in the aftermath of the credit crunch and the orgy of economic nationalism that followed, nobody believes the idealistic crap anymore. So instead of feeding us crap, mr de Jager appeals to common sense: “geen Polen”  may sound interesting to the voters, but people have to understand this means removing cheap labour and subsequently, prices going up. Plain and simple: do the math yourselves, dear voters, and decide what’s worth more – getting rid of the horrible Oostblokkers, or making that money-wise you’re still fine. Your call.

Mind you, the goverment does not seem to be certain of the outcome – so they are hedging their bet and introducing mandatory “inburgeren” courses. Although those are supposed to apply to all EU citizens residing in the Netherlands, all the press reports start with phrases like “verplicht inburgeren voor Polen”… The language is doable (I guess), so are certain cultural norms – but hammering the concept of gezelligheid into Polish heads is going to be such fun (to watch, preferably from a distance).

And that’s the way it goes: on the one hand a (supposedly) free-market looney, who would kick all the non-Dutch people out tomorrow, on the other – a bunch of same-old-same-old de facto socialists, who want to make sure everything is the way it used to be… I am not a Dutch citizen, nor am I likely to become one before the election (no matter how mandatory the courses are) – but the decisions made by the Dutch at the voting booth will affect guys like me. Looks like some interesting times lie ahead.

Shit. Again?

Then there’s some good news – or at least, so it seems on the  surface – the hired brains suggest a flat income tax rate. They give a rationale which is sort of obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense:  more money left in people’s pockets, less bureaucracy and parasites from the Belastingdienst feeding upon us, life is simpler…

If the above the description sounds too good to be true, that’s because this is precisely the case: according to Jan Kees de Jager from the CDA, the proposal is very interesting, worth looking into, especially given that now is the time for a major review of the system. Unfortunately, after some blah blah, we get the party’s view: the issue is to be postponed until after the next election, when the new Tweede Kammer takes it up. For the time being, standardization of wages is more important. There is some logic to, come to think about it: reducing income gaps is much more gezellig of giving people some of their freedom back (via their money). And for those of us who work more to get the extra buck? More neuken zonder kussen, I’m afraid.

And to think I could have been stupid enough to actually have a glimmer of hope…

The recent presence of the Dutch voice here – and the reactions to it – sort of got me thinking, in particular about the issue of how the people in this country tend to make statements about things they don’t have a bloody clue about. Nowhere is this more manifest than in the context of protesting against things happening worldwide.

I was walking past Dam Square the other day and saw a group of people with flags and posters screaming something. Upon closer examination, they turned out to be supporting the “pro-democratic” demonstrations in Iran. Some guy with the looks of a veteran from the Crimean War was screaming something about the criminal Ahmadinejad, others waving flags, blah blah blah…

Are any of them actually aware that Moussawi is just as linked to the old corrupt elite running the show in Iran as Ahmadinejad (son of a bitch was a prime minister during the Iran-Iraq war, for heaven’s sake)? Do they understand the Iranians do really support the concept of an islamic republic and are not particularly fond of democracy western style? Pointless questions, since the answer is obviously “no”.

Another example from the same shelf: last year people were  massively screaming their outrage at China, in support of free Tibet, Dhalai Lama as the modern-day saint etc. Granted, the Chinese goverment is not exactly what you would refer to as nice guys – but if the allegedly supressed monks had their way, Tibet would have been a full blown theocracy (and a backward one, on top of that). Is this really the fate everyone wants to impose on the folks residing there among mountain tops? Probably not, if you give it some thought.

Hah, this is where troubles start: the loudest screamers and protesters can not be bothered to think. They just voice their support for what they think is a just cause. What’s funny, they tend to be rather selective about their targets: recently I saw in a bookstore a commerative album about the fantastical demonstrations organized by the Dutch green-left-whatever-the-fuck in the 1980s. What were they angry at ? Surprise, surprise: against the big bad American imperialism. Let’s disarm, nuclear weapons are evil etc. Never mind that it was those very weapons that served as a deterrent against the Soviets – who otherwise would have liberated the shit out of this country.

A major contradiction is that, in all likelihood, the same people who chant for free Tibet, do not mind walking under scythe and hammer on a different occasion. On the one hand you protest against atrocities commited under a red flag (like Tienammen Square massacre), on the other you manifest the love of the commie ideology – which cost more lives, than the Chinese regime ever can claim to destroy. And don’t tell me it’s about people not having the information: East Germany was what, two hour flight from Amsterdam? Compared to eight or more hours required to get to China or Iran, this is practically next door. Yet communism is treated mildly, as just another good idea which got distorted along the way – and at the same time, everyone just “knows” that Ahmadinejad is an evil psycho.

Am I being picky, or are we talking split personality here? On the other hand, no one is as blind as those, who do not want to see.

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