It's no Dutch Treat anymore
Posted: November 15, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
One of the most liberal countries in the world is suddenly feeling the pain of the war of terrorism. The Netherlands, long a haven of those who want to live and let live, finds itself in the midst of a spasm of cold-blooded murder.
How times change.
A long time ago, one of my mother's uncles was a Merchant Marine and his travels took him across the world. He brought home souvenirs, many of which I inherited. They reflect political changes not envisioned when he bought them.
One was a charm bracelet from Cuba. Each charm was a dancing girl's skirt, but each was really an umbrella-shaped shell painted red, white and blue.
You won't find those in Castro's Cuba.
Another gift was an authentic pair of hand-carved wooden Dutch shoes, the kind Dutchmen actually wore. I appreciate their charm and the kind lifestyle that then existed.
You won't find any of those today.
The Netherlands of today has been thrust headfirst into the new millennium and it's not particularly comforting. It's also not very safe and the Dutch suddenly realize they're part of the war of terrorism. They didn't anticipate it, thinking their multiculturalism would preclude any threats directed at them.
Just about anything goes in the Netherlands. You name it, open and above board – porn, drugs, prostitution. How could anyone have a problem with that? Live and let live.
To paraphrase Lady Astor: "Do whatever you want, just don't scare the horses."
But along with their openness about lifestyles, they also had pretty open borders. Come on in! And they did, mainly from Morocco and Turkey – many, many Muslims. In fact, the Netherlands has one of the biggest Muslim populations in Europe – nearly a million – most with dual citizenship. About 300,000 Moroccans live there and about 20 percent of the 16 million population are immigrants.
No one paid much attention that many among them were not necessarily peaceable and many were not very tolerant of the Dutch lifestyle. No one paid much attention that in their midst was brewing a stew of hatred that would burst into violence and threaten the entire country.
They ignored the warnings, the rumbles of concern about virtually open immigration. Some spoke aloud that the influx of so many of another culture would affect Dutch lifestyle.
Two years ago, it burst openly into politics when Pym Fortuyn ran for national office on an anti-immigration platform. Surprisingly to everyone, except those who saw what was really happening in the country, Fortuyn gathered a huge following. He stood up openly for what he believed and spoke of his fears.
A left-wing activist murdered him in cold blood. That he was an environmentalist, a liberal and a homosexual meant nothing. He spoke against open immigration ... that was enough.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41453
