Not too encouraging

I've been nursing a persistent cold for a week now and although good old American drugs (Sudafed, illegal in the EU) kept me going, I decided to have a bit of a workout and to visit the sauna, since the combination usually makes me feel better. Well, the day after, that is.
My health club is located in the very same neighbourhood where Mohammed B., the 26-year old murderer of Theo van Gogh, lived.
I ended up sitting in the sauna with an Iranian and a Moroccan immigrant. There was a third bloke of Arab descent there, though he left too soon to figure out his nationality. The men started talking about the Van Gogh murder. Then something happened.
As the quote on the upper right hand side of the screen shows, I am none too fond of the word 'but'. It is almost always used in conjunction with a pre-emptive copout about the unpopular and/or unsavory thing you are going to say directly afterwards.
My fellow sauna visitors told me they didn't approve of the murder of Van Gogh.
...
BUT...
....
I fear the worst is yet to come.

22:34

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We (n)ever learn

On the one hand, the Dutch police arrested eight suspected radical Islamists today. On the other, Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali was threatened today, and the guy who did it was released within hours.

21:47

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Wise words from Andrew Sullivan

And it's been a while since I thought that. Money quote:

'We saw yesterday, in the cold-blooded murder of a Dutch film-maker for his open criticism of Islamist misogyny, that the enemy is still at large; and aiming directly at our freedoms and security. In Fallujah, our troops are poised for a vital battle against terrorists and theocrats intent on derailing a free future for Iraq. Democracy is on the line there and throughout the world. I've been more than a little frustrated by the president's handling of this war in the past year; but we have to draw a line under that now. The past is the past. And George W. Bush is our president. He deserves a fresh start, a chance to prove himself again, and the constructive criticism of those of us who decided to back his opponent. He needs our prayers and our support for the enormous tasks still ahead of him. He has mine. Unequivocally.'

Mine, too.

11:38

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A personal eulogy

Theo, I think you were pathetic.
And for that, I admired you.
There are few in this country of cultivated and idealized mediocrity who dare to show their own strengths and weaknesses as you did.
Your troubles in love showed in your attempts to film it, with the same passion which apparently prevented you from having something alike a stable relationship. I remember interviewing a woman at ABN Amro who, according to the rumor mill, was about to marry you. You cancelled it at the last moment - probably for the best. (Women tend not to like drinking from a firehose, even when they're thirsty.)
Your love for this country showed in the way you chastised it. I'm not going to quote Goethe here - you know what I'm referring to.
And your troubles with yourself - well - you didn't take care of yourself very well. The fact that your website is called 'The Healthy Smoker' says enough. Let's leave it at that.
Your weaknesses were your strengths, and the other way around. You dared to embrace chaos and criticize it at the same time. It's a dichotomy which could tear apart even the strongest of men.
Perhaps I should be grateful someone prevented that from happening, but I am not.

A faithful reader of your website,

Arjan

0:58

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11-2: The Dutch 9-11

It's a coincidence which has been pointed out by many other people already. Nevertheless, when you write the date of the Van Gogh murder the American way (11-2, rather than the Dutch way, which would be 2-11), you end up with the Dutch version of the 911 alarm phone number. Of course, we all know what happened on 9-11.

0:40

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Dutch police excels in stupidity

Yesterday was a day a guy got killed because of his opinions on the religion of Islam, which were deemed unsavory by some.
Since the murderer turned out to be someone who is involved with a radical Islamist group, this of course provided a perfect opportunity for some fellow Dutch which I am sometimes ashamed of to share this country with: people who vented their anger by slurring immigrants.
Nevertheless, I think it was extremely silly and downright condescending for police in The Hague to bust them for this.
This is not because I want to redeem any sort of racial prejudice.
But methinks there are better ways of dealing with anger after a horrific assassination than arresting frustrated and emotional countrymen.
Wednesday night would have been a good opportunity to extend the now infamous Dutch tolerance regarding contrary opinions towards our native citizens as well.
After all, after a murder because of a difference of opinions, shouldn't we honor the dead guy by not being too fussy about what people are saying, even if we deem *what* they're saying unsavory?
(We can start arresting people again tomorrow.)

0:24

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