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Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Tears |
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I'm not exactly the most bottled up of fella's, but even for me it's rather exceptional to nearly start crying whilst driving a car.
I never cry. But the sadness which struck me got close to getting me there.
Fortunately, I was stuck in a traffic jam, so no one got hurt.
What caused all this was a radio broadcast about the cremation service for Theo van Gogh.
His sister read out a poem by Henk van Randwijk, an underground resistance fighter during World War II.
The last three lines are known to virtually all Dutch. However, I had never heard it in full.
I couldn't find an English translation, so I had a go at it. I'm not a literary translator, nor a native speaker of English, so please bear that in mind while reading it. There is very little rhyme in the poem already, so I've tried to preserve as best as possible without making it sound too artificial. Here goes:
All of us who've gathered here
All of us who've gathered here
The living, the dead
The hand's breadth which parts us is small
We have been jointly summoned
Before the court
Remember the loved one lying here
Brother, friend or father
But open your eyes to a wider sight
Behold the land and people jointly
Hear this word:
We stand together before the court
To elect either good or bad
A people which to tyranny consents
Will lose more than life and goods
Then light relents
(Thanks to Richard and Martin for offering suggestions. Read the Dutch original by clicking 'Lees verder'.)
More...
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21:53 |
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Attacks on churches |
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Does this stuff get you girls these days?
As I am really old already (29!), I can't really understand why adolescents (either in a mental or a physical sense) all over the country seem to think this would be a great time to fullfil a lifelong dream of becoming an arsonist.
Recently, we had a couple of mindless jerks who tried to torch a few mosques and bomb a school, and now there've been some equally braindead w*nkers who tried to set fire to churches in Rotterdam, Amersfoort and Utrecht.
Nice going, guys! Say, why don't you dress up the way people did during the Crusades? Wearing mediaeval garb you'd be much easier for the police to identify.
Also, it's much harder to chop up a mosque or church with an old-fashioned sword. It keeps you busy while we call the cops.
Alternatively, we could lock you up with Mohammed B., thrown in a few knives, and keep score of the decapitations from a safe distance of the bars.
We'll make it a pay-per-view event, and then we'll use the money to throw a real good party for everyone who actually still gives a damn about this country. After sunset, so everyone can come. The native Dutch will bring the booze and our Muslim countrymen will prepare the food, because the other way around would make no sense to me. (Anyone who's ever been to a Dutch restaurant, will agree.) And at the end of the night, just before the sun rises once more, we'll have a good breakfast and one last toast, thanking whatever supreme being people happen to believe in for you no longer being with us.
Jeez, these assholes get me mad.
Update 22.04: Apparently, I am not very intimidating, because a Muslim school in Uden burnt down tonight. Previous fires in Muslim buldings caused only superficial damage.
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21:26 |
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The Syrian connection |
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The hunt is on for a Syrian national who was allegedly in contact with four men being held in the Netherlands on terrorism charges. Read all about it here.
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21:21 |
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'Islamist threat against the Netherlands' |
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According to Reuters, an radical Islamist group warns the Dutch there will be further attacks on the Netherlands if there's more violence against Muslim buildings.As has been reported here, an Islamic school in Eindhoven was bombed and several mosques all over the country were targeted by arsonists.
Meanwhile, Dutch shock blog Geen Stijl found what they claim is the original threat in Arabic. It can be viewed here. Could someone try and translate it? The date in the left hand side of the screen really puzzles me.
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20:57 |
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'Intelligence documents leaked to terror cell' |
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My theory that secretary Johan Remkes of Domestic Affairs will soon be out of a job gained further credibility today. NRC Handelsblad, the same newspaper that yesterday printed an interview in which Remkes lambasted his colleague Piet-Hein Donner of Justice, today reports that secret documents of the Dutch intelligence service AIVD got into the hands of radical Islamists associated with Mohammed B. Which, if it's true, most likely means that we will finally be rid of Mr. Remkes, who has made quite a few mistakes already combatting terrorism.
In other AIVD news, the service will probably get an extra 100 million euros to combat terrorism, some of which will be spent on the DKDB service, which is responsible for guarding VIP's. Of course, Dutch PBS had to immediately conjure up two experts denouncing this move. One of them was Roger Vleugels, who is an excellent journalist and a member of the Dutch Society of Investigative Journalists (as am I). Mr. Vleugels makes a living challenging the government on Freedom of Information Act requests, taking them to court if needs be. It's no surprise that someone who's been combatting secrecy all his life isn't happy with a funding increase for a secret service; it is however quite surprising that Dutch PBS chose to ask him to comment. Oh wait, it isn't.
Tossers.
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20:36 |
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Stylish murder |
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De Balie, a left-wing cultural center, has deemed it fit to organize a debate about style and the art of conversation. The words 'extra' in the electronic invitation would seem to suggest the debate has something to do with the murder of Van Gogh. And so would the subject: 'The art of conversation.'
Under the banner there's a quote from a book by Charles Bukowski, who apparently wrote: 'You can say everything, and do everything, but do it with style.'
It's an interesting statement for its countless ambiguities. Was Theo van Gogh a stylish man? Is nearly decapitating someone a stylish act? Is De Balie organizing a stylish debate?
Well, perhaps the subject of the debate will help determining that:
'Not a meeting on the freedom of expression. Instead, a meeting on the art of conversation. Those who haven't mastered this art, will resort to calling names, and who can't even master that, will resort to violence.'
Theo van Gogh used a lot of profane language, but was also a masterful interviewer, capable of conversation which could be gentle even at its hardest. His murderer used violence, but wrote a glowing call to Jihad, which was at least an attempt to reason with the infidels. De Balie wrote a very vague invitation, but without any insults (well, at least no unambiguous ones), and they've never hurt anyone there (although their coffee can be murderous).
Who could have guessed that the art of communication would be so confusing?
The most interesting thing is that Van Gogh is never mentioned in the invitation, and yet he seems to be present in every line.
For the invite goes on: 'No noise, but control.' Ah. They wouldn't be referring to the noisy wake we held for Van Gogh on the Dam Square, now would they? It's a good thing they aren't too clear about what they mean, or someone might challenge them.
But they don't seem to want to be challenged, or to engage in a debate. For then their invite says: 'No opinions, but thoughts.'
I hope they will a nice civilized evening during which absolutely nothing will be said.
Actually, I am sure of it.
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19:22 |
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Maintenance messages |
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The entire Tuesday I'll be teaching internet research skills to a group of fellow journalists, so blogging will be sparse. Especially since immediately afterwards I'll have to interview someone on sleeping problems in middle-aged men, after which I'll channel some of my frustration in my weekly Wing Chun lesson.
Normally I wouldn't mention this, but since the number of visitors septupled in the past week, I thought it would be a good idea.
Since the number of people calling for genocides and the likes has dramatically decreased in the past few days, comments will remain on while I sleep.
Thanks for being civilized, and thanks again for your kind words.
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0:46 |
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Party when you're dead |
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A lot of booze. A lot of well-dressed women. A lot of your best friends.
Throw me one of these parties when I die (although I hope no Jihadi is going to jump my neck anytime soon).
It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life.
There must have been some truth to Theo van Gogh's labor, for a great many people showed to celebrate it.
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0:40 |
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