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Tuesday, May 7, 2002 |
Due to the traffic, I've temporarily disabled the comments feature. You can post messages here
9:08:12 PM 
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Reuters: "The suspected killer of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is a vegan animal rights activist who declares on the Internet that "protecting animals is civilising people", a source close to Fortuyn's party said on Tuesday."
8:53:36 PM
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A silent march is taking place in Rotterdam, Fortuyn's hometown, where his party swept the local elections just weeks ago. TV is doing what it does best at this moment, showing live, unedited video. Tens of thousands are participating in this silent protest against increased violence in the Netherlands. All races, religions and beliefs are as one now. Most are ashamed of the perception the world now has of their country.
8:18:39 PM
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Thanks to Dave, Tim Jarret and InstaPundit for the flow. I understand that US media outlets are lumping Pim Fortuyn with Le Pen in the same scentence even. They are misinformed and have done inadequate research.
7:03:21 PM
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According to the Chief Justice G. Hofstee the suspected shooter was an enviromental activist. He is a lawyer who works for Vereniging Milieu Offensief in Wageningen [Enviromental Offensive Organization Wageningen] and published information at www.animalfreedom.org in regards to enviromental lawsuits the organization have against numerous companies, governments and individuals.
It is becoming clear that the killer acted alone. His wife and mother of a brand new baby where as surpised as the rest of us.
This is bringing people to the streets, thousands still wait in line in Rotterdam and Now Amsterdam in silent protest to sign the condoleance register at city hall. It is the Dutch 9-11 in the sense that it violently woke up a nation.
The same talking heads, pundits and spinmeisters that lambasted Pim Fortuyn during the campaign trail are now show strongs signs of human emotions, humility, shame and love.
6:38:46 PM
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Dedicated to the loving memory of Dhr. Pim Fortuyn - 'Solitaire'
5:24:39 PM
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Planet heeft een goede lijst met links.
4:49:31 PM
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Marlise Simons in the NY Times reveals the kernel of what sparked the controversey over Pim Fortuyn. I checked her translation against the original article. Spot on.: "During the interview he was asked why he was so critical of Muslim immigrants. He said he found it shameful that foreign Islamic clergy here used offensive language against gays in this country, and that Muslim men tried to impose medieval rural customs in the Netherlands. "How can you respect a culture if the woman has to walk several steps behind her man, has to stay in the kitchen and keep her mouth shut," he said. "
3:37:50 PM
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Just got a call from a friendly lawyer (yes they exist)
He's hearing news that the suspect in the Fortuyn killing requested a specific lawyer who's specialty is political attacks. I'll be receiving the name and confirmation of this within the hour.
4:09pm. Confirmed: Bakker Schut
3:20:52 PM
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Heb net een telefoontje ontvangen van een bevriende advokaat. In zijn kringen gaat het volgende verhaal:
De verdachte weigerde enkele verklaring te geven, heeft dat tot 'sochtends volgehouden. Wilde per se 'zijn advokaat' spreken. Hij noemde de naam van een specifieke advokaat die specialiseert in wetgeving rond politieke aanslagen. Ik krijg hopelijk zo de naam door van deze advokaat.
4:09pm. Confirmed: Bakker Schut
3:18:54 PM
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British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw: "Pim Fortuyn was not another Le Pen...He was a much more balanced person than anyone who was supporting Le Pen"
2:37:29 PM
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De verkiezingen gaan door. Wat zijn nu de mogelijkheden? Wordt de nummer 2 op de lijst automatisch de lijsttrekker? Waar vind ik een volledige lijst van LPF? Alle sites hebben condoleance registers, het is onduidelijk welke site 'officieel' is.
Deze informatie moet goed overzichtelijk worden gemaakt, en wel heel snel.
Dit is wat ik dacht de officiele site was.
2:12:48 PM
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Prime Minister Kok just announced that elections will take place as scheduled on May 15th. That's the report on the national [radio] news.
This means that although the party's represenative is dead, the party can still capture a majority in parliment.
Harry Mens, a close friend is in all the papers stating that what "Pim would have wanted" is for his party to be dissolved and voters cast for either the VVD or CDA, both moderate right wing parties and quite large when combined.
Pim's party however hardly has anyone with 'professional' political experience. Without their spiritual leader the party may be steamrolled by the incumbents.
Add to this that the current government fell on April 16th. Basically there's no more past to fall back on and the future has become temporarily cloudy.
Perfect setting for a revolution.
1:50:48 PM
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Michael Grove: "Fortuyn and his allies developed a critique of the establishment notably different from those pioneered by the politicians with whom he has been compared, Jorg Haider and Jean-Marie Le Pen. Fortuyn was uncompromisingly neo-liberal. An advocate of laxer rules on euthanasia, greater drugs liberalisation, more use of the private sector in healthcare and tax cuts, he was very far from Le Pen's hearthland politics of Vichyiste nostalgia.
He may have been a "cultural protectionist" like Le Pen. But the culture he wished to protect was the Dutch libertarianism so familiar to many Britons from their weekends in Amsterdam, so congenial to him as a gay man, and so threatened, he claimed, by the incursions of Islam. " [via Andrew Sullivan]
12:12:40 PM
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Waarom spreekt de koningin het volk niet toe?
Dit is het juiste moment.
11:54:55 AM
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Ruud de Wild: "Wegens omstandigheden is deze site gesloten."
11:36:01 AM
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Oscar Wilde: "In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane."
10:43:09 AM
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Gerard Timmer BNN: "Vandaag geen posting gedaan. Was het wel van plan, maar door de aanslag op Pim Fortuyn, direct na uitzending Ruuddewild.nl, in aanwezigheid van Ruud (hij liep er naast), zag mijn agenda er plotseling volstrekt anders uit. BNN is geschokt; we denken aan de mensen in de directe omgeving van dhr. Fortuyn en kunnen de gevolgen van deze niet te bevatten daad nog niet overzien. Zoals niemand ..."
Op mijn Engelse site tracht ik de wereld pers enigzins recht te zetten over Pim. Ik wordt misselijk van de Le Pen vergelijkingen. Stomme Amerikaanse sensatie media.
Archief: AC at your service!
Deze quote van JFK had Pim niet misstaan.
9:48:12 AM
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Post mortem thoughts on yesterday's events.
Morning news shows clips of foreign coverage. Most shocking was what I saw from the Bigs in the US. Without fail all three major networks (ABC,NBC,CBS) labeled Pim Fortuyn as ultra right and/or racist. Phrases such as "running on an anti muslim platform" or "the Dutch Le Pen" are incorrect.
It isn't hard to trace this back to quotes from prime minister Kok, who positioned Fortuyn nas 'hard right' at the beginning of the campaign.
Furthermore there was the Volkskrant article from several months ago. In that interview Pim was quoted saying that he feels islam is a "backward culture" for ridiculing homosexuality and proclaiming homosexuals as "lower than pigs". Pim was openly gay.
To reiterate: Pim Fortuyn never called for a "Ban on immigration" or "Removal of Muslims". Unfortunately the memes were set, and the largest news organizations in the world are copying incorrect information and propagating it shamelessly. These organizations used to employ fact checkers. If they still do, then they should all be fired immediately.
What Pim did do, was start the public debate about immigration and standard of living in the Netherlands, which is the second most densely populated country in the world. 17 million people in a country smaller than Rhode Island.
We still don't know much about the shooter, other than that he is Dutch, White, 33 years old and an extreme leftist.
March 13th I wrote a review of Pim's book, in which he outlined his plans for making Holland a better place to live. The review is in dutch. Summarizing, I liked his ideas and so did the majority of voters, as according to the polls Pim was slated to win the elections by a possible landslide. Unheard of for any new political party.
There is certainly alot happening on the right hand side of the political spectrum in Europe, but please do not be misled by poorly informed 'professional' journalists. I have met and spoken with Pim several times, as has my wife. We were both fond of him and have the utmost respect for his dedication to country and democracy. Reports of racist or nationalistic nature are poorly researched and untrue.
Big question now is what to do about the elections, slated to be held May 15th. Most seem to think they should be postponed. Probably a good idea. Everyone needs to let this soak in. I certainly still need to process this.
Pim was a student of JFK. This quote seems appropriate.
9:43:39 AM
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Steve Jobs: "You want computers to discover each other and just share stuff"
12:45:44 AM
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Time to call it a day. I'm severly dissapointed that not one single television or radio report was filed from the police station or wherever they took the suspect. Police held a brief press conference around 9:30pm, 30-35 year old white dutch male. That's all they let out.
12:35:14 AM
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Overnight newsprograms are showing thousands of people lined up outside ciuty hall in Rotterdam, Pim Fortuyn's home town where he recently won a landslide local victory. City hall will remain open throughout the night for citizens to sign the condolances register.
12:25:21 AM
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Nathan:: "Enfin, soit. Water onder de brug. Het helpt niet meer en het heeft niet mogen zijn."
12:23:10 AM
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Kapingamarangi: "Verschrikkelijk, zo'n moord op een Europese politicus. Du jamais vu, is veel gezegd. Toch voor een Belg. Maar de schok is daarom niet minder groot."
12:20:18 AM
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Rioting continues at the 'Binnenhof", where parliment sits. Protestors on the scene are blaming incumbent paolitical parties for his murder. It seems to be reasonable under control. Riots always look worse on tv at night.
12:17:22 AM
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Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said he believed something like this was "impossible in this day in age, in the European Union, in the 21st Century".
12:10:37 AM
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© Copyright 2003 Adam Curry.
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