uncle arnie wrote in message ...
On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 03:33 pm, bpnjensen posted to
rec.radio.shortwave: %MM

Speaking of RN, it has been fascinating the last week or so since
iconoclast and outspoken critic Theo Van Gogh was assassinated by an
Islamist extremist, to hear what the RN programmers have been saying
about the event and what it means for Holland. Sounds like they are
beginning to seriously thrash around with the nasty immigration and
cultural issues that have been plaguing the U.S. for the last three
years. Hopefully, RN will keep at this for some time longer - to help
us see where they go with it, and help the few Yanks that listen to
reflect on our own last three years and what the future holds.

Please keep listening, you are actually quite wrong about Holland following
the USA on immigration. It is the other way around, the USA is following
them and most of Europe.

A a former colonial power, immigration has been a big issue for the
Netherlands for at least 40-50 years. Lots of immigrants from places like
Surinam, Curacao and Indonesia. Places that were Dutch colonies. The
proportion of recent immigrants approaches 40% in some communities (by
recent, I mean foreign born). Most of Europe is like this now - birth rate
is low, only way to keep up the population is immigration. Hence the
issues with support for both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict for
example.

Well, that's not exactly what I said, and I'm not really talking about
that bigger picture anyway. The last three years have seen a shift in
thinking about how everybody gets along with their fellow earthlings,
with a soft focus on whether the Muslims can actually do this at all.
The assassin did not help his cause in Europe by murdering Van Gogh if
it is going to make Holland a place of major concern over the presence
of Muslims. I believe that this is a step beyond what you have
described here, and more focussed than before...Surinam and Curacao
probably never brought the threat of revolutionary terrorism home to
Holland like this one does.

That's all for me - I'll keep listening.

Bruce Jensen