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Post by K on Oct 16, 2004 18:41:16 GMT -5
A certain person from Netherlands loves to run down the US administration because they don't seek permission from Berlin or Paris when they conduct foreign military operations. She thinks it was OK for Saddam to bury people in mass graves. But anyway...let's talk about her little country. Fair play!
The Dutch once had a large empire in East Indies, Suriname, Pacific Islands and Africa. But one by one, Amsterdam lost its colonies. Now the country has surrendered it national identity to the great European Economic Community. The great Euro is the continental currency. Netherlands is so tied into foreign alliances that it has surrendered its national identity.
It is a nice little country but it doesn't make any waves on the world scene. Enjoy thy wooden shoes and windmills. I can't tell you the name of the Dutch leader. I don't know what kind of a government it has. Ditto to Belgium. I don't think America wants to lose its national identity.
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Post by k on Oct 16, 2004 18:47:10 GMT -5
Europeans like liberals because their countries are for abortion, euthanasia, socialized medicine, gun control, demilitarization, reduction in armaments etc.
Indonesia was once a Dutch colony. Imagine if Muslims took the Dutch embassy hostage. I wonder if the Dutch boys could muster a force to retake the embassy without getting permission from the folks at Brussells. Or asking ole Uncle sam to help out.
Netherlands was unable to stop a genocide in East Timor during the 1970s in their own former colony!!
National sovereignity should never been compromised! President Washington warned us in his farewell address not to get entangled into foreign alliances. Ditto in NATO and UN.
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Post by a different view on Oct 16, 2004 23:12:13 GMT -5
A certain person from Netherlands loves to run down the US administration because they don't seek permission from Berlin or Paris when they conduct foreign military operations. Having followed this thread I can see that K is as ignorant as the president he supports. She never said she approved of the government of Iraq. She was disgusted with the administration's lie regarding the reason for the invasion. You did not know, no doubt, that the Netherlands sided against England in the American Revolution and as a result lost several colonies at the Treaty of Paris of 1783. Without the support of two countries you bad mouth, France and the Netherlands, the US might have lost the revolutionary war. Take note of the EEC. When they act together they rival the US. And they still make things there! Those are for the americans like yourself that can't see beyond their borders. And you are as proud of that as Bush is of his ignorance. After reading posts like yours, I wonder why anyone would want to claim to be an American and be identified with you.
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Post by k on Oct 17, 2004 13:34:31 GMT -5
Who are the great Dutch folks in the world? What did they invent? What do we enjoy today that is a result of the Dutch? Honey, maybe dikes, windmills and wooden shoes.
Dutch are peace loving people. But someone else has to fight for them. The one that some of them despise: The United States of America who feeds and protects the world and gets slapped in the face for it!
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Brenda
Senior Member
Posts: 652
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Post by Brenda on Oct 17, 2004 17:21:12 GMT -5
IMO-- another thread that should not have been started-- no matter what side of the political fence you sit on--
That is just my opinion--
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Post by k on Oct 17, 2004 19:25:37 GMT -5
BJ, I respectfully disagree. If Bertine thinks Americans are mistreating those poor Arabs, then she needs to see how her tiny country cannot even wage a conflict in the world. If she wants to speak against America, then it is fair enough to go after her country. The Americans haven't done a thing to her country. They kept Hitler from enslaving her grandparents!
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Post by What about on Oct 17, 2004 20:23:57 GMT -5
Who are the great Dutch folks in the world? What did they invent? What do we enjoy today that is a result of the Dutch? Honey, maybe d**es, windmills and wooden shoes. I feel sad for you. Think of the painters. Vincent van Gogh Johannes Vermeer Jan Steen M.C. Escher Piet Mondrian Jacob van Ruisdael Frans Hals Rembrandt van Rijn Pieter Bruegel the Elder All made the world more beautiful. You asked about inventions. Here are a few examples: Zacharias Janssen was a Dutch lens-maker who invented the first compound microscope Cornelius van Drebbel is credited with building the first submarine. Willem Kolff headed the team that invented kidney machine and later the first artificial heart. Joop Sinjou worked with Tosh-ada Doi and invented the compact disk. Willem Einthoven invented the Electro-cardiograph Christiaan Huygens invented the pendulum clock, developed new methods for grinding and polishing glass telescope lenses, wrote the first work on the calculus of probability, and proposed the wave theory of light. Hans Lippershey invented the refracting telescope Coenraad Johannes Van Houten inventer the Dutch Process for making cocoa powder. Again, your ignorance does not reflect well on the quality of the American Educational System.
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Post by Bertine Louise on Oct 18, 2004 7:48:59 GMT -5
And Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) has played an even more important, better said major role for the microscopes we know today. He was the first to build microscopes that could maginfy over 200 times. Van Leeuwenhoek succeeded in making some of the most important discoveries in the history of biology. It was he who discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protists, sperm cells, blood cells, microscopic nematodes and rotifers, and much more. His researches, which were widely circulated, opened up an entire world of microscopic life to the awareness of scientists. www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/leeuwenhoek.htmlThanks to the anonymous poster for that list, saves me the time. Of course K could have gone through the trouble himself to find out that for a tiny country as Holland, we haven't done bad. Also if you look at dutch explorers. Willem Jansz en Abel Tasman respectively discovered Australia and New Zealand. I'm sure you also know that the Dutch settlers have left some marks in your own beloved USA. Did you know that doughnuts and Santa Claus have Dutch origin?? One of our greatest achievements must be our waterworks. Almost half of our country is below sealevel. There's this funny saying: God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland! ;D
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Post by Bertine Louise on Oct 18, 2004 8:32:03 GMT -5
This thread is quite ridiculous, but it's good fun to play with you K! When there isn't a clear direct threat, you must have the UN's approval for your war to be legitimate. 1) EEC has become EU 2) The Euro has been stronger than the Dollar 3) Why don't you come and visit us in 'Old Europe' to see if we all really have lost our national identity. Right, and that's fine! We once used to be a super power but with quite some blood on our hands that goes with it. At least now we're sticking to being a nice little country that doesn't hurt anyone. You still don't know?? Especially for you I posted an article about how our govt works, the name of our PM with a lovely pic of him visiting your president. And now you tell me you couldn't be bothered to take a look at it?? I never said such a thing. I do say that the US is making a mess in the Middle East, it's like an elephant that is so big and clumsy, it can't help himself, but it's making a mess where ever it puts its big heavy feet. Most importantly I think the American administration is mistreating the Americans. They made them believe that Iraq was a serious threat to them with WMD's etc. That's why they supported this war. And now they don't appear to be there. I truely feel sorry for America's brave soldiers that honestly believe they make America more secure by being in Iraq, while it appears to be quite the opposite. More and more people start to realize now that America is definately not safer and Iraq has not served the war on terror well. Actually my grandparents were in Indonesia. And the part of Holland that I was born and live in now was liberated by the Canadians. They get a parade in my town every year. Americans better realise that Europe was saved by the Allies, not just the USA!
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Post by Guest on Oct 18, 2004 18:01:44 GMT -5
I climbed in the Dutch Alps last year. Magnificent views. Such a beautiful country. Then I went swimming in the Ysselmeer. Very cold. Colder than the Zuider Zee I can tell you. Not much wrong with the Netherlands.
Did you know that it was a Dutchman, Hertz van Rental gave his name to the biggest vehicle hire company in the world ?
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Bertine not logged in
Guest
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Post by Bertine not logged in on Oct 18, 2004 18:28:57 GMT -5
I climbed in the Dutch Alps last year. Magnificent views. Such a beautiful country. Are you joking? lol! We don't have any alps, our country is known for being flat as a pancake!
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Post by Guest on Oct 19, 2004 15:35:57 GMT -5
Bertine, have you been to the south east of the country ? One of the roads there has a one in three gradient over a short distance. Quite a tough climb. Very alpine. We saw eidelweiss growing there.
Maybe you are thinking about the Netherlands (low lying) as opposed to Holland in general, which rises up to the Eiger and Mont Blanc.
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Post by LowLand on Oct 19, 2004 22:17:11 GMT -5
Bertine, have you been to the south east of the country ? One of the roads there has a one in three gradient over a short distance. Quite a tough climb. Very alpine. We saw eidelweiss growing there. Maybe you are thinking about the Netherlands (low lying) as opposed to Holland in general, which rises up to the Eiger and Mont Blanc. Come on - the highest point is less than 350 meters!
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Post by Guest on Oct 20, 2004 5:02:14 GMT -5
Do you agree that from a Dutch perspective the European landmass rises from Holland up to the Eiger in Switzerland and to Mont Blanc in France ??
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Post by Face it on Oct 22, 2004 19:17:57 GMT -5
EU runs European countries. Gone is the day when they have their own currency, military, culture etc. They don't appreciate national sovereignity.
Euro marks. Free trade and borders eliminated.
Think of the blood spilt between Germans and French over the border when today people freely cross the borders.
While I am glad to see Europe at peace, I hate to see nationalism replaced by globalism.
Could the Netherlands put down a rebellion in Indonesia? I doubt it.
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