Saturday, February 5, 2005
Or at least your flag...if it's a flag that represents something worth being true to. I'm pretty sure the Dutch flag is one in this case.
But even that is under attack in the politically-correct atmosphere of a Europe that seeks at all costs not to give offense to the easily offended, and who shower tolerance on those who have little intention of returning the favor. Pieter Dorsman has a worthwhile riff on the subject of Dutch kids being discouraged and in some cases outright banned from displaying their own nation's colors (which happen to be red, white and blue, btw).
...The fact of the matter is, a national flag represents a nation, a people and by that virtue transcends ethnic and political boundaries and is essentially a multi-purpose tool. Especially in times of difficulty a flag has proven to be a rallying point to unite a people behind a common cause, the Dutch for instance forged a deep bond with their red-white-and- blue when German occupiers made it a crime to fly it. It was a symbol for which many people gave their lives and as liberal as I am on some social and cultural issues I can not stand nor tolerate flag burners, wherever they are. To prohibit school youth from carrying the flag for which many of their grandfathers died fighting for the Dutch resistance or in German concentration camps is nothing short of obscene...
See also: DutchReport, DhimmiWatch, and Hyscience
