When our European readers display such fluency in English, it reminds me of our American insularity in not learning another language. Admittedly, up unitl now we’ve had no compelling need to do so. However, it might be advisable for our children to begin lessons in Chinese.
Here, from the Netherlands, then, shared hopes for the coming year and some reflections on our historic, “disruptive” times.
Dear Dymphna,- - - - - - - - -
Thank you for your good wishes. I wish you and your family also a very healthy and prosperous New Year!
And I wish your great country a year of acknowledgment of its situation, tasks and possibilities.
As for my country, the next process against Mr. Wilders is a very low point in its history. On the other hand, as it is in fact a process about the evil of Islam, it may, perhaps, prove to become a turning point in the public opinion.
May you find much satisfaction in your information efforts for readers and in offering writers and bloggers a platform to spread and exchange their knowledge and vision on Gates of Vienna
We live in historic times….
times in which diverse problems and developments reach eruptive and decisive stages. All people have to play their part or at least form their opinions which, in their totality, influence the course of history in many ways.
Thank you for your information about Detroit. I regret very much that such beautiful and important parts of your country fall into decay. It is a signal that the mentality of man can make and break society, culture, economy and the moral and material standard of life. Therefore, the mental quality and the sense of responsibility, not less than the well being of the people, should be a primary care for a country’s leaders.
However, every individual human being is personally responsible for his or her own contribution. Fortunately, man is sometimes capable of tremendous performances of recovering, reconstruction and new creations.
I do not know whether we will be able to bring each other better news at the next turning of the year. Humanity has always gone through all kind of challenges and afflictions. So, what matters is the spirit in which these difficulties are perceived and overcome. I have no doubt that the Baron and you have the right spirit!
Your reader from the Netherlands
The reference to Detroit concerned a link showing the growing feral nature of a once-great city. The link to the pictures and some thoughts on the subject of America’s failure are here, in a recent post at Neighborhood of God.
Somehow I started with Walt Whitman and ended up in Detroit.
2 comments:
Some more thoughts and speculations regarding the year passed and for the year to come:
I think last year's main feature in our subject, at least in Europe, was the first very clear signs of a major alliance between the extreme left, the Marxist-Leninists, and the Islamists obvious at the time of the Gaza war. With this in mind it was easy to note the manipulative news comments and essays that earlier could pass for naiveté.
For the coming year I forecast a tightening grip from the extreme left over the global green movement, which comes handy when in need of some spontaneous and righteous protest action to stir the bourgeoisie a bit.
The now official alliance with the islamists will also of course result in new organisations and fatwas concerning the environment and the climate change. We will see names such as Green Muslims or Islamic Green Relief Organisation or something like that.
Moderate Muslims are also in high demand but nowhere to be seen. Demand and supply usually meet in the end and I suspect it'll be on the demand side so as to calm down western opinions a few notches again. Maybe the catch prases of the yar will be "Fatwas against US induced climate change" or "Council of Moderate Green Muslims" ? At least if the cold winter weather doesn't go on for too long.
think last year's main feature in our subject, at least in Europe, was the first very clear signs of a major alliance between the extreme left, the Marxist-Leninists, and the Islamists...
Same here, though our Marxists don't admit to the name, they sure can sing on key.
Here we have the permanently and professionally aggrieved with all their various talking points. The "points" don't vary much from group to group: resentful Muslims, resentful blacks (Hi, Michelle!), resentful Hispanics...all waiting to be treated fairly.
And when they have to, they align, and there may even be overlap in the Marxist area. But for the most part they hate each other.
Post a Comment
All comments are subject to pre-approval by blog admins.
Gates of Vienna's rules about comments require that they be civil, temperate, on-topic, and show decorum. For more information, click here.
Users are asked to limit each comment to about 500 words. If you need to say more, leave a link to your own blog.
Also: long or off-topic comments may be posted on news feed threads.
To add a link in a comment, use this format:
<a href="http://mywebsite.com">My Title</a>
Please do not paste long URLs!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.