WORDS THAT GLOW

Pursuant Geert Wilder's little movie, and the unholy fuss that is being stirred up by Dutch politicians quaking in their klompen over the prospect of angry Muslims in distant hell-holes rioting, and trashing tulips and chocolate, and also as a fine example of Dutchness from a time when there weren't quite so many testicularly-impaired weasels leading the nation, I wish to present three quotes. Taken together, they present an uncommon word-portrait of the Dutch people - one which has far more resonance than the bleating and moans currently coming from The Hague.


1. A. E. J. Modderman:
"Ik meen dat het sedert lang vast staat, dat God zijn regten zelf wel weet te handhaven; daartoe zijn geen menschelijke wetten noodig; daartoe is de strafwetgever niet geroepen."
[Translation: 'I believe that it has long been established that God knows how to protect his own rights; no human rules are required to that end; the formulator of criminal-law is not thus tasked.']

Anthony Ewoud Jan Modderman (born in Winschoten, 27 september 1838 - died in 's-Gravenhage, 7 augustus 1885) was the minister of Justice in the cabinet of baron (Constantijn Theodoor) van Lynden van Sandenburg (governing from 20 augustus 1879 to 23 april 1883). He was the formulator of the current corpus of criminal law. This was Modderman's dry response to the demand (in 1881) that the law should protect the Christian religion.


2. H. M. van Randwijk:
"Een volk dat voor tirannen zwicht zal meer dan lijf en goed verliezen, dan dooft het licht."[Translation: 'A people that gives in to tyrants loses more than life and property; the light then (also) fades.']

Hendrik Mattheus (Henk) van Randwijk (born in Gorinchem, 9 november 1909 - died in Purmerend, 13 mei 1966) was a member of the resistance, journalist, and author (nomme de guerre during WWII: Sjoerd van Vliet). He was tortured for six weeks by the Germans in 1943, but did not betray his comrades. During the occupation, among other things, he edited and published an underground newspaper - Vrij Nederland.

This verse is engraved on the monument to the 33 resistance heroes gunned down by the Nazis in 1945 in the Wetering Park (Weteringplantsoen) in Amsterdam.


3. Geert Wilders:
"Ze kunnen de pot op."
[Translation: 'They can go screw themselves.']

Geert Wilders' comment regarding Dutch politicians and all others urging that he not produce his video-clip against the Quran and Islamic extremism.