Waning moon

There are moments you smile to yourself for no reason.

I had one of those moments as I walked out of the library building, the cold night air seeping onto my face, and as little bursts of joy took over. I guess I was delighted that I managed to get a lot of work done today. Straight after class I headed for the 'books' (actually PDF files and online court judgements). Besides occassional breaks for coffee and a stretch, and reading a couple of 'fan mails' here and there, I continued studying till after nine. It was awfully empty when I left the building...but I felt so full of knowledge and ideas for the next assignment I've been slaving away on for the past couple of hours!

On the way home, I had this light, fluttery feeling inside... no, not because of love, but because I was somehow proud of myself... proud of the fact that for my last paper I improved my grade... proud that my writings are touching and helping people in ways I never realised possible... proud that perhaps I just discovered pieces of me that had remained hidden for so long... it's a funny feeling...

One I wish I could share.

Gay leader

While voters in seven US states voted to define marriage as strictly an union between a man and a woman, the next leader of one of the biggest parties in the Dutch parliament may very well be a homosexual.

The incumbent Prime Minister Balkenende said in an interview that there would be no problem for his Christian Democratic Party to be led by the next favourite party-member Joop Wijn. The current minister for Economic Affairs is openly gay, and given the fact that his party may be the biggest party in the upcoming elections, and therefore be leader of the coalition government, there may be a chance that the Netherlands will get a gay prime minister in the future.

Once again I'm confused, perhaps baffled... why is it that the supposed champion of equality and human rights is still in the grips of religious conservatism and unable to separate state from religion, while on the other side of the Atlantic having a gay prime minister is a non-issue?

Just shows there's really more that divides Europe and the USA than just the ocean.

Policy toward homosexuals

In the run up to the parliamentary elections, PvdA (Labour Party) leader Wouter Bos expressed his views in an interview on the need to put homosexuals on the political agenda. As the most likely contender to the position of prime minister, he criticised the incumbent Christian Democrat Jan-Peter Balkenende for his lack of ‘moral leadership’ toward homosexuals. During a trip to Indonesia, the prime minister proudly announced that he had personally voted against the ‘gay marriage’ legislation, whereas he is the very person who has been preaching the importance of ‘virtues and values’, and the need for tolerance and respect for one another.

Wouter Bos:

“The reason why we now have a separate paragraph in our election campaign about homo(sexual) emancipation has to do with the fact that the equality between homo(sexuals) and hetero(sexuals) is no longer self-evident for everyone in the Netherlands. At some schools teachers are going back into the closet, young gays are being bullied and in some neighbourhoods gays are harassed or even threatened. […] Netherlands can be proud that we have as the first country in the world ‘opened’ civil marriage for homo(sexual) couples as well. That really is equal treatment. […] Our example has inspired homosexuals and lesbians in the whole world and (given them) hope. [The Labour Party] will always stand for an undivided and tolerant Netherlands. A country in which everyone gets the same chances, man or woman, young or old, born here or coming from elsewhere, homosexual or heterosexual. And where all those people, with all their differences and all their characteristics, live together on the basis of respect and equality.”

The current Minister for Immigration and Integration, Rita Verdonk, also gave an interview on the issue. Her Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) has always insited that Article 1 of the Constitution on non-discrimination is above all other articles, including the freedom of religion. Thus civil servants should not be able to reject performing same-sex marriage registrations. She has also been much criticised in recent months for wanting to deport homosexual Iranian asylum seekers back to their country, where she argued it was safe to be. She focused on the issue of homosexuality in ethnic minorities:

“Homo(sexuals) and hetero(sexuals) have the same rights and deserve mutual respect. Period. That within some groups there is difficulty with homosexuality is also a fact. But exactly because of that it is important to take away the predjudices and continue to talk to one another. It seems to be really terrible if your parents do not accept you as who you are. And it appears in families with Muslims, Christians and Hindus.”

However, she argues that the government is not omnipotent when it comes to the acceptance of homosexuality:

“There can be no misunderstanding about the basic rules of our society. Men and women are just like homo(sexuals) and hetero(sexuals), ‘autochtones’ and ‘allochtones’ equal. […] the government [is not] the big problem solver. You cannot as government declare the acceptance of homosexuality per decree, however much I would like that. It must also come from society itself. Taking your own responsibility and talking to one another is important.”

Dissing drugs~

The Netherlands is perhaps the only country in the world where cannabis (weed/dope/marihuana/hasj) is ‘legal’.

And this has led to some problems, especially with neighbouring countries, and increasing problems of teenage addictions and criminality. To address the problem and appeal to young people to kick the habit, the (ex) minister of Justice, came up with a solution: a rap to ‘dis’ drugs. Since his name is Donner, the rap is called: “The Don”.

In dit land van 16 miljoen mensen.
Heeft iedereen zo zijn eigen wensen.
Waar iedereen wil proberen,
Maar waar je niemand mag beleren.

[In this country of 16 million people

Everyone has his own wishes

Where everyone wants to try,

But where you can’t make anyone learn.]

In dit land van 16 miljoen wijzen,
Vraag ik: wat willen we bewijzen?
De joint, het stickie, maakte ons beroemd,
Maar de nadelen worden niet genoemd.

[In this country of 16 million wise people,

I ask: what do we want to prove?
The joint, the stickie, make us famed,

But the disadvantages are not named.]

Refrein:
Hier spreekt Donner van justi-tie
Ik doe het samen met poli-tie.
Schuif die dope maar aan de kant
Want een addict Nederland
Zijn zaken die ik liever niet-zie

[Refrain:

Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Move that dope to the side

Because an addicted Netherlands

Are things I’d rather not see.]

Van een blowtje word je duf,
Dus steel de show nou niet zo suf.
Ga die drugs niet badineren,
Wees bereid om iets te leren!

[From a puff you become dull

So don’t dumbly steal the show now.

Don’t go joking around with drugs,

Be prepared to learn something!]

Reguleren is te duur,
Gaan we van zoet toch weer naar zuur
Met criminelen op de loer,
Lijkt dat me niet de juiste tour.

[To regulate is too expensive,

We’re going from sweet to sour.

With criminals on the rise,

That to me is not the right tour.]

Nog meer stekkies onder licht
Dus die achterdeur blijft dicht!
Lijkt het beleid soms wat verward,
Nou in deze ben ik hard...

[Even more plants under the light

So the backdoor remains shut!

Policy appears to be confused sometimes,

Well, in this I’m tough…]

Refrein:
Hier spreekt Donner van justi-tie
Ik doe het samen met poli-tie.
Schuif die dope maar aan de kant
Want een addict Nederland
Zijn zaken die ik liever niet-zie

[Refrain:

Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Move that dope to the side

Because an addicted Netherlands

Are things I’d rather not see.]

Je ziet die rotzooi overal bloeien
Eigen teelt loopt uit hand
En de bajes blijft maar groeien
Dankzij deze hennep plant

[You see that mess blooms everywhere,

Own plantation out of hand.

And the prisons continue to grow,

Thanks to this hennep plant.]

Slechts een paar worden rijk,
De rest ziet zo bleek als een ...
Dus die zolders moeten leeg,
’t zou niet goed zijn als ik zweeg

[Only a few become rich,

The rest look as pale as a…

So the basements must be emptied,

It wouldn’t be good if I keep quiet.]

Alt. refrein
Hier spreekt Donner van Justitie,
Ik doe het samen met politie.
Ja, de drugs gaan van de straat,
Er komt actie na gepraat.
Blowers, neem daarvan notitie!

[Alt. refrain:
Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Yes, the drugs are going off the street,

There is action after the talking.

Blowers, take thereof notice!]

Here's the news report about minister‘Donner dissing drugs’.

Technically speaking it’s still illegal to possess or use the cannabis, but the government has since the 1990s enforced this official ‘policy of tolerance’ (gedoogbeleid), whereby law enforcement officers and courts are told to look the other way when it comes to so called soft drugs like cannabis. So the rule is more or less recognised that you can grow 5 cannabis plants ‘for personal use’ at home or have 5grams on you at any given time without breaking any laws. The reason being that the use of cannabis is classified as a public health issue, rather than a criminal matter, provided it’s for your personal use.

'Coffeeshops' all over the country sell soft drugs openly. Anyone over 18 is able to go in and buy what they want, as long as it's not over 5grams. This creates a ridiculous situation whereby it is well known that these coffeeshops hold more than 5 grams of cannabis, and that they must get their supply from somewhere with more than 5 cannabis plants, but police don't really ask questions. So, it's OK for them to store cannabis in quantities to sell in the shops, but if people are caught delivering stocks to the shops, they'll be breaking the law!

With this 'open' policy of tolerance toward soft drugs, use in the Netherlands is actually much less than neighbouring countries. I can tell you, especailly for young people, if you ban something there are more incentives to try and experiment. It's not the drug itself that gives a 'kick', but also knowing that you're breaking the law at the same as well. Most of my friends occasionally use it, but really, nobody gets addicted that easily.

The problem with this 'turn-the-blind-eye' policy is that many people are drawn to the lucrative business of cultivating hennep plants in their own homes, often by 'syphoning' off electricity from the power grid because of the large amounts of light that is needed day and night to make hennep grow well. So recently there's really been a lot of talk about having legalised plantations that are regulated and licensed by the government.

Here's a useful website for those interesting in knowing more about the Dutch policy towards soft drugs