From Caligula's Roman empire to George W. Bush, a historian's view

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Monday December 31, 2007 · 9:06 AM PST

2007/12/31 · 09:06

11 December 2007 was the farewell lecture of Fik Meijer as professor in the history of the ancient world at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

In that lecture, Professor Meijer, the best known author about Roman history in the Netherlands, compared Roman emperors like Augustus and Caligula to twentieth and twenty first century politicians like Benito Mussolini, Silvio Berlusconi, and George W. Bush; including wars in what then called Mesopotamia, now Iraq.

dearkitty

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Thursday October 18, 2007 · 9:56 AM PDT

2007/10/18 · 09:56

On Thursday 25 October, at twelve o'clock at noon, during the NATO summit in the west coastal village of Noordwijk in the Netherlands, there will be a demonstration in Noordwijk by a coalition of many organizations against George W. Bush's wars.

This is in a context when there is much pressure by the US Bush administration on the Dutch government to prolong the stay of their soldiers in Uruzgan province in Afghanistan, which was supposed to be only temporary; and even to increase the number of soldiers.

dearkitty

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Wednesday February 14, 2007 · 1:47 PM PST

2007/02/14 · 13:47

In September 2006, 18 year old Dutch girl Josanne is raped in Arnhem.

The suspect is a United States soldier, formerly in Iraq, of the 82th Airborne Division, called "Tito" G.

Dutch prosecutors have made a deal with US authorities that this soldier will stand trial in the United States.

However, Josanne’s lawyer is afraid there will be no conviction.

He wants the United States to extradite the soldier to The Netherlands; and that he should stand trial in The Netherlands.

Dick Cheney

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Dick Cheney

should be impeached

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should be impeached, along with Bush

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should stay, as he is the best Vice President ever

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Anti Bush demonstration in Australia, September 8

dearkitty

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Wednesday January 24, 2007 · 4:16 AM PST

2007/01/24 · 04:16

When George W. Bush will be in Sydney, Australia, on September 8, there will be a demonstration against his policies.

See more here.

dearkitty

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Sunday January 21, 2007 · 3:03 PM PST

2007/01/21 · 15:03

Thanks to Couchstripper Forum in Britain, there is now a link to the full Trial of Tony Blair Video as shown on Channel 4.

This screenplay is on a future trial of Tony Blair for war crimes in Iraq.

See more here.

dearkitty

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Saturday January 20, 2007 · 10:46 AM PST

2007/01/20 · 10:46

According to Google, both Tony Blair of Britain and George W Bush are in the top four, when you search the Internet for the word "liar".

Blair has been at #1 for years.

At number four, as the highest ranking person after Blair, George W. Bush, as not just a liar, but as an "incompetent liar".

Number two and three in the list are, respectively, a band called Liar and a film called Liar Liar.

In all probability, because of their names, and not for the persons involved being liars.

And, even if they might be, certainly not as big liars as Bush and Blair.

If I could vote in the Dutch election, I would vote for

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If I could vote in the Dutch election, I would vote for

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Socialist Party

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Green Left

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Christian Union

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SGP

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Iraq: Dutch military torture scandal uncovered

dearkitty

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Friday November 17, 2006 · 2:02 AM PST

2006/11/17 · 02:02

From Dutch daily De Volkskrant:

AMSTERDAM - Dutch officers are guilty of torture of scores of Iraqi prisoners in Al Muthanna province in southern Iraq.
In November 2003 an unit of the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) did `brutal tactical interrrogations'.
During the interrogations, the prisoners had goggles on which made them unable to see anything.
When the goggles were not on, they were subjected to strong light.
The Iraqis were subjected to water to prevent them from sleeping, and their sense of hearing was subjected to `extremely high tones'.
The legal adviser who according to law should be present at such interrogations, was not present.
The Ministry of Defence confirms those facts.

The Rightist Dutch government behaved like true allies of 'Abu Ghraib' Rumsfeld, Bush, and Cheney, in Iraq.

Either Defense minister Kamp did a Rumsfeld style cover up; or he did not know what his own officers were doing in Iraq.

On 22 November, there is a general election in The Netherlands.

How will the electorate judge this?

See more here.

Fernando Botero: my anti Abu Ghraib torture art

dearkitty

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Wednesday May 31, 2006 · 5:37 PM PDT

2006/05/31 · 17:37

Fernando Botero says that his statues which will be on Lange Voorhout street in The Hague this summer, are not intended as statements.

However, his Abu Ghraib drawings, exhibited in the Escher museum [Lange Voorhout 74] in the Voorhout Royal Palace are an accusation against the horrors in the prison in Iraq. ...

In the Escher museum are fifty recent drawings by the world famous artist, including eleven ones showing the torture in Abu Ghraib jail.

Even in the drawings which he made about torture and humiliation in the infamous Abu Ghraib jail, they return, the voluptuous shapes.

However, here threatened by dogs, covered in blood, hanging upside down on a rope.

Botero made his first sketch in this series spontanuously, from anger, when, in an airplane, he read a newspaper article on the horrors.

He does not want to compare himself to Picasso.

However, it is his painting of the bombing of Guernica which keeps the memory alive.

Similarly, Botero hopes that his Abu Ghraib drawings as well will be a ,,permanent accusation''.

Ayaan Hirsi 'Ali' exposed as fake, joining American Enterprise Institute

dearkitty

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Monday May 15, 2006 · 6:34 AM PDT

2006/05/15 · 06:34

Latest from The Netherlands: the Dutch Rightist MP, known (wrongly, as turns out now) as Ms Ayaan Hirsi Ali, will be resigning from Parliament.

In practice, in disgrace, after Dutch TV exposed her lies [UPDATE: in her own TV interview words: 'Ik heb gelogen', 'I lied'] on her past, including even her name (which is really Magan) and birth date, which are in her Dutch passport, which she acquired against Dutch immigration rules.

George W Bush no doubt will give her an US passport soon.

Bush's homophobia infects Dutch army in Afghanistan

dearkitty

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Sunday May 14, 2006 · 5:05 AM PDT

2006/05/14 · 05:05

The name Unicorn for the Dutch military mission in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, has been scrapped.

The Dutch Rightist (very onpopular) government says: as in the United States Unicorn is associated to the US gay rights' organization.

Definitely not all people in the USA hate gay people.

However, the Bush administration does: gay marriage banned, gays banned from armed forces, police torturing gay people.

While laws in The Netherlands include legal gay marriage, no discrimination of gays in armed forces or elsewhere, etc.

Gay rights, it is often said, are a canary in the coal mine of human rights in general.

Probably, on other human rights issues in Afghanistan, like torture of prisoners at Bagram airbase and elsewhere, the Dutch government's standards will sink to George W Bush's level.

You can send a protest e mail to Dutch Minister of Defence, Henk Kamp, defensievoorlichting@mindef.nl.

See more here.

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From Caligula's Roman empire to George W. Bush, a historian's view

October 25 Dutch demonstration against Bush's wars

Will US soldier stand trial for raping Dutch girl, or go to Iraq again?

Anti Cheney demonstration in Australia, 22 February

Anti Bush demonstration in Australia, September 8

Trial of Tony Blair, complete video on the Internet

Google: Blair, Bush biggest liars as individuals

Will Bush's Dutch allies lose elections today? Live blogging

Iraq: Dutch military torture scandal uncovered

Fernando Botero: my anti Abu Ghraib torture art

Ayaan Hirsi 'Ali' exposed as fake, joining American Enterprise Institute

Bush's homophobia infects Dutch army in Afghanistan