Liberation: commemorations 2007

In news from the Netherlands, the results of an annual survey, carried out by the commissariat that is responsible for the 4th and 5th May commemorations and festivities, marking liberation by the Allied Forces from German occupation in 1945, show the following remarkable details.

From the 1,000 respondents eighty percent 'believe in the existence of groups in the country that are a threat to democracy'. Respondent's first choice is a group composed of 'right wing fundamentalists, extremists and religious fanatics'. Second choice is 'terrorist groups'.

This is a puzzle! It's more the questions than the answers that beg clarification. What's with this relativism? You don't believe in facts, you know them, or not! Who do they suggest the perpetrators of terrorism are? Are there any other than right wing fundamentalist religious extremist fanatics, unless they are left wing fundamentalist religious extremist fanatics, otherwise known as animal rights activists, environmentalists (a.k.a. Gaia animists ) or anti-globalists? Considering one of them, a Gaia worshipping legal terrorist - committed the first politically motivated assassination in modern Dutch history - the cold blooded murder of Pim Fortuyn - one would have thought they'd be included.

The thought that the very ideology that centres around individual freedom, Liberalism itself, behaves as an enemy of freedom, hasn't been noticed yet, or isn't perceived as such.

Freedom of speech is seen as a fundamental right, but apparently not absolutely so, as forty percent thinks that in respect of multiculturalism it is sometimes preferable to think twice before expressing an opinion. "Apparently the debate has gone to such extremes that you cannot always speak your mind", concludes the report.

I'll have a closer look at it and report back: I smell a gerbil.