Dutch Exodus
In my morning surf, I came across this article, via Drudge, all about the increase in Dutch Emigration in light of the influx of Muslim immigrants to that country.The article brings up the slayings of Pim Fortuyn, a populist politician with anti-immigrant leanings, and filmmaker Theo van Gogh as being instrumental in the tide turning. Prior to Fortuyn's assassination, the article contends, the Dutch people were content and could not concieve of violence taking hold in their peaceful country.
Van Gogh's murder by an Islamic militant certainly has made the Dutch nervous. Immediately following van Gogh's murder, mosques were burned. In retaliation, Christian churches were burned.
And now, Dutch families are leaving en masse, for the relative peace and safety of such countries as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. But, there is an entirely different aspect to this problem as well:
To Mr. Hiltemann, the emigration consultant, what is remarkable is not only the
surge of interest among the Dutch in leaving, but also the type of people
involved. "They are successful people, I mean, urban professionals, managers,
physiotherapists, computer specialists," he said. Five years ago, he said, most
of his clients were farmers looking for more land.
Could this become a professional drain, a sort of intellectual exodus, that would negatively impact the country's economic survival? If this goes on too long, is it possible that the rot will go too far and they won't be able to fix it? I don't know. I do know that a little more vigilance and backbone are required. For heaven's sake, how dumb do you have to be to let your bicycle be stolen FIVE times?
