Cogs can think.

There’s one moral issue I’ve been struggling with for a long time now.

You see, for everything in this country, you’ll need a permit, a license. Want to drive a car or a motorcycle? Better invest thousands of Euros in driving lessons and a license. Want to externally alter your house in any way (even if you own it)? You need to get a permit from the local government. Want to go fishing? Get a fishing permit.

Want children? Go fcuk someone and pop out a kid nine months later. No permit needed, no license, no lessons. You need not pass any tests of competence.

Which is peculiar, to say the least. Raising children isn’t an easy task, and requires strength of will, determination, and the ability to completely put your personal needs aside for the benefit of your child. You need to be able to make yourself irrelevant, as the well-being of your child is much more important than your own. Not everyone has the ability to do this. Not everyone has the ability to love someone else unconditionally.

My parents have. That’s why I turned out so loving, caring, and all-round SUPERDUPER AWESOME.

However, a lot of people don’t. This year’s ’spring break’ (to put it new worldishly) lasts two weeks instead of just one. This is causing problems for many parents, as their jobs may not allow them to take two weeks off instead of just one. Complaints aplenty.

Well, tough luck. In order to fix this, you might have to organise spring break differently this time. Instead of both parents taking one week off at the same time so you can go on vacation, you’ll have to be a bit more inventive and, for instance, have mommy take the first week off, and daddy the second week. It’s not as if the vacation dates for this school year weren’t already known for god knows how long.

When you have kids, you’ll have to make concessions. You can’t and both have full-time jobs, and go out every weekend, and go on vacation whenever you wish, and have children. It just doesn’t work that way. You effectively gave all that up the moment you both decided to have a go at it without the pill.

This is not all the parents’ fault, of course. Especially when it comes to single-parent families, or simply poorer families, our government is not doing enough to help these people in their times of need. Welfare checks are way too low, and financial child support is near nothing. Which is interesting, seeing the Christian parties have a strong say in parliament and the government.

So, what’s the moral issue? Well, should we allow just anyone to have children, uncontrollably, without any checks as to whether or not people are actually ready or capable of being good and responsible parents? Should child molesters be allowed to have children? What about murderers? The mentally ill? The mentally handicapped? Are those people capable of raising children? Should they have the right to have children?

What about this one? Should a daughter and her father be allowed to have children? Their first one died, their second one is still alive. They pleaded guilty immediately, explaining their relationship is completely consensual. The judge took the consensual nature into account, and released the parents with a 500 AUD fine.

It’s not the incestuous relationship itself that that is the problem here. I may have a deep and strong physical and mental aversion against the whole concept, but this does seem to be a consensual relationship - whether or not these people are psychologically sound and actually capable of making consensual decisions like this is a different matter altogether, and not for me to decide. The problem here, of course, is the children. Can these people be called responsible parents? These children have a high risk of serious genetic defects due to their incestuous parents, and it’d be hard to argue the parents did not know of this risk. In addition, these children will face a life of hell. Forever will they have to bear the burden of their heritage, there’s a large chance they will be outcasts, which may even lead to them developing serious psychological problems. And their own children, in the future, will still be susceptible to serious genetic defects.

Consequently, in my book, these people are not responsible parents, and therefore, should have never been allowed to have children in the first place.

The problem with this moral issue is this: who gets to decide if people are fit for parenting? Who gets to evaluate prospective parents and say, look, I’m sorry, but you are not fit for parenting? I think most of us can agree that child molesters should not have children, but what about all the border cases? Heck, I’m sure there are many who would consider the right to have children so sacred, that it cannot be taken away, not even from child molesters.

So you see my dilemma.

It’s funny how you can see the concept of evolution all around you.

During lunch break at work today, I overheard the news on the radio; a few teenage girls had died in a gas explosion. They were trying to get high off natural gas. IN A COUNTRY WHERE YOU CAN SCORE DRUGS ON EVERY PLAYGROUND.

That’s natural selection at work right there. We should be happy they don’t get to pass on their genes.

Scientific research like this interests me beyond imagination. I find it fascinating how researchers find pieces of real-world evidence that actually support many myths and legends found in cultures all over the world. Fire raining from the sky, as in Sodom and Gomorra, is not something exclusive to the bible/torah - similar myths and legends can be found all over the world. The same thing goes for the story of Noah, and the big flood God caused to whipe the slate clean. Stories of such epic floods can be found in cultures as diverse as the Mayans, Egyptians, and our Christian/Muslim/Judaic cultures (let’s face it, those last three are more or less the same).

To me, this indicates that various global disasters are somehow engraved in mankind’s collective consciousness. It is not hard to imagine that the end of some ice age, which obviously would lead to a dramatic rise in sea level and loss of habitable land all over the world, has somehow made its way to various folk tales and myths, passed on from generation to generation, until someone decided to pen them down - like the writers of the Old Testament did.

Personally, I think cellular memory can account for more of these kinds of cases. Take the dragon, for instance. Dragons appear in cultures all over the world, in one form or another. In any case, lizard-like creatures that may or may not breath fire. Now, how can you explain that cultures that have never had any contact with one another, share the concept of the ‘dragon’?

To me, cellular memory is something that may explain this. Even though this is utterly speculative, with no roots in any proper scientific studies that I know of, I think it would be feasible that our early ancestors - small rodent mammals - who lived during the ages of the dinosaurs, somehow engraved “memories” of these gigantic creatures into their cells, over long periods of time.

Evolution took its course, eventually leading to us - a species with a very well developed brains, most likely the first ever brain capable of ‘wording’, of ‘communicating’, bits and pieces of this cellular memory, leading to the fact that the ‘dragon concept’ manifested itself all over the world.

Despite there being no scientific base for these claims, it seems reasonable to me, it makes sense to me. It can explain many startling similarities between vastly differing cultures, cultures that may not have even existed alongside one another during the same timespan.

Think about this one for a while. It’s interesting material, and I’ve always been saddened by the fact that studies into this matter are far, far beyond my capabilities.

Has it already been 5 years?

Apparently, it has.

And almost 90000 documented civilian casualties. Documented casualties. There’s something chillingly bureaucratic about that term. It means 90000 times, someone, somewhere, added a little tally mark under the header of “civilian casualties”. But behind each of those tally marks, behind each of those few molecules of ink, there’s a person, a human being. A man or woman, boy or girl, with a history, a story to tell, friends, relatives, hopes, fears, dreams.

It all seems so far away. Did you know that the amount of genetic variation between all of mankind, between all of its members, is smaller than the genetic differences between one troop of chimpanzees? This means that for all intents and purposes, those 90000 men and women are not strangers, they are not mere tally marks somewhere in a dusty office without a corner view. No, they are relatives, closer to you and me than most people are willing to admit.

I hope none of us can sleep tonight. We are all responsible for all the people in the world, and these 90000 tally marks should haunt you tonight. Like 900000 nails on a chalkboard.

She had such a deformed face due to tumors, that she could no longer live a normal, acceptable life. She wanted to end her own life, but French law does not allow for euthanasia. The savage French law had rather that this woman suffer needlessly from her severe illness, that she would die a miserable, painful death, instead of allowing her to die with dignity and peace of mind.

French law, and the law of just about any other country out there, is barbaric for not allowing euthanasia. The choice to end one’s life when in severe pain is a personal matter, and the state has no place in this choice in any way.

I’m proud to live in the first country to unofficially legalise euthanasia (over 20 years ago, we officialy legalised it in 2002). I am proud that we were civilised enough to allow people in severe pain to end their lives, surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones, in a peaceful, painless, humane, and most of all, dignified way.

Chantal Sébire had to end her own life illegally, in a way as of yet unclear. I hope she found a way to do it with dignity. It was her only wish, and I hope it has been fulfilled in the way she desired.

I hope she found her peace. Wherever she may be.

omgwtfnooo!!11! Hide your children! Park your car indoors! Buy lots of bottled water, toilet paper, cat food, and canned beans! Duck and cover! Curl up in fetal position in a corner and cry!

For the love of god people, this is not a joke! We are facing the worst disaster to have ever struck in the history of man!

She’s coming! SHE’S COMING I TELL YOU!

I was just watching State Secretary of Defense Jack de Vries (is that a Tom Clancy name or what?) on TV, explaining how he wants the Dutch people to show more appreciation and respect for our military and its personnel, despite whatever you might think of our mission in Afghanistan. And I couldn’t agree with the guy more.

I’m against us being involved in the mess the Americans and Brits created over there. It’s not our war, let them sort it out.

But, that’s a political issue. Our democratically elected politicians have decided that our men and women of the army should be there, and even though I fully disagree with that decision, it was not made by the army itself. They get stuck with doing the hard, dangerous, and intensive work over there, trying to do their goddamn best to help the people there, to create better living conditions. They are putting their lives on the line every day, and they do it with such commitment, passion, and determination that I can feel nothing but respect and pride for the work they do.

It of course helps that one of my best friends is in the Royal Military Academy (cavalry). The way he details life at the Academy, what they learn, the toughness of the job, the intense preperation they receive for being officers in the Dutch armed forces makes you realise more than ever how much respect these men and women deserve.

It’s easy to stand on the sideline, and critique our military. It’s easy to sit in your lounge chair, bag of Doritos, a beer, and 6 remotes to control your DVD, Blu-Ray (or, HD-DVD if you’ve been stupid), 50″ plasma, and whatever, while knowing you have to get up at 7am the next day, only to start up your 1.4 Opel Astra, to traffic jam your way to your boring 9-to-5, for the rest of your life, ever and ever, until you die.

Our guys and girls in the military are doing their very best to deliver, and they work hard, much harder than most of you will ever realise. And because of that, I support our troops in Afghanistan. Good job, guys.

You know that feeling, you’re lying on the couch after going to university and playing some squash, you’re closing your eyes, reality drifts off, your thoughts sizzle out, and you relax fully. The news is on TV, but it doesn’t really interest you. Until you hear these words. In one sentence.

Sex. Animals. Lower house. Debate. With.

Yes. Our lower house had a serious debate on whether or not to declare bestiality illegal. As I learned today, The Netherlands is the prime exporter of bestiality pornography, and that’s of course totally unacceptable (I’m for real here. People that get off on that nonsense should be put away in mental institutions). I mean, relaxed drug laws, legalised prostitution, gay marriage, that I can handle. But sex with animals? That was actually not illegal here? What the fcuk is wrong with this country? And they say the influence of Islam is a problem? While at the same time, people were allowed to have SEX WITH ANIMALS?

There is something very, very unnerving about seeing distinguished, Christian politicians speak about sex with animals. I’m SO not going to sleep tonight without a double dose of Temazepam.

May I note that I can see what Google query you used to get here. Remember that before you comment.

You may not know it, but even your hero, leader, and source of endless admiration (that would be me) draws his inspiration for this weblog from somewhere else. Regular readers will know - Dooce.com.

She won four ‘Bloggies’. ‘Bloggie’ is a word I would use to describe my state of mind last weekend after a litre of Martini, half a bottle of Amaretto, and some Malibu rum, but apparantly, it’s also a series of awards for bloggers. She won Best American Weblog, Best Designed Weblog, Weblog of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award. And she got my vote on all of them, which means I’m probably more average than I anticipated.

Or, Dooce is the only weblog I visit every day.

In any case, Heather, congratulations on the four Bloggies, and especially the life-time achievement thing is one you deserve more than anyone else. There are few (if any) out there that can take the most boring of daily things, the most mundane conversations, the most average objects, and turn them into something that puts a smile on my face, no matter if I’m already very content, or if I’m feeling down and out. Heck, you made me realise that one day, I’ll have a kid of my own.

And that kind of power is something to cherish. Please, continue to do what you do. Your weblog alone justifies the horrible concept of the bllllloaaaaaggggg.

I love the Dutch media. Not because they’re the best in the world (because they’re most definitely not) and I’m proud of them for it (couldn’t resist) but because they fell on their ass so bad during the night.

You see, the Dutch media are quite obviously supporters of the Democrats. During the coverage of the primaries, the Democrats get all the attention, after which they quickly say something along the lines of “oh and yeah, McCain did this and that but all of you Dutch people shouldn’t give two shits”. Of course, I made the second part up, but you can almost hear them say it. Not that I’m in any way a Republican, but still, I expect impartiality.

The second problem is that they are also quite obviously supporters of Obama. Famous journalists, TV presenters, newspapers, other public figures: most of them are pro-Obama, and this shines through quite clearly during TV shows and in newspaper/magazine articles. Whenever they interview someone pro-Clinton, he or she has to defend himself. Whenever they interview someone pro-Obama, the journalists and media people go easy, and talk about how Obama makes celestial choirs sing (thanks for that one, Hillary).

Yesterday evening, they were all more or less certain Hillary would be out, over, and done with. She wouldn’t win Texas and Ohio, and you could see the twinkle in the media people’s eyes whenever they talked about it. Obama would win, and right from then on, roses, lilies, and marshmallows would sprout all over the United States. Suddenly, there’d be no more poverty, crappy unaffordable healthcare, and hate towards the US.

Until Clinton won Ohio. And Texas. And Rhode Island. And despite her not being any closer to winning the nomination than last night, she did win them. And gone is the twinkle. The battle is still on, and I’m sure that we’ll see Clinton win the primaries after all.

Let’s hope the Dutch media can start reporting on the whole thing with more objectivity now. Obama will be a good president, but he ain’t the 2nd coming of Christ. It’s time the Dutch media realised this too. The honeymoon’s over.