Why I Chose a Gun
In Texas there are plenty of folks that like guns and shoot them often. Some even carry them concealed. There are also quite a number that have been under fire; we've got a lot of retired and active duty military here. But in the Netherlands, nearly no one is familiar with guns, how to use them, nor have they ever been in the presence of one.
I found this talk (also below) surprising for that reason. This is probably the first time I have ever heard a Dutch person cogently explain the need for strong defense forces. If you watch it, note the obvious discomfort the audience experiences.
I have two tangential connections to the talk. First, my grandfather fought in the Dutch resistance in WWII against the Nazis, and was captured for a time by them. Also the son of a farmer, he was one of the few that knew how to drive and how to shoot. Second, the event is being held in the theater in which I first saw Schindler's List, when it was also filled with uncomfortable Dutch people.
The Dutch tend to abhor violence, and even ignore it if they can, but General van Uhm certainly gives them a good reminder that he and his defense forces can't and why the country remains safe to this day.
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
I think a distillation is in order. I choose guns in the knowledge that lethal force in the hands of a tyrant is a tool of repression. But in the hands of the righteous, a firearm becomes a means to establish, support, and defend justice. That's all that needs to be said.
Aug '10
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
~Paules
katievs
They're really very close. Dutch is almost between German and English, I think. · 10 hours ago
And lo these many years I thought Dutch was a throat disease.
Speaking of throat diseases...
When I was just a small Girl Scout, I rushed over to give the Heimlich maneuver to a Flemish woman just because she was speaking Flemish. It was not my finest hour. (For one thing, you only give the Heimlich when the victim is incapable of passing any air at all, not because she's engaged in a really loud guttural fricative that would frighten elephants.)
I, too, find that I can read the simpler Dutch sentences, probably because of a very rust acquaintance with basic German.
May '10
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
Crow's Nest:When you say "here", CN, where do you mean? Where are you, if I may ask?
I'm stationed in northern Europe on a NATO billet at the moment. I've been here about 12 months and I'll be here another 12. My job brings me into routine contact with a number of members of NATO--but especially the Germans, British, Dutch, Norwegians, and, on occasion, Danish and French. · 14 hours ago
Cool beans! (as my daughter would say.)
Sep '11
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
Thanks Blue Yeti, for embedding the video. When I last checked in with Ricochet before starting a small home improvement project, I found 13 comments, and now we've gone main feed. My first!
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
katievs
Ik ook! Mij vader komt uit Fryslan en mij moeder is in Groningen geboren. Ik heb in Amsterdam gestudeerd. ·
Wat leuk! Wij wooden drie jaren vlak bij Den Bosch. Maar, het was een jaar of tien geleden en mijn Nederlands is erg afgevallen, ben ik bang. Helaas. · Feb 17 at 7:09pm
Are you kids going to make us hire Dutch-speaking support staff?
Sep '11
Re: Why I Chose a Gun
The Logo
katievs
Ik ook! Mij vader komt uit Fryslan en mij moeder is in Groningen geboren. Ik heb in Amsterdam gestudeerd. ·
Wat leuk! Wij wooden drie jaren vlak bij Den Bosch. Maar, het was een jaar of tien geleden en mijn Nederlands is erg afgevallen, ben ik bang. Helaas. · Feb 17 at 7:09pm
Are you kids going to make us hire Dutch-speaking support staff? · 47 minutes ago
I'm available for the position!