The new justice minister wants to pass a law to tackle petty crime in cities. Researchers in Utrecht think they know why the Netherlands has such a high infant mortality rate. A group of Iraqi asylum seekers fight to stay in Holland. And the Dutch rediscover an important piece of television history.
Safety on the street
Petty street crime such as vandalism, loitering, graffiti and harassment can be a problem in urban areas in the Netherlands. Currently, the police and city authorities have some limited tools they can employ to deter this type of crime, but the new Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten wants to give cities more power to deal with it. Opstelten is the former mayor of Rotterdam, the location of this week's show.
Saving newborns
The Netherlands has one of the highest infant mortality rates in Europe. Each year, around 1700 newborns die here. Medical researchers in Utrecht believe they know why that figure is so high. They say around 400 of those babies could be saved each year if fewer Dutch babies were delivered at home as opposed to in the hospital. This would require better communication between the various medical personnel involved in a pregnancy, so that high-risk births could be identified earlier and the expectant mothers could be told to give birth in the hospital.
Fighting to stay
A group of Iraqi asylum seekers being held in a detention center near Rotterdam Airport is facing deportation back to war-torn Iraq. The asylum seekers say it is not safe, but the Dutch government wants to put them on a plane to Baghdad. But the detainees' case may be strengthened by an order from the European Court of Justice.
Forgotten TV history
Nowadays, most Dutch people are unfamiliar with the works of Joop Geesink. Geesink was a Dutch animation artist who created hundreds of short films which employed dolls as characters. The films were an important part of Dutch television history but, because they were never digitized, many of them had not been seen for decades. But that will all change now, thanks to a major project to digitally re-record all of Geesink's films.
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JW, is really clear that I hate newborns, sunny days, and puppies? There isn't anything more beautiful to watch then a newborn calf on a bright sunny, Spring morning in Texas. The difficult part of watching such a scene is knowing the fate of the calf. The calf will live it's short life and during that time it will do no intentional harm on humans but it will be slaughter by monsters who call themselves humans. As to humans, there isn't anything more beautiful to watch a newborn human come into this world free of those human traits such hate, greed, and apathy towards others. It is difficult to to see such a beautiful scene, knowing that the newborn baby's personnality will be conditioned by his environment of crime or religious hate of others. Therefore, you ask the question: "... explain how the authorities should handle the situation instead." My response is: Through conditioning, modification, and if need be incarceration of the person(s) who commit crimes against those humans who are innocent like a newborn calf. For example, people who put graffiti on public or private property should be given an option (their choice) to either paint over graffiti for four hours a day, three days a week for six months or go to jail for six months and should they repeat their crime, the punishment rises. If the person fails to meet his or her obligation to paint, then part B "incarceration" is enforced. The only problem with such a scheme is and the man who was interviewed stated it very clearly and it was the lack of resources. I conclude it more than lack of resources but the lack of resolve by the government to hold people accountable for crimes by always giving probation. Also in the video it was stated a person could be banned from a community for two years. Banning a criminal for two years doesn't stop a criminal. All the government did was punish some other community for it's failure to hold a criminal accountable for his crimes. P.S. Sometimes, internment camps (prisons) are the only place for those who continue to terrorise innocent people who only want to live their lives by grazing in their pasture.
There. That wasn't so hard was it?
So fill up the currently vacant Dutch prisons with graffiti artists and be a vegetarian, right? I'll admit that I agree with half of this. Thanks for your input.
Since you're so fond of straw man debating, I'll reciprocate.
Your statement makes it clear that you hate newborns, and sunny days, and puppies. What kind of monster are you? Please clarify. I really want to know.
But seriously, with regards to my earlier question, you against the proposed law, correct? Maybe you should explain how the authorities should handle the situation instead. And don't say internment camps, because I know you love those.
People who violate the ban "could" face two years in jail. The law has no teeth and when it does, it takes out it's teeth at the punishment phase. The cause of the problem is: People will do exactly what the want to do and will continue to do so until their freedom is taken away. You will always find a way to protect the criminal from going to jail but you will never find a way to protect the innocent citizens who are the victims. Is this what happens in a civilized country? Protect the criminal and punish the victim.
So are you for or against the proposed law? Or do you just hate freedom? It's not clear.
"So are you for or against the proposed law? Or do you just hate freedom? It's not clear.".....Your statement tells me that you are the one against freedom or should I say the freedom for the victims who are terrorised by criminals. To be clear, people have a right to live as they choose but when they start to terrorise others, their freedom stops. I am against any law that fails to protect the public and protects those who terrorise people. Would you want to some yob to terrorise the homes of your family and friends? I don't think you do. People have a right to be safe in their homes and it is the responsibility of the state to protect the citizens and punish those who terrorise. There must be a deterrent or those yobs will keep on terrorising. The only problem is: The state cares nothing about protecting people and punishing the criminals. No, JW, I am neither Muslim or a criminal. I love freedom and those two are contradictions of freedom.
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