strange days

When I woke up this morning I was just having a nightmare. I usually regret waking up out of nightmares, because I don't want to leave the dream before solving the problem. This was one of those. My house was being invaded by something and I was busy defending it, with a friend. All the way to work I had that feeling of horror, of something happening that I couldn't stop.

My friend thinks nothing has changed here since the Dark Ages, society is still just as crooked. I think he is wrong. Yesterday on the radio I heard about the Somalian pirates so happy to be brought to court in the Netherlands, because our jails are luxury hotels to them, and not only are they in paradise, they get paid the humongous amount of 40 Euros a month for doing prison work. Prisons weren't paradise in the Dark Ages. Also heard on the radio: our Minister of Defence does not want to employ armed forces against Somali pirates at sea, because that would "re-enforce the agression spiral". I laughed my head off, that is so typically Dutch. The best defence is deflating your enemies "aggression spiral". Usually that sounds like good advice, but Somalis who come here in peace are branded 'economic refugees' and sent back with empty hands, while if they attack a Dutch ship and manage to get arrested, they are assured two years bed and full board in a clean "hotel" with tv and 40 Euros a month salary. When they go back home they can buy a house. One little voice in my head says that isn't a wise defence policy... if they get life they think they hit the jackpot.. and what do they do to get life? Seems to me that spiral also risks running the wrong way. But at least something has changed since the Dark Ages...