Fear. Buy it now. Available anywhere near you.

Today Theo van Gogh, writer and movie-maker, as well as well-known Dutch public figure, was murdered in public. Although it took a long time to confirm, latest news updates seem to state that the perpetrator 'looked Arabic', and after Van Gogh was shot, a message apparently was pinned on him. Van Gogh was well-known for his strong, controversial, anti-Muslim (extremist) opinions, and, although nowhere officially confirmed, assumptions are abundant that he was murdered for those very opinions.
Everybody and everything is discussing it. I couldn't walk the streets without getting interviewed about my opinion, and the one 'big' question they had for me was wether or not I was now afraid to express my opinion. The simple answer is: NO. "Not even if you could get killed because of it ?" NO. "May we ask why ?" Because if we start being too afraid to express our opinions, regardless of their consequences, we're officially a country where I don't want to live anymore. When you stop expressing your opinion out of fear of violence, you're giving up on public debate and free speech, the main two qualities of a DEMOCRACY. When you become ruled by such fears, you're in a DICTATORSHIP. That's a very black-and-white viewpoint, I'll admit, but my point remains: no matter what extremes some INDIVIDUALS go to when you have controversial opinions, you should never feel CENSORED.
But that's not what the government wants. Or wat the media wants. Fear sells, and fear blinds, fear allows actions taken 'in your best interest' when they really aren't. This is what happened in the States, this is what ALMOST happened after the political assassination of Pim Fortuyn in May 2002 in this country. I'll be damned if I'll let it happen now. Show up at my door, armed with an UZI or whatever, and ask me for my opinion. I hereby guarantee you, you will get an honest answer. No matter what you threaten to do to me. Because each and every one of us who continues to express themselves honestly and freely, is a sign that this is still a free country and no matter which individual may or may not get away with killing someone for their opinion, it doesn't make a real difference to our freedoms. If you stop saying what you think out of fear, you give up your most important right. And if you act on fear, you become a string puppet to manipulation of media, commerce, and government. So don't.

This is one thing I won't apologise for. The above expresses exactly how I feel.
I know that in the past few days, several roles I've taken on have forced me to apologise to some people for actions I didn't feel I did wrong. And I also made a few screw-ups because I stepped out of my role and acted as my own person. But the above I'm saying as MYSELF. René van Densen, Tilburg. I'm in the friggin' phone book, so if you want me for it, come get me. I have nothing to hide.

But all the things that I've done, said, and experienced the past week did basically leave me a bit sickened with people for a while. Instead, I stayed in tonight and enjoyed watching my cats.
Aren't they cute ? Look - they're NOT killing each other !