Dutch lawmakers offended by Rep. Lantos

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

I particularly like the "You have to help us.." part. Maybe bombing Amsterdam would convince them they are obligated to us.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071027/ap_on_go_co/us_netherlands_guantanamo;_ylt=AnwvHjsSLJyydNubDsY9KJis0NUE

WASHINGTON - Dutch lawmakers who visited the Guantanamo Bay military prison this week said they were offended by a testy exchange in Washington with a senior congressional Democrat.

The lawmakers said that Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told them that "Europe was not as outraged by Auschwitz as by Guantanamo Bay."

Before the Guantanamo exchange, the lawmakers had discussed a debate in the Netherlands about whether the country should maintain its 1,600 troops serving in NATO's Afghanistan operations.

"You have to help us, because if it was not for us you would now be a province of Nazi Germany," Lantos said, according to the Dutch lawmakers.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. Oh yeah, that'll go down well. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

2. Who is 'Us'?

Unless Lantos is rather older than the average Congressman, I doubt that he fought in WW2.

The Soviet Union also contributed quite a bit to the defeat of the Nazis; does that mean that the Netherlands also have to obey Putin in everything?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. The story is that he was a young teenager when he evaded capture by the Nazis

during WWII.

[MonkeyFunk]

4. He did fight the nazis.

He was part of the resistance in Hungary during WWII.

He was born in 1928.

[LeftishBrit]

6. OK, that does make a difference.

I still don't agree with the leap of logic; but he has more of a genuine right to say it than all the Bushies who push the same argument.

I hadn't heard of him before, and had no idea that he was that sort of age!

[stranger81]

13. Lantos is the guy seen this week in the photos of the Code Pink member

confronting Condi with bloody hands -- he's the guy who put his hand on the Code Pink activist to move her away from Condi before security stepped in.

[DURHAM D]

5. I believe he lost his entire extended family to the Nazis.

[TahitiNut]

7. We REALLY have to stoop low to find a "standard" lower than what we're doing.

When we have to use Auschwitz to say that what we're doing "ain't as bad" ... we've jumped the shark, indeed.

Appalling. Despicable.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Reminiscent of the "fraternity pranks" commentary.

And, even more despicable.

[helderheid]

8. WTF Lantos?!

[EFerrari]

10. He's a first class jerk.

If I lived a mile or so south, I'd be in his district. :scared:

Edit: Wait -- I just remembered. I'm not Nancy's constituent, either.

[fed-up]

12. I grew up in San Bruno, my baby bro was an aide to Lantos in HS and JC, Lantos must be in his 80's n

[DutchLiberal]

11. I didn't hear about that in our Dutch news broadcasts.

I have met Mariko Peters, member of the Green Party, who criticized Lantos for his offensive remarks. She is a very smart, very lovely lady, who has been a close adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan. She has also been a human rights lawyer in Bosnia. Trust me, she knows what she's talking about.

I was really surprised it was a Democrat who makes this remarks. You would expect this from a Republican. Especially this part: "You have to help us, because if it was not for us you would now be a province of Nazi Germany". It is always held against us, like we still 'owe' the US after all these decades. It was not the Bush-administration, which started the war in Afghanistan, that saved us in WW II. Harry van Bommel, of the Socialist Party is a very bright man. He was right on spot.

There was one member in the delegation who was very positive about Guántanamo Bay: Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party. Don't let the name mislead you. He has nothing to do with freedom, but everything with oppression. He has called for banishing the Qu'ran and for "less muslims" in The Netherlands. This night, Dutch news-websites reported: "Geert Wilders wants Dutch version of Guántanamo".

Meanwhile, Amnesty International Holland has expressed serious doubt about the effectiveness of the visit. They feel the Dutch lawmakers have been given a 'model tour', which reveals the true circumstances at the detention centre.

Ediit: don't be misleaded by the phrase that says Hans van Baalen, leader of the delegation, is a member of the 'Liberals'. The party is truly very right-winged and conservative when it comes to economics, war, international policy. Van Baalen has criticized the Democrats for "cutting and running" in Iraq, and he said "we have to fight them in Iraq, so we don't have to fight them in the streets of The Hague". Does this remind you of someone? ;)

[DutchLiberal]

14. Kick.