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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SirRealist who wrote (1568)	9/27/2001 8:32:15 PM
From: CountofMoneyCristo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

The Dutch have been brutal and repressive, though admittedly, in the past. Yes, in Indonesia and a few other places. We all have history, and hopefully, those who are worthy of a future have learned from the mistakes of the past. Early 19th-century Indonesia, for example, was not Holland's finest hour. On another note, many Americans may not realize this but the Netherlands was the very first nation to formally recognize the United States. It is also the longest continuous ally of the United States on this planet. And finally, up until a few years ago, no other country had more capital invested in the United States than the Netherlands. Yes, Japan in the 1980's made high-profile purchases, but the Netherlands even then had far more invested in America. New York was once known by another name - New Amsterdam - until the Dutch made arguably the worst real estate deal in history and traded that wonderful patch of real estate for the island of Suriname. Three of the five New York boroughs were named by the Dutch: 1. Brooklyn = Breukelen, a town west of Amsterdam, near Utrecht 2. Harlem = Haarlem, a suburban town of Amsterdam to this day 3. The Bronx = Bronck's, after a certain De Heer (Mr.) Bronck Staten Island was also named by the Dutch, after Island of the State, and Coney Island also, konijneijland, or "Rabbit Island." Now following is a story of how New York City came to be known as "Gotham," which I hope many of you will enjoy, in this disheartening and sometimes confused time... Gotham is actually a real town dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, in Nottinghamshire, famous for King John and Robin Hood. Many fables were written in the 12th century about King John, who signed the Magna Carta, and who also substituted for King Richard "The Lionheart," a man at this time otherwise engaged in the Crusade against the "infidels" further south. The first story published at this time was called The Gothic Canon. In 1565 was published the first edition of The Merry Tales of the Mad-man of Gotta, later edited and enlarged by the American novelist Washington Irving, most famous a work all American schoolchildren know well and cherish, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The people of Gotta reasoned that as spring disappears when the cuckoo flies away, capturing the bird would ensure that spring would remain forever. So they caught a cuckoo and kept it in a fenced [though,unfortunately,roofless] enclosure. And when the summer came,it flew away. King John wanted to visit Gotta, but the townspeople refused him entry, fearful that he would take their lands. The King was furious and sent an army of knights to Gotta. When they arrived, they found the inhabitants engaged in various forms of idiotic behavior: pouring water into a bottomless tub, painting green apples red, trying to drown an eel in a pool of water, dragging carts on top of barns to shade the wood from the sun, and fencing in a cuckoo. The knights reported back to King John that the townspeope were crazy, and the King spared them. Perhaps with the "fabulous" history of the city of New York as our clear guide, we may thus win the war on terrorism... ;-)