…as the wheels of justice are slow to turn in Amsterdam. Our American friend Gene had an argument with his landlord. He’s already been inside for over three months waiting for a psychiatric report to find out if he’s a danger to society. Today he was back in court and because they had no time to hear his case and because the psychiatric report was not ready Gene has to stay in prison for three more months. One more can’t fly over the cuckoo’s nest. Now Gene is eccentric. He’s a geeky old hippy with some whacky ideas. But he’s straight and honest as the day is long and in the nearly four years that Leighton has known him he’s never been a danger to anyone. People trust him with their small kids as a babysitter. All his friends love him and nobody has a bad word to say about him. Gene should not be in prison just because of the inefficiency of the Dutch system of justice.

Still Rita Verdonk and the rest of the right wing band of xenophobic facists that have have been running Holland had to resign today. Yippee!!! Bye, bye Rita, heroine of the Schipol Airport fire in which helpless refugees waiting for deportation lost their lives. Ayaan Hirsi Ali gets her revenge after Iron Rita took her Dutch passport away. Great to be able to blog some good news.

Inequality and injustice are far too common in this world. It’s only when a friend gets caught up in the wheels of the system that you realise how close we all are to falling off the edge.