A selection of readers’ reactions to news articles and features published on Expatica in February.

News

Re: Dutch Serbs to protest Kosovo independence

Nikki
Kosovo can not get Independence. Giving Kosovo independence means that a massive break down of Serbian human rights in Kosovo will be legalised. Eight years after the UN entered Kosovo, Serbs still live in Albanian ghettoes and still doesn’t have human Rights. Serbia has already prosecuted all war crimes done in Kosovo and put all criminals in prison or sent them to The Hague. Albanians in Kosovo hasn’t done that. Furthermore their war criminals are now still present in Government, led by Prime Minister Hashim Tachi, who is also accused of war crimes. By giving Kosovo independence we are protecting war crimes and criminals and also this will come back on us one day as evidence that we are doing something against our principles and expose our ‘democracy’ as racist and unjust.

Silvija
The organisers should speak in their own name, since there are Serbs in the Netherlands that will not attend such meeting, and have a different opinion.

Re: Obama Wins Democrats Abroad Global Primary

Tony McCuaig
When you all recover from the euphoria you should start looking closely at what Obama really stands for and who his supporters are (large unions opposed to free trade and extreme left wing organisations like MoveOn.org). He claims to reach across the political divide but he has a voting record in Congress of being very extreme. He doesn't reach out to moderates or conservatives despite his claims to the contrary. All politicians should be subjected to proper scrutiny. He won't even give clear answers to Hilary Clinton's questions so just wait until the Republican attacks begin. Remember that the President doesn't pass laws, the congress does.  So it is a bit unclear as to how the large spending proposals will be passed into law. There is a long way to go before we reach a decision in November.

Historytechdoc
I certainly agree with Tony McCuaig's post. As much as I was enthusiastic in seeing Obama win his Senate seat in 2004, I'm frankly concerned that he lacks both substance and experience to the extent that he could add more instability to the already fragile world political situation.Obama talks 'Change' but how do we know that this is not code for a ‘Second American Revolution’? His obvious vagueness allows many voters the opportunity to fill in their own private scenario any way that they wish!

Sorry, but B.O. is just too cleverly packaged to be sufficiently believable and trustworthy to be the Democratic Party's next Presidential Nominee. Hopefully, if he really can be objective about himself and the future of the U.S. and the rest of the world, Obama will be able to see that choosing for the Vice Presidential nominee with Senator Clinton as the Presidential one is in the best interest for us all.

Re; KLM turns away Geert Wilders

Johnny Canuck
KLM "was" the only airline I ever used to fly to Europe and elsewhere, no longer. I will never use KLM again.

Jonmac
Flying is the pits - it is not fun anymore what with ALL this security - having to practically strip naked before you can walk through. There has to be a better way!

New fathers miss the pub, sleep, sex

Lisa
Ahhh, such a pity that men miss out on sleep, going to the pub and sex after their partner has a baby. My heart bleeds.....

Margaret
And women miss out on sleep, sex, and time with their friends too. That is invisible because it is simply expected of women. And the sacrifice of "hyperactive" men means they are taking part in some pre-birth activities - while their wives are doing all of them - plus coping with pregnancy! Too bad the article was all about the men and what they miss by helping their wives.

The Netherlands not being petty towards Hirsi Ali

Williams
He is quite right. The Dutch Government has no obligation to spend tax payer's money on protecting someone who does not even live there and who has obtained that nationality through lying. Hirsi Ali has shown a trend here. She does not even write her own books, but someone else is paid to write them for her. Hirsi Ali has insulted the very people who gave her the very life she has now. Welcome to the land of oppressed beginning to oppress others!

Joran in hiding but available for questioning

American
Actually America has taken a lot of notice. ABC's 20/20 on Monday. Greta van Susteren, Nancy Grace, Geraldo, Good Morning America, CNN, do I have to go on? Joran's screwed.

Regina
This is what happened when Joran gave her the date rape drug, GHB:

No arrest warrant for Van der Sloot

Lori Eike
The problem with Vander Sloot is that he is a self absorbed killer. She was dead and he knows it and I think she was dead at his hands, otherwise, why use a payphone, ditch your shoes, and call a friend. Any human with any kind of remorse or guilt would have called the paramedics to try and save her young, beautiful life. I think he overdosed her and then sexually abused her and then when she started to come to and she would have him arrested, he killed her. I do not think he knew initially, that she was a minor and then freaked out when he found out she was a high school kid far from home. To not charge this man with some kind of criminal act is truly unbelievable in this system we call justice.

Gus
Before making a comment, read the report. He did not use the phone no one did .Besides it only connects to the hotel were she was staying. It is not a regular phone. His cell phone checked no calls made .A lie. What ever happened to the med vac plane that landed there at the same time she went missing? The only reason this is followed is that her people had the money.

Features

EU politicians make empty promises to Hirsi Ali

Jon Reykdalin
As they like her so much, why don't Hirsi Ali's right-wing, billionaire associates at the American Enterprise Institute pay for her 'protection'?

Jerry
Regarding Jon Reykdalin's remark about billionaires paying for her protection, he seems not to understand that it is the protection of HIS rights for which he is being asked to pay. He clearly does not sufficiently value the right of free speech.

Jordan
In further response to Jon Reykdalin. The principle of having rich people pay for the right of free speech for those that they choose is incredibly frightening. That is an argument to get rid of the public police and justice system and simply have a system where justice is only available to the wealthy and powerful. Such a situation; where security from violence and related precarity is a privilege that only the wealthiest in our society can afford, is a very frightening proposition.

Yorgos
what I notice is that European socialists are not able to provide sustainable support to Ali, they do not even agree amongst themselves. Solidarity becomes scarcer and scarcer to find in Europe.

From dog to cat in one 'Popple'

me
She is disgusting...and no true artist...if you really have talent you don’t have to shock people; you do not need to kill for art. Looser, just a sick, retarded loser, starving for attention, not an artist. Why doesn't she just kill herself ... that would surely spark a discussion too...?

Worker
Please don't feed the trolls.
This is an asocial, talentless young fool who has found a 'trick': Kill cute animals and get free publicity. By 'feeding' her with this publicity you just encourage her. So please stop and let the animal welfare people step in and deal with this properly. The best result is that she gets fined, banned from ever keeping or working with animals, and gets no publicity about that. It is this last that represents the biggest punishment for this shallow little arts-graduate imbecile.

4 March 2008