Dutch pedophile party lacks support for vote bid

[High Plains]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-10-05T124038Z_01_L04568367_RTRUKOC_0_US-DUTCH-PAEDOPHILES.xml&WTmodLoc=OddNewsHome_C2_oddlyEnoughNews-3

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A political party formed by Dutch pedophiles is unlikely to gather sufficient support to run in general elections next month.

The Brotherly Love, Freedom and Diversity party (PNVD) probably will not succeed in gathering the 570 signatures from supporters needed by October 10 to run in the national elections, the party's secretary Norbert de Jonge told Reuters. The party was launched in May and its campaign for a cut in the age of consent from 16 to 12, and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals has provoked widespread outrage within and outside the Netherlands.

The party managed to attract over 100 sympathizers on its Web site although several withdrew their support. "They are afraid that their windows will be smashed, just as happened yesterday to our chairman," De Jonge said on Wednesday.

The PNVD says it wants to lift the taboo on pedophilia which it has said has intensified since the 1996 Marc Dutroux child abuse scandal in neighboring Belgium.

In July, a Dutch court rejected a bid by a children's rights group to have the party banned, saying it was protected by democratic freedoms and judges could not take lightly a decision to ban a political party.

[High Plains]

1. What can I say?

I'm trying to resist the temptation to make Foley jokes.

[Poll_Blind]

2. You're allowed one insane idea and wooden shoes is IT. n/t

PB

[quiet.american]

3. Okay, you made me LOL. n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Me too

[Greyhound]

5. The Dutch are, without doubt, the smartest, sanest nation on earth.

Of course, I'm not advocating this "party". The genius lies in their absolute adherence to the fundamental principles of democracy, while allowing fools like these to spout their nonsense, rather than the typical, vehement, outrage we would see here in amerika.

By tolerating them, they expose them for what they are, thereby making them a non-factor (they can't even gather <600 signatures of support). The amerikan reaction would make a story and the "news" media would jump on it and it would be a big hullabaloo for a couple of days or a week, depending on what else is happening at the time, and there would inevitably be a few hundred potential pedophiles that thought they were all alone but now have a support structure and might decide to act on their impulses.

Instead of trying to force the people to conform to a rigid, and thereby brittle system, they alter the system to accommodate the people.

Just brilliant. :think: