Replies to post #38260 on A.I.M. Users Bulletin Board (AIMUSERS)

[OldAIMGuy]

Hi K, Bowing to the Painter from Berlin (who was actually Austrian?)

That's a story worth remembering always.

One of the United States' earliest flags was the American Rattle Snake and the words "Don't Tread On Me."

[SFSecurity]

Hi K,

I suspect he at least thought "bad painter."

I'm curious, had you heard the story about the jailing of the lawyers and judges before?

I came across the story many, many years ago, around 1964 or 1965. I had happened across a story about a fellow growing marijuana seedlings on a barge in, if I recall correctly, Amsterdam Harbor and giving them away. The police took them away but then returned them about three days later, saying that he was correct, that what he had been doing was legal. They even sent him a formal letter of apology. This really tweaked my interest so I read up on Holland and its history and came across that tidbit about the Germans and the way the laws were changed as a result, which resulted in the laws letting what happened on vessels in Dutch harbors be the responsibility of the vessel's master, not of the local police.

I have come across other stories over the years that have reinforced my general positive feelings about the reasonableness of the Dutch. Then, too, Janwillem van de Wetering's Amsterdam Cops series absolutely charmed me. Grijpstra and de Gier are a hoot.

Warmest Regards,

Allen