Aljo-Log

Archive for the ‘Friendship’ Category

On The Voice of Russia World Service last weekend was a feature about Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. How this poet collected lots of books and loved to wonder about by himself through the Russian country side and his hometown. That he loved the Russian people and was a good friend. Shortwave is often hard to follow because reception often jams, so I missed some details. There also was a feature about how in Russia they plan to build some 200 airship Zeppelins. For low cost heavy weight air freight transportation and surveillance. That was also interesting. How German Chancellor Angela Merkel had an 11 hour meeting in a palace near Berlin with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev with whom she spoke in Russian, can you imagine this? Russian is a really difficult language to learn, it is so nice how former DDR citizens were interested in Russian culture too. Some 4 years ago I was walking in downtown Amersfoort and came across a guy in his early twenties who wore a red training jacket with the letters ‘CCCP’ on it. I should have photographed this guy! Most Russians do not want to return to the Soviet Union, because in the Soviet Union a few party officials took everything they wanted from the community, which was stealing from the ordinary citizens, which is not fair. Listen to Russian radio! It is fun, these people are good. There are so many interesting stories Russian people can tell.

Aljo_

Over the years I have been thinking about Australian women, but that once you are past age 40 that Australian women no longer are interested in you. Still, I have known Emma since 1999 and that we care about each other’s opinions and love lives. Emma is like the loyal wife who will love you forever and who you can really trust. Kate is like a retired Playmate, who has a lot of experience with love lives and what guys want. This is fun! That whatever I would want Kate or Emma can provide. That we can educate a whole new generation where relationships are concerned. If Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would hire us. I am sure we are capable. Maybe this will get me an immigrant visa for Australia! Specialized skills.

Aljo_

How since the 1980s Dutch Christian Democratic Prime Ministers have made sure I would not meet any Dutch women I would feel attracted to. These people call this ‘consistence’, while of course this is a crime. How these people made sure I would not be around any Dutch females so then I fell in love with an American military woman. Whom these Dutch politicians considered the enemy. Now 25 years later I still feel love for this woman, that if it were up to me I would have left the Netherlands decades ago. But that the Netherlands government acted to take away my good health to make sure I couldn’t leave. I find this a cowardice act. How these current Dutch Christian Democratic politicians know the truth about people like Ruud Lubbers who personally made sure I would not have a future in The Netherlands. So then I made friends with the US Government and that these people were impressed by my consistent performance, that this week I was granted my first US Air Force General star meaning that I am now allowed to shape US government policy. I cannot stay in The Netherlands with these Dutch people denying me my freedom and joy. How I sometimes wonder if my soul is being held captive in an isolation cell. That a senior CDA politician conveyed the message that I made Dutch girls cry. While girls are supposed to cry, this is normal. Especially when it deals with balding men.. Even though this was 20 years later. I sure would want to move to Australia and forget I ever was Dutch. But that then EU officials start complaining to the Australian government, which really annoys the Australians. But that lately I was wondering if I wouldn’t want to live in Vancouver or Seattle, I’ve got the friends I would need. I only need someone powerful to make sure the Dutch will let me go. Even though with my pacemaker I no longer stand a chance, which is precisely the reason why I have gotten this pacemaker in the first place. What have I got to lose? The Netherlands no longer is my home anymore anyway. How they are going on and on about me on Dutch radio and television. That I am like public property and that this is all deliberate. Not that I care, I haven’t viewed hardly any Dutch television for 7 years, and now I only listen to Internet streams so I no longer listen to Dutch radio anymore either. How I am being stigmatized as being a bad person, while I have got nothing to do with the people who say this. How my consciousness is not my own, because there are people working in local psychiatrics who are making sure I can not do my own thinking. These people are using me for a punching bag to act out their frustration on. This is no mental illness there were people who could take away my freedom of thought so they did this to me. Like the spot on President Mikhail Gorbachev’s bald head. That I wonder if Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers defected to the USSR’s side and that years later his successor Prime Minister Balkenende had to cooperate with the US invasion of Iraq to make up for this. Because PM Lubbers stabbed President Reagan in the back. While it was President Reagan who wanted to become friends with me, what else could the Netherlands government have done other than to hurt me? And why would I still want to be in The Netherlands after all these people have done to me? Realizing that I have a home in some other country? I can remember how in the 1980s I was watching television and that President Gorbachev was on and that he told me: “I want to do business with you!” That I feel that Mr Gorbachev wants to be friends with me, that he didn’t mean to hurt me. That all this had to do with God’s plan with Russia and that Russia meant salvation for the world. In the 1980s we still were in the Cold War so it was far too soon to explain to the West what the Russian government wanted to do, there simply was no trust. Now we can save the world by letting Russia stop the evil forces who are still trying to start wars. This is what Russia is all about. Wouldn’t we all benefit if this would be a success?

Aljo_

This picture made me feel good, for personal reasons, but I am not going to tell why.

Aljo_

I remember it well, it was January of 1998, I missed my American military friends, I was in my room listening to Boston on CD, when I started to feel dizzy. I thought it was the flue, it turned out to be a heart rhythm irregularity, two months later I needed a pacemaker. Today, 12 years later I am still missing my American military friends, and again I am listening to Boston on CD. So in a way I have come full circle. The reason for this is that the Dutch deny me my life as I would want it. That the reason why I am listening to the rock band Boston isn’t because I care so much for the Americans, even though I do, but because I no longer feel at home in The Netherlands.

Aljo_

I remember how one morning at about 9.00 am in the fall of 1986 that I had just parked my moped at Utrecht University and was about to walk into the Trans-1 building when I saw in the distance an I-formation of four F-15s flying towards me over the Academic Hospital Utrecht along the road I was standing on. They flew low and slow and passed right over my head, something they hadn’t done before and later I realized that they wanted to say goodbye to me in a way I would remember.

Aljo_

This is a picture of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vacationing in Southern Siberia. People in The Netherlands wonder if Prime Minister Putin is trustworthy. I think he is. We know so little about Russia, we should be informed about Russian culture, like how in Amsterdam there is a museum with art from the Russian Hermitage in St Petersburg. Russian people are really well educated and socially advanced. The biggest barrier for interaction with Russia is the Russian language which is very difficult to learn. But that Prime Minister Putin speaks German fluently and that I was hoping that I would some day hear him say a few words in German which I could understand. Earlier this year Prime Minister Putin was in Dresden Germany to collect an award and that he spoke German on this occasion. It was a very special moment!

Aljo_

Happy birthday America! Not that I ever will be visiting you, but I wish you all the best. In particular all Americans who I got to meet in person, I will not forget you. These days I am viewing to the East, only to realize just how many good memories I have of you: land of the free and home of the brave. I know how much The Netherlands meant to you and that you mean the same to us. Even though the world has changed. In high school this Dutch teacher said America didn’t have any culture, after all these years I conclude that he could not have been more wrong. I don’t know anything about American literature, but I do know that the American military has a lot of customs which translate into culture.

Aljo_

There is this new computer animated movie released, it is titled: ‘Up’. I saw some trailers of it on TV and it is really a feel good movie. This movie reminds me of my friend Ray whom I phoned regularly at work in Frankfurt am Main Germany where he worked as Head Radio Production for American military radio until his retirement in January of 2003. We share a passion for radio and we shared ideas about what the differences between Americans and Europeans are. American military people are loyal friends, they used to be a large part of my life…

Aljo_

This is Nina Weidmann from Ontario, Canada. I loved to listen to her doing her radio show during the weekends. But now she is leaving her radio station. What a bummer! I love you Nina, I wish you all the best.

Aljo_