Short for "GeologicalScienceBlog", subjects will include Geology, Climatology, Environmental Science, NASCAR, Beer, Property Rights, Politics from a Christian Conservative/Libertarian viewpoint, and random thoughts. My background is two degrees in Geology (BS, MS), 8 years of geology/environmental employment and almost 8 years of teaching Geology and Environmental Science on a Junior College level. <68>

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

WWIV Comes to France

Some wars (or theatres of war) are planned a la 9/11, some ignite when a volatile (actually flammable) situation reaches its flash point.

When we looked back after 9/11, we realized that the Islamist war against the West had been going on for years. But some nations thought they could sit on the sidelines and remain safe. France has bent over forward so many times to appease those that threaten, they might as well have grown handles on their ankles to make it easier to "assume the position".

It is hard to imagine how even Jacques Chirac can "not get it" at this point. Weak responses only encourage more destruction. In this country, if President Bush and any respective governors had not called out the military and/or national guard to address 12 days of rioting, at this point I hope, armed citizens would have remembered one of the purposes of the Second Amendment to the Constitution (it ain't about hunting).

Not to attack the religion of Islam, but rather the accompanying culture, how many times in how many countries have we heard of Muslim riots because of a rumor? Not peaceful protests, but riots where people die, because someone "heard something"? Or in this case because of an accidental electrocution of what might have been spectators to ongoing criminal behavior. They should have done what we would do in this country, in this situation - call out the lawyers!

And in their blindness, I am sure that some will blame the U.S. presence in Iraq as an excuse for the Islamist rioting that is now shredding what is left of France, even though France attempted repeatedly to sabotage our efforts.

France-bashing has been an ongoing endeavor for many, at least in my case, it is not because of the enjoyment, but out of a sense of frustration. France doesn't seem (on a national level) to be able to say to itself "OK, that didn't work, let's try something with a track record of success." If France had more tangible successes upon which to stand, we might tolerate their arrogance a little more. I am not making any blanket condemnations of all French citizens, but France itself has readily (if unwittingly) nurtured the stereotypes. Though socialism sounds good, it has a long history of stifling creativity and creating decades of misery (or in France's case, centuries of weakness). For wealth to spread throughout the society, it has to be nurtured and allowed to grow.

Perhaps if France had been more respectible, self-confident, and affluent, earlier-immigrating Muslims might have been more willing to assimilate and the second- and third-generations might be less willing to riot, as they would have more to lose. Assimilation is a two-way street. If the Muslim immigrants had been more vocal about wanting to "become French", French citizens might have been more accepting. If the Muslim immigrants had not so willingly isolated themselves (making it more difficult to find jobs), they might not have had to live in the isolated enclaves and welfare housing projects.

If this is the beginning of the "end of France", this is not a "blaze of glory". It is the culmination of many of the policies that the Lib/Leftists in this country hold dear, in their dream of a human government-created Utopia. It was a "grass fire" a few days ago, it is now burning in the forest and the crowns of the trees will catch fire soon, if they haven't already. Despite our personal feelings towards France, schadenfreude is not the right attitude, as this forest fire may spread to neighboring countries.

It has gone beyond the stage of "being nice" and "talking it out". Some stern warmings by French authorities (and where is the EU?????) must be issued and then followed-up upon. It will have to get uglier at this point before it gets better, or at least that is the view from here.

Awwww, do we have to rescue France, again!?

More articulate thoughts are issued forth by: Dr. Thomas Sowell, Debra Saunders, Robert Spencer, Daniel Pipes, Michelle Malkin, Right Wing Nuthouse, Blogmeister USA, and more from Blogmeister USA, Lifelike Pundits (with a New York Post article), Mean Ol' Meany (with some comments)...more will be linked.

Update: In his above-linked post, Rick Moran at Right Wing Nuthouse offers some perspective on past French reactions to riots here and there:

"I’m not ashamed to say that in a perverse sort of way, I am getting enormous satisfaction watching the rioters make the French out to be the hypocritical bastards they always accuse America of being. During the riots in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict, French pundits boasted that it could never happen in a country as tolerant and enlightened as France. I wonder what they’re saying now? After all, this is the country where in 1961, police murdered from 70-200 Algerian protesters and unceremoniously dumped their bodies in the Seine. And for all their talk of being freedom lovers, the French government suppressed that story for almost 30 years, censoring media that published anything about it."
Posted by: on-the-rocks / 6:43 AM
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