Questions about Islam?

www.faithfreedom.org

It's been on the front page of the CNN and Fox's websites. STRIB's running the AP story (http://www.startribune.com/stories/722/5706117.html) and the PiPress addresses it here: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/world/13066591.htm

Not sure what your definition of silence is, but I tend to use Webster's. You must be using the RNC glossary again. The one that states anti-war equals Pro Dictator.

Flash

Flash,

Your Strib link didn't work for me, so I went to their site myself and I can see your point.

From the main page, I selected "World News". I then ignored the four feature articles, two more related items, and concentrated on the "More" section. Low and behold, right there, five headlines down the list, was the clearly worded title, "Rioters fire on police, firefighters in suburban Paris".

Reading the article, I learned that some wacky "French Youth" are unhappy about their housing situation.

The Strib couldn't have made the fact that Paris is in day EIGHT of Moslim rioting more clear if they had placed ten year olds on the corner shouting "Extree, extree!".

You can dismiss this if you like, but this is a big story, with the potential to become a huge one. The unemployment rate for those under 25 in France is over 23%. For immigrants, it has to be much higher. They literally have nothing else to do. They number in the millions and, if new reports are correct, they are being organized.

The cultural, religious and socio-economic situations in France are igniting a powderkeg. The government response has been feckless and the fuse continues to burn. One way or another, this is going to end up real bad for alot of people.

Blogs (LGF, Instapundit and others) have been covering the events since Day One. You'll forgive me if I don't heap praise on those who still aren't giving us the full detailsmore than a week into the story.

Mike said: "The unemployment rate for those under 25 in France is over 23%. For immigrants, it has to be much higher. They literally have nothing else to do."

But those that have jobs get a month of vacation and a 35 hour work week. So what if it turns their economy to crap.

The original idea behind the 35 hour work week was that it was supposed to make each worker less productive and create more jobs. As far as I could tell, the end result was that people just didn't show up for work on Monday mornings or Friday afternoons, and productivity was all shot to hell.

Paris's suburbs have been a powederkeg waiting to happen. Even the most well-meaning French socialists couldn't give all the unemployed kids jobs.

Laurie... I agree, that was in part the goal of the Socialists, and it fialed.

Mike and Mitch - it's been all over the news lately.. I don't know which version of the news you watch, but normal people seem to have heard of this.

Mitch, just an aside, French bashing is both cliche'd, and about as inventive as calling OJ a bad person, get a life.

There are bad things about Europe, bad things about France for that matter - did you expect that any example had to be perfect or even close? Such demagaugery makes you sound infantile or uninterested in intelligent discussion. Which is it, are you incapable of seeing good examples in flawed things, or are you merely using your pulpit to expand hatred?

France has a higher rate of social/economic class mobility than the US, go figure. They absorbed LOTS of immigrants because of thier perceived liberalisms (some of which were real). Europe is FAR more sexist that us, having seen it repeatedly, I have no question of it. Their primary problem right now is the same as ours, they are being exposed to ever cheaper labor which is wrecking the ability of indiginous labor to negotiate a fair portion of the profits, or for that matter, to even keep their jobs. The question I have in counter is this, are you advocating that they should be happy about losing their jobs? Are you suggesting we, as a middle-class, should welcome the movement of jobs to Ghana, to China? Please don't tell me it's jobs folks wouldn't take, that's utter nonsense. I am hardly a xenophobic, or someone who argues TARRIF at any turn, but seeing those at the top be the only beneficiaries of globalization is something I strongly object to. French MUSLIMS may be venting their rage against a state because they have no real focus, but they are doing what will be the outcome of all of it in the end. The population of western nations will oppose globalization, and comments like, "you just need to be patient, those jobs will EVENTUALLY lead to western societies in leadership roles." You can't feed your kids promises, and there is NO guarantee that those jobs will ever materialize anyway. It's cheaper and easier to put the jobs there. The effect in the end will be the destruction of the middle class (not taxation or socialism, but globalization is bringing that about), and a world where we have cheap, unskilled and uneducated labor constantly tearing down any society that attempts to reassert the power of labor to restore a middle class. Nice system, I just think it sucks.

PB

France is finished...

PB,

As I indicated, I have been aware of this story since the first day, so thanks for reassuring me that I am "normal", I guess.

Good thing too, as I have absolutely no clue what you are trying to say with the rest of your post.

Your statement about French v. American class mobility is interesting (seriously). Where did you find the info to support it (seriously)?

As to your "counter question", who is the "they" you are referring to (..."they should be happy about losing their jobs?")? Your post reads like it is the French middle-class who are causing all the trouble, and they are presumably justified in doing so, from your description of the inequity of global labor markets.

Is that how you see this situation? If so, you're correct that I'm not watching the same news as you, as I'm not seeing 40 yr old middle-management types lighting fire to over 500 vehicles nightly.