Totally OT, but it's time to string McCain's career up from a tree:

"We are united in a wait-and-see approach," said Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona as he emerged from the first meeting of "The Group of 14" since Bush nominated the conservative appellate judge to the high court on Monday.

Two Republicans in the group had earlier said they would personally oppose a Democratic tactic to block a Senate vote on Alito. But the full group of seven Republicans and seven Democrats decided to withhold final judgment, lawmakers said.

He told the Senate the government "will not give in" to violence in the troubled suburbs.

This is french for "we will roll over and take it in the ass."

I don't know about that. The French can be pretty nasty, the more so since the world community yawns whenever they do it. They're the only colonial power I can think of that still treats its former African holdings as property. It was reliably reported recently that the French army fired into crowds of civilians while trying to quell unrest in Côte d'Ivoire The 'international community' just shrugged.

If this keeps up, it could get ugly.

From the comments from members of the French government, one can see that the crack-down/immigration control faction is going to be going head-to-head with the appeasement/we-didn't-do-enough faction. While many commenters in the other thread were inclined to let the French swing from the scaffold they constructed, it seems to me that now would be an opportune time to help guide their response down a path that is more compatible with US policty.

Weasel-- "COULD" get ugly? That's like saying back in '89 that Rosie O'Donnell COULD get ugly-- it's plenty ugly already.

Nope, the right word is it could get WORSE. And, it probably will, if not this week, then next year, or next decade, or at some point after Americans have brought democracy to Muslims in the Middle East, and Muslims have brought the Caliphate to Europe.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

S. Weasel.

It is true that France is pretty nasty in Africa as long as they are facing people with no weapons. But these Muslims have rocks and sticks so the French Army will surrender to the rioters within a week.

Dave,

How could you call someone who had such a beautiful role in the soon to be emmy award winning Riding the Bush with My Sister???

Rosie, hell, I bet Ace has had some thoughts about her on some of those cold winter nights at home...

Has Cindy Sheehan demanded that the French leave France, yet?

Sounds like a quagmire to me. What's the UN's position?

Do you think the protesters will capture Paris? Hopefully they'll protect it better than they did in 1940.

Weasel,

You have a point. Didn't the French attack a Greenpeace ship? That's quite nasty and the world yawned about that.

France is in a bizarre tug-of-war between transnational progressivist multi-culteralism and racist imperialism. One side welcomes radical islam on the welfare rolls, the other denies immigrants equal opportunity. It's a very dangerous mix.

The French have always been nasty to those weaker than them, during the Battle of the Algiers they used torture that makes Abu Garib look like a party.

Dale,
The ship was the Rainbow Warrior, it was sunk with a journalist on board, by French Intelligence agents.

In the 1950's (or was it 60's?) Algerian and other North African immigrants in Paris took to the streets to protest the war in the (then) France colonies. Hundreds (yes, HUNDREDS) were killed by the police. Many people saw bodies floating down the Seine river in the days that followed.
The French can be very brutal when they want too. They really can. I just hope it doesn't come to it.

PS: Let's not forget that the European (not just French!) way of solving problems is ignoring them for as long as you can...and then killing a lot of people. Hey, worked with the Nazis didn't it?

Totally off topic, but that "Bet On Iraq" banner ad? Yum.

Gosh, I'd sure hate it if America ever did something to lose France's respect

Jeez, what magnificent coverage the media are (not) giving this story. Even Fox, during the Shepherd Smith broadcast, reported that the riots were sparked "by the deaths of two teenage boys who were killed by police". Do these assholes not have any respect for facts? (I was going to say truth, but realized that to journalists, 'true' probably has a meaning totally different from 'factual'.)

Last I heard, getting electrocuted on the train tracks while running from the police (although the police claim they weren't in pursuit) does not count as "killed by police". But otherwise one would have to report that the riot was sparked by two delinquents with guilty consciences playing third rail roulette and losing. That doesn't play as well with the socially aware crowd.

"Hey, why we burning shit up, man?"

"Cause them two dumb fucks fried themselves on the railroad tracks, man, and somebody has to pay."

"Power to the people, man!"

Is anyone else taking as much of a perverse enjoyment out of this as I am? ;-)

I remember visiting the Palace of Justice in Brussels, Belgium once and seeing this wonderful sentence in French, spraypainted just outside:

"Dirty Arab, return to your country of shit."

This was in 1996.

The Europeans have a lot of problems that aren't talked about much either in our media or theirs. It's somewhat amusing in a way, but in a sense I feel sorry for the French elites. They probably had no idea this was coming, and even less of an hint of what to do if it did.

The US should propose a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning France for its brutal repression of the Muslim protesters. It won't go anywhere, but it would be more fun to watch the indignant outrage from the French Ambassador to the UN on C-SPAN2 than the US Senate proceedings.

Isnt there a movie called PARIS WHEN IT SIZZLES? well there is a song that gose THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS HER HEART WAS YOUNG AND GAY

The actual story was that two kids were running because they thought they were being chased by police (they weren't) and climbed the fence surrounding an electric power station. Hiding inside, they got fried by high voltage.

Yes, the French can be really ruthless if they want to be. I'm waiting for the first "shoot the kill" orders given to police and/or military forces used to suppress this. Don't bet on this not happening.

I'm waiting for the first "shoot the kill" orders given to police and/or military forces used to suppress this. Don't bet on this not happening.

Ah, g'wan; you're *so* Clueless.

.....Hey, wait a minnit!

I, for one, welcome our Den Beste overlord. Particularly in an age where Andy Sullivan continues to blog, while digitally decomposing.

Cordially...

The minute it gets near the tourist areas or swank housing, it'll be lights out for these clowns.

WWND - What would Napoleon do?

He would assemble a bunch of artillery batteries and blow these scum off the streets with grapeshot, that's what he would do!

What are the French waiting for - the whole city to burn around them? The Muslims want war - give them war.

The good news is...with all those places in flames, the night time power bill for street lighting should go down dramatically.

Most slumlords are looking for someone to torch their places anyway so they can cash out on the insurance.

I doubt anyone here has ever been to france. C'mon people, get over it, they didn't support the Iraq war- who cares. don't demonize a place you've never been to. People are people. No country is without sin, not one.

I doubt anyone here has ever been to france.

Tut tut. You've been reading that page in the hymnal about wingers being ignorant yahoos who don't even have passports, haven't you? Actually, I've never set foot in France, but I have steamed past it on my way to nicer places. But you don't have to visit a country to recognize it has been an unfriend to your own from the very beginning.

And if you say "Statue of Liberty" I'll shriek like a little girl.

NO BLOOD FOR CROISSANTS!

NO BLOOD FOR CROISSANTS!

NO BLOOD FOR CROISSANTS!