[rmlew]

Nick Sarkozy is not doing his job.
The failure to apply force is destructive to society.
Lawrence Auster is blogging this now.
As I noted in my blog, Sarkozy should be apologizing for not putting this down day one, not for the unauthorized tear gassing of a Mosque filled with rioters.

[Dark Skies]

Dang man...shatter my hopes. I will read your links and come back.

[Clemenza]

As my uncle would tell you, Central Newark was out of control in '67 until the National Guard came in and started shooting looters. Like magic, the rioting stopped.

Two things learned from the 1960s urban "uprisings":

1. Send police in immediatly. They may not be enough to stop the rioters, but they can at least keep it from spreading. Look at how the riots have spread to St. Denis in this case.

2. As much as the left and the squishy right hates it "shoot to kill" works.

[Dark Skies]

Good blog...I spent a big chuck of my mid-career (15 years) in the City.

With regard to Sarkozi...he exists in a different world. I would hope that he will gain some popularity and use that capital to come down harder. This situation may push him to take risks that he wouldn't have otherwise.

Good luck with your blog.

BTW, is there another leader in France that is worth keeping an eye on?

[Dark Skies]

Is it possible that this is just the 1st quarter of this game? I don't think the game is over for Sarkozi because he seems to be the only one representing his end of the spectrum.

I just did a 20 minute review of international news and he still seems to be the only symbol of toughness in France. Unless there is someone else.

As a New Yorker, I followed Rudy's career. It wasn't always roses. Sarkozi (Sarkozy) is on a very steep learning curve. But he is riding the wave.

[dervish]

When the French authorities ignored the anti-Semitic violence against the French Jewish community by Muslim youth, violence which rose to historic levels after the beginning of the Intifada in 2000, they set the stage for these riots.

The French police and politicians were afraid to tackle the problem and clean out the "scum." Neighborhoods were no go zones. They empowered the mobs.