Liberal illusions in flames

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Sunday, November 13, 2005 | Jack Kelly

[baystaterebel]

It's harder to ignore the elephant in the living room when the elephant is setting fire to it.

The elephant in France -- whose name begins with the dreaded M-word journalists dare not mention -- hasn't been allowed in the living room. He's been locked in the shed out back.

This gives liberals an excuse to blame the rioting in France -- which has finally died down after two weeks -- on the standard liberal villains, poverty and racism.

But if racism is a cause of the rioting, poverty isn't. As Theodore Dalrymple noted in a prescient article in the City Journal three years ago ("The Barbarians at the Gates of Paris"), those whom the media choose to describe as "French youths" have cell phones, cars, boom boxes, gold chains around their necks. "They enjoy a far higher standard of living than they would in the countries of their parents' or grandparents' origin, even if they labored there 14 hours a day."

[Grampa Dave]

Renault/Citroën flambe du Alger goes very well with a stinking French Brie and a rotten French white or red whine.

[seppel]

"They enjoy a far higher standard of living than they would in the countries of their parents' or grandparents' origin, even if they labored there 14 hours a day."

Yea, that was the argument for Apartheid in South Africa, and the numbers underpinned the argument. But the world did not care. It had to be removed for a "higher good" (like 25000 murders a year - highest murder rate in the world, support for iraq, PLO and Iran, confiscation of white farms, descrimination against whites, africanisation of South Africa).

So here the argument also will not work. The Frenchies have a problem on their hands, just like the US is going to have when the white population there dips below 50% and the GOP never wins another election on account of that.

[SteelTrap]

I think you are on to something. Stick with it!

[LibKill]

WWI finished France.

Their best and bravest were slaughtered in droves, leaving only cowards to breed.

They have been a joke since then.

[conservativeharleyguy]

" Mr. Dalrymple writes that in Le Corbusier's concrete jungles "a kind of anti-society has grown up -- a population that derives the meaning of its life from the hatred it bears the other, 'official,' society in France".

We're not too far from that here. Think of the population of most any inner city neighborhood and its overwhelming disdain for "The Man".

[Lorianne]

"One day, millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the Northern Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends, because they will go there to conquer it. The wombs of our women will give us victory".

__Former Algerian President Houari Boumedienne in a 1974 UN speech.

[Prince Caspian]

Bottom line: NO ONE should ever try to suppress the Truth, no matter where it leads. Truth is critical in the New Media Age, and that includes the New Media. Getting it right is very important. Deliberate deceit and 'muddying the waters' is for losers.

There is a quote from Thoreau that seems appropriate. Paraphrased...

"The winter wind blows. And where there is an obstruction to the wind, a snowdrift forms. Likewise, the wind of truth blows. And where there is an obstruction to the truth, an institution springs up. But the wind of truth continues to blow, and eventually blows it down."

[Steel Wolf]

BTW, the car burnings increased yesterday, while French news editors are reportedly blacking out some of the coverage. It's now difficult to know for certain whether the riots are actually quieting down now or not

They're doing that because they're afraid that excessive media coverage is exacerbating the problem.

In unrelated news, each and every suicide bombing in Iraq still gets media attention.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Thoreau sounds pretty sharp. Is he a blogger?

[Hey, just kidding. =]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"In unrelated news, each and every suicide bombing in Iraq still gets media attention."

Yes, despite the fear of copycats. And at the same time, no more footage of 9-11 because?

[GBA]

Did liberal Dims ever actually believe that??? Can't tell by looking at today's Dim mob.

[grey_whiskers]

Who let the Frog out!

Given the fires, perhaps a better question would be:

"Who'll PUT the Frogs out!"

[glorgau]

Can you imagine if 500 cars a day were being burned in, say, Chicago, for two weeks straight?

If my car was one of them, there would definitely be return fire on the culprits.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"Did liberal Dims ever actually believe that???"

Leftists believe in two things: class warfare and nothing's too wicked in the name of saving the fragile planet.

[timestax]

bttt

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"Who'll PUT the Frogs out!"

Ouch. True but ouch!

[driftless]

Unfortunately if you asked many adults what would seem to be topics everyone is aware of, you'd get a lot of blank looks...from conservatives as well as libs. I asked a Republican co-worker this morning what she thought about the Joe Wilson-Valerie Plame fiasco. She had no idea what I was talking about. Ignorance will kill America just as much as bullets.

[longtermmemmory]

in 100% seriousness FNC is reporting that Chirac is seeking DIALOGUE!(!) with the rioting moslem leaders!

SERIOUSLY!

IOW the french are looking for a way to SURRENDER to the rioters! LITERALLY!

[goresalooza]

Coming Soon to Target, Walmart and Amazon.com:

"The Best of Parisian Car-B-que" written by North Africans and Various Youths. Includes how-to's and best recipes for creating those special smoky nights by the fireplace. Special extra chapter includes safety tips on how not to get electrocuted, finding those elusive baseball bats in France, and buying the best and cheapest running shoes to allow for rapid escapes.

[grey_whiskers]

I asked a Republican co-worker this morning what she thought about the Joe Wilson-Valerie Plame fiasco. She had no idea what I was talking about.

This bodes well for the GOP. Most of the scandals which the "inside the Beltway" establishment are, well, breathless over, barely register as a fizzle, let alone as a tempest in a teapot, in flyover country.

It's just one more way the MSM is their own echo chamber.

And to my mind it is reflected in the falling circulation of newspapers and the sinking ratings of CNN. They keep thinking anyone outside of their own circle cares about the DNC-fax-machine generated "stories". The average Joe simply says, "Why don't they ever talk about stuff important to me, like gas prices, immigration, and outsourcing, and decides to ignore the press from now on.

Either a wonderful Rovian rope-a-dope, or the Deaniacs getting hold of the DNC and MSM...

Cheers!