Posted on 11/13/2005 10:22:57 AM PST by jimbergin
PARIS - In one case, the catalyst was Hurricane Katrina; in the other, a freak electrocution accident in a Paris suburb.
What followed — drownings and dislocation in the United States, riots across France — has forced each nation to confront problems of racism and poverty that are deeply entrenched but usually ignored.
The parallel soul-searching is taking place in two countries where politicians and pundits have long delighted in mocking the other's perceived hypocrisies and flaws.
"I'm not sure you can say that one country's system is better or worse than the other — neither works very well," said Dominique Moisi of the French Institute of International Relations
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The difference is that Hurricane Katrina was a huge natural disaster that virtually wiped out a city. It was NOT a racial incident, despite the efforts of some to make it into one.
I really see no comparison. On our Gulf Coast, help arrived even before the storm. While all weren’t happy about the amount (only New Orleans was hit? – you’d think so according to the MSM) in a couple days the help was arriving in massive amounts with a lot of active duty, reserve and NG units.
In France, I understand they may start doing something about the problem soon.
Excellent point.
I also don't think we, the US government or Bush failed in the Katrina event. Where did the idea that the government is responsible for every single citizen and is supposed to do everything perfectly come from?
Why does no one talk about the personal failure and irresponsibility of many of the non truly helpless people of New Orleans etc.?
tell that to chirac, the insult to charles martell that he is
"In the final analysis - the world will come to realize that "multiculturalism" and the Balkanization of nations can NOT work...". I agreee, but many, if not most or all of my "liberal" friends and relatives and most of Hollywood, the MSM, college profs., etc. most emphatically DO NOT!
I agree with the rest of your post too. Thanks.
Indeed. I suggest 'persuasion' of the .50 caliber variety.
Socialism ALWAYS fails -- I think the French are finally figuring that out now. One of the reasons they hate Americans so much -- pure jealousy.
Typical French delusional response. We have some French people on FR who give us the same twisted logic every time they compare us to France.
Our free market capitalist system is vastly superior to that of the French socialist system. Our economy is much more vibrant, grow much faster, create a lot of jobs, tax people less, provide higher salaries for same professions, provide much less expensive products, which allow us to have vastly more purchasing power than that of the French, and all the other world, including all of Europe and Japan. We are at 5% unemployment rate, France is a 10% unemployment and the French use much less stringent method to calculate unemployment than ours. In fact if they use our method to measure unemployment they will be around 20% unemployment. Not to count that the city suburbs where the riots occurred all over France the unemployment rate is somewhere from 30% to 50%.
Comparing our prosperous economic system to that of the miserable French one is a joke because it is like comparing a Cadillac to a Kia (no insult for Kia owners).
Great picture! Note to French.... the looting did not spread to other poor people outside of the initial disaster area.
What is the author of this article smoking? How do a terrible natural disaster and rioting by a bunch of terrorists-in-training become even remotely similar?
The communist faggots at AP are making sure the US is also dragged into the mud with France.
Indecision, the way of the French and Socialists in total.
Make up your mind, take action, and decide!
Ironicly, the two disasters (one natural, the other man-made) have revealed the same weakness in leftist philosophy. The Democrats in NOLA and French have perpetuated the same flawed policy toward minorities (or should I say minority, since they happen to be Black in both cases), that is a welfare supported society which is for their survival.
Where there is no self respect, there is no respect for culture (for the dependent, there is not culture), no respect for private property (they have none), no respect for law and order.
Worth saying again.
That said, I think that applies to both sides in France.
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