It's currently 12:37 AM Sunday morning in Paris. I've been here for a week for a conference. The US embassy put out a notice for us NOT to take the train to Charles DeGaulle airport since the thugs have been attacking them (the trains run through some of the troubled neighborhoods).
The French response has been nothing short of comical and purely French, ie, they're wondering what went wrong, how they had "failed" these poor, misunderstood youths, how Sarkozy is too tough, etc. Yes, they're really earning their "surrender monkey" badge of honor this week!
One dame looked at me in shock when I made a comment that back home in Texas, we'd send in about 5 Texas Rangers and the situation would have been under control by now. She wondered how only 5 lawmen could control all the chaos. I explained to her that normally you only need 1 Texas Ranger per riot, and given that this is France, you really only needed 1 Ranger per 5 riots, so you'd only need about 5 Rangers spread across France to slap some law and order into these thugs. And I kept a straight face as I walked away from her open-mouthed expression.
Thank you for the report. Figures that the French would be hand wringing as their country burns.
Charles Worrell, who wound up on the Georgia Supreme Court back in the sixties, was a Texas Ranger before he became a judge. He looked perfectly capable of quelling a riot all by himself -- big fellow with no neck and steely gray eyes. He was known as "Two Gun Charlie Worrell" because he presided with two loaded .44 Bulldog revolvers and used one as a gavel (I hope he kept an empty chamber under the hammer!)
He used to go dove hunting with my daddy. I was a little girl, and I was terrified of him.
Unbelievable!
Did you see this, my FRiends? #496