Free Republic

Let us go, children of the fatherland, Our day of glory has arrived. Against us the bloody flag of tyranny is raised; the bloody flag is raised. Do you hear in the countryside The roar of those savage soldiers? They come right into our arms To cut the throats of our sons, our comrades. To arms, citizens! Form your battalions, Let us march, let us march! That their impure blood Should water our fields. Sacred love of the fatherland, Guide and support our vengeful arms. Liberty, beloved liberty, Fight with your defenders; fight with your defenders. Under our flags, so...

The French city of Marseillaise has an estimated 30 to 40 percent Muslim population and has been ranked as the most dangerous city in Europe. The gritty Mediterranean port, France’s second-largest city, was appointed the “cultural capital of Europe,” a rotating European Union honor. City fathers launched beautification projects, created new tourism attractions and invited people from around the world to visit. A splendid stone esplanade was laid around the Old Port, peppered with novel sculpture, and a high-tech historical museum went up next to City Hall. How did that work out? The eruption has refocused attention on Marseille’s...

I should have been an interior decorator because I just adore patterns. Check out these sweet accents: In France, a French court let stand thef conviction of Alain Juppé, Jacques Chirac's loyal sideman, for fraud. But, according to Libération, his sentence was cut in half because the court thought it was unfair for Juppé, a member first-class of the French ruling élite, to have to wait more than a year before returning to the public trough. According to an earlier report in theGuardian, 12 more Chirac cronies may soon be charged with vote-rigging. Juppé resigned as mayor of Bordeaux —...