Riots In France

These riots have been burning like one of those West Coast forest fires, on and on and on, seemingly beyond control.

I wish it were not so, but it is. And a major speech by the French President like the JFK speech in response to the major civil unrests in the American South might be warranted. This is not strictly a law and order problem.

France has been exposed. I am learning things about Europe I did not know before. Obviously France has been doing a very poor job of integrating its Muslim immigrants into its mainstream.

The riots have to be contained many different ways. The French President has to give a televised speech. He ought to invite community leaders for a broad talk on a larger number of issues. A political solution has to be sought. Law enforcement also has to do its very best. But if a political solution not be forthcoming, I can't see how law enforcement on its own can do a whole lot.

The French Interior Minister calling the Muslim immigrants "scum" is the exact opposite of what the authorities should be saying and doing. The Minister's open hatred of members of that community tells us about the major racial profiling, police harassments, and brutality that the Muslims have been subjected to, apparently.

The rich countries at the forefront of the globalization crusade will simply have to own up to the fact that all countries are headed to being multi-racial and multi-cultural. People will move around. There will be migrations. The notion of racial purity has to be abandoned. And those who migrate can not be treated like second class citizens. Free trade touches more than finance and technology, it also touches human capital. And it ought to.

Whatever is happening is spectacular in an unwelcome way. This is so large scale and so ongoing, it is mind-boggling.

Chirac, go on TV. Address your nation. Exhibit that you understand what's going on.

• Riots Spread Across France Washington Post
  
• 'We're not germs or louts. Sarkozy should've said sorry' The Observer, UK
• The week Paris burned The Observer, UK
• A country in flames… French cities teeter on the edge of anarchy Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
• French rioters torch cars, schools in fresh violence Reuters AlertNet, UK
• French violence enters 10th night BBC News, UK
• Riots intensify, spread as French government talks tough Bangkok Post, Thailand
• French rioters defy police crackdown Japan Today, Japan
• Youths torch 900 cars in Paris riots Bangkok Post, Thailand
• Paris seeks "hidden hands" in riots Reuters.uk, UK
• France rioters: 'Each night we make this place Baghdad' Monsters and Critics.com, UK
• Paris suburbs riots spark copycat unrest Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
• 250 arrests in 'worst night yet' of France riots Bangkok Post, Thailand
• French government meets as copycat riots spread Reuters.uk, UK
• Flares engulf warehouses as unrest dragged into 9th day People's Daily Online, China
• French PM to meet with community leaders CNN
• France rioting grows in 2d week Boston Globe, United States
• Rioting Spreads Beyond Paris Suburbs ABC News
• rioting youth have Parisian suburbs in flames Houston Chronicle, United States
• Rioting spreads across France Scotsman, United Kingdom

American Rhetoric: John F. Kennedy -- Civil Rights Addess This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened...... And when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It oughta be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be backed up by troops. It oughta to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and restaurants and theaters and retail stores, without being forced to resort to demonstrations in the street, and it oughta be possible for American citizens of any color to register and to vote in a free election without interference or fear of reprisal....... The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the State in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as much chance of completing college, one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man, twice as much chance of becoming unemployed, about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year, a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter, and the prospects of earning only half as much.