OK, since a few people on a few lists I subscribe to have enquired about my
own health and the situation in my country, here is what happens.

First, I want to emphasize that I'm alive and well and in perfectly good
health. The nearest riot is about 25 km (15 mi.) from where I live.

There are riots in housing projects located around most major cities. While
these events are very spectacular (burned cars, schools, etc.), it is not
correct to say that Paris is burning, much less France. Basically, bands of
disenfranchised and disoriented young people (mostly male teenagers) are
setting on fire any symbol of wealth and authority they can put their hands
on : cars, police stations, schools, anything. IMHO, these young people harm
mostly themselves and the institutions and people designed to help them.
You've got to know that they strike within their own housing projects, never
outside.

Though dire for the people who live in these housing projects, the current
situation in France is not a revolt, much less a revolution. It brings me
back childhood memories of seeing the Watts uprising in, I believe, 1968. Of
course, L.A. was not burning at that time, much less the USA. Nevertheless,
that was the impression our TV news was conveying. More recently, I also
have memories of the Brixton riots just outside London sometime in the
mid-80s, I think. In that way, the current situation is certainly not an
intifadah. After all, these young boys are mostly attacking symbols of
authority. They are certainly not freedom fighters, not even terrorists.

The sad thing is that, though some motives may be genuine (what can you do
when you're 18, you can't find a job, your dad can't find a job and there's
just no future ?), pure hooligans are taking advantage of the temporary
lawlessness to commit real, hard crimes. Like Interior Minister (and
probable Presidential candidate in 2007) Nicolas Sarkozy correctly said,
"When you douse a person with a flammable liquid and set her on fire, you're
a criminal".

Considering the violence of the fights, it's a miracle that there's only
been 1 dead so far.

Some of these young boys would also just try anything to get media
attention. That's merely a highly twisted version of the "15 minutes of
fame".

At that point, I want to say loud and clear that when a fire truck and its
crew gets stoned when entering a cité to put out a car fire (purposefully
set to drag the fire brigade into an ambush), that's not acceptable. When a
police car with crew inside gets almost flattened by a washing machine
dropped from the 7th floor, that's not acceptable. When police officers
doing their job get shot at with live ammo, that's not acceptable.

That is why the Government's first priority is to restore order in the
housing projects known here as "cités", which are part of suburbs known as
"banlieues". Like in the US, the Government sends in the National Guard to
restore order, the French Government sends in the CRS (Compagnies Nationales
de Sécurité), a specialized police force whose main task is to restore
order. It would not serve the vast majority of law-abiding, hard-working
citizens living in the cités to let lawlessness settle in durably.

IMHO, the riots will achieve nothing. Of course, if these young boys wanted
media attention, they got the lion's share. Consider that the prime-time
news on mainstream TV channels here devote about half of their typical 30-40
minutes to these riots. But .... 1) these young people mostly hurt
themselves and their own neighborhoods; 2) next time a possible employer
reads on a resume an address that belongs in one of these housing projects,
he or she'll think twice before hiring the person; and 3) the people who
have managed to save a little money will be rushing for the exit and take
advantage of any opportunity to live anywhere but in the cité. The net
result will be more ghetto-like cités, with less population, but even more
disenfranchised. And in 4 or 5 years, more riots, more burned cars and
schools, etc. It's a tight circle, and it's getting damn vicious.

The situation can be summed up as follows :

"Cause tramps  like us ... Baby we were born to run" ... run as fast as we
can, to put a maximum distance between the cité and ourselves.
"It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win" ... No need
for more comment, I guess.

Bottom line : as long as you Americans, Britons and all other visitors avoid
these suburban housing projects (and my best guess is that you will), you're
fine and safe.

And you're welcome.

Don't hesitate to reply me privately for more comment. I'm willing to share
and exchange opinions.

Christian "Faith will be rewarded" Lheureux

> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : HP-3000 Systems Discussion 
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] De la part de Tony Summers
> Envoyé : mardi 8 novembre 2005 15:17
> À : [log in to unmask]
> Objet : Re: [HP3000-L] Paging Christian
> 
> 
> I too have heard that that French are revolting :) 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion 
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Craig Lalley
> Sent: 08 November 2005 13:44
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [HP3000-L] Paging Christian
> 
> 
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