As the French are wont to say: “It’s Springtime in Paris; bring out the barricades.”
“THE French constitute the most brilliant and the most dangerous nation in Europe and the best qualified in turn to become an object of admiration, hatred, pity or terror but never indifference.” — Alexis de Tocqueville
France has been subject to what is called the Blackmail Factor for some time, in terms of street politics. Right-leaning French leaders have rarely “faced down” a popular revolt from the Left but, zounds, it appears as though Villepin and Chirac are about to do just that with the “First Employment Contract.”
“Gosh BZ,” you might be thinking, “I thought this was a post about what’s happening in America?” Oh, rest assured, dear reader, that it is — it indeed is. Roll with me on this. Allow me to tell a story. And allow me to stage my story in, well, France.
The CPE (First Employment Contract) is a huge issue now, with riots occurring once again. The CPE would give French employers the right to fire workers easily and freely when they are under the age of 26 and have been in a job for less than two years. As it is now, companies are hesitant to hire those under 26 with no work record because it is too hard and costly to fire them if the business minimizes or the employee is a rock.
This, in turn, has caused France to possess a jobless rate amongst 18 to 25-year-olds twice that of the rest of the working-age population and much higher than similar age groups in the UK or the US.
If you owned a French business — would you take the risk and the chance of having to employ a Rock For Life? Likely not.
As a result of seeing the Free And Easy Life about to be removed from the screen, “French Youth” took to the streets in an attempt to, once again, hijack the politicians and paralyze the country. The French “yoots” are essentially demanding jobs for life. And since the start of March, nearly 500 policemen have been wounded in the demonstrations — more than during last fall’s riots — and they occurred over weeks.
“Hijacking the Government” — otherwise known as blackmail — worked quite nicely in 1995 when the French government faced down their trade unions at French Railways and Electricity of France over retirements and health care. General strikes over two months literally shut down the country. Prime Minister Alain Juppe called a quickie election — and lost. French Unions 1; French Government 0.
Why do the French seem to fear capitalism? The country’s republican revolutionary history bequeathed faith in a strong dirigiste state as a civic religion. Today, nearly 5m French workers, or one-quarter of all jobs, are still in the public sector. Left-leaning intellectuals, with a romantic communist heritage, are not derided but treated as national treasures. There is a lingering culture of suspicion of profit, and a demonisation of business leaders, encouraged by a mainstream left that still equates efficiency with injustice.
First, the French Constitutional Council approved the CPE job law on Thursday. Here are Friday’s results regarding the CPE, from EuroNews:
The French President has announced he has signed into law the highly controversial youth jobs law that has given rise to protests and strikes in recent weeks. One of the proposals was to allow employers to fire people under 26 without stated reasons within a two-year trial period. In a televised address, Chirac said there would be two modifications to the measure. The two-year trial period would be reduced to one year. He added that young employees would have the right to know why their contracts had been terminated if they were fired.
Most everything — involving entitlements — and those persons who are not even citizens of this sovereign nation.
WE WANT IT ALL, WE WANT IT NOW, WE DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR LAWS, WE’RE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS:
The organizers of our recent illegal immigrant riots now want to organize a mass action plan to paralyze the United States economy. From the World Net Daily:
The coalition that organized an estimated 500,000 marchers in Los Angeles to protest immigration reform announced its next mass action is “an economic and labor boycott that will paralyze the U.S. economy.”
Coalition member Roberto Reveles of “Unidos en Arizona” said his group will host a “summit meeting” April 8 and 9 in Phoenix to work out details of the boycott.
The boycott is scheduled for May 1, the Day of the International Solidarity of Workers, or May 5, the Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights, said, “We are living through very dangerous times and we must take advantage of the moment. If we just sit and wait to see what happens, everything we have accomplished so far may go to waste. That is why we must continue the struggle to once and for all defeat that racist (House) proposal.”
Then, from the La Voz de Aztlan website:
byErnesto Cienfuegos, La Voz de Aztlan:
Los Angeles, Alta California – March 31, 2006 – (ACN) The coalition that brought over 700,000 pro-immigrant rights marchers to Los Angeles announced yesterday that the next mass action will be “an economic and labor boycott that will paralyze the US economy.” The planned boycott, which now has international support, is to protest the racist HR4437 legislation being debated in the US Senate.Dr. Armando Navarro, coordinator of the National Alliance for Human Rights (NAHR), said “We are living through very dangerous times and we must take advantage of the moment. If we just sit and wait to see what happens, everything we have accomplished so far may go to waste. That is why we must continue the struggle to once and for all defeat that racist proposal (HR4437).”
Coalition member Roberto Reveles of “Unidos en Arizona” said that they will help host a “Summit Meeting” in Phoenix, Arizona to work out the details of the “international economic and labor boycott”. The summit will take place on April 8th and 9th. The boycott will take place on May 1 (Day of the International Solidarity of Workers) or May 5 (Cinco de Mayo). To be debated is whether a boycott beginning on May 1 and ending with a huge “fiesta” on May 5 can be sustained.
And finally: what about that strange photo at the head of my post? We gosh, that would be taken from this portion of the La Voz de Aztlan website. Indicating, perhaps, that the Jews run America?
Racist, eh? As MEChA wrote: “Por La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada (For the Race, everything. For those outside the Race, nothing).”
“Aztlan” is the group’s term for the vast southwestern U.S. expanse, from parts of Washington and Oregon down to California and Arizona and over to Texas, which MEChA claims to be a mythical homeland and seeks to reconquer for Mexico (reconquista).
So let me see if I have this right?
Criminals want to hijack MY country because MY people DISAGREE with giving ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS free entitlements?
Huh. Kinda like what happened in France.
Ah yes. I think I’ve got it, by golly.
Do you?
BZ
How ironic is it that those in government make the argument that illegal immigrants are just willing to do the jobs Americans don’t want to do when the one job the government seems to be trying hard to avoid doing is dealing with illegal immigration.
Congress and the Executive are both running from their responsibilities and powers as given to them by We The People. The Executive shall enforce the laws of the United States and defend the Constitution. The Congress shall set such laws to give equality of due process and rights… To Citizens. They may via their Treaty regularization power give some rights to legal visitors and guests of the United States. To those here illegally they have set the Statutes and must now back them to enforce the Constitution as a device and compact amongst the People who are Citizens in this Nation.
Even the Supreme Court is having its rights, powers and responsibilities eroded by those areas NOT enforcing Federal law in respect to Foreign Nations as they are the ONLY body that may try and judge such treaty claims. I have seen no ‘Sense of the Court’ document or other documentation to show that they recognize the breach of the compact of the Constitution upon their oversight.
None of the branches of the Federal Government are working to preserve and protect the Constitution and enforce their Lawful powers. That is their responsibility, their obligation and their Sworn Oaths of Office directs them to do just that.
The barbarians at the gates have killed in dishonorable attack from the outside. And now the barbarians inside wish to dismantle the Constitution and bring the Republic down. They both seek common goal of destruction of the Union and the concept of a Free People coming together to live in peace as one diverse People.
That is the end of the individual, the beginning of tyranny and the total destruction of the Nation State.
Yup — I think you’ve also got this one straight
JasonSpalding: thank you for your comment, and welcome aboard! Please return and comment any time! And yes, you are quite correct in your analysis; but Thomas Sowell has alreday blistered the fallacy in the “jobs American won’t do” argument and that point just won’t hold.
I’m going to San Diego for a school in one week and if all the Mexicans refuse to come to work, I’ll STILL be staying at my favori
te motel — I’ll do the damned wash and change the sheets and towels MYSELF!
AJ: I agree. We should be enforcing the laws already present and do not necessarily need to create others. We are ALREADY NOT enforcing laws on the books.
When I have shown, to others, how many of the people who are actively creating dissent in our nation think, well, I have been labeled a racist, an activist, an Old Party White Boy, and other 4-letter appellations. What I mean is, much of this is driven politically by persons whose goal is to, literally “re-take” this country. The bulk of illegal immigrants don’t believe this, I’d wager, but the DRIVING FORCE, the active organization force, does.
Hence, I am a reactionary; a racist — to have the temerity to even POINT THIS OUT — using facts in evidence directly from associated websites.
THAT’S how stupid many Anglos are regarding this issue.
And yes, AJ, the total destruction of this nation state IS a desired goal and I have attempted to make that point quite clear in my posts.
Fraubudgie: yes, I fear I have; I fear it is so.
BZ
Mr. Z – That driving force is to divide the People. By accusing racism, they wish to divide amongst racial lines. By saying one is activist, they seek to hide their own destructive activism.
Like you I get various labels thrown at me, as well. I am obviously racist, libertarian, reactionary, and much, much more. And when I ask why I am such a thing… well now, those answers vary, but usually make me out to be cold, cruel, callous, racist, libertarian, uncaring, etc., etc.
And I rightly point out that those are ‘labels’ not actions I have taken. I do point out that in an attempt to label *thoughts* one is denigrating the one being labeled and demonstrating a total rigidity of thought on the part of the accuser. Then the vituperation starts… which demonstrates the clear rigidity of thought. Heaven forefend if I point *that* out.
I stick with much simpler labels… do an action, and get the label. If one believes the label does not fit the actions, then I do seek further enlightenment… and then get all sorts of arguments about *intentions*. Once that is spent I clearly say: ‘I do not care about intentions, I care only about deeds and actions and effects of those actions’
And when asked how I think of myself, my answer is simple: An American Citizen who is a Jacksonian.
And then comes the confusion of Conservative and Jacksonian… *sigh*
At times it seems a never-ending cycle.
So many using labels to try and control thoughts.
So few using them to try and identify deeds and name them properly so they can be understood.
Yes, BZ, I think you “got it.” I “got it” too.
Exellent post, by the way. Thanks!
AJ: That sir, in my opinion, is the pivotal line: “Once that is spent I clearly say: ‘I do not care about intentions, I care only about deeds and actions and effects of those actions.’ “
Yes! Intentions = emotions and, with many, emotions are the only reason for being! It is not about the action or the rational or logical reasoning behind the action, it is merely about the INTENT and hence, the emotion one experiences in the THOUGHT and not in the DEED. Yes!
BZ
I wonder how the bulk of hispanics feel about this movement being spearheaded by the hispanic equivelent of the Klan.
The thing that amazes me, is that these Aztlan folks want the southwest to belong to Mexico. If it did they wouldn’t want to be there. Mexicans come to the US looking for oppurtunity that cannot happen in a corrupt country like Mexico.
A large number of the Texicans were hispanic. They were fearless fighters who sided with the anglos against Mexico because they felt the Mexican people were, “incapable of self government.”
I encourage you to read the Texas declaration of independence. I posted it a while back.
Mr. Z – That is it, exactly. When one labels me based upon what they think my *intention* is, they feel that they can load me with the entire baggage of that specified intentive label. And so there is a shift of trying to engage my negative emotions so that I lose point of my topic, instead engaging on something to defend what I am not, when clearly it is the one that casts the label that must show me that I *am* such.
Which is why I do require that if I am labeled as something that adequate number of instances be found to back up the said label. Thus the childish and often churlish responses… basically repeating the accusation but not substantiating it nor giving it any substance whatsoever. The one casting the label is so used to doing so, and so unused to actually having to give a clear and coherent response, that their own limited mental capacity to deal with emotions is clearly seen.
By attempting to put a straightjacket upon me, which does not fit, I rightly point out that they are straightejacketed in their own ideas on how to deal with an individual. And I back that up by pointing out the above *again* on their accusations and that I ascribe no *intent* to them, just that the demonstrated effect is that of someone with limited capacity in that area.
Such individuals then start to realize that anything they say against *me* reflects poorly on their own selves *and* backs up what I have just said even further. That is, if they think at all, which many do not.
They do not like having the emotional high ground denied to them and, further, having it pointed out that they are, in truth, in a sorry pit that I will not be wading into. I have clearly offered the way out, which is to examine actions and outcomes and see if that fits a coherent picture of *something* that does those actions. And I still stubbornly, even at that point, refuse to ascribe intentions, because activities, once ascribed, should fit properly and become somewhat *predictive* in nature.
Those that act without recognizing law, have no honor, kill wantonly, destroy that which they cannot build and seek to destroy nations by their actions are acting in a barbaric way. They are barbarians. Terrorists do these things. Terrorists are barbarians. There have been barbarians that can read and write and reason, to some extent, but that does not stop their behavior until encountering a superior force that either kills them or gives them the option to settle peaceably under the watchful eye of someone who *can* kill them. Because the latter is not available in the modern age, we are left with the former. It is a simple concept, but then clears up all manner of things like ‘root causes’, etc. I truly do not care how a barbarian came to be, I just want to deal with them appropriately.
I am then given a label of analytical, which should connotate cold, cruel, lacking in emotions, etc. To which I say: I perform analysis so that I may understand things better and deal with them appropriately. Don’t you?
By refusing to get caught in the pit of ‘good intentions’ or ‘remedying the root of the problem’ I can, actually, deal more effectively with the effects of the problem and better define the entire problem. Once there is a fullness in understanding, then dealing with other factors can be considered. Those wanting to jump directly to *intentions* have already decided what those intentions are.
By leaving all intentive options *open* I am forced to look into many different things and minor things that can often get overlooked with a preconceived notion I can begin to pick up and weave a much fuller understanding of what it is I am having to deal with. Only once a large base of information is gathered can I then see a totality of effects and outcomes and start to understand just what *might* be driving them. And even then such things as disease and dietary imbalance are not wiped off the board until they can be positively disproven.
I have been told time and time again: ‘You cannot prove a negative’ I point out that disaster studies *must* do that very thing and that our lives depend upon working with a large amount of information to then eliminate some things and leave others. Evidence can eliminate possibilities and the universe of possibilities for certain activities is *not* infinite. And even if some evidence points one way and some few points another, I must consider both and ask myself: how can these things be together and form something that is consistent?
By doing so I am able to connect unrelated events, happenings and circumstances together and form chains of interactions for how they *might* be related. That chain then has some limited predictive power to it if it is close to accurate.
Take the AQ Khan network as an example: at its peak it was an inter-trade network for nuclear weapons plans, how to make equipment, refine uranium, and actually supply equipment. Likely state actors that could be involved with the network would, of necessity, need to be secretive, so Authoritarian or Totalitarian with a good ability to keep secrets. Also it would have to have access either to uranium or to enhanced uranium products. Further, it would need to have funding available to either produce equipment in-state or purchase ready made processing and design equipment through the network. Thus the states would have to be relatively rich. Finally, these states would have to have limited contacts with the US and UK, as both are rather vigilant on keep track of such things. That then limits the universe of possible states to a mere handful. So I would be unsurprised if Niger had taken part in the network as it meets the main criteria. Chad meets some but not all qualifications, so may have been a raw ore supplier. Egypt fits the bill as does Syria. I ascribe no *intentions* but look at capabilities to participate, which limits the membership of the target Nations. Passing plans are easy and a whole range of states probably have nuclear weapons plans by now. But actually doing the hard work of having or getting refined uranium and doing final re-processing, creating the proper structures for a nuclear device and so on limits the number of possible full-fledge participants that may actually be working on *producing* a device. Look for uranium transactions or a certain set of machine tools or some types of computer equipment and the list can be narrowed somewhat further. And there is always the possibility of a piece-work collaboration with each Nation making one piece of the final device, which cannot be ruled out.
So the next time someone tries to label you, realize that they are trying to throw off your mental balance, engage you in a defensive emotional struggle and, generally, not giving you nor your thoughts any respect. Refuse the label and the firm ground is still beneath you.
“So the next time someone tries to label you, realize that they are trying to throw off your mental balance, engage you in a defensive emotional struggle and, generally, not giving you nor your thoughts any respect. Refuse the label and the firm ground is still beneath you.”
AJ: YES YES!! Precisely!
BZ