October 29, 2006
THE HORROR, THE HORROR:
Chirac's horror as woman burnt in riot (Peter Allen, 30/10/2006, Daily Telegraph)
Riot police reinforcements were deployed in Marseille last night after the latest outbreak of urban violence in France left a young woman in a critical condition with life-threatening burns.Posted by Orrin Judd at October 29, 2006 11:09 PMPresident Jacques Chirac expressed his horror at the attack hours after the 26-year-old woman and three others were ambushed by rioting teenagers while travelling on a bus in the southern port city.
The assailants – said by some witnesses to be as young as 15 – forced the vehicle's doors open, spilled flammable liquid inside, and set it alight.
advertisementThere were similar attacks in major cities across the country at the weekend, just hours after the passing of the anniversary of the rioting and car-burning that brought terror to urban areas last year.
But, but, but, the French know how to talk and use diplomacy, not like that cowboy George Bush. Surely these bus attacks are occuring in Texas not France.
Posted by: ray at October 29, 2006 11:42 PMFredericksburg: "General Jackson, what are we going about this sort of thing?"
"Kill 'em. Kill 'em all."
Jackson lost.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 8:44 AMWhile "killing 'em all" is neither an option nor a good policy, some enterprising Americans ought to take an extended vacation, smuggle in some guns, and shoot these rodents.
This is one more by-product of an unarmed (in physical and cultural terms) populace.
Posted by: Bruno at October 30, 2006 9:03 AMOj: Victrix causa placuit diis, sed victa Catoni.
Posted by: Lou Gots at October 30, 2006 9:35 AM"Jackson lost."
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, et al, felt the same way... and they won.
jp
Posted by: jefferson park at October 30, 2006 10:04 AMNo, they believed the wogs were capable of being fellow citizens. They were right too.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 11:18 AMLou:
Quite. We had God on our side. Jackson fought for evil.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 11:26 AMJackson was referring to enemy combatants and Grant and company waged war with the same ferocious gusto. Very effective.
jp
Posted by: jefferson park at October 30, 2006 11:47 AMGrant was effective. Jackson lost.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 11:56 AMHeh. Jackson would have eventually lost had he not gone out at the top of his game.
jp
Posted by: jefferson park at October 30, 2006 12:15 PMJackson's fate was the Confederacy's--death.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 12:21 PMUh huh. Jackson would have died anyway. Just like Grant, Sherman and company.
jp
Posted by: jefferson park at October 30, 2006 12:28 PMYes, but he needn't have died futilely in service to an evil cause.
Posted by: oj at October 30, 2006 12:34 PMA fair point. Probably just as well, I don't see Jackson adapting as well to the postwar South the way most of the surviving Confederate general officers did. In retrospect even Grant might've preferred to pass on in mid 1865 with the War safely won. The next two decades weren't kind to his legacy.
Sherman gave us several pithy quotes after the War and Sheridan helped tame the West. The U.S. has been richly blessed to have raised up such military leaders in times of crisis.
jp
Posted by: jefferson park at October 30, 2006 1:01 PMThe crisis makes the men. Jackson and Lee failed in their time of crisis.