La vie continue...

One of the interesting things about the Internet is that you see writ large (via near instantaneous feedback) your own mistakes. Sometimes you even correct them. You also see people’s misapprehension of what you are saying equally exposed. Although I wrote yesterday of the rioting (or whatever you want to call it) in France “…it would seem obvious that poverty, racism, unemployment, a corrupt economic system and Islamic cultural and religious separatism all are contributing factors,” at least one person on here has repeatedly accused me of saying that Islam alone is responsible for the events. Oh, well, so it goes. Language is a tricky thing.

Of course, no one knows where the situation in France is leading, but we should all hope for a good outcome. Solutions will not be easy – even with some economic reforms. Still, ethnic cleansing of any sort cannot be on the table anywhere, particularly in Europe whose history is exceptionally bleak in that regard. Tonight, it’s hard to be optimistic. As of now there has been little improvement. The violence continues to escalate with “les jeunes” now firing on the police, two of whom have been injured. Chirac has called an emergency meeting of his ministers. What they will say to each other I have no idea, though I imagine their mutual hatred may in some way equal the disdain the rioters have for them.