In the Halfbrick Zone
Nov. 8th, 2005 02:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rain_gryphonEven I have never set myself on fire with a tanning lamp. We'll gloss over the time I set myself on fire by headbutting a lightbulb. At least I've never completely burned down my house.
*****
And the Indianapolis Colts have defeated their traditional rivals, the evil New England Patriots. Horse Hat Guy is happy.
Happy Horse Hat Guy
For the Brits reading, the Horse Hat is an Indianapolis Colts hat. You're not allowed to be an American football fan unless you:
A. wear a silly hat.
B. paint your face in team colours.
C. dress up like a football player.
Any one of the three is sufficient, although you get extra football fan karma for doing several at once.
*****
Okay, you can tell the French are getting serious, because now they're going to have curfews, and if the rioting doesn't stop, they might just have to arrest some people. It astonishes me that people think that we should take account of French views in formulating our foreign policies. Their country is being burned down around their ears, and they're still wanting to take half-measures so they don't offend those responsible.
Here's what I predict will happen: de Villepin will continue to do nothing. Eventually it will turn cold and rainy, and the rioting will stop by itself. De Villepin will immediately step in to reward the Moslems with increased social spending, and promises to rebuild their neighborhoods better than they were before. If the weather continues to suppress the rioting (which is likely in November) he will spin this as a great victory of negotiation over confrontation. By the time the weather turns nice again, he'll be able to be pouring enough money into the suburbs to finance distractions (football leagues, etc) to keep them busy until the elections are over.
If he's very lucky, he'll be able to use this to gain victory over Le Pen and Sarkozy in the next elections.
Having been elected, he then has a choice of cutting social services back to a supportable level, or of dragging the French economy even further into the toilet in an effort to keep up the support levels. If he does the first, he's likely to trigger a recurrence of rioting immediately, as the rabble feel themselves betrayed. If he does the second, then the underlying issue of young men unable to find work will only get worse, setting the stage for more and worse rioting in the future.
*****
And the Indianapolis Colts have defeated their traditional rivals, the evil New England Patriots. Horse Hat Guy is happy.
Happy Horse Hat Guy
For the Brits reading, the Horse Hat is an Indianapolis Colts hat. You're not allowed to be an American football fan unless you:
A. wear a silly hat.
B. paint your face in team colours.
C. dress up like a football player.
Any one of the three is sufficient, although you get extra football fan karma for doing several at once.
*****
Okay, you can tell the French are getting serious, because now they're going to have curfews, and if the rioting doesn't stop, they might just have to arrest some people. It astonishes me that people think that we should take account of French views in formulating our foreign policies. Their country is being burned down around their ears, and they're still wanting to take half-measures so they don't offend those responsible.
Here's what I predict will happen: de Villepin will continue to do nothing. Eventually it will turn cold and rainy, and the rioting will stop by itself. De Villepin will immediately step in to reward the Moslems with increased social spending, and promises to rebuild their neighborhoods better than they were before. If the weather continues to suppress the rioting (which is likely in November) he will spin this as a great victory of negotiation over confrontation. By the time the weather turns nice again, he'll be able to be pouring enough money into the suburbs to finance distractions (football leagues, etc) to keep them busy until the elections are over.
If he's very lucky, he'll be able to use this to gain victory over Le Pen and Sarkozy in the next elections.
Having been elected, he then has a choice of cutting social services back to a supportable level, or of dragging the French economy even further into the toilet in an effort to keep up the support levels. If he does the first, he's likely to trigger a recurrence of rioting immediately, as the rabble feel themselves betrayed. If he does the second, then the underlying issue of young men unable to find work will only get worse, setting the stage for more and worse rioting in the future.
