14th July 2005 in fortress Europe.

international | eu | other press Thursday July 14, 2005 15:55 by iosaf

"be prepared"

"the french commemorate their national day with a jail break" - Margaret Thatcher the helpful.

Today sees France celebrate Bastille Day.
There is as always a really big military parade,
and this year as extra special guests-
Brazil.
Lula accompanied by brazilian soldiers
gets to stand in the army jeep and review the soldiers and "oooo" and "awe" at the jets above.

On the street of Paris today are roma gypsies whose deportation / round-up has been botched. They include children.

You need to pass through metal detectors and some frisking to stand in the front row and watch the French mark the jailbreak with full military might.

We might use the image presented by that pulp fiction writer, of the "old world", the twentieth century cold war, thought
:- "the day of the jackel".

loi 1905 article 2
is one of those legal restraints which sees debate every time all the french line up to watch the republique heir to the revolution (?) display its power.

Loi 1905 covers the secular stone on which the current republic is built. No mixing religion and politics.

the gypsies are not being expelled for wearing hijabs or ribbons on their hats, or threatening the order with pikes. they are merely "unwanted".
http://paris.indymedia.org/article.php3?id_article=39360

Loi 1905 means that the tricolour was flown at full mast after secularism dictated that half mast be inappropriate for the dead polish pope.

Loi 1905 means that ostentatious religious symbols are no longer permitted in the state schools which attempt to teach teh values of the republic from the earliest age.

It is customary at such times to ask-
Who are the French? What do they believe?
Are there any special eating requirements?
Do they need help with good governance?
Do they need infrastructural development aid?
Do they need evening courses in our culture or constitutions? Are they militarist?
My neighbour's son has just started dating a french citizen, are there any suitable jokes for breaking the inter-cultural ice if they come to the pub? Are the french nice to women? Is there any french girl on girl action?

I have in the last week asked that you ponder these same questions, for Calvinists, Basques, Anarchists, Italians and Pakistani.

No answers have been forthcoming (except on the presbytarians of ulster's attitude to lesbians and mosque building which might be a basque, anarchist, italian or pakistani issue as well - we don't know yet).

I suspect you will find somethings in common.
Most people eat very badly but many insist their healthy vegetarians. Not a single one admits to being a militarist, but they all think that armies are a sort of good idea. None of them have the time to do evening courses in our cultures our constitutions. All of them have girl on girl action.
All of them are horrid to women. There are no blanket inter-cultural jokes.

The French minister of the Interior wants to introduce surveillance on mosques.
"Is there a Loi1905article2 issue?"

Liberté Egalité Fraternité
Equity - liquidity - militarie...
= surveillance!


I used live briefly in Paris, and by chance stayed in a tiny garret flat above the route. They were different times then, the sniper smiled at us as I and my flatmates climbed out on the guttering to watch. The french were not suspicious of us then.

The arc de triomphe was visible a few hunderd meteres from us, and the tricolour hung in the full gap, it is one of the most ostentatious scenes of military power I have ever seen. Hours of death machines. My friend crashed their car into the arc the next day, got into very serious trouble. The etoille, the roundabout of the Arc is the only point in metropolitan france (a global entity) where cars are not insured. Its a "black stop". But you are expected out of erspect for the symbols of the republic tocrash into other cars, or kill pedestrian tourists fool enough to try and run across it.
*not* to crash your little car right into Napoleon's arch. No that's unacceptable. She was questioned by special police for that to ensure there was no intention.

What will happen to the gypsies no-one wants?

What if we confuse unwanted gypsies with others?

Who are the gypsies?
Where do they live?
What do they believe?
Are there special eating requirements?
Do they need advice on good governance?
Do they need infrastructure developmental aid?
Do they need evening courses in our culture or constitutions?
Are they militarist?
My neighbour's son has just started dating a gypsy, are there any suitable jokes for breaking the inter-cultural ice if they come to the pub?
Are the gypsies nice to women?
Is there any gypsy girl on girl action?