Attendance is compulsory at Kumbaya songfests

France to Let Rioters Govern Themselves:

After seven nights of riots by youth in predominantly-Muslim sections of Paris, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (who is a man) announced today that police would pull out of areas where dozens of cars burn each night to “let the freedom-fighting insurgents govern themselves.”

“Just like the United States should not force democracy upon Muslims in Iraq,” said Mr. de Villepin, “we should not impose our own provincial thinking about the so-called ‘rule of law’ on Muslim immigrants who have established a homeland in Paris. We’re withdrawing our occupation forces immediately.”

It's ScrappleFace, but I'm not betting against it despite Dominique's latest.

Everyone needs a hobby

(Via LGF) The International Herald Tribune reports:

Sarkozy says that violence in French suburbs is a daily fact of life.

Since the start of the year, 9,000 police cars have been stoned and, each night, 20 to 40 cars are torched, Sarkozy said in an interview last week with the newspaper Le Monde.

Must be great to be a used car dealer and bad to be an insurance agent, though. Details (hat tip: Damian Penny) from the AFP make it sound like a fun time fer sure:

We have found our thrills: playing with riot police in the evening," one 22-year-old told AFP, under cover of anonymity.

"As long as the police come and provoke us in the evening, we'll bring out the Molotov cocktails, stones, petanque balls, planks," he said.

Around him, half a dozen youths nodded in agreement.

"In the day we sleep, go see our girlfriends, play video games... And in the evening we have a good time: at 9:00 pm we go and fight the police," said one.

"It's like being in Matrix," the science-fiction film, he said, adding that he liked to see the "riot police in a panic, hiding behind their shields."

I wonder if he can dodge bullets too? Except the police don't really seem to be fighting. Yet.

And count on the usual suspects to start the whining about misunderstood tykes:

Heavy criticism has focused on French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy -- a man with hopes of becoming French president in 2007. His "zero tolerance" policy and harsh language (Sarkozy vowed to rid the suburbs of "louts" and "scum") have made many uncomfortable, as has his tendency to blame the youth of Clichy-sous-Bois exclusively for the crisis.

It was spontaneous combustion?

Just Damn!

Supersize it at iHillary.

Little Harry Reid has a tantrum

The Curmudgeon has a nice snap with dynamite video of the annoying tyke whining about his Fitzmas presents:

HE SPOKE WITH GREATER AGITATION THAN USUAL. He fumbled nervously with a paper, turning it over and over with his left hand, this way and that, like a little child about to get caught in mischief. Then Harry Reid began swinging his right arm wildly, stating he was closing the Senate doors, forcing Senators to relinquish their cell phones and Blackberrys for the sake of “national security.” Reid squelched the work of the American people for three hours in order to harangue Republicans with insane accusations...

Don't tell Dr. Spock, but a certain naughty little boy really deserves a spanking.

Today's Hoot!

NYC Letter: Open Letter To His Royal Heinie, Prince Charles:

Your Gracious Royal Heinie,

There's great excitement here about your upcoming American lecture tour. How very nice to spare America a little time for a royal wigging. We are all very excited. Several American people have told me they are planning to have their hair cut. Some are considering the wearing of shoes and others the purchase of a belt. Myself, I intend to iron a clean shirt and over-starch the collar. Did I mention we are all very excited?

PRINCE CHARLES TO PLEAD ISLAM'S CAUSE TO BUSH
[yadda, yadda - ed.]

...
So, your royal exalted heinie, my guess is that what you call non-Muslims' "unthinkable prejudices" about Islam and its customs and laws, well, these are simply the cautions of kaffir who have decided to preserve their persons in the present instead of boning up on the Shahada for a bright future in some 14th century caliphate. Alas, once one has been blown to smithereens or has had one's throat cut and head removed or been otherwise thoroughly murdered, well, such difficulties make it hard to appreciate the nice distinctions you counsel.

Perhaps when everyone is agreed that murderous Islamites should be put down rather than chatted up, well, those distinctions will be easier to make.

Regards, your American buddy,

DGB

I would guess that the royal prat doesn't pay much attention to the news.

MSM losers submit urgent request for swift kick in their asterisks

"Who allowed this Black guy to have his own opinions?"

From an editorial on the Alito nomination in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "In losing a woman, the court with Alito would feature seven white men, one white woman and a black man, who deserves an asterisk because he arguably does not represent the views of mainstream black America."

You can't make this stuff up!

Headline: Woody Allen says he's no wiser with age. Lead sentence of article:

Director Woody Allen says the 1992 scandal that shattered his relationship with actress Mia Farrow and led him to marry her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, was one of the luckiest moments of his life.

It's Boo Hugo again!

Chavez warns of spooky US Halloween 'terrorism':

President Hugo Chavez cautioned Venezuelan parents to protect their children from Halloween with a spooky warning that the US tradition is rooted in "terrorism."

Who knew?

"What they have implanted here, which is really a 'gringo' custom, is terrorism," Chavez said, quoted in the local press. "They disguise children as witches and wizards, that is contrary to our culture."

As opposed to approved forms of fancy dress, I guess.

Chavez often lashes out at the US government, which he has described as "terrorist" and accused of plotting his assassination. But this time his warnings were directed at the American celebration that combines costumes and candy.

He issued "an appeal for reflection by parents" not to encourage their children to dress up for the holiday.

His comments came after authorities in Caracas recently seized pumpkins, cardboard skeleton costumes and other traditional Halloween items inscribed with anti-Chavez messages.

Pretty scary, eh Hugo?

Beer goggles alert!

It could be a guy!

Drudge has some fun with Maureen Dowd. And so do the Freepers (1, 2). I guess everyone's favorite high school princess is all grown up now.

Today's episode of UN Kleptocrats Gone Wild!

Better get the kids out of the room because U.N. poverty expert finds N.O. 'shocking':

After listening to Hurricane Katrina victims and disaster relief workers for several hours Friday, as well as touring parts of New Orleans, United Nations expert on human rights Arjun K. Sengupta, called America's response to the disaster "shocking."

"Something went wrong and it appears to be a gross violation of human rights," said Sengupta, United Nations independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty.

When someone from the United Nations starts whining, you know it's time to put one hand on your wallet and the other on your holster. So what has knotted Arjun's knickers to the point that he discovered a "gross violation of human rights?"

He said the federal government has responded slowly and with poor communications to help some of its poorest and most vulnerable citizens.

"The people in New Orleans and the worst affected areas were very poor and what you have to do is a social responsibility of the federal, state and local governments," he said.

Nice of him to finger the federal government and leave out the locals, but it's still light on specifics. How about some details?

... he wants the world to know what he saw and heard, he said during a meeting at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, 8470 Goodwood Blvd.
...
Sengupta, and other international human-rights advocates, listened to about 35 people, many displaced and living in shelters, who detailed how the hurricane has affected them.

Unitarians and "international human-rights advocates" held a whine fest and 35 people showed up. OK, good so far.

Several residents vented their frustrations about everything from not receiving checks from FEMA, lack of communications, to fraud, price gouging, mass evacuation planning and whether they will ever be able to return to their homes and jobs.

They also blasted the government's role in taking care of the poor as well as providing one place where people can get information about housing and finances.

"I'm so confused now," said Faye Jackson of New Orleans, who is living in a church shelter in north Baton Rouge. Jackson said she's received little money.

"I'm so stressed. I have to use my unemployment money to rent a car. I have gotten nothing from FEMA," she said.

I'm confused too. We've got an "expert" on "extreme poverty" here and this is the best they can come up with? Where are the starving tykes with bloated bellies? Where are the locals lining up for their daily bowl of gruel with maggots? Where are the families squatting in cardboard boxes? Sheesh, Faye's tooling around town in a rental car. And if she hasn't gotten any money from FEMA, she's just about the only one (cf. 1, 2)

So what's the point of this whole exercise?

Sengupta plans to reveal his findings before a United Nations panel in April.

He does not know what the council will do with his report -- perhaps draw up a resolution...

It's the United Nations. The point is that there is no point, except that the US taxpayers get to pay for it while some poppinjay furthers his career in whining with the help of the USA's professional Kumbaya chorus.