America often gets a bad rap and yes in some ways I think on economics we could learn a little from France-as Krugman points out, France's economic performance is much better than conservatives like to think.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/whats-the-matter-with-france/
On politics, though the US gets hit a lot and often France enjoys taking some of the hits. Ok, they were right about Iraq but at the time we were the ones who had just been attacked. Now the French are the ones who just got attacked and I think most Americans feel like I do: that we should give them all our love and prayers for as Obama notes they are our oldest allies.
As Obama admits he or Biden should have been there to that march.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/politics/obama-kerry-paris/
I mean, of course, as John Kerry says, there is no doubting our support for the French. Still, symbolism is important and this was a missed opportunity.
I have to note, however, that while at the time of the Iraq war the French were loudly claiming to be morally superior to the US and to be the real defenders and purveyors of freedom and democracy, their recent actions show this claim is specious.
It's still rather shocking to recall that just a few years ago the French outlawed the wearing of a Burqua
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/world/europe/france-burqa-ban/
I admit that a European Court says it's ok but I'm not sure this European Court is right. I mean a secular society doesn't mean people can't show any sign of their religious observance in public. I mean are Orthodox Jews allowed to wear a Yarmulke in public? Would a Nun be fined for wearing her garb in public-I doubt it. So it is religious bigotry.
With the recent awful attacks in France I understand French anxiety and support their vote for military action. Here's one thing though that you wouldn't see in America. People rounded up for speech-admittedly pretty miserable speech, people praising the terrorists who did this.
"France has been tightening security and searching for accomplices since the terror attacks began, but none of the 54 people mentioned Wednesday have been linked to the attacks. That's raising questions about whether Hollande's Socialist government is impinging on the very freedom of speech that it so vigorously defends when it comes to Charlie Hebdo."
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/08/27/whats-the-matter-with-france/
On politics, though the US gets hit a lot and often France enjoys taking some of the hits. Ok, they were right about Iraq but at the time we were the ones who had just been attacked. Now the French are the ones who just got attacked and I think most Americans feel like I do: that we should give them all our love and prayers for as Obama notes they are our oldest allies.
As Obama admits he or Biden should have been there to that march.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/politics/obama-kerry-paris/
I mean, of course, as John Kerry says, there is no doubting our support for the French. Still, symbolism is important and this was a missed opportunity.
I have to note, however, that while at the time of the Iraq war the French were loudly claiming to be morally superior to the US and to be the real defenders and purveyors of freedom and democracy, their recent actions show this claim is specious.
It's still rather shocking to recall that just a few years ago the French outlawed the wearing of a Burqua
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/01/world/europe/france-burqa-ban/
I admit that a European Court says it's ok but I'm not sure this European Court is right. I mean a secular society doesn't mean people can't show any sign of their religious observance in public. I mean are Orthodox Jews allowed to wear a Yarmulke in public? Would a Nun be fined for wearing her garb in public-I doubt it. So it is religious bigotry.
With the recent awful attacks in France I understand French anxiety and support their vote for military action. Here's one thing though that you wouldn't see in America. People rounded up for speech-admittedly pretty miserable speech, people praising the terrorists who did this.
"France has been tightening security and searching for accomplices since the terror attacks began, but none of the 54 people mentioned Wednesday have been linked to the attacks. That's raising questions about whether Hollande's Socialist government is impinging on the very freedom of speech that it so vigorously defends when it comes to Charlie Hebdo."
"Among those detained was Dieudonne, a popular yet controversial comic who has repeated convictions for racism and anti-Semitism."
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/world/story/1.2900109
The French actions here are understandable-after all, of all these 54 people maybe 53 are just talking and would never be involved in anything like that but what if one would? Still, it's problematic from a civil liberties standpoint. You wouldn't see that in the US and this is to our credit.
We certainly have done better in respecting the religious freedom of Muslims than the French so they don't get to say their better on democracy and freedom than us.
I think this kind of point is necessary to make when you listen to folks like Noam Chomsky who do nothing but make it sound like ours is the worst country in the world or something to the point that Putin is tweeting his comments.
https://twitter.com/darthputinkgb/status/529960448914108417
Ok, maybe that's not really Putin...
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