Comparing Policies

At his website, Nicolas Sarkozy offers his political program in pdf format: 8 pages in all, on 15 different topics. Topic nº 13 deals with "Controlling Immigration":

For years one could not speak about immigration in our country. Those who did not accept totally open borders were immediately accused of extremism or racism. I want to stress that with regard to immigration more problems are ahead of us than behind, and there is no solution other than a responsible policy, that reconciles controlled immigration and co-development.

If I'm elected I will strengthen the policy of selective immigration that I began while Minister of the Interior. I will institute annual immigration limits. Laïcité, equality between men and women, freedom of conscience are principles I will never waver on. I will ask those who want to settle in France to make an effort to learn French before coming, because it's an essential condition of successful integration and because it will be a sign of their desire to respect our culture. Family reunification will only be possible if the person has a home and a job that allow him to support his family without welfare.

Finally, I have proposed the creation of a ministry of Immigration and National Identity, because integration occurs through the sharing of our culture as much as by its enrichment. A single ministry ought to deal with the questions relating to immigration, integration and co-development.

It is interesting to compare Sarkozy's proposals on immigration with those of Jean-Marie Le Pen. In his introduction, which I am abridging, Le Pen gives these statistics:

- 6 million new residents in France over the past 20 years

- 400,000 to 500,000 new immigrants enter national territory every year, of which 300,000 are "legal" according to the OCDE.

- 40 million non-European immigrants live on European territory according to the European Parliament.

- 60 billion euros is the annual deficit due to immigration according to the Milloz report

- 700 million euros is the annual cost of State Medical Aide set aside for illegal immigrants

- 25% is the annual average rate of incarceration of the foreign population, a rate that is probably closer to 70% if one takes into account the whole immigrant population.

- 5% of foreigners enter France with a work contract, meaning that 95% do not.

- 50% of those who receive the RMI are foreigners. (The RMI is the minimum revenue, not the minimum wage, accorded by the welfare state.)

Immigration today is planetary. It peoples France with entitled individuals for whom, very often, the only affinity with our country is the material advantages it procures for them. This immigration is fueled by the large corporations for whom it is a way to relocate while staying home, and a way to compress salary costs, and by the political classes who see in it an easy way to acquire an electorate. Today, the French people go into debt in order to finance social benefits that attempt to alleviate the "misery of the world", with the result that there are permanent deficits in the social programs and 2000 billion euros of public debt that threaten, in the short term, to bankrupt the nation.

He then lists specific proposals some of which are:

1 - Welfare and family allocations are reserved for the French alone.

2 - Increase in health insurance premiums and unemployment insurance premiums for foreigners, with no increase in benefits

3 - Abolition of the minimum revenue (RMI) and State medical aid for foreigners.

The estimated savings from these 3 measures: 18.5 billion euros

4 - Naturalization reform: abolition of dual nationality and of the automatic naturalization feature. Henceforth naturalization depends on good behavior and degree of integration. Possible revocation of nationality for those who became nationals less than ten years ago and for those having committed a serious crime resulting in a conviction without probation of more than 6 months in prison.

5 - Reestablish our borders by withdrawing from the Schengen Agreement (1) and by denouncing the treaties that transfer to the European Union the authority in matters of immigration, right of asylum and visas.

6 - Zero tolerance for the organized networks of clandestine immigration

7 - Implementation of a "return-to-homeland policy" that would save 9 to 11 billion euros.

8- Abolition of family reunification.

9 - Reduction in the validity of the temporary visa (carte de séjour) from 10 to 3 years, even for those already in France.

10 - Expulsion of multi-recidivist foreign criminals.

Click here for the entire program at Le Pen's website and notice the modern look of the first page. The photos attest to the influence of his daughter Marine.

A slightly shorter version of Le Pen's proposals was published today at Lawrence Auster's VFR.

(1) From Wikipedia comes this definition of Schengen:

The 1985 Schengen Agreement is an agreement among European states which allows for the abolition of systematic border controls between the participating countries. It also includes provisions on common policy on the temporary entry of persons (including the Schengen Visa), the harmonisation of external border controls and cross-border police co-operation.

A total of 30 countries – including all European Union states and three non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland – have signed the agreement and 15 have implemented it so far. The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom only take part in the police co-operation measures and not the common border control and visa provisions. Border posts and checks have been removed between Schengen countries and a common 'Schengen visa' allows tourist or visitor access to the area.

The map from Wikipedia shows the participating countries in dark blue. In light blue are the countries that have signed, but not yet implemented, the Schengen Agreement.

"Barbarians"

Philippe de Villiers also reacted to the violence at the Gare du Nord:

Philippe de Villiers, Movement for France (MPF) candidate, on Wednesday accused "ethnic gangs" and "barbarians" of being responsible for the confrontations at the Gare du Nord and denounced the "general laxity" of the State.

Speaking on radio and television of " urban guerillas", Philippe de Villiers pledged his support for the "French police who admirably perform their civic duty, display restraint and prudence, and experience every day all sorts of provocations."

"Society has turned to the side of the wrong-doers. Ethnic gangs have settled on our territory and even take the Gare du Nord as their own territory," he accused. "This is the result of unchecked immigration."

According to the leader of the MPF, "organized gangs decided to go after the cops and there is no longer any State authority to face up to it. There is general laxity."

Philippe de Villiers demanded that the "double penalty (1) for foreign criminals" be reestablished, as well as the "anti-vandalism law" and that the 20 gang leaders be "tracked down neighborhood by neighborhood."

He also demanded "respect for the police". "We must be on the side of State authority, not on the side of the barbarians."

He feels that Nicolas Sarkozy's policy at the Interior Ministry was merely "verbal". "He is a whirligig who pumps iron to show off," he declared. (2)

For Mr. de Villiers, "there are 800 housing projects where they tell us, the candidates, not to enter."

(1) The double penalty, abolished by Sarkozy, required a criminal to serve out his jail term in France before being deported.

(2) Philippe de Villiers uses a colorful expression I'd never seen before: "C'est une toupie qui fait de la gonflette". "Une toupie" is a whirligig or a spinning top; faire de la gonflette means to pump iron just to show off. Thanks to the contributors at Word Reference for their assistance.

Rule Of Law

The rioting at the Gare du Nord has aroused much commentary at all the blogs. Most of the criticism is hurled at Sarkozy's hypocritical policies, at the mewling of the Left over what it considers to be police "brutality" and at the media for giving a subdued account of the truth. Le Conservateur posted this analysis of the television reports by TF1:

Reporting on the 8:00 p.m. news about the riots at the Gare du Nord that lasted 7 hours, blocking passenger traffic and causing much damage, Channel TF1 once again took the liberty to camouflage the truth by having us believe that there were two types of rioters:

- the "indignant passengers" who presumably reacted to rumors after the arrest of an offender, who had violently attacked the conductors of the RATP (Paris subway).

- the rioters who "grafted themselves" onto the crowd afterwards

Under rule of law it is not for the citizens to oppose the police, unless they observe a blatant act of misconduct, and certainly not on account of a rumor. The TF1 journalist, who clearly "does not want to take sides", is completely at sea. It is more and more frequent for groups to confront the police who are but acting within the framework of a legitimate and responsible intervention. Recently in Paris, in broad daylight, an elected member of the Socialist Party opposed the police who were attempting to apprehend an illegal!

Two remarks. First, it is a stunning demonstration that the Left cannot tolerate democracy, and that it intends to fight the laws it disapproves of even in the street. Second, it is an obviously insane attitude, tantamount to digging one's own grave, on the part of partisans of the Republic.

To question the legitimacy of the police is to undermine the rule of law and the conditions of one's own future security.

Photo of riot scene from 20 minutes.

La Gare du Nord

A riot broke out at the Gare du Nord (North Station) in Paris on Tuesday, reports Le Figaro, when a 33-year old illegal immigrant attempted to board a train without a ticket. He struck two conductors after jumping over the gate leading to the tracks. The police captured him and led him to a police center (centre de liaison) inside the station. It was then that violence, involving hundreds of persons, erupted. Vandals broke windows, glass displays and automatic ticket machines, using metal bars that serve as barriers in the subway for the long lines waiting to board.

The subway lines 4 and 5 stopped running in early evening. And the confrontation with the police lasted until 1:00 a. m.

There is a photo gallery here that shows the event in 10 images.

A third Figaro article shows a picture of François Baroin, the new Minister of the Interior, who replaced Sarkozy a few days ago when the UMP candidate stepped down from his functions to pursue his presidential campaign.

According to Baroin, the man who triggered the violence is well-known to the the police for 22 incidents, most of them involving violence. A Congolese national illegally in France, the man had received an order to return home from the prefect.

Thirteen persons are being held, five of them minors. Nine are expected to appear in court on Wednesday. There were 9 people with minor injuries: 4 subway officials, 4 railroad officials and 1 guard.

The Front National issued this communiqué posted at the blog of Yves Daoudal.

Ministers come and go, problems remain and worsen. The incident yesterday at the Gare du Nord would be proof, as if it were needed, for those rare individuals left who are not convinced.

First and foremost, it is essential to point out that these events are not even exceptional: only the fact that it took place in Paris, in the presence of cameras and photographers, confers this quality of a media event. But they take place almost every day, on a more or less grand scale, in certain "neighborhoods" and suburbs.

These repeated disturbances are evidence of the failure of the so-called "policy of security" of the former Interior Minister and permanent candidate Nicolas Sarkozy. The climate of insurrection prevalent in France proves that nothing has been improved since November 2005.

Beyond the taboos and the media's omertà, it needs to be stressed that this situation is the direct result of the policy of massive irrational immigration conducted by successive governments for thirty years.

Certain candidates seem to be finding this out now. The French people should not let themselves be fooled: why would they do tomorrow what they could not or would not do yesterday?

In November 2005, the politicians who thought they could buy civil peace with an abundance of social benefits or by backing off in the suburbs, are in for a rude awakening. The French people will contribute to it this coming April 22 and May 6.

Police Resistance

Three websites had this item this morning: LIMES, Occidentalis and Google Group Via-Resistancia. Note that LIMES refers to Seine-Saint-Denis as the future French Kosovo.

This poster was placed in mailboxes in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, in an effort to remind the residents that unless they support their police, there will be civil war.

The heading reads:

"They Only Stop Troublemakers!"

Under the hat it reads:

"Deliberately led into traps, forced to bow before youths still holding a Molotov cocktail in their hands (knowing that this low life will be set free the next day), forced to watch youths break windows in the name of Allah, and then being accused of 'brutality' because of a simple ID verification..."

Followed by:

Support Your National Police

before the inevitable civil war and before... that!

"That" refers to the French Islamic Republic, illustrated by the logo at the bottom which appears to be a French flag torn in the middle, though the meaning of the logo isn't entirely clear to me.

Accepting Le Pen

This analysis appears at Le Révolutionnaire Bleu. I have abridged it somewhat:

Nicolas Sarkozy dared to break a taboo when he linked the problem of immigration with that of national identity and proposed a ministry to deal with both questions.

You have only to meet French people to understand the extent to which this new preoccupation (i.e. national identity) of the candidates is geared to the election. Campaigning has forced Sarkozy and Royal to recognize the acceptance of Le Pen in the minds of the people. In order to prevent a wave of votes for the Front National, they are building make-shift dams. Will they be effective? Nothing could be more uncertain, considering how far removed the French are from their political elite, both of the media and the intelligentsia. These dams may only serve to channel the flow of patriotic feeling further to the man who has always represented nationalism: Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Ségolène Royal surrounds herself with the dinosaurs of the Socialist Party and seeks to be the heir of François Mitterand, while Nicolas Sarkozy rallies the mammoths of the UMP and is "touched" by Jacques Chirac's support. Is it a good tactic to be in the continuum of socialism or gaullism? These two schools of thought have always favored massive immigration that diluted and weakened national identity. How can they hope to appear as the candidates for national renewal? Can Sarko and Ségo repeat that immigration is France's good fortune, that they favor mixed couples (métissage), that Muslims are welcome, and proclaim in the same breath their attachment to the nation and to French identity? The French are aware of the disparity between their past actions and their present proclamations, and judge them severely. Will the electorate endorse them?

By "chance" I've been attending many dinners lately in Paris where I meet new faces. I have observed in the "right-wing" milieux what the Left calls the "lepenization" of people's minds.

These people are between 35 and 50, have attended graduate school and belong to the bourgeoisie - petit, middle, and sometimes upper. Most live in small apartments, about half own their homes. Often their parents gave them several thousand euros, to which they added their own savings and then they borrowed the rest. Some work hard. Others are functionaries. The latter are unemployed. They all are living less well than their parents and they know it.

Sooner or later, the conversation turns to the election. I've noted a few impressions:

1 - Many say they will vote for Sarkozy

2 - When you point out to them the questionable actions Sarkozy has committed, for example, talking about national identity on the one hand and removing an official from his position as rector because he tried to prevent the opening of a Muslim school on the other, then they ALL say that they will vote for him without enthusiasm or conviction.

The French people do not like Sarkozy. Not even his constituents. They don't trust him. His popularity is even less than that enjoyed by Jacques Chirac when he was first elected in 1995. Is it the personality of the Minister of the Interior or the worsening situation?

The same phenomenon is probably occurring on the Left since many are voting for Ségolène Royal with misgivings.

3 - A majority have heard Jean-Marie Le Pen on TV and radio and say that they are "on the whole" or "often" in agreement with his remarks. They no longer bring up the issue of Le Pen's past offensive comments.

4 - Most admire Marine Le Pen and find her convincing. They usually point out that their misgivings about her father do not apply to her.

5 - They easily confide their concerns: France's economy, unemployment, standard of living, retirement, debts, increasing violence and the integration of immigrants, especially Muslims.

6 - Most say that a break with the system is necessary.

But are they really ready? One often has the impression that they are putting off the surgery even though they know that they will one day be on the operating table.

In summation:

1 - The ideas of nationalism and identity are postures of the three leading candidates. Few expect any changes if one of the three is elected.

2 - The Parisians are very close to voting for Le Pen but they won't do it this time. But the Front National still has a weak score of 5% in Paris. If it is not from the bourgeoisie then it must come from other layers of the population, those more in danger, more provincial, less well-educated, less well-to-do.

3 - If Marine Le Pen can succeed her father without too much damage, if she can surround herself with a competent team and if she advances issues other than nationalism and immigration, and wins over those who would vote for Sarkozy or Bayrou, she will have smooth sailing ahead of her. Yes, there's still a lot to be done, but the acceptance of Le Pen - the return to a feeling of patriotism and national identity, the criticism of the ruling class and the will to make a break - offers her a real opportunity in the years to come.

I do not know who "Le Revolutionnaire Bleu" is, but from the name we can reasonably assume it's a member of Reichman's Révolution Bleue. Reichman himself attended Le Pen's big gathering in Lyons the weekend of March 11-12. The author says that he has been attending dinners by "chance". The use of quotation marks indicates that it is not by chance. Is this person a candidate? A politician?

Whoever he is he is painting a much rosier picture of life with Marine Le Pen, than others do. Not that she lacks ability. I've seen her on videos and she is, as he says, a convincing speaker, like her father. But I cannot imagine ANYONE having smooth sailing in France. And notice that by focusing on Marine, he is almost assuring us that her father will never be president. The Front National is now in her hands, for better or worse. The first female president of France may very well be Marine Le Pen, not Ségolène Royal.

The photo of Marine in front of her father's image is from Politique Fluctuat.

Ineptitude

Apparently during her encomium to the symbols of the French Republic, Ségolène Royal made known her wish that learning the Marseillaise be compulsory for all French pupils. As usual, she was unaware that her innocent remark betrayed her wealth of ignorance.

Deputy Jérôme Rivière from Nice, who is working diligently for the campaign of Philippe de Villiers despite his membership in Sarkozy's UMP party, caught Ségolène in the act of not knowing something she should have known and issued this communiqué:

Jérôme Rivière is very surprised by the remarks made by Ségolène Royal who thought she had come up with a good idea when she proposed, during a meeting last Thursday in Marseilles, that all Frenchmen learn our national hymn. Ségolène Royal, who is after all a deputy, has forgotten that learning the Marseillaise is already compulsory in elementary school, ever since Jérôme Rivière, UMP deputy and head of Philippe de Villiers' national election committee, had an amendment passed in 2005 at the time when the law on the orientation of the schools of the future was adopted.

Learning the national hymn should include learning the words but also the meaning of the text, in order to explain, in the best way possible, to our children, the history of these words that could be considered as violent. Ségolène Royal who aspires to the presidency of our country ought to know our law on such a powerful national symbol, especially since the law was passed during the session that is now ending and in which she participated.

The old French movie poster from All Posters.

Ségolène Sings the Marseillaise

In recent days Ségolène Royal has suddenly discovered the joys of patriotism to the dismay of her supporters and her critics alike. In her recent speeches she has advocated flying the French flag and singing the Marseillaise. Judging by the reactions one would think she had advocated military service in Iraq. The responses of the various candidates, with the possible exception of Le Pen, to her new-found love of French symbols, attest to how unpopular France is among those who would lead her:

This is an abridged version of a longer article at Journal Chrétien:

Seizing upon the theme of national identity espoused by Nicolas Sarkozy, the socialist candidate called on the French people to keep a French flag in their homes and to place it in their window on July 14. She also showed herself to be a fervent admirer of the Marseillaise, "a very beautiful song for the advancement of civilization" (...)

The UDF candidate François Bayrou reacted by saying, "The nation is alive" and "one must speak of it in a balanced, not obsessional, manner." "The nation is not a problem, but HAS problems: unemployment, education, environment, exclusion, economy."

Jean-Marie Le Pen, candidate of the Front National, denounced the "electoral hypocrisy" of his opponents. "A passport or an ID have never made a nationality, and a flag has never made a patriot."

Former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin admitted his "concern" on seeing Ségolène Royal "consider herself to be France by virtue of a flag". "I think she is confusing herself with France. Nobody has a monopoly on France."

Communist candidate Marie-George Buffet said the flag and the Marseillaise are "symbols that belong to the people and must not be fought over like bits of cloth."

Olivier Besancenot, candidate of LCR (Communist Revolutionary League) affirmed: "This shocks and frightens me. (In the ghettoes) people don't give a damn about a red white and blue flag in their home...they need heat, electricity, jobs with decent pay, and sometimes even just a place to live."

For Arlette Laguiller, of LO (Workers' Fight) "nationalism is a poison."

José Bové (left-wing) accused Mme Royal of starting a "troubling national lie" and of trying "to Americanize the country with all these flags at the windows." (...) "Chauvinism and nationalism have never been values of the Left."

Among the socialists, a few voices came to her rescue. Marc Ayrault, a leading socialist deputy, explained that she was trying "to restore the patriotism of the heart", while Nicolas Sarkozy "was selling a patriotism of fear." (...) Her spokesman, Julien Dray, insisted that she "didn't want to leave the symbols of the Republic to others."

According to Le Figaro Mme Royal made the following comments about the Marseillaise during a speech she delivered in Marseilles to more than 6000 people:

"Make no mistake, the Marseillaise is a hymn of the fight against all forces of tyranny. It is the hymn that Louise Michel had her pupils sing every morning and every evening, and she cried every time. Let us not misinterpret this hymn. This is not a hymn of bloodshed, nor is it xenophobic. It is a hymn of those who risk their lives for liberty. A universal message from France that is more important than ever: liberty, equality, fraternity!"

Note: Louise Michel was an raving anarchist whose main love was the black flag of anarchy that she adopted as her own. There is much about her (in French) at Wikipedia.

Another Figaro article here, also discusses Mme Royal's praise of the French national hymn.

The Schoolmaster

Since I've been talking a lot about education I wondered if there was a painting of a schoolmaster by a French artist. I wasn't able to find one - if anyone knows of one, please inform me.

But I found this wonderful portrait of a schoolmaster by Netherlands Baroque painter Gerrit Dou (1613-1675). The stern task-master is looking straight at us with unmistakable displeasure. Either he doesn't like his job, or he doesn't like being watched. Probably the latter. The children could be learning Latin - or just learning to read. The presence of the desk seems to indicate that it's a room set aside for a school, not a private home. Is that some sort of pipe or flue behind him? The smaller object behind him is an hour glass. Surely he has a long stick hidden somewhere should one of the children come unprepared.

The artist was a pupil of Rembrandt and painted several domestic scenes: a woman peeling carrots, a girl slicing onions, a little dog curled up. In many Dutch paintings intimacy and everyday things take precedence over the vast subjects of history and mythology. One has the feeling that the Netherlanders loved the comforts of home.

Note the small size of the painting.

1645
Oil on panel
10 5/8 x 7 3/8 inches (27 x 19 cm)

From Art Renewal.

Le Pen On Ethical Issues

Jean-Marie Le Pen was questioned by Famille Chrétienne on the issues of abortion and euthanasia. His declarations are posted both at Généthique and Le Salon Beige. (Those who know French might want to read the comments at Salon Beige where readers launched into a long discussion of the merits of his remarks: some found them much too tepid, and others applauded them as being the best of the available political commentary on the two issues.) The following is a summary of the interview:

When asked by a journalist if the plans of the FN (Front National) include an abrogation of the Veil Law (on abortion), he answered: "In matters of legislation, you have to take into account the state of public opinion. If I'm elected, I will propose a referendum on abortion. I have lost the illusion that one can solve all problems through laws..."

For Jean-Marie Le Pen the Veil Law is above all Chirac's and Giscard's law: they asked a "former female deportee" to bear the responsibility for it, since she "would be less likely to become a target."

Simone Veil, who has recently supported Sarkozy for president, is a survivor of Auschwitz. Jean-Marie doesn't miss the chance to take a swipe at her. Her ethics may not be of the highest order, but then, neither are his.

Questioned on the outcome of a referendum on the 1975 law, he draws up the balance-sheet: "At the outset, the Veil Law was intended to fight against abortions which had reached 70,000 per year. But it did not stem the tide. Today, despite the increase in contraceptives - including 1 million morning-after pills - we have reached 220,000 abortions." He reproached the political leaders who are under "pressure from public opinion" for not "getting at the root of the problem." And he suggests that they "fight poverty and social maladjustment that usually accompany abortions."

Furthermore, he pointed to the "discretion" of the French bishops on the question of abortion.

On the question of euthanasia, he admits to being unresolved: "Morally and philosophically, I am a partisan of the respect for life from the beginning to the end." But, "as a responsible politician, I wonder about euthanasia. I do not have a definitive position for the moment." He pointed to the growing number of dependent old people who must be cared for at the expense of the French State. "Already, death is desirable for practical reasons..." he explained.

Finally, the FN candidate declared himself opposed "to all types of manipulation on the human embryo."

These are not the remarks of someone who is on firm ground. He waffles on abortion because when he speaks of the "root" cause he does not mention the personal morality of girls and women; rather he adopts the left-wing point of view that poverty is the problem. Elsewhere JMLP has said he is not a moralist. So here he leans on the vacillations of the French bishops as a way of evading the issue.

I hope he never reaches a definitive position on euthanasia, because there is none. It's a case by case decision. God forbid it should ever become legislated.

I see that Catholic blogger Bernard Antony has a lot to say about the interview with Famille Chrétienne. His blog entry is much too long to translate in its entirety, but he goes into greater detail on the interview and we learn that Le Pen said that Sarkozy defends the traditional values of the Right. Antony takes issue:

(...) This bewilders me. I have the impression that Le Pen goes off in different directions, depending on who is advising him. In some cases there is a leftist orientation, and here we have a more rightist remark that is no less surprising.

The affirmation that Nicolas Sarkozy could defend the traditional values of the Right seems to me very questionable indeed.

What are these traditional values? Of which Right are we speaking?

Now I understand better the attitude of Jean-Marie Le Pen. Having invited me, along with others, to come to Lyons to support him provided I didn't speak, he has just expressed his refusal to invite me to a discussion on social issues. (...)

In truth I believe above all that it is very difficult to be with Jean-Marie Le Pen the way things are at this moment. It's a little bit like the old days of the Communist Party, when it was very difficult to be in step with the party, and when those who were "behind" were excluded, as well as those who were "ahead".

Note: Antony then says that on the issue of abortion it is not necessary to be in agreement with or influenced by the bishops of France. It is not even necessary to be Christian to take a stand against abortion.

He then moves to the question of euthanasia and to Le Pen's comments on the practical aspects:

We are no longer in a debate on the legality of shortening a life in its final stages to put an end to suffering. What Christian morality advocates, I repeat, is the refusal of aggressive therapies. No. Jean-Marie Le Pen wonders about the economics and the social problem of having a growing number of centenarians. (...)

In conclusion Antony disputes Le Pen's assertion that the different religions that "attempt to pull men away from the earth" are all worthy of esteem:

(...) I want to stress that I do not have the same esteem for all religions, a fact that should not surprise anyone. (...) Perhaps in fact Islam often is a good social cement. But only for Muslims! In no country has it been a good social cement for non-Muslims or for the ensemble of the society.

The logic of Islam is that of a totalitarianism incompatible with a healthy "laïcité" that separates the religious from the political (...)

In his closing statements Antony admits that he no longer feels the slightest obligation to support Le Pen, and that he will never accept the Islamization of the suburbs of France and the fracturing of the rest of the nation.

Christian Belmer's Case

While we're on the topic of the misery of our public schools, there is still another teacher in trouble in France. His name is Christian Belmer and his story was first reported by journalist Ivan Rioufol in Le Figaro of March 16. Rioufol was apparently the only one who dared (or cared) to report on his ordeal, since all the reports I've read have simply been repeats of the Rioufol article.

At least that's what I thought until I read Golani Warrior's contribution at Instinct de Survie. He reminds us that he actually reported on the story back in early January and he links to his January 5, 2007 entry where he describes the plight of an unnamed French high-school teacher who was "caught" in the act of writing politically incorrect things at his blog, using a nom de plume. How the teacher was caught is not clear, since he was anonymous.

First, the brief article by Ivan Rioufol:

Christian Belmer, a teacher, was suspended from his duties for 4 months, placed under surveillance, and is being sued by his principal. He is due in court in Le Havre on April 24, the charge being that he wrote in his blog, using a pseudonym, a criticism of a pro-Palestinian tract that was distributed among the teachers of his high-school. The incriminating words read: "It is therefore in the very heart of the Ministry of National Education that anti-Western, pro-Arab, hence, anti-Jewish ideology is expressed in the most open and violent way."

Where is the crime?

Golani Warrior explains:

The crime imputed to Christian Belmer? Based on the law of July 29, 1881, he is accused of "having made allegations or imputations about an action that attacks the honor and the respect of the Ministry of National Education, a public administration."

The document stating the accusation appeared on this blog on January 5, 2007.

The laws of "bien-pensance" (political correctness) dictate that Christian Belmer never should have had his blog in the first place. He never should have denounced what was going on in his high-school, never should have shown that there was a real problem... He should have said nothing and accepted the superiority of the Muslims over the French (this was said and reported) and kept his mouth shut until he retired.

So the one who blows the whistle (dénonce) is the accused, and not the people who have no respect for the independence of public functionaries.

He then calls our attention to a petition posted at Resilience that over a thousand persons have signed.

As far as we're concerned, because Christian worked actively to defend freedom of expression when Denmark was attacked, we will send this petition to our Danish friends in the hope that they return the favor.

There are many names of persons who have had to pay dearly for having the wrong opinions. At Galliawatch I've discussed Louis Chagnon, Alain Finkielkraut, Robert Redeker, Christian Vanneste, Jérôme Rivière, Alain Morvan and now Christian Belmer. But these names are just the tip of the iceberg. Those who really suffer are the people who live in daily stress and fear, who awake to find their car torched, who must take the subway at night, who are forced to accept ideas and conduct that run counter to those of the civilization they once knew, who know what is going on and who must keep silent. Not to mention those who have been victims of crimes that are rarely punished.

Home-Schooling Updates

The recent post on the plight of Melissa Busekros and of home-schoolers in general has elicited sympathetic responses. First, a reader has taken it upon himself to send messages of concern to several organizations, including the United Nations. Here is part of his commentary:

By the way, this is what I wrote to the German embassy via the link you put:

"I have recently become aware of the case of Melissa Busekros who has been taken from her family and institutionalized by your psychiatric authorities in Germany. This totalitarian use of psychiatrists and psychologists is a violation of human rights and I will be contacting the U.S. State Department and the United Nations, as well as non-governmental organizations."

I also sent news tips to Fox News and CNN. It would help if they picked up the story.

I thank him for his interest and am eager to see if there is any response. Following are some helpful addresses:

enaca@ohchr.org - UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm - German embassy in the US. This link will take you to a form to fill out, with space for commentary.

germanembassyottawa@on.aibn.com - German embassy in Ottawa

Second, the same reader has directed me to a website called Teen Screen Truth, that everyone in the United States who has young children should read. I was vaguely aware of this, but the website fills in the details and sends a warning signal that cannot be ignored.

Finally the UK blogger named Irdial whom I linked to in my article has posted still another tale of a German family fleeing Germany. It begins with an introduction from the person trying to find temporary shelter for the family until they can get to North America. Irdial's views on Canada and North America are a bit optimistic, but apparently in Germany the crack down on dissent against National Education has reached police state proportions. One would think they had more important things to worry about. It does not sound like the family in question is ethnic German, since the children suffer anxiety when they hear the German language:

I’m trying to help a displaced family get out of Europe to N.America who have fled Germany a few months ago, and are hiding out in another country. They have twins, 10 yrs. old that have gone through alot in the past 12 months. They have become very fragile, are clinging to their parents, and literally have anxiety attacks when they encounter people speaking german. One of the twins is very sick, and really needs to take doses of oxygen throughout the day. The boys have not been to a decent doctor in months. Now they have the possibility of getting to their destination, thanks to donations made by caring people, but they need to make the trip as short as possible, and as cheap as possible, since its the 4 of them.

Read the whole story here.

Alain Morvan Dismissed

Another name can be added to the list of those who must pay the price for opposing the Islamization of France. Alain Morvan, the former Rector of the Academy of Lyons of whom I spoke in my post on the opening of the Al-Kindi Muslim school has been discharged. Le Figaro reports:

The Rector of Lyons, Alain Morvan, has been relieved of his duties as of Wednesday (March 21) and is paying the cost of having spoken too freely. (...) Alain Morvan will go back to his former post as professor of English at the university. A humiliation for this man who is said to have failed in his duty as a high-ranking State official to be silent. (...)

Alain Morvan recently opposed the opening of the Al-Kindi Muslim school in the suburbs of Lyons. He had publicly denounced the school's planners as "extremists", and declared that would fight to "my last breath in the interests of the children." He indicated too that he had been subjected to pressures from the Interior Ministry because of this opposition. The Ministry refused to consider three separate requests to put off the opening of the school on grounds that the classrooms were too small, the sanitary conditions inadequate, the administration a "fiction" and a gas pipe exposed. These arguments were also rejected by the administrative courts and by the High Council of Education.

In 2005, the rector had also actively participated in the suspension and expulsion of Bruno Gollnisch, professor of Japanese language and civilization and nº 2 man in the Front National, from the University of Lyons-III for his remarks on the gas chambers. Morvan said that such people had no place in a French university and ought to be "eradicated", adopting the "partial and unequivocal" position that was to define him at that moment. (...)

Note: Gollnisch is supposed to have said that the question of the gas chambers should be left to historians.

A second article in Le Figaro gives the latest development:

Relieved of his duties as rector of the Lyons Academy, Alain Morvan told a press gathering that he had been "zapped" (karcherisé). A reference, without saying so explicitly, to the role of the Interior Ministry in his dismissal. "I thought there was a Ministry of National Education; in truth it was higher up than that, where the real power resides," asserted Alain Morvan for whom "this dismissal justifies the struggle I have led."

(...) He raised another issue as cause for his dismissal - "the operation clean hands" that he led within the law school of the University of Lyons-III against holocaust denial. "What I did to Bruno Gollnisch, I did against my hierarchy," he affirmed yesterday.

Philippe de Villiers (through his spokesman Guillaume Peltier) issued this communiqué:

Guillaume Peltier, spokesman for Philippe de Villiers, is scandalized by the ideological dismissal of the Rector of the Academy of Lyons, Alain Morvan. By opposing the opening of a Muslim High School in the precinct of his Academy, he was only defending the unity of the republic against Islamic demands.

By putting pressure on Alain Morvan to be silent, the Minister of the Interior showed his conception of French identity.

Nicolas Sarkozy's report card on the question of Islam is catastrophic. For five years he has given more and more space and credibility to the radical branch of Islam, thus taking as hostages the millions of moderate Muslims.

The affair of the rector of Lyons shows that in France, the question of fundamentalist Islam remains a great taboo. (...)

Note: I'm very sorry that de Villiers is talking about "moderate" Muslims. This is a departure from the stronger stand he was taking months ago before he officially entered the race. It indicates that if he were President, he would try to accommodate these so-called "moderates", or cut deals with them. Unless, of course, this is "just talk."

Last, but not least, it should be mentioned that not all patriots feel sorry for Morvan. The Catholic website Salon Beige also reports on the story and offers a list of readers' comments that enlighten us regarding the antagonism they feel toward the concept of laïcité, which is Morvan's ideological reason for opposing the Muslim school. More than that, they feel he got his just deserts for what he did to Gollnisch. Here is one comment:

What can one think about this man, known to be a staunch follower of Chirac? He behaved in the most abject way toward B. Gollnisch, and now he is opposed to a Muslim school in the name of this pernicious laïcité. Why refuse a Muslim school? We have in France all kinds of religious schools, why not a Muslim school in Lyons?

I think this "gentleman" who goes after "extremists" is in fact himself a dangerous sectarian from the sect of the "laïcistes" (those believing in separation of Church and State).

Abortion Museum

Just when you think the Western world has reached the bottom of the barrel, there's a reminder that there may not even be a bottom.

The Catholic French websites, including
Le Conservateur, are talking about the opening in Vienna, Austria of an abortion and contraception museum. Le Salon Beige calls it a "horror" and links to the English-language article in Deutsche Welle which begins thus:

The initiator of this museum is Christian Fiala, a doctor who has directed a clinic for abortions and family planning in Vienna for the past 10 years. Fiala is seen as a missionary for women’s health and is the chairman of the International Association of Abortion and Contraception Specialists.

Displayed in two rooms are items Fiala has collected over the decades.

Read the whole article here.

Equal Time

This short interview with Philippe de Villiers appeared in Le Monde:

Jean-Marie Le Pen insists that you "serve no purpose in the political arena..."

I represent the patriotic governing Right. First, with regard to the Right: I do not want a return of the Left, nor do I want a Right that, tomorrow, might be tempted to embrace a left-wing politic, having pretended, during the campaign, to be of the Right. I am the guarantee that the Right in power tomorrow will really be the Right. Second, with regard to the patriotic Right: I don't accept the transfer of our wealth through unbridled globalization without any protection from the European Union. The Europe of the Treaty of Rome protected us. And since Maastricht, it is destroying us, it destroys our agriculture, our farmers, our factories, our trade, and soon our call centers and research centers will move to China. Patriotic means I distinguish myself from Ségolène Royal, from Nicolas Sarkozy and from François Bayrou, the candidates of Euroland, who are for a new Constitution that would be a reworking, in a minor key, of the Constitution rejected by the people.

How is it different from what the Front National wants?

With me there is no impropriety. On the Twin Towers, Le Pen said that the bombings of Dresden and Marseilles were comparable to the Twin Towers and he compared Churchill to Bin Laden. These things are not details to me.

Note: When he says "details" he is referring to Le Pen's notorious statement years ago that the holocaust was a merely a "detail".

Do you agree with Nicolas Sarkozy when he proposes the creation of a ministry of immigration and national identity.

If I had to describe Nicolas Sarkozy's ministry since 2002, I would call it the ministry of unchecked emigration and of national identity trampled on. I consider the uprooting of African families from Africa, who see France as an El Dorado, to be a double tragedy - for the families and also for France, a country that is becoming poorer. I am for zero immigration here, in other words, no family reunification, no more benefits for illegals (one of the first things I would do would be to abolish State Medical Aid to illegals, when there are many French people who don't even have National Health benefits, or are obligated to pay unreimbursed medical expenses), and a change in naturalization rights.

Do you want to ban education for children of illegal immigrants?

France is the only country in the world where parents, who are illegals, use their own children by automatically enrolling them in school , which then gives them the right to be legalized sooner or later. (...) There is only one right for those who don't respect the law, that's a return-trip ticket, that's all.

Note: I presume he means that the automatic enrollment of children in school assures that the illegal status of the parents will be changed.

In the second round, will you support the right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, or François Bayrou, as Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, an advocate of sovereignty, is doing?

Beginning now, the candidates have equal time. I will be seen, and heard. Then, it's the French people who choose. Let's respect them.

Note: Dupont-Aignan was a member of Sarkozy's UMP party. He broke away and attempted to run for president in the 2007 election but could not get the required 500 signatures. He was an opponent of the European Constitution voted down by the French people in a referendum last April.

In another interview with Europe 1 de Villiers said that he hoped to follow "a policy of Frenchification" to "transmit patriotic values". To achieve this goal, he proposes a "six-month compulsory patriotic service for all young French people". This service could be done in the army among the "Green Helmets" (Casques verts), commissioned to transform France into a "pilot nation in matters of ecological security" or in the "framework of French-speaking countries working towards co-development." In this regard, Philippe de Villiers has set an example through the work he has done in his department, Vendée, with the African country of Benin.

Note: There has been a policy of cooperation and development between la Vendée and Benin since 1992. One of its goals is to encourage Africans to stay in their own country where they are needed, rather than emigrate to France.

The "Green Helmets" (Casques verts) is an organization founded in 1987 for the purpose of protecting nature. I don't know what its connection to the army is.

There is more (in French) on this cooperation at his website:

Melissa's Case

A few weeks ago I posted an article on new restrictions on home-schooling in France. At the end of my post I linked to another article by Charles Henry at Covenant Zone about the case of a 15-year old German girl named Melissa Busekros who was forcibly removed from her parents because she had been home-schooled. In his article Charles discussed the severe restrictions in Germany on home-schooling, restrictions put in place by Adolph Hitler.

Recently there has been a flurry of articles about Melissa's case. The blog of French Catholic writer Jeanne Smits gives a resumé of the scandal and she in turn links to a site called Lifesite that also summarizes the situation:

Hubert and Gundrun Busekros, the parents of Melissa Busekros, the fifteen year-old homeschooled girl removed from her home by government authorities, have been ordered by the courts to undergo psychiatric testing, World Net Daily (WND) reports.

Melissa was removed by court order in early February and placed in a mental institution by German youth authorities who claimed that she suffered from “school phobia” the treatment for which was complete isolation from her family and home. She is now being kept in a foster home in a location unknown to her family who are allowed to visit her for an hour a week.

Joel Thornton, president of the International Human Rights Group (IRHG) told the WND that he fears the state will use any test results to remove the other five Busekros children from their parents and permanently break up the family.

“The trouble is this emboldens the state again, only now it's at a higher level, and the courts still are agreeing with them. This could put Melissa back into the psychiatric system where she could disappear from sight entirely,” Thornton said.

“It's easy to see … if they want to, the government could take more of the children away from this family using the same process. And there is an increased fear among homeschoolers about whether their children are next," he told WND.

The IRHG is considering options to defend the rights of the Busekros family, including a possible complaint to the European Court of Human Rights.

Melissa's father Hubert Busekros told the Catholic news service, kreuz.net that local news services have instigated a news blackout on the situation, claiming it is “a personal affair that is not of public interest.”

Thornton said that his organization, founded to defend religious liberties, also fears Melissa will “disappear” irretrievably into the psychiatric system and that test results could be used as a pretext by the courts to remove from the parents the other five children in the family.

Homeschooling is illegal in Germany since it was outlawed for ideological reasons by Adolph Hitler’s Nazi regime. In more recent times, the German government has a strong interest in instilling through the public school system the new statist ideology promoted from Brussels in the European Union.

Wolfgang Drautz, consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, defended the authorities’ actions saying that the government “has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies that are based on religion or motivated by different world views and in integrating minorities into the population as a whole.”

The US-based Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) organization in North America is maintaining an urgent call to contact the German embassies in Canada and the United States to protest the actions with the German Government.

Another organization has called for an international boycott of German products to pressure the government to release Melissa back to her family.

To express concerns:
In Canada:
German Embassy
1 Waverley Street
Ottawa, ON, K2P 0T8
Tel.: 613-232-1101 Fax: 613-594-9330
Email: germanembassyottawa@on.aibn.com

In the US:
German Embassy
http://www.globescope.biz/germany/reg/index.cfm

At the time of my post on French home-schooling I received an e-mail from a blogger named Irdial that directed me to a UK website where among many other topics there are several on home-schooling. It was from his report on Melissa that I obtained the letter and photo pictured above. In the photo Melissa and her sister are at the window of what appears to be a detention center.

However, if you click here, you will be able to read all of Irdial's posts on home-schooling - 15 as of now. Included is a long post on the attempts by DfES (Department for Education and Skills) to crack down on home-schoolers in the UK by forcing them to register, by imposing standards and by monitoring the progress of the children. These moves are being vigorously opposed by EO (Education-Otherwise). Also in the article the initials LA stand for Local Authorities. It's difficult reading, but worthwhile for those interested in the topic.

More Bayrou

Former socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who had indicated a few weeks ago that he was abandoning Ségolène Royal, now urges his party not to vote for François Bayrou, according to Nouvel Obs:

"When you vote for Bayrou, you eliminate the Left (...) What François Bayrou proposes would trigger a real political crisis in our country." Speaking "from experience" Lionel Jospin feels that "traitors, wherever they come from, are never the best (...) The worst thing - which has never happened - would be an impotent presidency confronted with a dislocated National Assembly where they would try, in vain, to cobble together a political force, inevitably a minority, from both right-wing and left-wing traitors."

Lionel Jospin has labeled the policy of the UDF candidate (Bayrou) as a lie, that he considers "still-born". (...) "the solution, is the socialist vote, the vote for Ségolène Royal." (...) He appealed to the socialists not to "split into factions over François Bayrou in the second round. The important thing is to show why he must be eliminated at the first round," he declared.

Simone Veil has not only rejected François Bayrou, she has said he's the worst of all, according to Yahoo:

"One must choose and I have chosen", she said. "I am not a socialist and Bayrou is the worst. (...) An imposture. All that he was capable of doing when he was minister of Education, was to send a million people into the streets."

Note: she is referring to his attempt to modify the Falloux Law on private schools in such a way as to finance Catholic schools with public money. He was Minister of Education in 1994, in the rightist government of Edouard Balladur, during the presidency of socialist François Mitterand. This was a period of so-called "cohabitation", with a socialist president and a conservative parliament.

"No one seems to see the consequences such a vote would have on democracy," she stressed. "When there are no more parties, a totalitarian system takes over. His plans for cohabitation have no firm base," she added referring to his desire, if elected, to set up a government of national unity.

Note: Bayrou apparently has suggested a coalition of all parties.

I came upon these comments about Bayrou at the Jeunes-Paris15 website:

In 1994, François Bayrou was Minister of Education in a right-wing government (Prime Minister Balladur). Bayrou desired to open up the possibility to the local authorities of public financing for private Catholic schools. To achieve this Bayrou intended to amend the Falloux Law. I can remember the wild uproar that caused, with a million people in the streets, and trench warfare in parliament.

By attempting to finance Catholic education with public funds, Bayrou confirmed he was a Christian democrat. Since then, Bayrou regularly adopts the attitude of a defender of laïcité, but is unable to hide the right-winger that he is in reality. (...)

Note: If Bayrou is for some a leftist disguised as a rightist, for others he is a closet right-winger and a militant Catholic. All things to all people. Bayrou has said that if he were American he would have voted for Al Gore.

For Jean-Marie Le Pen the ascendency of François Bayrou to the position of third man in the presidential election is a plot by the media and the polls against his own candidacy:

The leader of the Front National told the press gathered at Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan) of his "profound conviction that the third place position of François Bayrou is the fruit of a plot by the media and the polls.

"It can't be just chance. You don't go from 6% to 23% in a month," he insisted.

"The purpose of this maneuver is to remove the FN candidate from third place, he accused.

Bayrou's plans for France, again from Nouvel Obs:

On Sunday March 18 François Bayrou addressed a students' convention exposing his plan for a "great ministry of society" that would include a "department for the young and for sports, a department for the elderly, a department for organizations, and a department for the Internet". When asked if he would include immigration, he answered: "I think it could be included."

(...) "I want the new majority that will be elected after my election to work all summer (...) I will call an special session during the summer to deal with the issues of employment, exclusion, public finances and education," explained the UDF presidential candidate.

Note: In the above paragraph he's speaking of the legislative elections that will take place one month after the presidential.

Because after the elections, "there will be a great wave of hope, and we must immediately create a situation favorable to the fulfillment of this hope."

Bayrou's Advantage

An article in RTL2007 gives a quick summary of the results of a recent telephone poll - which we can take or leave, as we see fit - conducted by TNS-Sofres/Unilog:

Thirty-five days from the first round, a different second round than one involving Sarkozy and Royal is being envisaged. If François Bayrou should happen to reach the second round on May 6, he would win no matter who opposed him.

The UDF candidate (Bayrou) would defeat Ségolène Royal 60% - 40% and Nicolas Sarkozy 54% - 46%.

In fact, the votes carried forward are going to François Bayrou. Out of those who vote for the UMP candidate (Sarkozy) in the first round, 75% would vote for the centrist candidate (Bayrou) if he were running against the PS candidate (Royal) in the second round. And 72% of those who voted for Royal in the first round would vote for the centrist candidate if he were running against Sarkozy in the second round. Which leads one to think that the second round will be a vote against someone, rather than a vote of support.

But François Bayrou has to get past the first round. He is still in third position, with 22% of the intended votes, behind Sarkozy at 31% and Royal at 24%. The socialist candidate has never been below 25% since May 2006.

Jean-Marie Le Pen is holding steady at 12%. The leader of the Front National has been stable since mid-January. This is proof that he is running with a solid base of more than 10% which will affect the outcome sooner or later.

(...) Not one of the other candidates, including newcomers like Gérard Schivardi, has gone beyond the level of 2.5% of intended votes.

Besides the figures, this poll also asked questions about the image of the candidates. In that respect, Nicolas Sarkozy wins over the others. The UMP candidate is widely considered as the one who has the stature of head of State, a real plan for France, and the best knowledge of the issues.

Instead of competence, Ségolène Royal offers the image of a candidate who understands the feelings of the voters. She is regarded as the one most likely to listen to the French, but also the one who best understands their preoccupations. (Note: in other words she feels your pain.)

On the matter of presidential image, François Bayrou is far behind the UMP and PS candidates.