Planning the Demise of Europe

A very long but important article has been posted in English at Gates of Vienna and in French at Bivouac-Id. Written in 2009 by German journalist Michael Mannheimer, it describes the step-by-step planning of the Islamization of Europe by the "elites". Here are some rather disconnected excerpts:

The Islamization of Europe is in full swing. The majority of Europeans are helpless against this development. They are informed neither about the true essence of Islam, nor about the background of Islamic politics on European soil. The Muslims have not come to integrate into European societies. Their goal is the transformation of Europe into an Islamic realm where Shari’a alone, the law of Islam, will rule. (...)

“We, the Greens (Green Party), must strive to this end that as many foreigners as possible be brought to Germany. If they are in Germany, we must fight for their right to vote. Once we have achieved this, then we have the segment of voters we need to change this republic.” (Daniel Cohn-Bendit)

“Germany must be hemmed in from without, and within she must be heterogenized by influx (of foreigners) or quasi 'thinned out.'” (Joschka Fischer)

In plain language, the idea of a voter fraud of historical proportions was crafted, the result being a stealthily and carefully executed plan with a pre-determined result. In 1960 only 600,000 Muslims lived in all of Europe, today, however, there are already over 30 million, and the greatest mass immigration in the history of man continues unabated. Each year 1 million new Muslim immigrants stream into Europe. This is done legally through the reunification of families, the process of asylum, or they come as “political fugitives” from their Islamic countries where human rights are trodden underfoot. Ever and again they receive residency rights, more and more receiving European citizenship without having to accede to rudimentary skills of culture, education or employment necessary to cope with the requirements of high-tech European society.

But they haven’t come here to integrate into Western society. This is forbidden by their faith[d] as well as their religious leaders who are highly organized and have long since held the real leadership over European muslims. (...)

The plain and short: with regard to Europe, the left-wing/green power complex has been behaving for quite some time in certain essential political core areas (i.e. migration, EU expansion, citizenship) in a way that resembles an external occupation force. Since those who have been responsible for this mass immigration have been unable to win over their home-grown European voters to this political work, they have set out to cause the occupation of their own lands by millions of people with a foreign language, culture, and religion. Their intention, in the meantime, is to “thin out” the European portion of the population, and eventually to disempower them altogether.

This is nothing short of a new form of “ethnic cleansing.”

Much of the article is devoted to Denmark:

Muslims make up only 4 percent of Denmark’s 5.4 Million population, but they make up the majority of condemned rapists in the country; a burning political fact is that practically all female victims are non-Muslim (Christian). Most of the media remain silent about this out of fear or political unrest. Similar ratios are to be found in other categories of criminal activity.34 As pertaining to mass rape of non-Muslim women, the same numbers are the case in Sweden and Norway as well. (...)

No other world religion has such a perfidious form of murder-culture; no other world religion schools their followers so systematically in how to kill innocent people of a different faith; no other world religion accepts such an outright devilish invention of general immunity for their believers so that they are free from the guilt of murder — and this is written in their “holy scriptures.” Getting to the point, if there really is a Satan, then the name of his religion is Islam, and his prophet is Muhammad. (...)

The following fact cannot be repeated often enough: Europe has virtually no notable problems with Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian immigrants. The name of the European immigration problem is ‘Islam.’ In spite of this long indisputable fact, Muslim agents have a clever method for presenting the immigrant problem that they are causing: classify it as a “general problem with foreigners.” The facts however demonstrate very clearly: remove the Muslim statistics from the Danish crime statistics (and for that matter the other European countries’ statistics), and the immigration problem presents itself more amicably. (...)

I accuse the majority of the media of nothing less than complicity with the totalitarianism of Islam and with its most important political and spiritual leaders, whether intentional or unintentional. The reasons for this (often unintentional) complicity has three names:

* Hate against the society of Western citizens
* Anti-Americanism
* Anti-Semitism

“The West should desist from all provocations and call forth feelings of humility and humbleness. We need to esteem the cultural identity of Islamic countries more highly.” (German psychoanalyst Horst-Eberhard Richter)

This sentence needs to be analyzed. Richter is an icon of the left wing and the Greens, a leading figure practically worshipped by a whole generation of peace-driven deniers of reality and Easter marchers. He exercises no criticism against the cutting off of hands, flogging for no reason, or the stoning of women who have committed no crime other than that they wanted to be free from their husbands. He exercises no criticism against the fact that in Islamic lands today critics of “the religion of peace” have their eyes put out without anaesthetic, that girls at just two years of age are forced to marry dirty old men, that women according to Islamic law (Shari’a) are condemned to be second-class people.

He exercises no criticism against the highest courts who give their blessing to the worst of all forms of paedophilia: sex with nursing infants.

I'll stop here. Read the whole text.

Four Seasons of Health and Happiness To All

The weather has indeed made news in Europe and America, and seasonal changes and hardships remind us of the unfathomable program Nature imposes on us as we mere mortals adapt as best we can, trying to turn these seasonal changes into moments of growth and revelation. Antonio Vivaldi, in 1723, composed The Four Seasons, a set of four concertos, featuring a violin soloist. It became his best known work, and the number of recordings is legion. In recent years English violinist Nigel Kennedy made a recording (controversial at that, since some felt his novel approach denatured the work) that sold millions. Many people feel that, like Ravel's Bolero, it is now too well-known and has become stale from being over-performed.

I think you'll find this version by the Venice Baroque Orchestra to be as fresh and as fiery as it must have sounded when it was composed. The season is Winter, but "fiery" describes the outstanding performance by violinist Giuliano Carmignola. The video runs over seven minutes. The first movement - a vibrant Allegro - portrays in crescendo the harsh winds and freezing snow; the second movement - a gentle Largo - evokes the coziness of the indoors, by a fire; and the third - another Allegro - depicts people walking gingerly on the ice, falling, and getting back up.

The Four Seasons was especially popular in France, and Louis XV, smitten with the Spring concerto, ordered it to be played on many occasions.



Antonio Vivaldi wrote four sonnets corresponding to the four concertos. Here is an English translation of the his Sonnet Winter from About:

1. Trembling with cold amidst the freezing snow, while a frightful wind harshly blows, running and stamping one's feet every minute, and feeling one's teeth chatter from the extreme cold;
2. Spending quiet contented days by the fire while the rain outside drenches people by the hundreds;
3. Walking on ice, and moving cautiously, with slow steps, for fear of falling, spinning around, slipping, falling down, again walking on ice and running fast until the ice cracks and splits; hearing Sirocco, Boreas, and all the winds at war burst forth from the bolted doors - this is winter, but it also brings joy!

Finally, thanks again to Zazie for the photo.

New Year's Eve

The Orioles were very popular when I was a kid. They have had a long but tumultuous career, disbanding and reorganizing several times. The original members were Sonny Til, Alexander Sharp, George Nelson, Johnny Reed and Tommy Gaither. They were one of a very large number of black singing groups, including the Ink Spots and the Mills Brothers who managed to gain tremendous popularity among whites. Black singers have always been an important part of America's popular music scene. Only since the counter-culture of the 60's (and especially since the 1980's) has the image of black popular music been degraded, as singers and songs became oriented towards hatred, misogyny, anti-white violence, and the arrogant sense of entitlement.

Here's a "golden oldie" from better times. Both Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson have good versions on YouTube as well.

La Femme Loire

A petition has been launched to stop the projected construction of the Loire Woman ("La Femme Loire"), a gigantic statue created by sculptor Michel Audiard, on an historic site behind the trees and above the ruins of the Marmoutier Abby in the city of Tours (Indre-et-Loire).

The colossal dimensions (40 X 17 meters), the indifference of the diocese, the manner in which the "artist" was allowed to acquire the land (through a long-term lease of 50 years, similar to those long-term leases given to Muslims for the building of mosques) have all resulted in outpourings of anger and frustration at this latest assault on France's religious heritage, not to mention the question of good taste.

Here are some excerpts from an article in France-Soir:

"Imagine a statue of such size depicting a lascivious nude woman, breasts sticking up, in a holy place above the ruins of an ancient abby. It's difficult," admits Lionel Béjeau, one of the first signers of the petition, and president of the Vivre-Ensemble (Living Together) committee of Sainte-Radegonde.

Pierre Cappelaere, coordinator of the Institution Marmoutier, a private Catholic school, built within the enclosed space of the abby, regrets not having been warned. "The problem is that the location of the statue conflicts with the history of the site, the first European monastery, founded by Saint Martin and classified as an historical monument. Why doesn't he have his exhibit at the Salon of Erotic Art!"

The controversy has not spared the political arena. Pascal Ménage of Sarkozy's UMP party is sorry the lease was granted to the artist. Christophe Rossignol of the Green Party wants proof that there will be no landslide as a result of the construction. The Socialist mayor of Tours, Jean Germain, argues that the site is safe. The height was calculated so as not to go beyond the trees on the hill. And security will be taken care of.

As for Michel Audiard, he couldn't care less about criticisms from his detractors, that he labels a "tissue of idiocies. I will write an open letter and answer them point by point with humor. It's great publicity in any case!" And there isn't a chance in the world that the sculptor will renounce the site, which overlooks the city and is visible from the highway.

The Loire Woman will be financed by private donations and by a 385,000 euro contribution from the sculptor himself. The construction will cost about 2 million, and should get underway before the summer and be completed in 2013. Covered in natural sand-colored resin to match the sands of the Loire river, it will have a framework made of wood, recycled cardboard, plaster and chalk. Eventually it could house exhibits and musical shows.

Note: I presume the sculptor is not related to the famous film maker of the same name. But I cannot verify this.

French readers may be interested in the article at France-Catholique, where there is a link to the petition.

Or, just click here for the petition.

The reaction of the archbishop of Tours, Monsignor Aubertin, was published in an interview in La Nouvelle République:

- What is your position on the Loire Woman at Marmoutier?

- People have been quoting me, but I have not spoken directly on this subject. There were a lot of misconceptions. First, Marmoutier is a very important place. Whenever I speak about Tours abroad, they always bring up Saint Martin. Martinian sites are more than special. And not only for backward Caths ("Cathos attardés"). Concerning Marmoutier, I believe there is a great deal to be done in the conservation and presentation of the site within the bounds of historical fidelity. I have at the very least reservations concerning Michel Audiard's project. I'm not a judge of the architecture. I had an opportunity to say so informally to the mayor of Tours. Let each one take his responsibilities. It is not for me to be the standard bearer of some opposition group."

- Do you think it is a provocation for the Church?

- I wouldn't say that. It is harmful to disinter the war hatchet. I don't want to go back to that game. Similarly, I have trouble understanding those who see in this affair an illustration of a decline if the Catholic Church. All of that seems simplistic."

In another part of the interview he is asked for his opinion on Marine Le Pen's comments concerning Muslim prayers in the streets:

- I will not create publicity over dubious remarks ("propos limites"). I refer you to the words of Benedict XVI on the occasion of World Peace Day (...) He recalls the importance of freedom of conscience and absolute respect for the right to practice one's religion. A person has the right to say who he is all the while respecting the law. You mustn't yield to provocation."

Note: It isn't clear to me what he means by provocation. Is he referring to the words of Marine Le Pen? And what does he mean by "respecting the law", when the Muslims praying in the streets are not respecting French law, but their own law?

The photo below shows the interior of the Saint Martin basilica in Tours, from Wikipedia, which also has a substantial account of the life of Saint Martin and his Marmoutier Abby. It explains the unique and critical place the abby holds in French history, and should convince anyone of the need to protect the site.


H/T: Yves Daoudal.

Batman Goes to Paris

A reader sent me the link to this fascinating article. Like all kids I used to read comics, until about the age of thirteen, then I stopped and never looked back. I understand that many people are great buffs of comic books and often have huge collections of older editions. Maybe it is an art form, like animated cartoons, because of its potential to provide an interpretation of events disguised as entertainment. But like all art forms it can be used for good or evil, for education, for pleasure, for fun, for propaganda, or as a catharsis for the author's secret fantasies and hidden urges.

This review of the DC Comics Batman series, from Breitbart, shows that the Islamization of France, and the political propaganda that has been spewing forth from that country for many years, is now fodder for the most unlikely artistic output - kids' comics:

Reality isn’t always very fun. Because of that many people turn to comic books for a little escapism. But there’s escapism and PC indoctrination. Sadly, it appears that DC Comics’ Batman is angling for the latter and not the former. You see, Batman has decided to hire a Muslim to “save France.”

First the reality. The country of France is having serious domestic problems between its immigrant Muslim community and those natural-born, European Frenchmen. Immigrants have been rampaging across the country for several years now. Clashes between police and large groups of rioting Muslim youth have wreaked havoc on the Gallic nation. Violence is all too common — it is woefully common for hundreds of cars to be lit afire in these riots and dozens of arrests to be made. It has the country split and frightened.

It has gotten so bad in France that in some parts of its cities, those parts controlled by marauding gangs of Muslim youths, whites never enter for fear of their lives. Not only that but not even police dare enter these areas. This dangerous situation does not seem anywhere near being solved. In fact, it’s just getting worse.

Now for the fantasy: enter The Batman.

DC Comics recently launched a series called “Batman Incorporated.” Essentially, Bruce Wayne (well-known as Batman’s alter ego to comics fans) is cruising the world setting up a “Batman” for major cities across the globe. These Batman figures, though, will not be vigilantes. They will be sanctioned by whatever local police force is in charge of the area in which the new Batman is operating. In the case of Detective Comics number 12 (Part one) and Batman Annual number 28 (Part two), Bruce Wayne has come to Paris, France to find a “French savior.”

The story reveals to us a cult-like group that is assassinating France’s fringe political figures. The cult’s goal is to cause unrest and riots to be led by the murdered political figure’s followers. This group hypnotizes its members to kill and then to commit suicide so that the cult cannot be discovered.

First a “popular” French union activist “with ties to the French Communist Party” is murdered. Next the leader of a “break-away Neo-Nazi Party” is killed. Then Batman discovers that a “minor diplomat” from Saudi Arabia is targeted. Batman tries to stop the assassination but is too late.

Batman turns to a man that he helped police arrest earlier in part one. When first encountered the young man was dressed in a skin-tight, black costume and sported a face mask. Batman arrested him when this man tried to involve himself in some rioting. Batman didn’t know the young masked man was actually trying to stop the riot but later learns of his good intentions. Consequently the Dark Knight decides to put this man to work to help stop the cult that is assassinating French political figures and causing riots.

In the course of this story Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, decides that this man should become the French representative of Batman Incorporated. As Wayne styles the man, he’ll be the “French savior.” He ends up calling himself Nightrunner.

So what’s wrong with all this? Only that it is completely absurd and so badly misleads people from any understanding of why riots are really going on in France that it almost qualifies as a crime itself.

You see, DC Comics has decided that the “French savior,” the French Batman is to be a Muslim immigrant. The character’s name is Bilal Asselah and he is an Algerian Sunni Muslim and an immigrant that is physically fit and adept at gymnastic sport Parkour. Apparently Batman couldn’t find any actual Frenchman to be the “French savior.”

The whole situation is a misreading of what ails France. The truth is, neither communist Union members nor “Neo-Nazi” Parties are causing riots in France. Muslims are. Yet DC Comics is absurdly making a Muslim immigrant the “French savior”? This is PCism at its worst. Not only that but it is pretty condescending to France, too. France is a proud nation. Yet DC Comics has made a foreigner the “French savior.” This will not sit well with many Frenchmen, for sure. Nor should it.

As DC told the tale of this character’s origin, it badly downplays the seriousness of the actual racial tension in France. In essence, all you get from the story is that “they hate us, and we hate them.” There is no attempt at all to explain the real underlying problem. The true cause of the riots and violence between Frenchmen of European stock and that of immigrant Muslim stock is glossed over as if it doesn’t even exist. DC Comics makes the whole problem as simplistic as mere racism as if that is all there is to it ignoring the fact that Islam is the single most important factor in the strife.

Unfortunately, readers of Batman will not be helped to understand what troubles are really besetting France. In this age when Muslim youths are terrorizing the entire country, heck in this age of international Muslim terrorism assaulting the whole world, Batman’s readers will be confused by what is really going on in the world. Through it all DC makes a Muslim in France a hero when French Muslims are at the center of some of the worst violence in the country’s recent memory. (...)

The Head of a King

Antiques Roadshow would love this one. Imagine finding a centuries-old mummified head in your attic and learning that it was the head of a king... and priceless. This story has made news all over the world, and there are many articles in English. Below is the version from Le Figaro, followed by a video of Prince Louis de Bourbon, explaining his role in the conservation and burial of the head. He speaks French fluently, but with a noticeable Spanish accent.

We now know more about the incredible medical-legal inquiry that permitted the authentication of a mummified head as being that of king Henri IV. Seated together behind the platform in the auditorium of the Grand Palais in Paris. Prince Louis de Bourbon, historian Jean-Pierre Babelon, Jacques Perot, president of the Société Henri IV, journalists Stéphane Gabet and Pierre Belet, and forensic doctor Philippe Charlier told with great passion their incredible adventure.

The fate of this head is a veritable saga with unexpected twists. After his assassination by François Ravaillac in 1610, the good king was buried in the Saint-Denis basilica. But in 1793, his remains were desecrated by the revolutionaries and his head cut off. From then on, it was sold to various individuals until it turned up in 1919 in Drouot, where it was acquired by photographer Joseph Emile Bourdais. Upon his death, in 1947, the Louvre Museum refused to buy the relic from his sister. After that, the relic disappeared.

"We found it sixty years later, in 2008, thanks to a series of very strange coincidences," Jean-Pierre Babelon relates mischievously. "In my house in Montmartre I've accumulated all sorts of letters on Henri IV. Fortunately, I have never given in to my dear wife who, from time to time, would gladly throw out a few of them! In 2008, Stéphane Gabet and Pierre Belet came to see me about the filming of a documentary. As they were going through the letters, they came upon a letter from an elderly couple, the Bellangers, who made some vague requests, and left only their address."

Even though the letter did not mention the head of the king, the journalists contacted them. "We weren't sure of anything. The reporter's intuition saved the day. After a year of exchanges, this extremely courteous couple finally admitted that for half a century they had kept a mummified head in a wooden box lined with purple velvet in the back of a closet! They had bought it in 1955 for 5000 francs from the sister of Bourdais. It was a well guarded secret: they hadn't even told their children. They wanted to solve the mystery themselves," smiles Stéphane Gabet.

Finally, in January 2010, with encroaching age, and on the condition that the head be returned to the direct descendant of Henri IV, the couple agreed to have their relic examined by experts. "The reporters then contacted me," confides Prince Louis de Bourbon. "I lent my moral support and consulted my address book for museums that might be interested. The twenty scientists worked for free. I helped finance the tests, the bailiffs who certified the results and the travel (to Pau, Florence...), amounting to about 10,000 euro."

The article then tells how forensic doctor Philippe Charlier, who had also worked on the cases of Jeanne d'Arc, Diane de Poitiers and Agnes Sorel employed the best experts from the perfume industry, and how they used scanners, toxology, facial reconstitution, genetics, dating... and six months later the head was declared authentic.

"Temporarily it is in a bank vault in the Paris region," revealed Prince Louis de Bourbon. "I'm going to contact President Nicolas Sarkozy in order to see to it that my ancestor rest in the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis basilica. As for the body of Henri IV, it is scattered among different museums such as the one in Pontoise that has the thumb (!), private collectors and the ossuary of Saint-Denis. It would be best if, when the head is returned, the remains of the king were restituted..."

And he added: "I hope that this reburial is an opportunity for a national reconciliation among Frenchmen. The trauma of the desecration perpetrated by the Revolution did great harm. This head is a family inheritance, but above all our national inheritance."

The video recapitulates the facts given above. But he does add near the end that he feels that the French should become better acquainted with the Saint-Denis basilica, because it is unique in Europe. And he stresses that as heir and direct descendant it is his duty to contact the French government about the reburial. The anchor addresses him as "Monseigneur."

Joyeux Noël à tous!

Thanks to Zazie for the beautiful photo, and to all who have sent so many kind thoughts and comments during the past several days. Let's hope that 2011 brings us the courage to continue (or to start) resisting the enemies of our civilization.

I never pray for specific things, only for the courage to get through whatever I have to get through. 2011 will not be easy, it will be the anniversary of 9/11 and we are so much worse off now than we ever thought we would be. France will be embroiled in campaign politics, and Nicolas Sarkozy will do whatever is necessary to win. Marine Le Pen is rising in popularity - let's hope she has the wisdom to unite under one banner the various factions struggling to save their country. Let's hope, above all, that she doesn't back off or apologize or attempt to save face when she makes a statement that is too strong for the fragile hearts of the "bien-pensants."

A Digital Christmas

I guess by now everybody has seen a Digital Christmas. A reader sent it to me, VFR has posted it, and millions have viewed it on YouTube. I wish I were clever enough to think of things like this.

L'Enfance du Christ

L'enfance du Christ (English: The Childhood of Christ), Opus 25, is a choral work by the French composer Hector Berlioz, based on the story of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt. Berlioz wrote his own words for the piece. Most of it was composed in 1853 and 1854 (...)

Berlioz described L'enfance as a Trilogie sacrée (sacred trilogy). The first of its three sections depicts King Herod ordering the massacre of all newborn children in Judaea; the second shows the Holy Family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus setting out for Egypt to avoid the slaughter, having been warned by angels; and the final section portrays their arrival in the Egyptian town of Sais where they are given refuge by a family of Ishmaelites. (...)

The idea for L'enfance du Christ went back to 1850 when Berlioz composed an organ piece for his friend Joseph-Louis Duc, called L'adieu des bergers (The Shepherds' Farewell). He soon turned it into a choral movement for the shepherds saying goodbye to the baby Jesus as he leaves Bethlehem for Egypt. Berlioz had the chorus performed as a hoax on 12 November 1850, passing it off as the work of an imaginary 17th-century composer "Ducré". He was gratified to discover many people who hated his music were taken in and praised it, one lady even going so far as to say, "Berlioz would never be able to write a tune as simple and charming as this little piece by old Ducré".


In the end, Berlioz proved that recognition comes to those who don't care what people think. His operas today are performed all over the world, especially Les Troyens (The Trojans), a five-hour epic based on Virgil's Aeneid. He also composed settings for Romeo and Juliet and the Damnation of Faust, and the extremely popular Symphonie Fantastique. He was a master orchestrator. Everybody knows his arrangement of the Marseillaise. Those interested can read more about this extravagantly romantic personality here.

The photo of Berlioz (above) by Nadar is from 1857.

The splendid 12th-century depiction (top) of the flight into Egypt comes from the Cathedral of St. Lazarus in Autun (Burgundy). The artist was Gislebertus.

Sometime in the 1960's the great French conductor Charles Munch, who was music director of the Boston Symphony, recorded L'enfance du Christ. The best-known piece from the work is the gentle Shepherd's Farewell, discussed above. I do not have any other specifics about the video below. Like so many music videos, the sound is too soft. Maybe you can increase the volume if you have separate speakers:

Cantique de Noël - Jonas Kaufmann

Here is an interesting example of a singer who sings in two languages, one after the other. He sings the first part in the original French (not his native language), then switches to his native German. His voice in the first part is good, and the words are clear. But listen to what happens when he changes language. Suddenly the tone is more plangent, more resonant, the words more heartfelt, the high notes thrilling.

Is this because he is more at ease in his native tongue, or because he wanted to build up in power as he progressed? (Or did the engineer turn up the volume on the second part?)

Kaufmann is one of today's best-known German tenors who sings in different languages. The video is from the 2008 Dresden Adventskonzert.

Where's François Desouche?

Does anyone know what happened this time?

Fifi Flea

If you're a cartoon fan you'll love this one about Fifi and the fleas. Thanks to Charles Henry of Covenant Zone for the link. Covenant Zone has a very attractive new look. Now I see why the posting had stopped. Whenever I think of making a major change to GalliaWatch, I shudder at the logistics, the inconvenience and the errors I'm bound to make.



Merry Christmas to CZ and to all patriotic Canadians.

Cat-astrophe

No one is going to believe this, but it's true. He looks innocent enough but the cat pictured above destroyed my draft of a long article. For two days I had been working on a report on the International Conference on Islamization, that took place in Paris on Saturday. It was full of links, videos, quotes, and is now almost impossible to reconstitute as it was.

Along with this rough draft went hundreds of other links, to articles of importance that I had hoped to eventually complete.

In the middle of the night I heard a buzz coming from the computer. He was walking on the keys - it was my fault because I had failed to cover the computer with a protective light-weight basket that I always use to deter him. He must have caused the rough draft to be "selected", then as he played around, he pressed the delete button, and everything went down the drain. I tried to "undo" it but could not.

This cat has hated the computer from the beginning because it robs him of the attention he feels he's entitled to.

A much shorter version of that article will appear soon. For now, thank you for the comments you have been sending. The song "Requiem for France" has generated a great deal of interest, both in comments and e-mails.

Here's another song - from Mahalia Jackson.

I'll Be Home On Christmas Day

As Elvis videos go, this one is less sappy than some of the others. He sounds good, and it's a nice rockabilly tune. I hope my European readers all have a safe holiday - we've been hearing reports about the weather.

No Christian Holidays Allowed

Here's an article from Christianophobie, linked at Le Salon Beige, about the European Commission's new daily planner that does not mention Christian holidays, but notes just about every other religion:

The European Commission produced more than three million copies of a planner for secondary schools that contains no reference to Christmas, but includes Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim holidays.

The page for December 25 is empty and at the bottom is the following message:

"A true friend is someone who shares your worries and your joy". It would be hard to find something more "religiously" correct!

The calendar includes Muslim Hindu, Sikh, Jewish holidays. Among others... Not to mention Europe Day and other key dates of the EU. No Christian holiday is mentioned even though Christianity is the religion of most Europeans. Johanna Touzel, spokesperson for COMECE (Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union) found the planner "unbelievable". A spokesperson for the European Commission spoke of an "error". He pointed out that future editions of this planner would not mention any religious holiday...

Remove everything rather than speak of Christmas!

Here are two reactions from LSB readers:

- Unfortunately, when you denounce the totalitarian and anti-Christian nature of many aspects of the EU, there are always some Christians who see only virtues, like fraternity among peoples, and say that the EU project is one illustration of Christ's message...

- Why should they try to impose, at any cost, Christian roots and holidays that are completely alien to their own values (assuming they have values), on a criminal, Marxist and internationalist organization.

There is nothing shocking about this. I would even go so far as to say that I prefer that no Christian symbol be associated with these people, of whom we know nothing.

Note: The second comment comes closer to what I feel. Better no association between Christian heritage and the current nation-destroying, freedom-destroying, open-borders promoting, atheist, totalitarian European Union.

Ads From the Good Old Days

Here is a full and fascinating web page of vintage ads that would never see the light of day in our times. Some of them are indeed reviling, such as the racist ads for soap. Some are weird - Van Heusen really made ugly ties. Most of them are demeaning to women. A few are in French, like the one above from Ricard, a famous liqueur. It says that Ricard can be found on all trains. The engineers who need all their faculties immediately adopted it!

H/T: Laura Wood via VFR.

Requiem For France

A reader has composed a song in homage to his country, France, that he fears is dying. No one is coming to her rescue. He himself sings the song (and he has a great voice!), against telling images on a video that he wishes to remain relatively private, so rather than post it I am providing only the link to YouTube.

Here is an English translation (done by him) of the French lyrics:

REQUIEM FOR FRANCE (words and music ©2010)

Goodbye my France, goodbye my dear country
We won't see you anymore in a few decades
You were sold, or rather you sold yourself
Without even thinking of all that would be lost, lost forever more!

O vile hearts that stole your soul!
Like a beautiful woman who throws herself into the flames
It breaks my heart to see you perish like this
But this road, it is you who have chosen it, you who have chosen it!

1500 years, was it all for naught?
Our kings, our queens, our churches and châteaux
From Poitiers to Orleans, from Verdun to Normandy
All the blood that was spilt, our art, our beauty - all for naught?


Goodbye my France, goodbye my sweet friend
You raised me on the most beautiful melodies
That are being replaced by a cacophony
Of voices that will never be your own, that will never be your own!

O beautiful France, that I had loved so much
You were sacrificed on the altar of the "right thinkers"
Who despised you and cared less for you
They slit your throat like the sacred lamb, like the sacred lamb!

1500 years, was it all for naught?
Our kings, our queens, our churches and châteaux
From Poitiers to Orleans, from Verdun to Normandy
All the blood that was spilt, our art, our beauty - all for naught?

Goodbye my France, goodbye my dear homeland
Goodbye my eternal and infinite soul
Can our voyage really be at an end?
I pray for you, that it is not too late, for one last hope!

Goodbye my France...

The striking images here are of Mont Saint-Michel (top) from a gorgeous collection by photographer Francis Toussaint.

Further down, le château de Chambord

Below, a depiction of D-Day From an amazing collection of paintings by the men who were there:
The Battle for Fox Green Beach, D-Day Normandy
Dwight C. Shepler
Oil on canvas, 1944



And finally, the motto of the medieval city of Èze, "Moriendo renascor": "In dying I am reborn".


Lest you forget, here again is the link to his video.

An Invasion of Mosques

This new seven-minute video from Riposte Laïque is a panorama of the mosques that are dotting (inundating would be a better word) the French landscape. It opens with a remark on the unconstitutional collaboration by the State in the building of these mosques, then follows their growth from 1965 to the present. As of today, there are 2359 mosques in France, including many under construction. The images are first of the existing edifices, then those under construction or in the planning stages. In all, 105 mosques are featured. At the end, the Algerian flag and the words "France Is Ours!".

The photographer, Maxime Lepante, is also the author of numerous videos on Friday street prayers in Paris. For this video he collected 950 photographs, then made a selection.

"Life" for the Killer

The verdict has been handed down. Thierry Deve-Oglou has been sentenced to prison without parole for 22 years. This is a "life" sentence. The Assises Court of Val-d'Oise included in the sentence a requirement for "follow-up social-judicial measures". This means that the criminal will receive some kind of psycho-therapy for an undetermined period of time.

At least, that is how I understand the article at Le Salon Beige. According to one reader:

- A life sentence of 22 years in confinement means that the convicted man cannot benefit from any reduction in his sentence for 22 years. But in addition, it does not mean that he will AUTOMATICALLY serve only 22 years. Various parameters can prolong the period of detention: his attitude in jail, his mental state, etc... These are the technicalities inherent in the application of the sentence.

Note: This is (more or less) what Philippe Schmitt feared. Deve-Oglou is safely in prison for 22 years, but there is always the possibility that he will actually be released after 22 years. He will be 56. He can still do great harm. The good thing is that he cannot be released before the 22 years are up. By that time, who knows what changes will have transpired.

The Catholic readers at Le Salon Beige have mixed feelings about the death sentence. And some readers fear he may actually be released before 22 years.

Another article at LSB on the same topic reveals that some readers believe the Vatican is opposed to capital punishment, citing the official Vatican reactions to the execution of Saddam Hussein and the commuted death sentence of Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Finally, a great deal of commentary is flowing over the remarks made on French television by Robert Menard, former head of RSF (Reporters Without Borders), who was engaged in a discussion on the trial. According to the left-wing Rue89:

For Robert Menard to favor capital punishment is nothing new. He has already expressed himself on this point. But for him to say it again, and to be firmly silenced by a television host, is so rare and unusual one can't help mentioning it.

Julian Burguier, co-host of the discussion, reprimanded Robert Menard when he exclaimed:

"There are times when we are sorry there is no death penalty."

The journalist retorted drily:

"No, Robert, I do not agree. Nothing justifies the taking of a life. Thank you Robert."

Rue89 closes by saying that the honor of the TV station was saved by Julian Burguier.

Menard apparently was put down. But he could have replied that if nothing justifies the taking of a life, then why is the death of Anne-Lorraine justified by keeping her killer alive?

Anne-Lorraine - The Trial

The trial of Thierry Deve-Oglou opened yesterday in Pontoise (Val-d'Oise), north of Paris. Deve-Oglou is accused of murdering Anne-Lorraine Schmitt in November 2007. The young woman was on her way to meet her parents to go to church when she found herself alone with the "alleged" killer in a car of the Regional Express Rail. Armed with a knife he stabbed her thirty-four times, and though she fought back and managed to turn the knife on him, wounding him in the thigh, she died from massive internal bleeding.

Her father, Philippe Schmitt, vowed that her death would not be in vain, and set about to fight for tougher sentences, especially in cases of recidivism. Deve-Oglou had already served two years of a five year sentence for sexually abusing another young woman several years earlier. He was released before the five years were up, a common practice in France.

The biggest issue being discussed at the websites is not so much guilt or innocence, but the length of time he will spend in jail. A life sentence in France means 22 years, often shortened through paroles. However, there is a loophole called "security detention" ("rétention de sûreté"), which permits the justice system to detain the most dangerous criminals, even after they have served their sentence. Decisions on such matters are made in secret, and the ruling of the Assises Court (Criminal Court) is definitive.


Philippe Schmitt (left) has been granting interviews. Here are excerpts of what he said to Le Parisien:

- What do you expect from this trial?

- I expect the justice system to definitively neutralize these individuals who are a danger to society and to themselves. I expect them to be removed from society for as long as possible. A real life sentence that lasts a lifetime. This trial is a legal requirement, but it is necessary if it can help relieve my obsession that some day I will see this man return and spend his life seven kilometers from our home. That would be unbearable. I would then have to take my responsibilities.

- What do you fear?

- The criminal court of Val-d'Oise is sovereign. What worries me is that the jury will hand down a sentence combined with a "security detention", and that subsequently, a sentencing judge will secretly undo it. In 1996, this very court had granted the murderer a license to kill. It trivialized his act and it handed him a life raft: he raped one girl and in 2007 he killed Anne-Lorraine. (...)

- Your daughter wrote: "To forgive is not a form of cowardice, but an act of humanity." What are your thoughts on that?

- She wrote that as part of a philosophy dissertation. The situation is totally different when you've lived through a catastrophe. Forgiveness does not have a place in a court of law. It's a personal act.

In another interview at Valeurs Actuelles, Philippe Schmitt is asked if he dreads meeting the killer?

- No, on the contrary. I've been waiting for this moment since November 25, 2007. The look I give him will be enough to make him understand the scorn and disgust that I feel for a coward who attacks young solitary women, with a knife, in a place from which there is no escape. He condemned us to perpetual sorrow.

- Why do you say that the "weapons are not equal"?

- Like many of my fellow citizens, I was poorly informed about French penal procedures before this tragedy. Thanks to my attorney, I have learned that the defense can quote witnesses whenever convenient, not the plaintiff. The accused or his lawyer can refuse jurors, not the plaintiff. Once the verdict is rendered, the accused can appeal, not the plaintiff...

- But the Advocate General can!

- He has his way of thinking, and I respect that, But it is not necessarily the way I think.

Note: Those of you with legal knowledge can help me out. This is a criminal case, but Philippe Schmitt refers to himself as the "plaintiff". This seems to indicate that a civil suit is being brought against Deve-Oglou at the same time that the State is prosecuting him for murder. Like the O.J. Simpson case, except that in America, we have two separate trials, while in France, it seems, it all takes place simultaneously. I am not certain if the "Advocate General" is equivalent to district attorney or to prosecutor.

Also, I disagree with Philippe Schmitt's use of the word "coward" to describe a sex maniac. Shortly after 9/11 George Bush referred to the killers who piloted the planes as "cowards". Soon, it would become apparent that we were the cowards. Similarly, in France, the justice system and the politicians have created this dangerous society in which the innocent are killed, out of a cowardly refusal to face the crude realities resulting from an exceptionally pernicious type of immigration.

A communiqué from the vice-president of the Front National, Bruno Gollnisch, quotes the killer's lawyer, Mr. Bendaoud, who describes his client as:

"a likable young adult, timid, if you forget the facts for thirty seconds."

The communiqué also quotes the editor-in-chief of Valeurs Actuelles, where Anne-Lorraine worked as a cub reporter:

"When in doubt, who should be privileged ? The criminal or the future victim? Is it not the responsibility of society - the politicians if not the judges - to eliminate the most dangerous elements? The death sentence has been abolished, except for innocent victims. Some day someone will have to tally the irreparable damage done by all these criminals who have been freed. (...) When will this knife-wielding rapist get out of prison? Eight, ten, fifteen years? Our society must have the courage to definitively remove from circulation him and all child-killers and child-rapists."

Direct Democracy

Among those scheduled to speak at the International Conference on Islamization, December 18 in Paris, is Oskar Freysinger, the Swiss deputy responsible for the vote banning minarets in Switzerland and the more recent vote to expel foreign criminals. Here are some excerpts from a long interview with Riposte Laïque:

- RL: What do you say to those, situated on the left of the political chess board, who blame your movement for fostering identitarianism, the bringer of the worst xenophobic excesses.

- OF: That they are firemen who set fires. In the name of multiculturalism and openness, they import crime and insecurity. Then, they want smaller police forces to face the situation. They are the ones responsible for the slippery slope of crime and racism. The truth is that having a large foreign criminal population creates a climate of guilt by association ("amalgames"), xenophobia, and racism. (...)

- RL: How do you explain the fact that the European parties of the Left leave these issues to you? Would they not gain a great electoral advantage from them?

- OF: Their intent is to destroy identities, roots and nation-states. Uncontrolled immigration is the best way to destroy national coherence and to create the the new man, cut off from his cultural roots and "open to everything", indeed to anything.

- RL: What conditions are needed, in your opinion, for Europe to emerge the victor in the war that the most fanatical Muslims have declared?

- OF: The reintroduction of institutional mechanisms similar to those of Swiss direct democracy.

- RL: Recently, in an interview with Jean Robin, you explained that France was washed up, unless a new Charles Martel could be found as quickly as possible. Can you be more specific?

- OF: A nation is like the human body. It has its antibodies and its threatening viruses. I perceive that France has destroyed a good part of her antibodies and that the viruses (violence, uncivil behavior, crime, scorn for the host country and for republican values, parallel laws and practices incompatible with the Rule of Law, etc...) are progressing very rapidly.

- RL: You will be in Paris, on December 18, at the invitation of Riposte Laïque and a collective of twenty-seven associations, for the international secular conference against the Islamization of our countries. Resistance fighters from more than ten European countries, secularists, feminists, unionists, will also be present. What will your state of mind be? (1)

- OF: First, I will demonstrate the incompatibility between two political-juridical concepts that are totally antinomic (democracy and Islamic law). Then, I'm going to sketch out the only solution possible to combat the Islamist threat: direct democracy. That will allow me to explain how institutions function in Switzerland, the last truly free country on the European continent.

(1) Riposte Laïque's question is revealing. First they refer to the conference as the "secular conference" (in French "assises laïques"), which is not its official name; then they point to the presence of feminists, unionists, etc... who will be there, proof that the conference is not geared at all to traditional France. No wonder Catholics are hesitant to attend...

However, they are not forbidden to attend, and possibly it would be a show of strength for them to go and make their presence felt. France would not exist without the Monarchy and the Church, and the sooner the Left realizes and acknowledges this, the sooner they can work together, if not happily, at least out of necessity.

Les Assises Internationales Sur L'Islamisation

The International Conference On Islamization

On Saturday December 18, a conference that promises to have a major impact on the current political and cultural discourse regarding the Islamization of France and Europe will be held in Paris at the Espace Charenton, from 9:00 to 6:00. Above is the poster announcing the event, which has been initiated, organized and sponsored by a coalition of groups dedicated to a common cause - to rid French soil of Islamic tyranny. These groups are of various persuasions, but many of them are leftist, which is what makes the event both unusual and perhaps transformative. Until now, any revolt against Islam has been the duty of the nationalist Right, in particular the Front National. But the FN, as everyone knows, was demonized by the press so relentlessly for so many decades, that many who would have cast their vote for Jean-Marie Le Pen were repelled and intimidated at the thought of voting for a "Fascist" and instead voted for the Establishment Right candidate: Jacques Chirac for twelve years and Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, for five more.

To complicate matters, the FN began showing signs that it aspired to be a party of inclusiveness (this would of course include Muslims), with a strong centralized government and limited regionalism. In addition, the FN's position on religious and bio-ethical issues has often been a bit vague, leaving many Catholics wondering if the FN was not indifferent to the principles of the Church.

The French Left has been the realm of Socialism, unionism, anti-racism, anti-white racism, multi-culturalism, métissage, and unexpectedly, globalism. The Left, like the Establishment Right of Nicolas Sarkozy, espoused the Utopian notion of egalitarianism among ethnic groups, races and religions, raising it to the level of a universal good, and punishing any dissent against this unrealistic, unattainable goal by means of agencies such as MRAP, LICRA, SOS-Racism and HALDE. Through their advocacy of the European Union, and their support for affirmative action, for anti-French policies in education, for collaboration with Muslim authorities in the building of mosques and Muslim schools; through their protection of the criminal population, and their indifference to victims of crime, through their espousal of non-European immigration as another universal good, the French Left and the French ruling Right have displayed remarkable compatibility.

Traditionalists, patriots, sovereigntists and Catholics have tried, in one way or another, to oppose the behemoth of the two ruling parties - the UMP and the PS. Groups, associations, political parties, blogs, have all been formed to fight Islam, but these groups have always suffered from lack of unity. One of the biggest and most successful patriotic groups has been the Bloc Identitaire, an important organizer of the December 18 meeting.

Now, certain factions of the Left are rising in revolt against the Islamization of their country. They are doing what all of the left-leaning French bishops, politicians, talking heads, "philosophers" and professors have failed to do - they are saying that there are differences between Muslims and Europeans, differences that no egalitarian ideology can bridge. They are saying that life is not possible so long as Islam prevails. They are saying that their Republic - their "laïque" Republic is worth saving. They have perceived that the Church has failed, and they are returning to the law of 1905, separating Church and State, as the foundation on which the French State will have to be rebuilt. Whether they mean with a subjugated Islam, or without Islam, they do not say, but only the latter is a feasible solution. They are participating in the December 18 conference, despite the gulf they will create between themselves and their fellow leftists in the Socialist, Communist and Green parties. And despite the even larger gulf that now separates them from some of the right-wing organizers of the event.

HOWEVER, and this is significant, their presence is what may keep many traditionalists and religious Catholics from attending the meeting, just as it did back in June and September when Riposte Laïque organized its "Apéro" wine and sausage gatherings.

The meeting on December 18 will include speeches by numerous personalities engaged in the fight against Islam. Among them are Paul Weston, of the International Free Press Society; Timo Vermeulen, of the Dutch Defense League; Anders Gravers of SIOE; Renaud Camus, French author; Elisabeth Wolff, Austrian speaker who is being prosecuted for her remarks on Islam; Elena Chudinova, author of La Mosquée de Notre-Dame; Tommy Robinson of the EDL; Oskar Freysinger, Swiss deputy of the UDC party; Christian Vanneste, deputy of the UMP party (this is Sarkozy's ruling "Right"); Christine Tasin of Résistance Républicaine; Pascal Hilout and Pierre Cassen, both of Riposte Laïque.


Note that Pascal Hilout (left) was born Mohamed Hilout. He is a secular North African who does not believe there is a difference between Islam and Islamism. He has said:

"For the love of France, but also of our fellow citizens and our Muslim neighbors, and for the love of future generations, we must fight against the propagation of this infection that afflicts the soul, the mind and our day-to-day lives."


Note that writer Renaud Camus (left) has said:

"It would be useful some day to learn the deeply neurotic reasons that are pushing so many European countries with ancient and prestigious cultures, and their leaders above all, against the will of the people, into policies that so closely resemble adherence to voluntary servitude and self-abdication. Unless we are talking about suicide, pure and simple."

Source: Novopress

Note that Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, an Austrian correspondant who writes for Gates of Vienna, is being prosecuted for hate speech. Recently she gave a speech at a meeting in Israel of anti-Islam activists, including Geert Wilders and Paul Weston. You can read the text of her speech at VFR. Here is a brief passage:

"The death of a civilization does not come only when sand dunes drift in over the rubble of a once-proud city. The end is not necessarily marked by an invasion of barbarian hordes, or the burning and looting of our homes and businesses.

A civilization can also die from within, when it forgets the core values that once made it great, when it stops believing in its own fundamental tenets."

Note that Paul Weston also delivered a speech in Israel last week. Those interested can read it at Gates of Vienna. Here is one excerpt:

"Surveys suggest that 40% of Muslims in Britain wish to live under Sharia Law. Their massively expanding numbers — which will continue to grow at breakneck speed even if immigration were stopped tomorrow — coupled with their undiluted fanaticism, can mean only one thing — Britain is going to have to fight for its very survival within the next 20 years."

Note that the Russian author of La Mosquée de Notre-Dame (The Mosque of Notre-Dame) is among the speakers.

Who are the sponsors and organizers of the meeting? The list is very long. Here are some names, in French:

Résistance républicaine, Actions Sita , Bivouac-ID, Bloc identitaire, Blog des gaullistes populaires, Cared, Cercle Aristote, Comité Lépante, Drzz-info, Free World Academy, Institut Européen de Socialisation et d’Education (I..E.S.E.), Laïcité et République Sociale, L’Elan Nouveau des Citoyens (ENC), Liberty vox, Le Gaulois, Ligue du droit des femmes, Ligue de Défense Française, L’Observatoire de l’islamisation, L’Ordre républicain, Novopress, Parti de l’In-nocence, Puteaux-libre.over-blog.com, Rebelles.info, Réseau LHC (Liberté, Humanisme, esprit Critique), Riposte Laïque, Solidarité des Français, Union gaulliste, Vérité, valeurs et démocratie.

Notice that the Front National is absent, and that most of the groups are Gaullist, leftist, or "laïque". There are no specifically Catholic organizations here. However, the wonderful Joachim Véliocas, a Catholic who administers L'Observatoire de l'islamisation, is participating.

Notice the presence of a left-wing group called Laïcité et République Sociale. They decided, after much deliberation, to attend the meeting despite their disagreements with the Bloc Identitaire. In a long article posted at Riposte Laïque, Hubert Sage, head of the group, explains why and how the decision to attend was made. Time permitting, I will post on this.

For the moment, we can see that the Left is slowly fragmenting, the nationalists are still divided and do not appear to have any interest in attending the meeting, but Riposte Laïque and the Bloc Identitaire, though of different persuasions, are churning out information and articles by the bushel. The same is true of Bivouac-Id, a website that covers the Islamization of Europe and the world, with emphasis on France.

We are seeing the coming together of people of different values and visions, for the purpose of saving their country. But without more input from the FN, and other nationalist parties, without a major awakening on the part of the Left, without a truly cohesive program that everybody can buy into, and without the much-needed uprising of the good people of France, we will still be in the realm of wishful thinking. (Note that I did not include the Church in the above list, because I am assuming the Church, as a whole, will not take a stand against Islam, even if certain Church officials and priests do. I could be wrong.)

Some links:

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Much more on this to come in the days ahead.

Below, a drawing from Riposte Laïque, extolling Liberté Egalité Fraternité Laïcité, with a touch of the multi-culti.