[lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 13:57:04 -0800
Judy,
France at the leadership level believes in multiculturalism. The bulk of
the sabots on the ground think otherwise; hence one of the reasons for the
unassimilabiltiy of Muslims into French society. Furthermore, much of
France has fancied that they have a special relationship with Arabs given
their long term love for their former colony, Algeria. They mourn for it as
Arabs mourn for Andalusia. The French opposed the U.S. on Iraq partly
because they loved Arabs and partly because some of them had an intimate
relationship with their buddy Saddam Hussein.
Hanson is a scholar and not likely to rely solely upon Newspapers for his
information on France, but my impression is that what has appeared in them
on France over the months has been a stolid adherence to failed policies.
Multiculturalism hasn't worked, appeasement hasn't worked, and proffering
friendship hasn't worked. France has been the European champion of the
Arabs and that hasn't worked.
But I too (along with Hanson) have noticed a slow change in European
attitudes toward the Islamist problems. Had the Islamists attacked only the
U.S. and left the Europeans alone, the Leftists around the world would more
and more vocally blame the U.S. for the Islamists attacks against it. But
the Islamists aren't that smart or well organized. Like one of the animals
in an Aesop Fable they must kill because that is who they are. If they
can't kill Americans then the French will do just as well. An infidel is
after all an infidel.
Thanks for posting the Hanson article
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson021806.html . Hanson is one of the
clearest thinking historians writing today. He hasn't given up on the
Europeans because of his long ranged belief in the West. Various parts of
the West may do stupid things from time to time, but in terms of fighting
ability, no civilization can stand against it (see Hanson's The Western Way
of War). We (the West) could make short work of the Islamists if we were to
agree (as the West) to do that.
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Judith Evans
Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2006 11:44 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves
--- Lawrence Helm <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Usually the WSJ tells me I must pay $99.00 and
> wordecartisdoesn'tlike to the On-line Wall
> Street Journal in order to access any of there
> articles, but it is being
> generous today.
Perhaps because the piece is free at victorhanson.com?
Here is another one. This is by
> Victor Davis Hanson, an
> historian I have tremendous respect for (which will
> mean Geary and Ramos
> won't be interested in the above).
That isn't the only reason to avoid Hanson.
Hanson's fields
> are Classicism and War.
I.e. he's a classicist and military historian, the
latter w/ref Ancient Greece. But one does not need to
be credentialled to write well on current affairs, nor
do credentials guarantee it. Hanson is particularly
wooden-headed on Europe:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Yet suddenly in 2006, the Europeans seem to have
collectively resuscitated. The Madrid bombings, the
murder of Theo van Gogh, the London subway attacks,
and the French rioting in October and November seem to
have prompted at least some Europeans at last to
question their once hallowed sense of multiculturalism
in which Muslim minorities were not asked to
assimilate at home
>>>>>>>>>>
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson021806.html
(He is such a *jerk*) France has for many decades
preached and (tried to) practice an
assimilationist/integrationist and "colour"/etc.-blind
policy. Cf the ban on Muslim dress in French schools.
(And it has simply refused to let in Muslims it
regards as possibly dangerous, and its secret service
*pushed* ours to investigate Muslims here more
intensively: *long before* 7/7.) It has failed
practice its policy *economically* and *socially*,
hence the riots.
I conclude that Hanson doesn't read the papers.
Judy Evans, Cardiff
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