MaxedOutMama
Friday, January 28, 2005
Cognitive Dissonance In Action
You don't want to miss this AP article on French concerns about Islamic terrorism and its causation - the US:
France uses the same logic to blame Israel for unrest in the Middle East, ignoring the fact that many Middle Eastern governments use invective against Israel as a way to export their internal unrest.
What France objects to in Israel - a country's right to defend its population against violent attacks - it claims as its own right. It seems to appear self-evident to Alliot-Marie that all international policies good for France are humane, while even actions taken by Israel to stop bombers from entering its countries are illegitimate and oppressive. And Saddam Hussein had the right to brutalize his own people and attack his neighbors because that activity did not threaten France, whereas Alliot-Marie perceives that the US attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish some sort of free society creates a "zone of instability".
Hey, Alliot-Marie, I'm willing to negotiate. I will concede your right to defend your national interests if you will concede the right of other countries to defend their national interests. I will not take France's concerns seriously as long as France believes the entire global community has the responsibility to prevent attacks by Islamist terrorists on France's soil but expects Israel to accept terrorist attacks as the price for its existence.
Alliot-Marie, please grow up.
The ongoing violence in Iraq "encourages terrorism," has created instability and has pushed some French youths toward holy war, France's defense minister said in an interview with The Associated Press.and:
"France cannot be satisfied with the situation in Iraq," she said in Thursday's interview. "What's happening in Iraq is bad for everyone. It encourages terrorism and creates a zone of instability that can spread."What she's upset about is that the French police have arrested some people in France for funneling fighters from France to Iraq. I see. So if radical imams in France are preaching holy war, and if France fears that their own citizens or residents may launch anti-Western attacks in France, that is the fault of the United States? A bit of twisted logic, isn't it?
Alliot-Marie expressed concern that the young French fighters "could one day carry out suicide attacks elsewhere ... that worries us." France itself could be targeted, she said.
France uses the same logic to blame Israel for unrest in the Middle East, ignoring the fact that many Middle Eastern governments use invective against Israel as a way to export their internal unrest.
What France objects to in Israel - a country's right to defend its population against violent attacks - it claims as its own right. It seems to appear self-evident to Alliot-Marie that all international policies good for France are humane, while even actions taken by Israel to stop bombers from entering its countries are illegitimate and oppressive. And Saddam Hussein had the right to brutalize his own people and attack his neighbors because that activity did not threaten France, whereas Alliot-Marie perceives that the US attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish some sort of free society creates a "zone of instability".
Hey, Alliot-Marie, I'm willing to negotiate. I will concede your right to defend your national interests if you will concede the right of other countries to defend their national interests. I will not take France's concerns seriously as long as France believes the entire global community has the responsibility to prevent attacks by Islamist terrorists on France's soil but expects Israel to accept terrorist attacks as the price for its existence.
Alliot-Marie, please grow up.
Comments:
<< Home
Lancelot - Well, if a plain oldfashioned sense of fairness is "cogent moral reasoning", I guess I do. I'm not sure whether Marxism can be blamed for this, it might just be selfishness.
I was watching a clip of Chirac speaking at the new Holocaust Memorial in Paris, he was saying all the PC things like "Antisemitism is not an option in France" etc, and all along I felt like shouting "Liar!"
Perhaps if france was so worried about terrorist attacks in france they should be proactive about it and join us. But no, they would rather go with the old "Do what you want but don't hurt me" standard of french thinking that has prevailed there for so long. Frankly (pun intended) I wouldn't raise one little finger tyo help france if someting bad did happen there. I wouldn't raise a dime towards it. France can rot as far as I am concerned.
Romsn Wanderer,
Yes, that's a glorious sentiment that means nothing. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is an option in all societies. It just keeps popping up in the oddest places and the oddest contexts. When McGreevey resigned, there was this conspiracy theory running around on the internet that the Mossad had deliberately sent Cipel to try to gain control over a US politician.
I guess Chirac meant to imply that it wouldn't be tolerated in France, but given the rise in incidents, I doubt French Jews would agree.
Kender,
As unadmirable as some of the actions of the French government has been recently, I have a soft spot for France. One set of my grandparents fled there from Germany, and my other grandmother was born there. I guess what I'm saying is that all of France can't be fairly blamed for this moment in history.
But I do find it hard to forgive some of their policies of the present day towards Palestinians and Israel, and the self-satisfied condemnation of Israel. Any westerner who doesn't realize that Israel is a direct response to the Holocaust and doesn't see their own responsibility has a blind spot about the size of Europe. And then, looking at more recent history such as Algeria, it seems to me that France frequently reproves other nations for what it does itself.
Post a Comment
Yes, that's a glorious sentiment that means nothing. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is an option in all societies. It just keeps popping up in the oddest places and the oddest contexts. When McGreevey resigned, there was this conspiracy theory running around on the internet that the Mossad had deliberately sent Cipel to try to gain control over a US politician.
I guess Chirac meant to imply that it wouldn't be tolerated in France, but given the rise in incidents, I doubt French Jews would agree.
Kender,
As unadmirable as some of the actions of the French government has been recently, I have a soft spot for France. One set of my grandparents fled there from Germany, and my other grandmother was born there. I guess what I'm saying is that all of France can't be fairly blamed for this moment in history.
But I do find it hard to forgive some of their policies of the present day towards Palestinians and Israel, and the self-satisfied condemnation of Israel. Any westerner who doesn't realize that Israel is a direct response to the Holocaust and doesn't see their own responsibility has a blind spot about the size of Europe. And then, looking at more recent history such as Algeria, it seems to me that France frequently reproves other nations for what it does itself.
<< Home
