September 22, 2003
BIGOTRY WATCH
Typical American intolerance:
Religious symbols such as Islamic veils and headscarves for girls have no place in American schools, President George W. Bush said in a wide-ranging television interview.
"(Schools) should not be the place where people display their religious affiliations," Bush said during a two-hour appearance last night on the Fox News channel.
This anti-Muslim attitude will surely cause worldwide outrage.
UPDATE. OK, here’s a real Bush interview:
Posted by Tim Blair at September 22, 2003 07:06 PMPresident Bush said yesterday he'll make no apologies to the United Nations for attacking Iraq without U.N. approval because "the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein.
"I do think it would be helpful to get the United Nations in to help write a constitution. I mean, they're good at that. Or, perhaps when an election starts, they'll oversee the election."
Half the time the French government seems hell-bent on being the first European state to implement Sharia, and half the time they seem to be trying to discriminate against Islam.
Posted by: Andjam at September 22, 2003 at 10:55 PMBlimme, let the U.N. write a consitution for Iraq.Taking a leaf out of a Pink Panther film; Dr.Kissinger,`My God, Mr.President, it will be a turkey.'
Posted by: d at September 23, 2003 at 09:55 AMWhere's that well-known french trait of tollerance and respect for other cultures? Oh wait, they're not known for those things at all, must have been thinking of Australia again.
I wonder out loud how in all things good france can claim any form of moral superiority over the likes of Australia or the US.
Posted by: Jake D at September 23, 2003 at 10:15 AM'Raffarin, while proclaiming himself in favour of everyone being free to practise their religion, said he remained opposed to "ostentatious expression of religious conviction".
"School is not the place for political or religious propaganda," he stressed.'
School not the place for political propaganda? There goes the entire western Humanities curriculum.
Posted by: ilibcc at September 23, 2003 at 01:51 PMFrance was America's first ally. The US of A would have lost the war of independence without French support. So WWII was pay back enough - all equal. So lay off the french, without em, you'd all be diddly-squat.
Posted by: Miranda Divide at September 23, 2003 at 03:02 PMyeah yeah! lay off the french! i wanna see em blow up some more south pacific islands and sink some more greenpeace TUGBOATS! (so called because the people aboard are tuggers).
Posted by: roscoe p coltrane at September 23, 2003 at 03:27 PMMiranda: "France was America's first ally."
And after we became an independent country, they were the first one we had a war with. Seems that some pipsqueak named Napolean was the cause of some friction. As an American, I would gladly shake the hand of any Bourbon I come across, in gratitude for their helping us gain our independence.
Posted by: CGeib at September 23, 2003 at 03:51 PMToo right Miranda!
If it weren't for America in WWII, the French would be speaking German.
If it weren't for France in the war of independence, the Americans would be speaking English.
Posted by: Andjam at September 23, 2003 at 09:09 PMActually, there's something deeper happening here.
French schools indoctrinate French youth in the unassailable superiority of French culture. (Seriously. Its a government-sponsored doctrine that the French way is better.)
It's OK to be a French Catholic, or a French Jew, or whatever, as long as you are French first and Catholic/Jewish/... second. Even if you don't accept conform, your children will, because going to a French school is supposed to make you a proper Francophile.
But the French system is not working on their underclass Muslim youth -- the kids regard themselves as Islamic people who live in France, not as French.
So a key part of the whole French system has stopped working. Whether the girls dress like French women or Islamic women is the most visible point of failure. Hence the somewhat panicky overreaction.
Strange, huh?
Yeah, so the French think they're culturally superior.
And what do Americans think about themselves?
"Equality, Freedom, Justice, and Truth are not just American values, they are fundamental human values"
Not too much self-doubt there!
No hiding your light under a bushel.