"We call on all the parties there to do everything for the return of stability"

And that's exactly what they're doing.

"We call on all the parties there to do everything for the return of stability, which is needed for the political and economic reconstruction of the country," a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Marie Masdupuy, told journalists.

"France also stresses the importance of respecting and preserving the holy sites of Shiite Islam" and "deplores all the victims of the fighting which has been going on in the holy city of Najaf from more than a week,"

No shit?! why didnt we think of that?

he went on to say
"We call on the world to eat their vegetables and get at least 8 hours of sleep each and every night. We stress the importance of exercise and brushing your teeth, which is needed for your health and well-being. We encourage everyone to breathe in followed by breathing out and make sure to drink liquids like water or juice."

Thank you France - we look forward to you're next bleedingly obvious statement.

Papertiger,
You forgot the part about getting enough fiber, so the rest of us won't get as constipated as he is.

Paper tiger? Its the snail Valerie!
You know the one with the shell and moves very slowly. Did I read that right? Its so hot in Texas today.

you all will like this if you haven't already read it. I found it on one of my old blog pages and thought I would share it.
http://www.mikeonline.com/events/viewofworld.html

Snail,
It is always hot in Texas. Sunny too.
Just part of the charm of the place.

and to respect the holy site

So, I’m guessing that would mean NOT to hide explosives/weapons in the holy site, fire weapons FROM the holy site, use the holy site as a hideout, or use the site as a staging area for attacks?

Perhaps the French could explain this a little bit more in detail for me, ‘cause, darn, being the stupid American I am, I just can’t figure it out.

Ah, that's because you're under the impression that the Geneva conventions pertain to anyone but Americans. Silly Andy.

The spokewoman did not speak french but soviet " langue de bois" . So I pay no attention to her wild imaginnings, I'm used to it .

France is precisely in an advanced state of sovietization.
But the lecturing is very French.

It's very french that statement, if I remember correctly the quick surrender of the french government during WW2 was pushed because they did not want the monuments demolished.

This makes me think of the movie Stigmata. "The church of God is within you". People make a site holy.

Then again I think that religion without doubt is the death of the mind.

"France is precisely in an advanced state of sovietization"
What does that mean Carine? Can you explain a little bit for this ignorant snail?

It's very french that statement, if I remember correctly the quick surrender of the french government during WW2 was pushed because they did not want the monuments demolished or even damaged.

This makes me think of the movie Stigmata. "The church of God is within you". People make a site holy.

Then again I think that religion without doubt is the death of the mind.

I don't think that it's easy to stop these assholes who are destroying our cemeteries and our monuments before they act.

Easier to lecture the US, isn't it Stephane?

Blacksnail,

I'm not pretending France is another Soviet Union - not yet -, but we're very much going towards that goal.

Take the anti-American, anti-liberalism propaganda and misinformation, the fact that all media seem only to be repeating their master's voice. The increasing hindrances to freedom, the increasing - and I'm afraid way-too-advanced in France - contempt for work as a mandatory (is it really? - people are starting to wear "working kills" t-shirt in addition to CCCP t-shirts) but loathsome enslavement, the contempt for the clients (in most cases, they can't be fired for being rude to the public and doing their job wrong, so why should they bother?). And don't you dare ask too much of "public services" employees, so-called civil servants (like simply doing the job they're paid for by your taxes), or else...
You come back from a day working - or is it fighting? - with those people completely exhausted.
It is also increasingly difficult to find what you are looking for in stores (and I'm talking about common goods. And I live in Paris). I'm not saying we are lacking anything so far, but there is a real problem with inventory management. It's not unusual to see a meat department, in a well-known store, in Paris, half empty in the middle of the day for example. You are looking for a book in France's biggest bookstore, they don't have it. Do you think they'll offer to order it? They're more likely to give you a big sigh if you ask them to. Of course, most of the time you get an answer like "the person in charge is on vacation/RTT/sick leave. And that's not my department. Come back later."
I could go on and on. How people are increasingly encouraged to flee any kind of responsibility - isn't the state responsible for you living the good life anyway? How we are told the situation is so much worse elsewhere (especially in America and the UK - it doesn't matter that people are fleeing France in the thousands to live in evil America or the decrepit UK) - and so on and so forth.

I've had the opportunity to visit Moscow just after the fall of the Soviet Union and not just as a tourist. People were still afraid to talk to you because they didn't know who you were and what may fall upon them if they talked to you (they weren't allowed to talk to foreigners before anyway) - have you noticed how French bloggers are generally reluctant to give their true and full names?
Most department stores were still mostly empty. Employees were reluctant to work. It was not unusual to end up facing a little sign saying the salespersons were taking their break - please come back in 30 minutes (too bad you had no way to know just when the 30 minutes began).
People were lining outside the first McDonald's where they knew they'd find something to eat and it'd be clean.
80 years of the communist ideal.

And France is taking over. I have just mentioned a few daily-life annoyances. But all are institutions are poisoned. Maurice Druon's La France aux ordres d'un cadavre - which apparently hasn't been published into English unfortunately - is a must-read on the subject. Unfortunately, this book, published in 2000, is not available anymore. Interesting, isn't it?

I don't think that it's easy to stop these assholes who are destroying our cemeteries and our monuments before they act.

From a strictly literal view - i.e., law enforcement - I think it's next to impossible. You simply can't have police everywhere at all times.

In a slightly different context however, things that happen in a society are it's products. These cemetary desecrations get a lot of attention, but do not appear to really outrage many people. They're accepted. If they were not met with such complacence - even reverence in some circles - they would not be epidemic.

We have the problems that we do in our inner cities because they're socially acceptable in those places - I think it's not such a different thing. You can't physically prevent them, but a wide rejection of them can certainly curb the behavior.

Carine - would it be accurate to call what you describe a "culture of entitlement"?

Precisely.

Carine :

"Easier to lecture the US, isn't it Stephane?"

Lecture, no ! Point of vue, yes !

Yeah, sure.

Aren't you the one who wanted to follow English LLCE studies Stéphane btw?
I must be wrong. You can't possibly be considering such studies. Must be another Stéphane at Pave France.

Carine :

Exactly and I succeded my first year easily and with good grades in American history.

No, I don't trust you. It can't be.

"We call on all the parties there to do everything for the return of stability,"

Ah yes! Stability defined by those who consider multibillion oil contracts with a murderous criminal regime an acceptable status quo.

And why should anyone listen to Iraqis leaders like Allawi or Sistani who are against Sadr, after all, the French have spoken.

Tyranno