[Peace-discuss] In the streets

[John W.]

This was fascinating not only for its link to Chris Floyd's blog, but for
Chris Floyd's further link to Arthur Silber's blog.  Both are extremely
thought-provoking.  Thanks, Carl.

John Wason


On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 12:46 AM, C. G. Estabrook <galliher at uiuc.edu> wrote:

       Paris When it Sizzles:
>        The French Say No to Fat-Cat Bailouts
>
> You have to admire the French. The ordinary people there know how to stick
> up for themselves – instead of meekly bowing down and accepting whatever
> bitter gruel the elite tries to cram down their throats. And they don't just
> write a few angry letters (or blog posts!), or send checks to some worthy
> progressive organization to organize a few mildly admonishing ads or press
> releases on their behalf. Hell no, they take to the streets, by the
> millions, they shut things down, they make some noise, they put their time,
> their jobs, and their bodies on the line.
>
> Yesterday saw another remarkable display of this national trait, as an
> astonishingly broad spectrum of the French citizenry surged through the
> streets of Paris to express their outrage at the government's response to
> the economic crisis. This response has been the usual doling out of billions
> in public money for the fat cats who caused the crisis, coupled with
> increasing demands for "sacrifice" from the hoi polloi: less pay, longer
> hours, fewer benefits, a bleaker life for you and your children while the
> elite party on.
>
> But on Thursday, an estimated 2.5 million people – blue-collar workers and
> white-collar professionals, educators and students, doctors and train
> drivers, native-born and immigrants – came out to tell the government: "We
> are not going to pay for the greed and corruption of the elite! Find another
> way!" The contrast to the stunned, herd-like reaction of the American and
> British publics to their governments' gorging of corrupt oligarchs with
> no-strings largess could not be more striking...
>
> Full article at <http://www.chris-floyd.com/>
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