I don't recall whether or not I blogged about the riots in France last November--I was in San Francisco for the week--and I'm not inclined to search around, but I did follow the goings on pretty closely. I lived in France for a coupla years in the early 90s. What the hell happened? I read news stories about what's going on now and I ask myself who are these people? I mean: sure, they're commies alright--just as are most people here in the U.S., nowadays. But I hadn't taken them for utterly insane, in a completely-unable-to-function sort of way. As a legacy of this long tradition, the choice in France now is between popular legislation -- that is, useless legislation -- and the street. Thus the paradox at the heart of the protests: Those who want power exploit the mobs to maneuver themselves into position, but having gained power cannot use it to achieve anything worthwhile, lest the same tactics be used against them. The fear of the mob has created a cadre of politicians in France who are unable to speak the truth and thereby prepare French citizens for the inevitable. No one in France -- not one single...