Well, actually the French crime rates have been pretty high for awhile. According to Interpol, the homicide rate per 100,000 in the U.S. in 2000 was 5.5 people, in France it was 3.91. If you include overall crime rates, they're actually much worse off than we are. There, it's 4,161 crimes per 100,000 people in the U.S. in 2001 and 6,941 per 100,000 in France. A lot of the crime in France is concentrated in the suburban ghettos where the riots were, but it's the same here with the inner cities. The riots were unusually high, but they still had pretty big crime rates when they weren't going on too.

http://www.tinyvital.com/BlogArchives/000220.html

I don't know whose crime rates are correct, but you gotta remember that France is a much, much smaller country in size than the US even when you talk per capita figures. It really makes I difference, I think, to crime rates when you have people pushed together in such small places.

Anyone listen to Weird Al Yankovic? His latest CD is called Poodle Hat and he has a song in it (can't remember the name exactly but it's something like "Genius in France") where he makes fun of France by basically saying that everyone thinks he's an idiot in the US but the French think he's the greatest even though he does the stupidest things.

I have no feelings one way or another about the French in terms of their internal politics, mostly because I admit to not knowing enough to make a balanced judgement (but I did enjoy the Weird Al song ... of course he makes fun of everyone ... remember Amish Paradise???)

What a wonderful thread. Lets all comment on it

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Its better to have fussed and crabbed then never to have fussed at all - Lucy

No shit! But our problems come from ignorant dumb hillbilly tent revivalists.

Dayum George!.... is this a time warp?

While it is true we have many ..... problems ..... being French isn't one of them..... count your blessings....

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CHECK THIS OUT ..... graybeard's "tribute" to Humble Lasher -----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwFjt2x9Rws ...and another... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JECK3Ed1CN0

Political Correctness defined :
A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

im thinking if that happened here in the u.s. they would of been rounded up and thrown back. you see, not to many people give a rats ass about france, cause they are backboneless when it comes to problems. i hope the u.s. never becomes like them.