Not another French Revolution!

Is France abandoning socialism in favor of free-market capitalism? Is the land of “liberte, egalite, et fraternite” looking for closer ties with the United States instead of acting reflexively anti-American? If this past weekend’s national elections are any indication, the French may have become weary of the 12 years of Jacques Chirac’s corrupt and ineffective leadership, and are ready for some serious change.

In an election in which an astounding 85% of eligible voters cast ballots, Nicolas Sarkozy, a Hungarian immigrant and conservative, defeated Sergolene Royal, the socialists’ candidate. Despite her gender, French voters were not compelled to vote for a woman “just because,” but by a 53-47 margin, opted for the clear opposite. Sarkozy promises an end to socialist policies like a 35-hour work week, vows to be tougher on immigrants (especially those from Muslim nations who refuse to adapt to western civilization and the liberties and freedoms many Americans and French fought side-by-side to defend), and pledges to work closely with the US not as a rival to bash but an ally with whom to cooperate.

In the 2004 American election, Monsieur Jean-Luc Kerry decried the “fact” that George Bush had isolated America in the world, and that he alone would stop America from acting unilaterally in any military action. Since that time, Australia re-elected its conservative Prime Minister John Howard, Germany elected a conservative chancellor in Angela Merkel, Canada threw out its liberal government in favor of Tory Stephen Harper, and now even France tells its socialists “au revoir.” With Tony Blair resigning as Britain’s Prime Minister, he will likely be replaced by an even more pro-American conservative. Perhaps the ideas of liberals/progressives/socialists are not as universally accepted as truth as they imagine, even in secular Europe.

So what happens when liberals/progressives/socialists are unable to persuade the majority of voters to select them as leaders? In America, they go to court or claim that there was a conspiracy by the makers of Diebold voting machines. In short, they try to deligitimize the election of any opponent. Thus you continue to read in each and every Garrison Keillor column Mr. Bush referred to not as “the President” but as “the current occupant of the White House.” (By the way, read Keillor's article--you'll see a fascinating discussion of the TULIP of Calvinim, too. But I digress.) In short, they refuse to accept the results. So it appears to be with the French. There, in a scene reminiscent of Les Miserables, the university students have taken to the streets in order to incite riots for the past four days. Methinks if they keep it up there will be quite a few “empty chairs at empty tables.” Maybe France has learned from its violent history and realizes that mob rule, riots, and anarchy can only end in a Reign of Terror.

Congratulations to Msr. Sarkozy. Vive le France! Nous Americains sont les amis!

Cinco de What?

Posted by guest blogger Carlos Gowen. Muchas gracias, Carlos!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! This Saturday marked the date of May 5th, or a day more commonly referred to as, “Cinco de Mayo.” Almost everybody has heard of the holiday called “Cinco de Mayo” and just as many people can identify this date on their calendar, but few can explain its origin. Where did this holiday come from? Is it more than just another day to kick back and enjoy a case of Coronas? Or is there something more to this catchy Spanish phrase?

“Cinco de Mayo,” Spanish for “Fifth of May,” is commonly thought of as Mexico’s “Independence Day,” in reality, this date is September 16th. On the other hand, Cinco de Mayois a holiday in remembrance of the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Originally Mexico was threatened by the nations of Britain, France and Spain due to its failure to pay back debts. The current president, Benito Juarez, was able to make a deal with Spain and Britain, but France on the other hand, sought to gain more out of the deal. This battle consisted of the greatly outnumbered Mexican Army’s forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza led and the French forces led by Emperor Napoleon III. The Mexican forces, outnumbered as they were, put up a fight and six years later the French forces pulled out. The victory of the Mexican forces over the French marked the turning point for the Mexican’s eventual gaining of their independence.

Seeing that this date was a decisive victory for the Mexican forces it would logically seem that it would be a popular national holiday in Mexico, right? Wrong. Cinco de Mayo, even though it is a national holiday, is celebrated more regionally than as a whole nation in Mexico, its true popularity is found in none other than our own U.S.A. Although it is celebrated in Puebla, Puebla, where the actual battle was fought, the holiday is not as popular as it is made out to be. In the United States, however, Cinco de Mayo is seen as just another holiday of festivity to recognize the culture of Mexico. It is quite like other holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest, which celebrate the Irish and German cultures.

So what do you think? Do you think Cinco de Mayo is blown out of proportion here in the U.S.? Do you think people actually understand why it’s even a holiday? What are some things that you learned from reading this that you previously had not known?