'It's fun to set cars on fire': Amid my recent Theogate obsession, it seems much of France caught fire. ... Of course you can't shake the smug They Deserve It impulse when it's France's turn to finally deal with its own ills. But resist the impulse one must, because the French have major ethnic problems and their handling of this tragedy is important for Europe and the United States' long-term security. ...

Update -- Here are some particularly good blog posts on the subject (Part 1 and Part 2), via Instapundit. ... And ever conscious of France's image abroad, Le Monde is running a roundup of international headlines about the rioting.



'Don't you dare bring up the election ...': Another casualty of my Theogate obsession has been attention (or lack thereof) paid to the city elections. I can't quite get into them this year, knowing the probable outcome of the mayoral race. I also couldn't get into them in years past for the same reason. But Adam is doing a great job (here and here, for starters) monitoring the mayoral and council campaigns. ... I'm already looking forward to 2009, when, it's hoped, there might actually be true competitiion. ... Quickie ill-informed prediction: the mayoral race will be a little closer than expected. There seems to be a mood out there that the mayor, while still liked, is approaching a Term Too Far.  ¶ 7:43 AM