French protestors over FUEL, delay British Sailors

[sawcutmill]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1021736/Scores-British-sailors-trapped-days-French-fuel-protesters-lay-steel-cable-harbour.html

[BETTY-B]

Good for them. Doing something to bring attention to this global problem.

DAN

[Don Z.]

Good for them. Doing something to bring attention to this global problem. It's better than playing video games and pretending it's not happening...

DAN

Holding innocent people, who cannot change things anyway, hostage...

To be very clear... a bunch of people, with an agenda... are "keeping prisoner" another group of people, with the intent that this will coerce their government to "do something" to benefit them...

I have a series of words for that, but "good for them" are not the words that come to mind.

[BETTY-B]

I'm sure someone is finally listening. Like in Canada over the fishing thing about ten years ago when they blocked all the US boats and ferries from moving. People finally took notice. This is the kind of thing that happens after everything else to get attention has failed. So what if a few yachties have to dip into their dry goods... Not just the French government, but the world now knows how dire it is.

What would your series of words be Don Z.? And why pick this particular thread to join in the bilge fun?

DAN

[TimH]

I gain more respect for the French all the time.

The movie Sicko was where I first gained respect for them. They seem to get what they want/need more than most.

[Don Z.]

I'm sure someone is finally listening. Like in Canada over the fishing thing about ten years ago when they blocked all the US boats and ferries from moving. People finally took notice. This is the kind of thing that happens after everything else to get attention has failed. So what if a few yachties have to dip into their dry goods... Not just the French government, but the world now knows how dire it is.

What would your series of words be Don Z.? And why pick this particular thread to join in the bilge fun?

DAN

Why pick this thread? Perhaps my annoyance that it belongs in the bilge, and it's not there?

And what if I held you in your house at gunpoint, because I didn't think the government was doing enough for one of my pet causes? What would you call that?

In other words, if it's OK for these people to use violence "to gain attention" for their cause, then when is it not OK to use violence?

If a guy thinks the judge erred in giving his ex wife custody of his kids, is it OK for him to barricade himself in his house with his kids/ex until the judge reconsiders? If a group thinks the Government erred in assigning the wrong airport supervisor, is it OK for them to seize the road to the airport until the government assigns the guy they want?

To throw out "but it's a world wide problem" adds nothing to the argument. Current demand is outstripping the capacity to pump/refine. The options are to either increase capacity (which means building more pumping stations, or pumping in new areas), or decreasing demand. Does any one group, whether French fishermen, or American SUV drivers, or Chinese with new money have any more right to a demand than any other? Why or why not?

Heck, I personally think Congressionally mandated ethanol use is driving up both fuel costs and food costs, world wide. That makes it a "world wide problem", doesn't it? If I camped outside your door and threw bottles at you when you tried to leave, would you be offended? If I fired flares?

Hey... just calling attention to a world wide problem...

Or, hey... I notice you have a nice powerboat in your avatar their... but I think powerboats waste fuel that could be used by others who need it more... so I'm going to set your boat on fire in order to draw attention to the waste, and because I want my government to take fuel from you and give it to others... I'm sure you won't have a problem with that... because it's "a world wide problem...


Scot, can you move this thread to the bilge, where it belongs?

[Rapelapente]

I gain more respect for the French all the time.

The movie Sicko was where I first gained respect for them. They seem to get what they want/need more than most.

Alas ! Tim, this movie was'nt as objective as you think about the french health care. Yes everybody can get health care in France, and that's good. But the system is crashing down, and creating an incredibly huge debt our kids will have to pay. The concept is perfect. The reality is... the mess...We are close to the solution, but we are lacking political courage to make it working well durably.

[BETTY-B]

Why pick this thread? Perhaps my annoyance that it belongs in the bilge, and it's not there?

And what if I held you in your house at gunpoint, because I didn't think the government was doing enough for one of my pet causes? What would you call that?

In other words, if it's OK for these people to use violence "to gain attention" for their cause, then when is it not OK to use violence?

If a guy thinks the judge erred in giving his ex wife custody of his kids, is it OK for him to barricade himself in his house with his kids/ex until the judge reconsiders? If a group thinks the Government erred in assigning the wrong airport supervisor, is it OK for them to seize the road to the airport until the government assigns the guy they want?

To throw out "but it's a world wide problem" adds nothing to the argument. Current demand is outstripping the capacity to pump/refine. The options are to either increase capacity (which means building more pumping stations, or pumping in new areas), or decreasing demand. Does any one group, whether French fishermen, or American SUV drivers, or Chinese with new money have any more right to a demand than any other? Why or why not?

Heck, I personally think Congressionally mandated ethanol use is driving up both fuel costs and food costs, world wide. That makes it a "world wide problem", doesn't it? If I camped outside your door and threw bottles at you when you tried to leave, would you be offended? If I fired flares?

Hey... just calling attention to a world wide problem...

Or, hey... I notice you have a nice powerboat in your avatar their... but I think powerboats waste fuel that could be used by others who need it more... so I'm going to set your boat on fire in order to draw attention to the waste, and because I want my government to take fuel from you and give it to others... I'm sure you won't have a problem with that... because it's "a world wide problem...


Scot, can you move this thread to the bilge, where it belongs?

What a delightful gentleman... Despite the ass breath...

[Bob Triggs]

Protests, petitioning government, civil disobedience and free speech are a fundamental aspect of democracy and freedom. How else were they going to get attention? How are we going to be heard here? I dont support people attacking, injuring others for their cause though.

[Don Z.]

I agree on the free speech/petition issue. I'm merely pointing out that instead of, say, holding their protest outside Government House, they held hostage people who had nothing whatsoever to do with their issue... and when those people tried to leave, they were attacked with thrown items and flares. That's not speech, that's assault.

[Don Z.]

What a delightful gentleman... Despite the ass breath...

Ah... argumentum ad personam. How silly of me not to have considered this as an option for voicing my disagreement.