Yes, I'm procrastinating...

This is an email I just wrote to Andrew Sullivan:

Dear Andrew,

I think "Dr. Dalyrimple" as quoted by Ian Murray makes a very valid point. I am a lefty and a francophile but I completely agree that the riots that are occurring in France right now are not the result of Muslim extremism but rather result from a disaffected population of children-of-immigrants that has no productive outlet for its frustration and aggression. I do admire France's social programs and the willingness of its population to pay a great deal in taxes toward general social welfare; the problem with this, as we're seeing now, is that welfare programs take the edge off surviving but don't address the malaise that comes with institutionalized joblessness and discrimination. The French need to face this problem head-on. Yes, that probably means some liberalization of the market and concomitant marginalization of the unions, in order to grow the economy and increase jobs. It also means educating the greater French population as to the history and the current situation of these mostly North andWest African immigrants and their children, instead of ignoring them and relegating them to ghettos. Until the government and the French as a whole address the underlying source of the aggression and frustration expressed by these young people, the tension we see now will not abate and France will face a violent future.

[Noisette]
Attorney
Los Angeles

***Update: Andrew Sullivan made exactly 0 references to my email in his recent postings about the France riots. Sniff. I want some Sulli love. Why, oh why doesn't he love me???