FRENCH OFFICIAL PRESENTS ANTI-TERROR BILL

PARIS October 26, 2005 (AP) - France's interior minister [Nicolas Sarkozy] presented a long-awaited anti-terrorism bill to Cabinet on Wednesday... The bill would stiffen prison sentences for convicted terrorists, allow police to monitor citizens who travel to countries known for terror training camps, and broaden the use of surveillance cameras.

In addition, authorities could strip French nationality from naturalized citizens who commit terrorism, acts that endanger the national interest or acts "incompatible with the quality of being French."

Well, it looks like France has finally gotten around to criminalizing humility, cheerfulness, good manners, fair-dealing, and self-sacrifice.

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP ATTACKS TOUGH NEW ANTI-TERROR LAW

October 28, 2005 (Guardian) - The French interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, was accused yesterday of attacking civil liberties after unveiling tough anti-terrorism laws that will increase video surveillance of the public, provide greater official access to phone and internet records and set longer jail terms.

The National Commission for Information and Liberty Clauses ["NCILC"] said there was a "serious risk to individuals' freedom" in the new law, which aims to pre-empt terror attacks by charging suspects with "intention" rather than definite action.

Intention is the heart of any act. Any two acts with equal results can be wholly dissimilar in criminality depending on the intention of the agent. For example, a driver who deliberately hits a pedestrian and a driver who hits a pedestrian when rear-ended, both of these acts have equal results but only the former is intentionally criminal. Intention is also what knits up associates, enablers, boosters, and commissioners in the criminality of an agent's act and apportions culpability.

So the NCILC's complaint is what? That only accomplished acts are worthy of indictment? Would they have novice terrorists run free until they manage to accomplish an NCLIC-approved terrorist act? We suppose NCILC would give these "jihadists" a pass since they were thwarted before turning murderous intentions into murderous acts:

TERRORISTS PLANNED TO ATTACK AIRLINERS: REPORT

PARIS October 28, 2005 (AFP) - French Islamic extremists planned to attack passenger airliners in France with shoulder-launched missiles... Without giving sources for the report, the newspaper [Le Figaro] said French authorities learned of the plot from a "high-ranking jihadi [sic] (fighter following a holy cause [sic! breath-taking AFP smooth-down!]) imprisoned in Amman, Jordan." ... He reportedly inducted a group of Algerians and Frenchmen in 2001 who wanted to return to Europe to carry out attacks using "all means at their disposal: toxic products, and also missiles."

The newspaper said two SAM-18 missiles were acquired on the black market "via the Chechen mafia"... According to Le Figaro, once the consignments arrived, "the terrorists then prepared their plans, vacillating between symbolic targets (the Russian embassy, police stations) and bloody attacks (department stores, the Eiffel Tower...)."

Oh, NCILC will want this self-confessed but unaccomplished French "jihadist" to walk.

Several searches -- in both English and French -- for "The National Commission for Information and Liberty Clauses" produced nothing but the original source above. Just who are these overwrought folk? If NCILC is a French-styled ACLU, it cannot have escaped its notice that wholly secular France contrives laws and dispenses liberties as she pleases. She is beholden to no higher authority. There are no moral absolutes in a wholly secular state. Such a state is self-referring and self-validating. Whatever laws the state wishes to have, the state will have. Whatever liberties the state finds bothersome, the state will quash. Several monarchies, 5 Republics, that Vichy thing, 2 empires, and 15 constitutions abundantly illustrate just how infinitely pliable French liberties are. Sometimes great. Sometimes small. And sometimes not at all.

Having said all that -- and you won't read this very often -- we side with the government on prudent and sensible and sufficient measures to apprehend terrorists. In this context, French citizens much prefer being preserved in their persons rather than going to early graves with a boatload of theoretical liberties intact.

PFFT (What is this?): Tough on terrorists 4 | Rayonnement français 2