France dishonors herself by honoring a murderer and there's barely a peep. France half-heartedly honors a worthy and street protests make the headlines.
NO OBJECTION* VS. DISCEPTATION**
No Moral Issues, Please, Just Leftist Pieties
NO JOHN PAUL II SQUARE: ANGRY AIDS ACTIVISTS
PARIS September 3, 2006 (AFP) - Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë officially renamed the square in front of Notre Dame cathedral after the late pope John Paul II Sunday in a ceremony that was interrupted by AIDS protesters."This act of homage may offend some people ... But our city has always honoured those who leave a trace on the march of humanity," Delanoë, a Socialist Party member, said in an address delivered alongside Paris archbishop André Vingt-Trois.
Earlier some 200 people carried banners reading "Square of the AIDS dead" as well as crucifixes decorated with condoms to protest against the renaming. ... Police said some 50 protesters were forcibly removed, including some who briefly disrupted Delanoë's speech.
"It is unacceptable to have a John Paul II Square when the church has yet to acknowledge its mistakes over AIDS," said Denis Baupin of the Green party, one of several left-wing council members who took part. ... John Paul II, who died in 2005 at the age of 84, was widely attacked by AIDS activists for refusing to endorse the use of condoms for the fight against HIV infection.
It is a very popular fairy tale among the left that if only the world were chock-a-block with condoms, why, AIDS would disappear. M. Delanoë went on to give his coded critique of the Pope he was purportedly honoring.
"On issues like the respect for all identities [scil., Raëlians? Dolphins? Peter Singer's many promoted identities?], the rights of women [scil., abortion], lifestyle choices [scil., homosexuality], the duty of preserving one's own existence [scil., suicide as a lifestyle choice] and that of others [scil., euthanasia for the relief of burdensome and/or wealthy, but helpless dependents], I have publicly regretted that Pope John Paul's moral authority was not used to further the hoped-for advances," Delanoë, who is homosexual, said.
Of course the Pope did use his moral authority -- repeatedly and to good effect -- on these very issues. But the Pope's morals are not to M. Delanoë's tastes, though he is not honest enough to put it that way.
The French left was never gracious where Pope John Paul II was concerned. Not even in death.
FLYING FLAGS AT HALF-MAST IN FRANCE FOR POPE DRAWS FIRE
PARIS April 4, 2005 (AFP) - Leading French left-wingers on Monday criticised the government of President Jacques Chirac for lowering flags on public buildings in tribute to the late Pope, arguing that it was a breach of the country's secular principles."For Christians to pay homage to the head of their church - that is part of their private lives. But when the head of state involves the whole of the population, whatever their religion, that is clearly an abuse of power," said Yves Contassot, a Green party member and deputy mayor of Paris. ... "Today we have a government and a head of state who are trying to take political advantage of a private affair. I find this totally out of place, and when it comes to the flags, possibly illegal."
Socialist deputy Jean-Luc Melenchon said: "This kind of thing is insidious. It can have all sorts of knock-on effects. The authorities should display total and unambiguous attention to the secular principle. Whether you want it or not, lowering the national symbol is a kind of favour done to a religion."
"This Republican tradition is applied in the case of ruling heads of state with whom France has privileged relations. The same step was taken for preceding popes," a spokesman for Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said.
* Mr. Jamal says: "The [American] Empire needs to feed -- on blood."
** Pope John Paul II says: "Be not afraid!"
PFFT (What is this?): Useless honors 5 | Mobbing morality 5 | Moral truth 0 | Rayonnement français 0
Just a note, you cannot fly a flag at "half-mast" unless you are on a boat. On land, the term is "half-staff".
