C'est la vie: French emphasize food, gossip over economics, war
So who's right? The French seem preoccupied with the mistresses of their new chief, and the details of their last meal. Meanwhile back in America, President Barack Obama is happily married, but taking flak for his economic and foreign policies.
So who's right? The French seem preoccupied with the mistresses of their new chief, and the details of their last meal. Meanwhile back in America, President Barack Obama is happily married, but taking flak for his economic and foreign policies.
One of the advantages of moving overseas is that you see home more clearly. We came to France last week. Already, America comes into clearer focus.
The French press seems fascinated by the relationship between Francois Hollande鈥檚 two mistresses. The former 鈥� a candidate for president herself 鈥� dumped him when he took up with the latter. The former is also the mother of Hollande鈥檚 4 children, which complicates things further.
The latter hates the former. The former hates the latter.
We learned all this at dinner last night with a charming French couple we have known for years. They spent half the dinner telling us about the presidential m茅nage鈥he other half was spent telling us about what they had eaten recently. They seemed to recall the details of every meal. How it was prepared鈥hat mistakes the chef made鈥nd what the weather must have been when the grapes were picked for their wine.
As to the imminent financial catastrophe in Europe they were sanguine鈥ven blas茅.
鈥淓very week we鈥檙e told the end of Europe will arrive next week. Frankly, we don鈥檛 care anymore.鈥�
What Europeans care about is their vacations! After decades of social and political struggle, the working classes of the Old World won the right to at least 4 weeks of paid vacation. Bosses could not stand in their way. And now Europe鈥檚 highest court has ruled that even nature cannot be allowed to spoil a vacation. The New York Times is on the case:
So, you see, things in France are as they should be. People are delusional. But not deadly.
Back in the United States of America an ill wind blows. Our president is a portrait of failure and homicide. As far as we know, he doesn鈥檛 even have one mistress鈥hich is probably why he has so much time on his hands. According to The New York Times he personally approves the list of unfortunates his drones will assassinate. And for what? Philip Giraldi does the 鈥淭errorism Arithmetic鈥�:
But every president wants to be a war president. War is America鈥檚 #1 zombie industry.
What does it cost to keep these zombies fed? Giraldi continues:
But what鈥檚 new? War is a racket. Always has been. Major Gen. Smedley D. Butler explains:
Sooner or later, almost every country makes war its major racket. Then, after they are defeated and bankrupt鈥eople are sick of it and want to string up the people who got them into it in the first place.
Regards,
Bill Bonner
听蹿辞谤 The Daily Reckoning