Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Sarkozy is unyielding, and good for him. The riot police retook the oil refinery at Grandpuits, east of Paris, early this morning.
Workers have been camped for 10 days in front of the site, blocking access and contributing to punishing fuel shortages. As of Friday, about 20 percent of France's service stations were still empty, down from 40 percent a few days ago ...
Sarkozy ordered regional authorities to intervene and force open depots, accusing the strikers of holding ordinary people and the French economy "hostage." ...
The gas shortages and other disruptions caused by the conflict have hit many sectors of the economy, and Global Equities' head economist Marc Touati said it could wipe out between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points of economic growth.
While many in France are used to strikes and protests, patience started wearing thin this week as gasoline supplies dwindled. ... Paris taxi driver Jerome Nourry resorted to getting gas in neighboring Belgium.
"We have to be inventive. I drove a customer to Belgium yesterday, so I took advantage (of the trip) to put some gas in a container," he said in Paris on Friday morning. "We do what we can, in order to be able to work."
And what do the soi-disant spokesmen for the working men have to say about this?
"We are outraged, scandalized," said Charles Foulard, a union leader at the Grandpuits depot.
But not, bien sûr, by the golden flock of morons who are determined to put his fellow citizens out of work.
Postscript: Today's "deliberately obtuse journalist" award goes to Siegfried Mortkowitz, who introduces his story about these events with this lede:
Paris - They are wearing leather jackets and chic Palestinian Kheffiyeh scarfs, they are teenagers and they are worried about their future.
You might think that sartorial detail would prompt a reporter's curiosity about the significance of those scarves, or at least some further comment, but no--they're just chic.
- Comment (7)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments :
Jul '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Postscript: Today's "deliberately obtuse journalist" award goes to Siegfried Mortkowitz, who introduces his story about these events with this lede:
Au contraire, ma cherie, the twit says it all.
Aug '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
I'm impressed. I had no idea Sarkozy had that much spine. It's gratifying to see the French wake up and smell the espresso.
Speaking of fashion, check out the Paris riot police and their tres cool armor. They look like Roman soldiers, with breastplate, backplate, segmented shoulder pieces, and helmets with neck shields, all done in carbon fiber.
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
I interviewed the riot police in Marseiile once. They were impressively cool. "Why," I asked one, "are you wearing those balaclavas?"
"Because they look so scary," he said.
Aug '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Ragnarok
Postscript: Today's "deliberately obtuse journalist" award goes to Siegfried Mortkowitz, who introduces his story about these events with this lede:
Au contraire, ma cherie, the twit says it all. · Oct 22 at 5:09am
Ragnarok's right. What Palestinian Liberation mainly is, is chic.
Aug '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Paris, Palestine, kafiyehs on restless youths....ah the imagery.....and Arafat dying in a Paris hospital.....ahh the justice. Tres chic. Tres droles.
Oct '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Is this the death of workers rights? Most people agree some level of workers rights is necessary; I suspect we'll be debating just what those rights are sometime this decade.
May '10
Re: Sarkozy Smashes Fuel Blockade, Liberates Moron Outrage Supplies
Moron Outrage, Claire, have you been reading Ace, in any case, in French it would be imbecile, not moron.
I lived there, but I'm not sure if popcorn futures will rise as a result of this--I'm buying some in any case...