Bonsoir colere.
Pointdevue is furious.
Last night, out to grab a bite with a neighbor. Our little old streets alive with perhaps 150 heavily armed police. Obama and Hollande and Royale and hangers-on dining at the 300 euro a head resto around the corner, L’Ambroisie. On the way home we halted among a crowd of about fifty eager camera-holders because the cop said they were about to emerge. Any minute. Pointdevue imagined Barack strolling in the park in the night breeze, and she shouting, Yo Bro from the South Side! Give ’em hell!- Finally motorcycle lights went on, a beautiful electric blue, and engines roared. Dozens of huge armored cars with American and French flags stuck on front whizzed by us. No one visible. Windows black. The dissed crowd cheered.
- Pointdevue to neighbor: they are here to work for us, for the planet in need of leadership. Not for a night out in gaie Paree. Why not eat at L’Elysee, since the taxpayers already pay that cook? Obama– why not turn in early so you can be fresh and sharp in the morning?
- The oblivion. The wallowing in privilege and self-congratulation. Business as usual. Rome never burns.
notes on culture, politics and daily life
Recent Comments
 | maristed on Brushs and Pens |
 | equinoxio21 on Brushs and Pens |
 | jim barnard on Brushs and Pens |
| maristed on Brushs and Pens |
| equinoxio21 on Brushs and Pens |
POINT de VUE: PARIS 
Whew….understand the reaction…
The (cover?) story here is that the leaders went out to lead by example….not afraid to be in public…dine out, rather than be sequestered…but you’re in a better place to assess….
Vive la France, vive Paris…
Indeed that’s the spin. Let’s all imitate their inspiring example–venture forth behind blackened glass, on cordoned off streets and highways, protected by hundreds of armed police.
Jours de colère, “Point de vue”.
They also could have gone to “les restaurants du coeur”. But no. Impress the American president with taxpayers’ money. Borrowed money. Of course.
The location was perfect: la Place des Vosges, where a former “would-be” socialist presidential candidate had a flat. Just a few million euros a flat near Madame de Sévigné for a socialist IMF director caught with his pants down… (At least it got him out of the presidential race)
I had had the same nasty feeling at the Copenhagen conference a few years back. 150 “presidents” or “heads of states”… 150 people supposedly representing 7 billion human beings? Do the math. No way. How many dictators in the family photo at Le Bourget?
Our president-king is called by some “Normal 1st”. And Valls, is called “le Premier Sinistre”, the Prime Sinister.
The result sadly will seen on sunday with the Le Pen family likely grabbing two regions.
Berk! (Don’t know how to translate this so typical french expression. Berk? Allow me to throw up? Pardon my French…)
Thank you for your “mots de colère”
Brian
Même pas peur!
Brian, you put it so eloquently–Berk! (English might be Yech or Yuck.) And yes, sometimes one equation is worth a thousand words. But if the 150 can’t rise above themselves, actually transform themselves, we–and perhaps even their kids too–are in for a very rough future.
Thank you Kai. (I thought of Yuck) 🙂
Many times this year I’ve been thinking of my grandfather, who, a century ago was fighting in the trenches near Verdun. A century ago and we’re still cutting each others’ throats? yuck. and then I think about Dalladier and Chamberlain in Munich, surrendering to Hitler even before fighting. Maybe he could have been stopped then. I wonder if we are not again at a München-like crossroad?
Be safe.
Même pas peur
Pardon me for being churlish but the exact nature of your fury is somewhat opaque. The fact that they were chowing down in L’Ambroisie and you were not? I’ve often walked past and wished I were inside but usually resisted anger at those who were. Well, most of the time. On the other hand I just paid an immoral amount of money to see The King and I at Lincoln Center (which I adored) so hesitate to criticize Barak, who does bear a rather large burden every waking hour, for having a good time in difficult circumstances in a restaurant clearly not of his choosing. That you and the crowd were dissed at the lack of camaraderie and high fives on their emergence? By their not denying themselves the perks of power while trying to accomplish something rather important in daylight hours? Please explicate. Liberal righteousness commingled with naiveté are a unhelpful and unattractive combination and, more to the point, surprisingly unworthy of you. I say this as someone on your side.
Oh la vache! Said a la Francaise, as in OMG. My only memory of l’Ambroisie was a very rich American wanting me to make a rez there during the mad cow days (La vache folle), so he could order riz de veau (brains!) I declined. But he told me later the staff there said “no problem, monsieur.” That was then. these are the mad world days. mad humans days. I am surprised by nothing they do. As for COP 21…have seen numerous times these recent days the epithet: COPOUT. not surprised, either. yes, it’s all burning. Yes, I’ll vote for the Bern. Yes, la place Des Vosges was better used one soiring night a few years ago to cage wild animals (really!) as that little fenced i park had done back in the day of kings and queens here in gaie Paris. Not sure who is caged now. Them? or us??!!.
Well, there it is. Have to agree that if the idea is to be seen you should be seeable, and also that L’Ambroisie (I have only peered in the window) is not the place to go if the object is to set an example of conservation and sensible-ness. Let’s hope the decision was up to the Secret Service (you know, the guys who keep missing the fence jumpers while the dogs bring them down every time.)
Doubt the Secret Service guys even have that joint on their radar. Maybe Segolene Royale’s choice? To each her own. I pray never again to be bored cross-eyed during long hours of worship in one of those scelerotic food temples. Not my religion.