Slowly, oh so slowly

after the stupor
life is getting back on track
in good old paris

Still, I am amazed at the bad news from the world; another mass shooting in the USA, the vote by the Commons of UK's participation to air raids in Syria, the notion that we in France are slowly, oh so slowly (or not) having a "police state" imposed on us (the "state of emergency" instated right after Friday 13 was prolonged for a duration of three months; it is already known that a further prolongation will be asked for by the Government and granted by the Parliament in February, and there are plans to change our Constitution so that the period during which the state of emergency can be enforced at one time expands from three to six months. If that is the case before the end of Februrary, we could be in a state of emergency until the end of next summer!

What is most unnerving and, at times, disheartening, is that people don't seem to see the risks imposed on democracy by living for such a long period of time in what should remain an exceptional situation. At the moment, the police can act without our Justice department having any say-so; green activists have been put under house arrest, quite conveniently, for the duration of the COP21, under the merest pretext for some. They are, in effect, being imprisoned for their ideas. In France. In 2015.

Power to the people!

I know there are worse situations on this blue Earth, but if we start letting small(ish) things go, we might slide all the way down the democracy ladder...

In other, but unfortunately related, subjects: we have the first round of a regional election this weekend; the far right is predicted to sweep a few, for the first time. More cause for despair. What are people thinking?

Apart from this, I'm fine and I keep smiling. Most of the time.

Oh, I almost forgot: Not In My Name. None of it.