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Anyway, I agree that the state being separated from religion means it should not care whether schoolkids wear some religious symbol or other.

As much as I consider myself an aggressive "separation-of-church-and-state" guy, I have felt like this is a place that France has maybe gone too far to its own detriment. I didn't send them an email to say "Bad France!" -- I mean, it's not my country -- but I will say I was concerned. I guess I could say I see what they are getting at, but let's be real.

In a devil's advocate mode, and knowing that we don't have the same immigrant dynamics in the US as are found in Europe, I wondered what we would think if France did *not* take this position and if 12-year-old school girls started coming to class in burkas? Not inconceivable, is it?

If you didn't know me, you might think I wasn't a sexist pig. But I am in my own harmless (I hope) way. Still, there are a number of things in this world that I think are completely f'ed up, with making women wear tents being high on the list.

So, I am concerned that France has gone too far, but I can also see some merit to the notion that France has avoided some bad things by a matter of degree. Feel free to convince me that France could simply pass an anti-burka ordinance.

The recent political bashings aside, I find the comparison of the relative tribulations of the USA and France interesting. We have guns. They have cigarettes.
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Jim


'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.