Sowing the Wind – Busts, Bubbles and Blow-Ups

They that sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.
– Hosea, 8-7
A City on Edge
PARIS – We drove back into Paris last night… France is still in a state of emergency. A police blockade near Dreux stopped cars headed out of the city. There were about 20 gendarmes manning the barrier, some armed with machine guns. Police shined flashlights into passing cars, pulling over those they wanted to inspect more closely.
This morning, in our favorite caf at the foot of Rue Poussin, in the 16th arrondissement, everyone drinks his coffee and eats his croissant while watching the big TV screen in the corner.
‘A kamikaze woman has been killed,’ is the headline story.
‘Assault still going on…’ says a subhead.
‘Explosions rock St. Denis,’ adds another.
St. Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, has been shut down. People who work in the area are told not to go to their jobs. Buses aren’t running. The streets are blocked by hundreds of police.
‘Two terrorists killed,’ says the latest headline…
Paris is on edge. Since France began bombing Islamic State (ISIS) strongholds in Syria, the group has targeted the city for special treatment, say the papers.
About 700 French citizens or residents have joined ISIS to fight in Syria – the largest number of any European country. That means ‘Daesh’ (pronounced ‘dash’ – the new… and apparently derogatory… name that political leaders are using for ISIS) has the potential manpower to carry out attacks.

This post was published at Acting-Man on November 19, 2015.