Watching the clips of the soldiers patrolling in Paris . . . .

[Stinky The Clown]

. . . . I am put in mind of our trip there back in 2004. We got caught up in a police lockdown at the Eiffel Tower. I was in Paris on business and Sparkly was there to enjoy the city. We went one sunny afternoon to Le Tour Eiffel. Unbeknownst to us, there was a one day general strike. Completely around the tower's site were metal gates set up as pens, approximately 3m on a side. As the strikers were becoming visible in the distance, the tower was closed. We were allowed to mill around beneath it, but men in camos with machine guns were everywhere. More guys in blue jump suits were ushering people approaching the site into these pens. As people left the site, those in the pens were allowed in.

There was no panic. It seemed just another day to everyone there.

The clips on the colortini today looked the vary same. They were beneath the tower, they were in camos, and they were carrying machine guns.

[uppityperson]

1. 'tis interesting waiting in CDG airport to see the military with uzis

speaking broadly, before someone lectures me they are/aren't uzis.

[Bluzmann57]

2. Sounds like kind of a bad way to lead life

Not being crtical or anything, but who wants to walk around soldiers with machine guns? Not me, that's for sure.

[xchrom]

3. Those soldiers AND the protestors are French first.

The soldiers and police do a good job of protecting property, etc.

But the sympathies are often in close accord.

That being said - for as liberal as europe is - destruction
Of property is strongly and swiftly dealt with.

It isn't 'authoritar' in the way some mischaracterization it.

[formercia]

6. Many are Foreign Legion troopers

None but the Officers are French. Can't have Frenchmen shooting Frenchmen, can we?

[uppityperson]

4. They do a good job protecting people, interesting comb with the gendarmes

the local police who do not carry any sort of guns. There are several levels of law enforcement, police, military, something else that slips my mind at the moment. The garbage cans are (most all) metal hoops with clear plastic bags since they were used a while back for bomb placement.

It is ok, not like there are machine gun wielding soldiers everywhere, just places that might attract the nuisance bomber.

[FarCenter]

8. How is this different from police in SWAT uniforms walking around Hoboken train station with Uzis?

Well, maybe M4s and riot shotguns.

[Bluzmann57]

9. Well I've never been to Hoboken

And I likely never will. So I didn't realize that about the train station.

[Divernan]

5. OT: Are you poster formerly known as Husband2Sparkly?

NTTAWWT.

I was in Paris one glorious week one July, including Bastille Day - complete with Mirage jets flying over the city with red, white and blue contrails.

[Canuckistanian]

7. My boss noticed the same thing about the Eiffel Tower a few years ago

He said there were armed soldiers there, every day, with automatics and pistols. And the people just ignored them.

It's really a different situation there.

[Gaedel]

10. Last time I changed planes in Singapore

They had soldiers with sub machine guns accross their chests with magazines in the gun routinely patrolling through the terminal.

That being said, the whole experience was far more friendly and welcoming than US airports with DHS thugs.