“If it's worth striving for, it's worth protecting.”

November 10, 2005

By Rob Lambert, President of Asset Protection Corporation

As I write, Kelli and I are sitting together on a bench in a beautiful and calm Paris. Let me assure you, it is not burning.

I have been reading the various English language newspapers, which are reporting continuing out-of-control violence and vandalism in Paris. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Paris is calm and there is no danger.

A number of small pockets of largely Muslim residents have had out-of-control vandalism. They are burning their own communities. So far, the police have been restrained, but they are getting to the end of their rope, as I am told. The violence is also spreading to other pockets of disgruntled immigrants in other countries including Germany, Italy and Spain. This could become a real problem.

WHY?

Well… I am not a social philosopher. All I do is Asset Protection. However, a continuing theme I hear from the French people is that the Muslim immigrants have chosen to not “follow the rules,” which results in them not being incorporated into the French culture and infrastructure. I think that the bottom line is that if you want to live in France, you had better learn French and follow French customs. This is, honestly, all that I think the French demand. Since their revolution, the French have enjoyed one of the most accepting and non-judgmental societies.

The bottom line in France is: Learn French and the French cultural heritage and you will be fine and accepted. You can be any color or religion. The barriers to entry are small and easy to overcome.

The problem: Most of the young Muslims have chosen to not learn French and adopt French customs. As a result, the hard-headed French people have not opened their doors to the immigrants. The options to a young Muslim are very limited. Their road is tough. The options are usually a very unrewarding job at below what we would consider the poverty level in the U.S. It is much more rewarding to sell drugs and engage in other criminal activity, which I am told by many Frenchmen, is what the Muslims are doing. (Do you smell a little bigotry?)

I wonder if the French should institute governmental and social incentives to integrate the disenfranchised Muslims into French society? I remember when I applied to Harvard Law School with a top of my class 3.97 G.P.A. and was turned down while all of the black guys I was tutoring were accepted. Accepting a bunch of black guys with 3.0 or less G.P.A.’s because they were black and rejecting me made no sense at the time. This made me mad; however, maybe it was the right thing for our country. Looking back, I think it was. Maybe we have started to heal our wounds in the U.S.

Maybe the same can be done in France (and actually, the rest of central Europe). They are in for a hard time here.

I also don’t think that the average Frenchman has much sympathy for the plight of the young, estranged Muslim. Honestly, I suspect that the motivation to engineer social machinery to encourage their re-entry (or initial entry) into French society does not exist and cannot be garnered in the short run. Time will tell.

In the meantime, the weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, and Paris still has the best food in the world.

Please keep your fingers crossed.

By the way, I came here to meet with several Swiss Bankers who flew in, and I will have a report on this soon.

Have a happy and protected week.

Rob

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