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NewsletterNovember 2002 FoliageI know you don't think, foliage when you hear the words 'France in the autumn', as say you might with 'Maine in the autumn'. Think again. I spent the weekend of October 19-20 at my in-law's farm in southern Burgundy and the colors were magnificent. There were yellows and reds as good as I saw when I was living in the northeast United States. Assassination AttemptBertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris was stabbed on October 7th. It was not clear what the intentions of Azedine Berkan, the man who stabbed Delanoë, were. It is know that Berkan did not like politicians or homosexuals (Delanoë is one of the few openly gay politicians in France) and he suffered from menial illness in the past. This following the assassination attempt July 14th, on French President Jacques Chirac, has left some in France feeling that France has become more violent and less secure. Patrick HenryPatrick Henry who escaped the guillotine in 1976 after being convicted of kidnapping and murdering a seven year old (See August 2002 Letter) has returned to prison. He was caught with ten kilos of hash in his car at the Spanish border. France asked for his extradition.This not just a case of an ex-con going back to prison, it is more about someone that never either understood the gravity of his crimes or if he did, never changed. He spoke of his crimes as a mistake and in a non-emotional way. What the French thinkOn the six-month anniversary of what the French call the shock of April 21st, the second place showing of far right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the presidential election. Two polls: one published in Libération and the other in Le Parisien; reported 78% of the French feel that crime and public safety remain major problems in France. 48% responded that the political establishment did not learn the lesson of April 21st; elected politicians were still making promises and then not keeping them. 49% noted their belief that President Jacques Chirac ignored the underlying voter message: general dissatisfaction with French life. Follow @jeffsteiner
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