"That may be why, according to a poll taken in 2000 by the National Commission on the Rights of Man, 63 percent of French people think there are "too many Arabs" in the country. This may be evidence of racism, but not of knee-jerk racism: Only 43 percent of Frenchmen say the same of blacks, only 21 percent of Asians, and only 19 percent of Jews."

I wonder how they ask that question. If you asked it in the US, something, I don't know what, would happen.

I know if you asked me if there were too many Muslims, or Catholics, or Jews, or Protestants, or agnostics, or atheists, I'd say "YES".

Too many Irish, English, Germans, Afro-Americans, Chicanos, Asians. Too many men, women and children, period. Too much of anything, everything.

Slam-dunk question.

The US has gone through a whole lot of anguish coming to terms with discrimination and assimilating people who don't look Caucasian. Just recently there was a trial over a racially-motivated '60s killing. Some people may not remember the problems of that era, and as matters have moderated they may not seem as bad as they did then.

There were assassinations, riots, burnings, and general mayhem in many, many areas for years. The sit-ins, boycotts, marches, walks and school desegration stand-offs were tense, sometime violent, and Civil Rights were hard-won.

A part of the reason for the break of the South from the Democratic Party was over the Democratic push for Civil Rights.

The French, as the article said, had to come to terms with Algeria, and will do the same with the Muslims. Might be ugly for a while. It sure was here, and may be again, as Caucasians head into minority status.

Arf