Al Qaeda Group Threatens Assassination of French President Hollande

Al Qaeda is threatening other people, for a change.  It's usually Americans that terrorists have in their cross hairs, but this time they're targeting the French, especially president Francois Hollande.  They want him dead because France went to the aid of all the Muslims in Mali who wanted nothing to do with extremism.

The al-Minbar Jihadi Media Network, an Islamist terrorist web site, has called for Muslims worldwide to stage attacks in France and on French institutions and interests in support of the Muslim Jihad against Christianity.

"Supporting them is an easy matter for every honest and loyal person, because the embassies of France fill the lands of the Muslims, not to mention the lions of our Ummah who live in the West," al-Minbar said in a message.

"To our lone wolves in France, assassinate the president of disbelief and criminality, terrify his cursed government, and bomb them and scare them as a support to the vulnerable in the Central African Republic," another message stated, referring to the ongoing fighting between rebel groups in the strife-riven African nation.

"Neither Hollande, nor his soldiers will know peace in France as long as the Muslims of Mali and the Central African Republic cannot live properly in their country."

Jihadists think they know what's best for all Muslims. In fact, they think they know what's best for  us infidels too.

Hollande doesn't seem too phased about the threats though.

"this is not the first time there have been threats"  "we are being very vigilant."

Vigilance doesn't necessarily prevent terrorist attacks, but am wishing France the best.

More on the story at Israel National News.

Video- The Rich and Young Leaving France's Welfare State

A short video on the mass exodus of the wealthy, and the "best and brightest" young men and women of  France  They want out of the "unsustainable" welfare state.

50 percent of the youth in France would leave if they could.

A warning to the U.S.

Video here.

Hollande's 'Tax Millionaires 75%' Gets Court Approval

France is about to sock it to the wealthy for several years: retroactively for 2013 and 2014. If you make over 1 million euros ($1.4 million) you're going to be hit with a hefty 75% tax. Actually, the companies that pay you that amount will be liable for a 50% duty on those wages in addition to some other taxes and "social charges" for a whopping total of 75%.  At least that's what Bloomberg.com claims.

The constitutional court of France approved Socialist President Francoise Hollande's proposal.

“The companies that pay out remuneration above 1 million euros will, as expected, be called upon for an effort of solidarity on remuneration paid in 2013 and 2014,” the Economy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement.

Hollande, who once said he “didn’t like” the rich, announced the 75 percent tax in February 2012 as part of his presidential campaign to appeal to his Socialist base. It has become a symbol of his government’s record-high taxation rate. [snip] The total amount is limited to 5 percent of a company’s revenue.

Hollande tried last year but failed because individuals rather than households were to be taxed.

It appears the current incarnation (taxing companies) went to the courts because it was opposed by a bunch of MPs and senators.

I wonder if there will be a mass exodus of the wealthy from France.

Islamists Protest In London Against French Mali Intervention

The French have entered the battle against Islamic imperialism in Mali. It took the capture of Konna in central Mali for French President Francois Hollande to finally get involved.

"French forces brought their support this afternoon to Malian army units to fight against terrorist elements," French President Francois Hollande said in a statement. "This operation will last as long as is necessary."

On Friday France began air strikes against the rebels. Backed by international forces, the Malian army was able to stop the advance by the Al-Qaeda-linked militants and recapture the key town of Konna, which had been seized by insurgent forces earlier, said the country’s defense officials.

But it wasn't until the Islamist extremists- who have control of northern Mali- started marching southward  that Mali's president Dioncounda Traore finally decided  to declare a state of emergency, and ask for France's help. Nigeria, Senegal and the U.N. are also pitching in.

The UN Security Council has also called for a 'swift deployment' of foreign troops to Mali. It has approved plans to send some 3,000 African troops to recapture the country's north.

Meanwhile, in London, 60 or so Islamists (including their children) planted themselves in front of the French Embassy to protest France's intervention.  The ingrates, who are all probably on the dole, stood there with the usual anti-Western, pro-Shariah banners.

The demonstrators held placards reading "French army, you will pay, the Muslims are on their way", "United Nations, go to hell" and "Sharia is the only solution for Mali".

French President Francois Hollande sent troops on Friday to help Malian forces hold back an advance by Islamist rebels, and on Saturday Paris announced that a French military pilot had been killed.

"Francois Hollande, you are a Satan," one of the protesters, Abu Shaafehi, said in French through a loudspeaker. "Sharia for France!"

The protest was divided into two groups, separated by several meters, of men in traditional dress and women in veils.

A group of British police stood guard outside the embassy but the protest dispersed peacefully.

I don't know why the Brits don't just ship them all home. They'd be far happier there.

Overly Taxed Rich Leaving France Including Actor Gerard Depardieu-

The rich in France are leaving in droves especially after Socialist President Francois Hollande's administration has raised taxes on individuals making over 1 million Euros to an outrageous 75%, and they're taking their businesses with them. But it's not just income tax that has them in a tizzy:

..a sharp increase in taxes on capital gains from the sales of stock and company stakes is pushing most people to leave, according Didier Bugeon, head of the wealth manager Equance.

French entrepreneurs have complained vociferously against a proposal in the Socialist's 2013 budget to increase the capital gains tax on sales of company stakes, which they argue will kill the market for innovative start-up companies in France.

They say a stiff increase in capital gains tax would remove incentives to do this in France. They also argue that capital has already been taxed several times in the making.

The French government did wind up "backtracking" on the hefty tax increase on the sale of a company, and the 75% tax is now only for two years, but people are still packing up and moving. Actually they started moving in anticipation of an Hollande win, and are now following through with it.

And it's not just businesses, French actor Gerard Depardieu (a Nicolas Sarkozy supporter, it turns out) is planning on moving to Belgium where the taxes aren't quite so exorbitant. His decision so infuriated the French government, that its criticism led to Depardieu writing a scathing letter which was published in the Journal du Dimanche. Addressed to Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, who called Depardieu "pathetic" for wanting to move to Néchin, Belgium and take all his money with him, it said, in part:

"I am handing over to you my passport and social security, which I have never used," he said. "We no longer have the same homeland, I am a true European, a citizen of the world, as my father always taught me to believe."

He concludes: "Despite my excesses, my appetite and love for life, I am a free being, Sir, and will remain polite."

He also wrote:

"Unfortunately there's nothing left for me to do here, but I will continue to love the French, the public with whom I've shared so many emotions! I leave because you consider that success, creation, talent, difference, in fact, should be sanctioned."

Bottom line Depardieu doesn't want to live in a socialist country that is going to tax the bulk of his earnings, which is unfortunate for France since he had 80 people working for him.  Plus he claims he has paid over 145 million Euros in taxes during the past 45 years that he's been working. He also allegedly paid 85% tax on his 2012 income. That's a lot of tax monies that France will no longer have.

Naturally the leftists would be apoplectic, after all, who else is going to fill those coffers to pay for all their social programmes if all the rich bail. Some call those leaving 'traitors'. Socialist Aurelie Filippetti, minister of culture, likened Depardieu's abandoning ship to:

 "deserting the field in the middle of a war against the [economic] crisis," and that "French citizenship is an honour, and includes rights and also duties, which include the ability to pay taxes."

The conservatives there, however, know the consequences of overly taxing the rich.

"We're losing the rich, like Gerard Depardieu, and the poor feel betrayed," said Rama Yade, a former Sarkozy minister, and vice president of the moderate conservative Radical Party, referring to workers at factories expected to close down. "France is the one getting weakened, and its future is being sold off cheaply," she said.

Sound familiar? The U.S. should take heed before the mass exodus of our rich, since that has already started to happen. 

Ironically, a bunch of the rich and famous of France had banded together to petition to be taxed a higher percentage:

“We are conscious of having benefited from a French system and a European environment that we are attached to and which we hope to help maintain,” wrote the group, which included the chief executives of Air France-KLM and Société Générale, and the billionaire heiress to the L’Oréal fortune, among others. “When the public finances deficit and the prospects of a worsening state debt threaten the future of France and Europe and when the government is asking everybody for solidarity, it seems necessary for us to contribute.”

That is, until they realized how high.