Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report.  On today’s Report, I will be talking about some recent events in Europe and the Middle East, and what these events say about the future of Europe, especially France.  From the title of this Report, you may be thinking, “he’s given up on happiness and gone off the deep end again”, but before you jump to that conclusion, just hear me out.

Arab princes buy landmarks in Europe

First of all, I have made a commitment to talk about Europe in these Reports as often as possible because European Civilization is Western Civilization, and that is our civilization, at least it once was.  Our story this week began in the New York Times Sunday Edition of December 17, 2017, when that paper carried a front page story about the new Crown Prince in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. You should remember him from the recent Report I did concerning his appointment by King Salman as his successor, as well as his efforts to reform Saudi society.

It seems that the young Prince, age 32, has gone abroad looking for places to put his country’s wealth and France is one of the lucky recipients.  There are many landmarks in France that represent French history and, as the tour guides will tell you, the landmarks also remind us of the glory of the age of kings.  The most prominent and famous, and a symbol of France itself, is the Palace of Versailles.  Louis XIV built Versailles as his permanent home during his 72 year reign, and now it is perhaps the structure that, except for the Eiffel Tower, is most representative of France and the French people.

Next to Versailles once sat another château, also built by Louis XIV, on 57 manicured acres of gardens.  These Chateaus are more than just symbols or landmarks, they represent the history of a once great nation, and more importantly, they should be the property of the French people who built and paid for them with their labor and blood.  But nevertheless, in 2009, one Chateau was bulldozed and a new, high-tech Chateau Louis XIV was built in its place by Emad Khashoggi, nephew of the late billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.  The new Chateau recently sold for $300 million to a mystery purchaser, but a little research by the New York Times revealed the purchaser to be the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Does this mean that France has sold its soul?  Perhaps it means that France has sold its history, culture, and the nation itself as well as its soul.  France is no longer even a nation-state, and it has been reduced to just a place where people live.  No borders, and as the new prime minister, Emmanuel Macron, said, no culture.  France sells its national treasures to the highest bidder without regard to whom or what that bidder is.  There is no regard whatsoever of history, culture, tradition or religion.  None of those things exist anymore since they have been exchanged for a new multicultural, open society where everything goes because nothing matters.

Europe sacrifices ethics to politics

Ethics, the foundation of civilization, has been destroyed, or at least abandoned, almost everywhere but especially in France.  The new multicultural socialist state is fostered on the people, and they absorb it and embrace it because from early childhood they have been indoctrinated with the belief that all truth is just a matter of opinion and absolute truth does not exist.  Right and wrong then are just matters of opinion, and opinions can change from day-to-day.  Government is free and encouraged to do whatever appears necessary, without exception or limit.

Government is given all power and control over everything, and is therefore responsible for everything.  If your child is failing in the government’s school system, it is obviously the government’s fault and responsibility for fixing the problem lies with the government.  Should your son rob someone on the street, the government has somehow failed him.

Here in America, civilization once flourished because an ethical view of each as people in common, was universal.  People depended on themselves and each other, not on government or the authorities.  Disputes between kids at school, or between neighbors, were handled individually and not by complaining to the authorities.  The idea that a teacher could have been assaulted in school by a student was absolutely unthinkable.

Assault on a church, then the police

In France, burning cars has become a New Year’s tradition for the immigrant population, with hundreds or even thousands burned each year, mostly in Paris.  The French police normally just leave them alone and let them go about their traditions unmolested.  This past New Year’s Eve however something happened that the French police could not ignore.

A church identified as Baptist Evangelical was having a party for its members inside its walls.  When you think of churches in France you usually think of structures such as the Cathedral of Notre Dame, but protestant evangelical churches are usually just storefronts, similar to strip mall stores here in America.  So a large group of African immigrants came to the party uninvited and a large brawl broke out.  On the video I watched there appeared to be hundreds of Africans assaulting the church members.  The walls to the church were broken down either from inside or outside.

The police were called, of course, but a call for a party at a Baptist church usually doesn’t garner a large police presence.  Two cars arrived with solo officers in each.  One of the officers was a women who  was attacked, knocked down, and kicked in the head by what looked like dozens of people.  The last I heard she was in the hospital with severe injuries.  Reinforcements arrived when the police learned of the assault on their officers and these officers were attacked as well, but the female officers were always singled out for special treatment.

So the police, symbol of state power, were assaulted repeatedly by a group of immigrants and France is powerless to stop it.  France has lost its ability to defend itself and lies prostrate before its invading enemies.  Like Sweden, France no longer has the desire, or courage to even defend its women and children.  So Prime Minister Macron is correct when he says there is no more French culture, as well as no more French nation, just a place where people live.  Too bad, it was once a great nation and one worth fighting for.

Muslims in, Jews out

Muslims may be pouring into Europe by the millions, not just France but all of old Europe, while others, Jews in particular are leaving by the thousands.  Notice I said Jews, not just Israelis, but Jews are being chased out of Europe and into Israel where they may live in relative safety.  Jews and Jewish businesses are under attack across Europe, and they apparently see the handwriting on the wall.  The handwriting sounds eerily similar to the handwriting that appeared on Europe’s walls in the 1930’s.  Many Jews did not heed the warning signs then, but they are heeding them this time.

Now back to the Crown Prince for a moment because our story isn’t finished.  He sells himself as a reformer and says that he is going to end corruption in Saudi Arabia, but he sure is throwing around a lot of Saudi money that he got from somewhere.  He met a Russian vodka tycoon with a 440 foot yacht, apparently the largest in the world, and bought it for close to $500 million.  In addition to Chateau Louis XIV, he bought a 620 acre estate with a castle, about an hour’s drive from Paris.  In November 2017, an anonymous collector announced that he was going to sell a painting by Leonardo da Vince entitled Salvator Mundi, and the Prince paid $450.3 million for it.  There are apparently questions as to whether it is a genuine da Vinci, but the Prince has no such questions.

Trouble in Saudi Arabia?

King Salman has also been busy building and buying estates and other property along the Mediterranean from Morocco to Spain.  One wonders why an 88 year-old Monarch would busy himself with such things which will soon be left to the 32 year-old Crown Prince.

Maybe he can see what is about to happen in Saudi Arabia and wants to get as much of the family fortune into real assets outside the region as possible.  The Crown Prince is not the first person to attempt reform of a heavily Muslim society.  Kemal Ataturk tried to reform Turkey in the 1920’s, in a similar fashion.  He wanted to westernize his country and have it join the West, but 98% of Turkey was Muslim about the same as Saudi Arabia today.  Many of the 98% are of one fundamental sect or another, and may be very resistant to change, so we’ll see how well the Prince’s reform efforts work out.

Perhaps the coming turmoil in Saudi Arabia will drive Saudis into Europe as poverty and George Soros have driven so many Africans.  If so, France is certainly open to them, and perhaps the Prince will put them up at one of his estates.

At least that’s the way I see it.

Until next time folks,

This is Darrell Castle,