Given the kinds of cases they're getting these days, French courts are starting to resemble clown circuses.

Last week a French court had to listen to "Goldfinger" George Soros' whine about his human rights being violated for an inside trading conviction. This week, a French court gets to listen to Venezuelan "International Man of Mystery" Carlos The Jackal carp about not getting enough terrorist—issue Froot Loops inside his French jail cell. Apparently, pate and champagne aren't happening for him these days in Paris. And for the Shagadelic Jackal, that's no fair.

The Austin—Powers—era Marxist terrorist is actually suing in a French court over what he says is unequal treatment for international terrorists, not against ordinary criminals or compared to UN human rights standards — but against other, less—worthy, but more news—o—genic terrorists.

What The Jackal wants to know is why he gets a lousy jail cell in France while unshaven rag—bound Islamofascist terrorists get the luxury treatment over in U.S. terrorist detention centers in Guantanamo. For the Jackal, it's not fair! After all, didn't he once shoot up OPEC meetings and kidnap and kill as well as the newer whippersnappers? Why should he be jailed and forgotten like a criminal while newer terrorist whippersnappers get all the attention?

The aging, balding terrorist also is whining about the indignity of his extradiction from Sudan, whence he was scooped up by French gendarmes in 1994 and hauled back to Paris on a string of terrorist—related charges in his long shagadelic career in the 1960s and 1970s. He's actually complaining that they disturbed his sleep!

Apparently, it's lonely in that French jail cell now that Castro's Mini—me, Hugo Chavez, hasn't sent him any love letters lately.  And in such conditions, it's hard not to be jealous.

But more to the point, the Jackal's new lawsuit shows that most Islamofascist terrorists don't suffer too badly in the much—reviled Gitmo installations, no matter how loudly the international left denounces  them. The Jackal's demands for Gitmo—style due process and Gitmo—style accomodation seem to say that the jailhouse perspective among international terrorists is a little different. The Jackal feels he's entitled to Gitmo—style luxuries, too.

A.M. Mora y Leon 06 27 06