France claims that 10,000 people have died because the temperature rose to a whopping 104 degrees for 2 whole days. Apparently French people have a low melting point. When I lived in Georgia, the temperature rose into the 100s every day of the summer, all summer long. Even here in DC, it is usually in the 90s every day, and I still see people out jogging around and getting their daily exercise. Basically, I think Frenchmen are all just a big bunch of pussies.

The medical staffers are blaming France's socialist work laws for exacerbating the problem.

France's medical system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. But some health workers said it fell short in August because of a law which has restricted France's working week to 35 hours, which has led to staff shortages, and because hospital and retirement home workers were on holiday.

Is this really how the "best in the world" medical system works? People are dying because doctors and nurses are walking out the door after punching out a 35 hour work week? I guess Hippocrates never made it to France.

I realize that elderly people are prone to kicking off in extreme temperatures. But it seems to me that this whole problem could have been solved simply by having good central air conditioning. Perhaps that will be the next big French entitlement. On their way home from a hard day's work (at 2 PM) Frenchmen should be sure to stop by and pick up their "free" socialist government provided air conditioner.

Perhaps they'll ask for international aid, or maybe the Germans can hook them up the next time they come marching through with rifles.

UPDATE: Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute blames the deaths on the Kyoto protocol and environmentalists.

And as for the heat-prostrated people of Europe, it's too bad that the Kyoto Protocol will do nothing measurable about the Earth's mean temperature for the forseeable future. But it will kill thousands and thousands more in France, Germany and England, where energy taxes are enormous, creating an invisible blackout of lifesaving air conditioning.