Boycott French Goods
Thu February 27th, 2003 13:44 MST[UPDATE FOR FRENCH READERS: We are at war with terrorism. Iraq is just one campaign. For those of you who want to stop us, watch THIS and you will see why we will NOT STOP UNTIL ALL POTENTIAL ENEMIES ARE DEALT WITH!]
[UPDATE 3/27/03: It turns out that the French are the reason our troops were unable to transit Turkey - click here for details. This treachery against our troops during war is yet another reason to boycott these slime.]
[UPDATE 4/20/03: The US has lost only one A-10 tank-buster aircraft ever in combat. It was lost near Baghdad Airport to a French-made Roland missile. A cache of Rolands was found nearby, with year 2002 dates on them - a clear sanctions violation.]
[Update 4/20/03: The US would like to restart the oil-for-food program and to remove sanctions from the now-defanged Iraq. The French and Russians, who before the war wanted a reduction of sanctions, now want to keep sanctions in full force, to the detriment of the people of Iraq. They are doing this completely unwarranted and transparently cynical act of blackmail in order to force good commercial deals from Iraq.]
France has been obstructing America’s effort to defend herself, and has been doing so out of its own selfish economic and political interests.
If you dislike this behavior, send the French a message by not buying their goods. If you are French, replace your government!
If you have a web site, feel free to link to this poster image.
Thanks, I posted it in message:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0118284/2003/02/28.html#a94
Don
Great poster. It worked with me in ‘51
If your not part of the solution you are part of the problem
Why Boycott America?
Well one solution is not civil disobedience but commercial disobedience - quite simply to stop buying products made by large American corporations. From cars to cola, from sportswear to software, stopping buying products from large American corporates sends out a loud clear message that we are have noticed what is going on, and we are not happy with it!
French are doing a great jobs as well as the americains are allways right ans true, that a big bag of sh!t… Boycott United States not America, boycott united-statiens (not americans - given a bad name to the continent)goods….
You are intelligent, so think for once
Well, obviously a Useful Fool has checked in.
Boycott America. He, dude, go for it. The good news is that losers like you have no money, since you don’t work, so your boycott won’t make any difference!
Stupid French! We saved there weak country from the nazi rule in WWII, they should be thanking us not argueing against us. I am all for this french boycott.
FREE WILL IS A WONDERFUL THING AND IF AMERICANS CHOSE TO STOP BUYING FRENCH, GERMAN ETC GOODS. THEN THAT IS THEIR CHOSE. THOSE NATIONS THAT CHOSE THEIR RESPONSE TO THE IRAQI QUESTION SHOULD NOT BE UPSET IF THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN. YES, YOU CAN CHOSE TO BOYCOTT AMERICAN GOODS. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE REALISTIC HERE THE U.S. IS ONE OF THE LARGEST MARKETS FOR EUROPEAN GOODS (CARS, CLOTHES, ETC) AND OTHER COUNRIES SUCH AS ANGOLA AND CHILE COULD FIND THINGS ALOT MORE TROUBLING THAN A BOYCOTT OF THEIR GOODS. SENTIMENT IN THE U.S. IS TO CUT AID TO THESE “WELFARE STATES”
(THEIR WORDS NOT MINE)AND WHEN IT COMES TO VOTING FOR GOVERMENT OFFICALS PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GO WITH PEOPLE WHO WILL DO THE CUTTING. AMERICANS HAVE A LONG MEMORIY FOR “INJURIES”. IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA FOR EVERYONE TO THINK, NO NATION IS AN ISLAND AND A DECISION YOU MAKE TODAY COULD COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU TOMORROW.
What a shit! That’s quiet childish, he destroy my sand castle, I don’t play with him anymore!
No, Chief (posting from a German email address),
We suffered a major attack on 9-11 and are attacking Iraq as part of our war to prevent another one. You guys are obstructing our self defense for no good reason.
Your country has been one of the worst in selling goods to dictators, and in selling supplies needed to make weapons of mass destruction. Just this month you shipped a large quantity of chemicals to North Korea - chemicals used in the manufacture of VX nerve agent.
Furthermore, your country tried one of the main conspirators in the attack and gave him a sentence of only 2 days per life taken - hardly a just punishment for successfully conspiring to kill over 3000 people!
Oh yeah, and we also spent hundreds of billions of dollars and 80,000 lives fighting the Soviet Union, which occupied the eastern part of your country until we defeated them.
So tell me again why we shouldn’t boycott your goods?
everybody knows the terrorists of 9-11 were from saudi arabia which support terrorism all over the world financially.
This country is not even on the US target list as they’re responsible of the attack against our country.
Why is it said Irak is more dangerous now than during the gulf war?
why don’t we focus first on the countries which really attacked us?
Wouldn’t world peace be wonderful? No one would disagree with that, but peace always comes with a price. Someone always has to fight the bandits lurking out there on the fringe of free civilizations. These supposed peace demonstrations are attracting a “who’s who” of undemocratic organizations, i.e., communists, marxists, plo, hamas, and the list just goes on and on… Non-activist Americans look at all of them and come to the conclusion that there’s a whole lot more going on here than just advocating peace. Wake up and smell the coffee! The last thing these people want is peace. They just want to mock President Bush, bash the US and Israel, and you know something? The hollywood morons are getting their free publicity; however, I think you’ll see a decrease in the amount of movie-theatre tickets sold. Especially those with penn, sarandon, baldwin, robbins, streisand and co. I think people will also think twice before they buy that volkswagen or bottle of champagne. Activism isn’t always in your face, most of the time it’s in your pocket.
The reason to attack Iraq is that they have weapons of mass destruction and have used them in the past. They could give them to terrorists (Saudi or otherwise) and we can no longer allow that possibility in a world where a small weapon can kill tens of thousands (VX Nerve Gas, Botulin Toxin) to tens of millions or more (Smallpox).
Iraq is not more dangerous than during the gulf war. However, after 9-11 the policy makers in the us “woke up” to the fact that terrorists, not sponsored by countries but covertly aided by them, were both willing and able to kill very large numbers of people. Some of us advocated that Iraq be disarmed by force during the first gulf war, but that view was not held by the administration at the time, and not authorized by the UN.
Fortunately the administration we have now knows that we have to act in our self defense, as we see it, regardless of whether the undemocratic and feckless UN approves or not. We are the primary target in the world, and we thus must take the role as the primary eradicator of WMD proliferation.
Now I can hear the next question: How about Korea. The answer is: Iraq is easier and fewer people will get killed. We have yet to determine that force is necessary with Korea, but if it is, we will do it. Korea also has WMD’s (nukes, biological weapons including smallpox, chemical weapons) and has a history of selling prohibitted missile technology. The fear is that they might also sell nuclear material or weapons. They also must be disarmed.
Then I hear: How about Israel - they have WMD’s too? And the answer there is that they have no intention or history of using those weapons aggressively or arming terrorists.
THE BUNNY AND THE SNAKE
Once upon a time (allegedly) in a nice little forest, there lived an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By a surprising coincidence, both were blind from birth.
One day, the bunny was hopping through the forest, and the snake was slithering through the forest, when the bunny tripped over the snake and fell down. This, of course, knocked the snake about quite a bit.
“Oh, my,” said the bunny, “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ve been blind since birth, so, I can’t see where I’m going. In fact, since I’m also an orphan, I don’t even know what I am.”
“It’s quite OK,” replied the snake. “Actually, my story is much the same as yours. I, too, have been blind since birth, and also never knew my mother. Tell you what, maybe I could slither all over you, and work out what you are, so at least you’ll have that going for you.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful” replied the bunny. So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and said, “Well, you’re covered with soft fur; you have really long ears; your nose twitches; and you have a soft cottony tail. I’d say that you must be a bunny rabbit.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you,” cried the bunny, in obvious excitement. The bunny suggested to the snake, “Maybe I could feel you all over with my paw, and help you the same way that you’ve helped me.”
So the bunny felt the snake all over, and remarked, “Well, you’re smooth and slippery, and you have a forked tongue, no backbone and no balls. I’d say you must be French”.
Hello,
Just want to say that USA must grow up, open your eyes.
Your government manipulates you.
Vive l’amerique, vive l’europe, vive la france…
Voila.
To the contrary, grownups make hard decisions and don’t support bullies and tyrants. Of course your government has been selling to the bully. That changes it’s point of view to one of “what they don’t see must not exist.” For France it’s all about the francs.
Hey folks,
if you want to boycott french and german goods. Do it. I think this isn’t really effective. No one wouldn’t buy Adidas or L’Oreal products just because they are from germany or france. This products are good. Also good enough for Americans.
Your president just wants to make war against Iraq because he hasn’t done enought throughout hist legislature period, precisely in the past 3 years. His package for ecomic growth (ca. 60 billion Dollars) was quite uneffective. The unemployment rates in the USA are increasing. He also wants to save one of the biggest oil reserves of the world just to have low prices on the american oil market and because he wants to control the oil prices worldwide.
As a result of this facts: Mr Bush wants to make war against Iraq just because he wants to get reelected.
And if he is going to make war without a resolution of the UN he makes the same shitty things as Hitler has done in the past.
Great Britain, Mr Blair, doesn’t get positive feedback from his countrymen. As a fact of this he’s thinking about getting out of the
war-coalition with the USA, Bulgaria and Spain.
That’s PRESIDENT BUSH to you.
Isn’t it impressive how good the Europeans are at divining President Bush’s motives, while us poor Americans don’t have a clue?
Markus, wake up: Bush has been in office TWO years, not 3. And 8 months into his term the United States was viciously attacked at great cost in lives and to our economy. He also inherited the economic hangover from the excesses under Bill Clinton’s presidency.
If all he cared about were oil prices, he could get low prices on the oil market by simply dropping the embargo against Iraq. Instead, he has taken actions that have caused oil prices to skyrocket, to his political disadvantage. If you want to see foreign policy controlled by oil interests, why don’t you ask your French and Russian “anti-war” allies about their huge oil contracts with Iraq?
As far as your comparison of him to Hitler… in addition to being terribly offensive, it is also wrong. It is a shame that you don’t know your own history. Hitler attacked in wars of occupation. Hitler attacked in a racist war (to the east). Hitler was a vicious dictator, although he was originally elected.
Bush, on the other hand, has no desire for territory. The United States has neither the desire nor the political will to administer hostile possessions, whether oil rich or not. The last time we took any territory was around 1900, when we captured Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, all of which were Spanish colonies, and we ultimately gave the Philippines to its own people.
Read some of the postings on this blog’s main page and you will see the reasons for the US national defense need to disarm Iraq.
Perhaps some day thousands of Germans will be suddenly killed by terrorists. Then you people may finally understand.
Until then, your lecturing is hollow. It is made more hollow by your frequent sales of weapons and tools for the making of weapons of mass destruction to Iraq and other evil regimes. Just a few weeks ago, a ship left Germany with tons of nerve gas precursor, headed for Korea. One would think that Germans, especially, might have some sensitivy to poison gas, since you guys invented nerve agents to use on the Jews!
Europeans currently live in a dream world. You imagine that “multilateral” processes through the UN are all that is necessary to solve the world’s problems. Your leaders say the same, think, except when it suits them. You folks need the US military to solve your little problem in the Balkans. Remember that? There was no UN resolution. When it was to Europe’s advantage, the requirement to get UN blessing was suddenly not so important! France intervened in the Ivory Coast last year without any multilateral sanction. They decided to go in, and they just did it.
So I hope you understand when Americans see French and Germans as total hypocrites!
I just saw the French diplomat at the UN make a complete and utter fool of himself and his pathetic country…Perhaps down the road Paris or Berlin may suffer a terrorist attack where they lose thousands of thier countrymen and then i’d like to see how they respond to the dangers the the present Iraqi regime pose. These French are an arrogant bunch of assholes who are living in the past. They no longer have any power in the world and cling to the UN security council for any sort of forum just so they heard… They really do suck! I’m an American and surely know how so many of my fellow patriots died saving Frances sorry ass in “TWO” world wars…How quickly they forget!!!!!
ok dudes, forget even listening to those gutless french and the rest of those ’surrender monkeys’.
i’m of polish-french decent and i detest every french gene in my body. so remember, iraq now, the french tomorrow. let’s start listing all those goddam french goods to boycott so the rest of us will know what not to buy. let’s bring down that obnoxious, arrogant, group down economically. don’t buy their wine, cheese, bic razors. please add to this list now! big john
Punishing the French and the Germans by boycotting them makes even less sense economically than it does politically. Thanks to decades of mutual trade and investment, Europe and the U.S. have long been the Siamese twins of the global economy.
European companies represented over 60% of all foreign direct investment in the US. Two-way trade in goods and services, at around $600 billion a year, already dwarfs any other trade relationship on the planet.
But even that’s a narrow way of looking at it. A study soon to be released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations in Washington tallies up the sales of U.S. companies controlled by Europeans and European companies controlled by Americans — “foreign affiliate sales” in economic parlance. Using that formulation, there’s an entity out there called the Transatlantic Economy, and it has a value of $2.5 trillion — equal to approximately one-quarter of U.S. gross domestic product.
Boycott German cars and French cheese? Try telling that to the workers at the Mercedes-Benz assembly line in Tuscaloosa County, Ala. Or those at the Dannon Yogurt plant in Munster, Ohio, the largest of its kind in the world — owned by Paris-based Groupe Danone. They hold some of the estimated 4.9 million American jobs that exist as a result of European direct investment in the U.S. Boycotts, in other words, can backfire.
Hope you learnt something from this free lesson in Economics 101.
Gwen (working in finance btw)
We are not talking about boycotting the goods of all of europe - just that of Frace and Germany. I think that where the major beef lies.
Ok, let me repeat this, Jules (nice French name, btw), and I repeat it veeeery slowly:
Boycott German cars and French cheese? Try telling that to the workers at the Mercedes-Benz assembly line in Tuscaloosa County, Ala. Or those at the Dannon Yogurt plant in Munster, Ohio, the largest of its kind in the world — owned by Paris-based Groupe Danone. They hold some of the estimated 4.9 million American jobs that exist as a result of European direct investment in the U.S. Boycotts, in other words, can backfire.
Gwen
Gwen - typing your message slower won’t help ! print is print and i understood you the first time. Do you actually think that these companies would fold up or lay off workers in this country thus crippling themselves in the process…I THINK NOT…That would be cutting off thier nose to spite thier face. I respect your opinion but i respectfully disagree.
Jules,
I’m afraid, Gwen has a point. I work for Chrysler (now DAIMLER Chrysler), and yes, moving plants to non US locations or downsizing to compensate for potential losses at Mercedes is an option. Make no mistake: It is an option that is being considered. However, Mercedes is making profit at the moment (while Chrysler still is in the reds).
Welcome to globalization, and always remember: that’s something we gave to the world.
I admit I toyed with the idea of joining a boycott - maybe I was looking for convincing arguments, here at useful fools. But this and other sites haven’t convinced me so far. So I think I’ll open a nice bottle of Chablis tonight.
Pm
right folks i really am a firefigher in ny. needless to say i know a thing or two about 9/11 because i was there.
i also don’t like the german and the french positions on iraq, i say the us should be brave enough to go alone, risk the men and women, spend the money to build up the country afterwards, and also face the possible consequences in the world.
but we can’t expect everyone to be happy with having it our way and let others do the cleaning up. cause that’s what’s happening in afghanistan now. the europeans, and especially the germans, are helping a lot more there than the us right now. we don’t need the others, and then later we do need them, let’s be honest.
also i am afraid of some things that i see happen to my country from within
like
- xenophobia (just some of the hate mail here from my fellow countrymen makes me cringe)
- intolerance of other people’s opinions
- the erosion of civil rights. 10 % of all booksellers have been visited by investigators and had to give them the lists of all the books their customers bought and who bought them. doesn’t that make you shiver.
and also right here in my country people have disappeared for weeks(i knew one indonesian student personally, a harmless boy), been detained without access to a lawyer, and when it turned out they were innocent they had to sign a release form promising they would never sue the us for wrongful imprisonment. this is like in a f***ing banana republic. i won’t even mention guantanamo bay.
- the end of the freedom of the press. there is very obvious censorship.
- and in fact,a one-party system. you cannot call the democrats opposition anymore.
to say we are at war and have been so since 9/11 is just great for gradually abolishing democracy and civil rights. and think of what our president said. that war against terrorism is going to last long. how convenient.
before we boycott german and french goods out of “rightful indignation”, we should clean our own stables first. they are very dirty.
Rob
pm - thanks for your insight. What really sucks is that these are the very same countries that in the not so distant past relied and still rely on the U.S. to a certain degree. It has been made clear to them that we feel that we are the imediate target of terrorism and the president has expressed to them that Americas national security is at great risk and it just galls me to see them flat out turning thier backs on us. I,m real pissed off is all. What i mean to say is that the average American should choose another option to the french wines and cheese (preferably a nice Califorina Merlot) thats all…I don’t mean to say that there should be boycotts or sanctions imposed by the goverment just a slowdown of purchases by the American consumer…Sure there may be risks involved but to sit back and get pissed on is not very palettable to me… Yes downsizing and relocation of companies is an option but of course if this were to happen it would cause a tremedous loss in U.S. sales revenue that would cripple these same companies so i don’t think that that this would occur as redely as some may believe.
Firefighter… are you really who you say you are? If so, why are you posting from Jakarta, Indonesia? That’s a long way from New York City.
Anyway…
It is not xenophobic to seek to punish wrongdoers from another country. France especially is trying to stop the US from defending itself, and is doing so for the following motives:
It wants to set up Europe, dominated by France, as an opposing super-power
It has strong economic interests in Iraq, and has been selling Iraq prohibited military goods recently.
Chirac has a long history of friendship with a brutal dictator - Saddam Hussein - and an invasion would probably turn up embarrassing information.
A country which goes directly against our self defense interests deserves at least a boycott!
Germany is a somewhat different story. They are against us in the UN but not as hostile overall.
As far as erosion of civil rights… the people who are being grabbed at *all* non-citizens. Do we not have a right to defend ourselves?
Press censorship? What planet are you living on? There is a vast variety of press with reporting ranging from far left to far right. The New York Times itself is mostly leftist and has been anti-war in its reporting.
If you don’t think the war against terrorism is necessary, just ask yourself if you would like it if a terrorist, supplied by Saddam or Kim Il Sung, sprayed anthrax mist over downtown New York. It would make 9-11 look minor in casualty count.
If you think the Democrats are not an opposition party, please explain their *first-in-history* filibuster against the President’s hispanic appeals court nominee.
Finally, I admit to being intolerant of certain ideas. The reason is that some ideas are wrong and dangerous and sometimes downright evil. I suspect you too might be intolerant of - say - Naziism.
There will always be some americans who see the US through much darker lenses than they can ever see any other country. Rob is clearly one of them. Nothing anybody can say or do
hehe - good one john - do you think he’s on vacation??
French appeasment in WWII allowed Germnay to run over all of Europe.. until WHOOPS they came for us… (french) of course they just gave up…
Chaz,
If we are going to criticize the French, let’s at least do it with honest history.
Both France and Britain appeased Germany. Once Germany attacked, they fought both French and British forces and defeated them, although Hitler intentionally allowed the surviving British troops to escape at Dunkirk.
The US was neutral for 2 years of the war, although technically we violated neutrality with our strong support for Britain. We didn’t get involved in the war until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, giving FDR the ammunition he needed to declare war on the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan). There was a strong anti-war movement in the US up until that time, with many Americans wanting to leave Europe to its fate.
We may be right this time, but we haven’t always been so noble.
What I don’t understand, my fellow Americans, is the following…
It’s popular now to tell the French to “remember.” Does anyone who says that actually know anyone French? They remember.
For God’s sake, the country is covered with memorials to the Allied dead from World War II, including the Americans.
Do we remember, meanwhile, that the French hardly lay down and let the Germans roll in… in the process, how many French do you think died in WW II?
Go ahead, guess.
If you said 3,000 ala the WTC, you’re off by about half a million people.
To tell the French they don’t know how it feels when ‘thousands of their people die on their home soil’ is downright idiotic.
Ever heard of Verdun? Oradur-sur-glane? Or hundreds of other incidents of cold-blooded civilian killings, exportations, and underground figthers who died defending French cities.
How many schools are there in New York City with signs on them honoring the hundreds of children that were shipped off to Nazi extermination camps?
Forget the fact that I’ve yet to see an American ‘remember’ that we didn’t enter that war until two years after it started (the ’surrender-monkey’ French, by the way, declared war on Germany 48 hours after they invaded Poland. We did nothing.)
Ask yourself this…
What do you think our grandfathers were fighting for when they joined the Allied invasion in Normandy?
Freedom? Yes. The right for a nation to be sovereign unto itself, according to the will of its people? Yes. Freedom from oppression, and from governments that exert their will on people who oppose them? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Well how DARE you dishonor that noble cause, those principles for which our own American blood was spilled on the beaches of Normandy, by decrying the very democratic will that rose out of those events.
Chirac might be someone you’d want to invite over for dinner.
But 400 votes of representatives across France UNANIMOUSLY supported the resistance against the attack on Iraq. Chirac is obligated to that vote. It was a democratic event.
Bush, however, is asking him to steam roll over that process. How can we bring democracy to the world if it’s only democracy on our own terms?
If you can’t accept a vote that doesn’t swing your way, than you don’t understand the very principles of freedom you claim to represent.
Does France have ties to Iraq, oil-wise?
Sure they do. So does America. Guess who’s Iraqi oil purchases — via the oil-for-food U.N. program — are up over 30% since last year?
Nope, not France’s. Over 70% of their power comes from nuclear power plants, after all. They’re not nearly as willing to be dependent on Middle Eastern oil as we are.
Yep, it was America. We’re burning Iraqi oil in our homes. In our cars. Every time you turn on the TV and watch CNN.
Who’s sold the most military equipment to Iraq, including chemical and biological expertise and materials, missile shells, and more?
Was it the French? Yes, they’ve sold military gear to Iraq. But the U.S. has out marketed them by billions of dollars. We’re Iraq’s most faithful weapons supplier, Or at least we were until we decided they were enemies (our last military sale to Iraq was in 1989 or 1990).
Who’s photo do we have, shaking hands with Saddam? Donald Rumsfield.
Who used to work for oil companies that regularly bought and sold oil from Iraq? That’s right. Dick Cheney and George Bush Jr.
Who has contracts on Iraqi oil fields for after the war? France and Russia? Only if the ones they brokered long ago with the exiled Iraqi congress hold true. In point of fact, it’s the U.S. and the U.K. who are most likely to get those contracts. And right now, as you read this, they are dangling tiny percentages of the same to France and Russia as enticements to get them to vote for the war.
That’s principles for you.
Disagree if you must. Rant if you must. You are a sheep, kow-towing to Bush as though being an American meant keeping your head up your ass and saluting any schumk who occupies the Oval Office.
If you don’t support rightful dissent to your opinions, you don’t understand what it is to be an American and… perhaps… you’re not ready to be free.
Ironic as that is.
I am an American.
Do not wave our flag in the faces of the French on my behalf.
You disgust me.
Jake,
As the author of this blog and someone who has lived in France, including during the first Gulf War, let me adddress you point by point.
First, let me comment that I met many fine people while I lived in France, and the food was remarkably good. But this is about the behavior of France as a nation today, not 1990.
While many including myself make fun of the French military prowess, some of us at least know our history. The French lost WW-II because they made stupid assumptions… that the Germans would use a frontal assault on the Maginot line. You mention Verdun… ah… guess what… that was World War I, not World War II… although the US provided the critical edge in that war also.
Oil is fungible. Everyone is burning Iraqi oil. But it is true that France stands to lose large amounts of money if the current Iraqi regime is overthrown. The US is losing money now because the war threat has doubled the price of oil - if we just wanted cheap oil, we would be in favor of relaxing the oil embargo, not starting a war! And if you imagine we plan to control the oil long term, you must realize that the US has no taste for imperialism and the costs of maintaining a subject state - especially an Arab one.
Pardon me if I criticize France for having an oil motive in its objection to our self defense.
You raise the US’s past military ties to Iraq. Yes, we sold them supplies and gave them intelligence. They were fighting what at the time was an even worse enemy of ours: Iran. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
But after 1990, it became clear that Saddam’s regime was an enemy of all civilization. The US fought to drive Iraq out of Kuwait, and we insisted on an embargo, and we stopped selling them military supplies. France is *still* selling them supplies.
So pardon me if I fault France for selling supplies (Mirage parts among other things) that will be used shortly to attempt to kill Americans.
Rumsfeld and Hussein? How about Chirac and Hussein? Chirac was heavily involved in the sale of the nuclear reactor to Saddam - a reactor Saddam planned to use to make nuclear weapons.
Now then… let’s discuss a little modern reality.
The United States was recently attacked. We are in a war to deter future attacks. We are in a war of self defense. That war involves removing weapons of mass destruction from the hands of dangerous regimes, and Iraq happens to be the one which has already used such weapons. We will disarm Iraq for our national security. It won’t be the first nation we attack (remember Afghanistan) and if others don’t disarm, it won’t be the last.
This is not about oil. This is about defense. The *only* defense in a world where small terrorist organizations can anonymously use weapons of mass destruction is to remove those weapons from dangerous hands, and to hunt down the terrorists. We are doing so.
France, a supposed ally, is obstructing our self defense efforts.
Pardon me if we decide to make fun of France and to boycott French goods!
Oh, and don’t give me the pseudo-sophisticate argument that we are falling for some hokum that Bush has cooked up. In the days of the internet, those of us who care can keep ourselves well informed.
Finally, what is with the gratuitous implication that we don’t support the right to dissent? Is that some stock thing that all left-wing posters are required to say? I keeps seeing it - right in articles where they are in fact dissenting. This is, to say the least, a bizarre implication. WHO is disagreeing with the right to dissent?
The people falling for hokum are the French and Germans. Too many believe that because Bush and many of his assistants were in the oil business, then magically this must be about oil. They believe that somehow international protocols and procedures and treaties are the only necessary tools to achive multilateral nirvana… that is, they believe that until a problem affects *them* - like Kosovo - and then they run screaming to the US to help. Or more recently, France intervened militarily in the Ivory Coast, without even consulting the United Nations.
So pardon me if I call the French hypocrites!
And finally, it has been my observation and that of my brother (who worked 20 years as an ex-pat) that American ex-pats tend to be mostly left-wing and radical. You do nothing to change that impression!
1) The jokes have taken on a life of their own.
Americans love them. For instance, Jay Leno says
it’s no surprise the French won’t help us get Saddam
Hussein out of Iraq. They didn’t help us get Germany
out of France, either.
Still, it’s essential for them to join us in the war
against Iraq. They can teach the Iraqis how to surrender.
2) Dennis Miller specializes in anti-French humor. “The
only way the French are
going in is if we tell them we found truffles in
Iraq,”
Miller says.
“The French are always reticent to surrender to the
wishes of their friends
and always more than willing to surrender to the
wishes of their
enemies.”
3) Why are French streets tree-lined?
So the Germans can march in the shade.
4) How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris?
No one knows. It’s never been tried.
5) What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up?
The army.
6) How many gears does a French tank have?
Five, four in reverse and one forward
(in case of attack from behind).
7) FOR SALE: French rifles . . . never fired, only
Know why the french use a lot of bleach on their sheets?
dropped once.
So you can see their White Flags Better
“You can always count on the French to be there when
they need us!”
That last one is more than a joke. It’s shrewd
commentary. It captures why the
French make such poor allies. When they pulled out
of NATO 40 years ago and
declared Americans must close down their bases in
France, Secretary of State
Dean Rusk had a bitterly caustic response. Should we
dig up the graves of American soldiers in Normandy,
too, and take them home? No French answer was
recorded.
God I hate the French. I will boycott any and all French and German products. Here are a few things to stay away from
Motel 6 - French subsidary
Red Roof Inn - also
Yves Saint Laurent
Lacombe
Piere Cardin
Dannon
Chanell
Bosch
Cognac Gautier
Anyway, I really don’t need to say much. many of you have illustrated perfectly the reason France is a joke.
FTF (Fuck the French) all!!
WASHINGTON (AP) - House cafeterias will be serving fries with a side order of patriotism Tuesday with a decision by GOP lawmakers to replace the “French” cuisine with “freedom fries.”
“This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France,” said Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee.
Ney, whose panel oversees House operations, ordered the House Administrative officer to change the menus in House office building cafeterias to read “freedom fries” and “freedom toast.”
The House action follows moves by several restaurants around the country to remove “French” fries from their menus to protest French opposition to U.S. military action in Iraq.
Also leading the anti-French campaign was Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who noted in a letter to colleagues that Cubbie’s restaurant in Beaufort, N.C., in his district, was now serving “freedom fries.”
“Watching France’s self-serving politics of passive aggression in this effort has discouraged me more than I can say,” Jones said.
Members of Congress have been sharply critical of France for threatening to veto a new U.N. resolution holding Iraq in violation of disarmament agreements and paving the way for a military strike against the Saddam Hussein government.
Another Republican, Jim Saxton of New Jersey, has introduced several bills to ban Pentagon participation in this year’s Paris Air Show and to make sure that France does not participate in any reconstruction projects in Iraq.
03/11/03 12:44
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
As a voting tax paying american I can tell you all that we all are a fault for this mess. And after 9.11 we now know it time for the clean up.
Thats our global obligation new york in 2002 berlin in 2003 paris 2004 who know whats next for us???????????
Greetings from Germany
> 1. Only in America……can a pizza get to your
> house faster than an ambulance.
>
> 2. Only in America……are there handicap parking
> places in front of a skating rink! .
>
> 3. Only in America……do drugstores make the sick
> walk all the way to the back of the store to get
> their prescriptions while healthy people can buy
> cigarettes at the front.
>
> 4. Only in America……do people order double
> cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
>
> 5. Only in America……do banks leave both doors
> open and then chain the pens to the counters.
>
> 6. Only in America……do we leave cars worth
> thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our
> useless junk in the garage.
>
> 7. Only in America……do we use answering machines
> to screen calls and then have call waiting so we
> won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to
> talk to in the first place.
>
> 8. Only in America……do we buy hot dogs in
> packages of ten and buns in packages of eight. (THIS
> ONE ALWAYS BUGGED ME!)
>
> 9. Only in America……do we use the word
> ‘politics’ to describe the process so well: ‘Poli’
> in Latin meaning ‘many’ and ‘tics’ meaning
> ‘bloodsucking creatures’.
>
> 10. Only in America……do they have drive-up ATM
> machines with Braille lettering.
> In case you needed further proof that the
> american race is doomed through stupidity,
> here are some actual label instructions
> on consumer goods.
>
> On a Sears hairdryer: Do not use while
> sleeping. ( and that’s the only time I have to work
> on my hair.)
>
> On a bag of Fritos: ..You could be a winner! No
> purchase necessary. Details inside. (the shoplifter
> special?)
>
> On a bar of Dial soap: “Directions: Use like regular
> soap.” (and that would be how??…)
>
> On some Swanson frozen dinners: “Serving suggestion:
> Defrost.” (but, it’s “just” a suggestion.)
>
> On Tesco’s Tiramisu dessert (printed on
> bottom): “Do not turn upside down.” (well…duh, a
> bit late, huh!)
>
> On Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding: “Product will be
> hot after heating.” (…and you thought????…)
>
> On packaging for a Rowenta iron: “Do not iron
> clothes on body.” (but wouldn’t this save me more
> time?)
>
> On Boot’s Children Cough Medicine:”Do not drive a
> car or operate machinery after taking this
> medication.” (We could do a lot to reduce the rate
> of construction accidents if we could just get those
> 5-year-olds with head-colds off those forklifts.)
>
> On Nytol Sleep Aid: “Warning: May cause drowsiness.”
> (and… I’m taking this because???….)
>
> On most brands of Christmas lights: “For indoor or
> outdoor use only.” (as opposed to…what?)
>
> On Sunsbury’s peanuts: “Warning: contains nuts.”
> (talk about a news flash)
>
> On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
> “Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.”
> On a child’s superman costume: “Wearing of this
> garment does not enable you to fly.” (I don’t blame
> the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
isn´t it great to be an american
muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
the latest braking news****************************************
Kofi Annan: “Mr. Powell, which proof do You have
that Irak has weapons of mass-destruction?”
Colin Powell: “We………………. we………………. well we
we…………………… WE KEPT THE RECEIPTS !!!!”
muhahahahahahahahahahahahah
Adolf,
Thanks for the American jokes. They are indeed funny.
Danke Shoen
Your commentary associated with them is wrong - of course. For example, you refer to the stupidity of the American race. America is a multiracial society. There is no American race. Is race still a big part of german thinking?
And of course the “stupidity” examples you give are a result of our (admittedly absurd) legal system, not the stupidity of the people.
Finally, your little joke about the receipts is on you. The US sold very little to Iraq, while the bulk of its industry and weapons systems came from those same three countries objecting the most to our efforts: Russia, France, and your Germany.
Joke’s on you.
John (Useful Fools)
I guess You are right about the multiracial society. Maybe even on the weapons, even though Germany did not delivery anything except steel-canon barrels. And You did not deliver any weapons during the Iran-Irak war???? What a laugh!
still whats Your argument? if weapons inspectors don´t find a bloody thing even if they know where to look .. (because your satelites have delivered the pictures for 12 years now)…
what is GI Joe gonna find with his tank??
(he will find the weapons……? )
muhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
what is GI Joe going to stop ??
What is going to change??
Will Gi Joe be the president of Irak?
Taking weapons away from a crazy man is ok.
……if there are some !!!
But: why kill thousands of people for that??
just because John Wayne Bush is even more crazy…….
just look into the eyes of that idiot
Or are we just thinking about a little oil here?
maybe it´s time to start building cars with
smaller engines like the rest of the world.
Maybe its time to stop throwing everything
out of the window while driving on the
freeway.
I lived in your country for 11 years….
so don´t tell me I´m wrong.
Think about it.
Because John Wayne Bush is simply to stupid
to think about!!
hes just an analphabetic former alcoholic farmer!
Well… you are starting to get a bit insulting about our president. The characterization of Bush as “John Wayne Bush” is simply wrong. Calling him stupid is what a lot of Americans used to do, until they were proven wrong. Bush entered office with no intent of waging war on anyone - he wanted to be a domestic president. 9-11 changed everything for him, and us, and for the world including those (like yourself) who do not yet understand the change (please see this for a very impressive discussion of the subject).
Of course, I could bring up your foreign minister… a truly charming character. He himself knowingly aided murderous terrorists (The Baader-Meinhoff gang). There are pictures showing him viciously beating a policeman. You guys truly have a charming government. I’ll take Bush and Powell any time!
I was also in East Berlin when the communists still ran it. Did you ever have that experience? I saw Germans ready to kill other Germans simply because they wanted freedom. I saw minefields and a wall built by Germans to enslave other Germans. I saw Germans in total despair, staring in dejection at the Wall from the East side. You may have forgotten that we defeated the Soviet empire, giving many of your citizens their freedom, but I was there, and I was also a soldier in the Armed Forces that defeated the USSR.
As far as what “GI Joe” is going to find with his tank? The chances are that he will find chemical weapons in the air around his tank, or perhaps anthrax spores mixed with aflatoxin! Oh, speaking of such, your country, two weeks ago, sold that Asian paragon of democracy - North Korea - chemicals for making nerve gas. But then you Germans invented nerve gas (for use against the jews) so I guess this isn’t surprising.
Once we have conquered Iraq, you guys are going to look pretty dumb as we display all the weapons of mass destruction hidden from the inspectors.
Nobody who has paid any attention to the situation seriously believes that Saddam has no weapons of mass destruction. He has endured 12 years of punishing econoomic embargo for only one purpose: to preserve those weapons. If he was truly willing to disarm himself of those weapons, he could have actively cooperated with the inspectors, and it would have only taken a few months to certify him WMD free. South Africa, which used to have nuclear, chemical and biological weapons went through exactly this process and it took very little time. So why don’t you ask yourself why Saddam subjects his people to the hardships caused by this embargo if he has nothing to hide? Got a smart answer to that one? Do you really believe that he has no weapons of mass destruction, or are you just being obstructionist?
As far as little cars… well, I’ve spent time in your country too. I’ve had to quickly move to the right lane of the Autobahn frequently when the huge BMW and Mercedes cars came up behind me at 275 kph.
Besides, once we conquer Iraq, we’ll have all the oil we want! Bwahhhh… and we’ll tell the rest of the gulf not to sell any to you guys or we will conquer them next.
All right, that would be very satisfying, but contrary to the image painted by so many in Europe, that is now how the US works.
As far as litter… I don’t know what it has to do with this discussion, but I rarely see anyone throw anything out their car window, and when I do I get angry. That is not a normal American characteristic. We have our miscreants just like you guys have yours. Don’t color our whole country by a few idiots like that.
Oh, and where did you get the idea that Bush was a former farmer? He has never been one. Are you confusing him with Jimmy Carter?
Hi everyone,
I have to admit that as a German I’m a bit frightened to post here… not because I feel ashamed but because I sense a level of anger towards my country that somehow makes me sad. However, I’d love to contribute to this discussion without showing or causing any aggressive tendencies and at the same time leaving any prejudice or commonplace aside. What we’re discussing here has a lot to do with politics and should not affect the way we “regular citizens” communicate with each other, anyway.
This does not mean that I totally oppose those views. I’d rather say that I see things in a different angle since I obviously have a different background. What I would like you to understand is that most Germans (don’t know about the French, but it’s probably similar over there) don’t think Americans are - excuse the expression - sturdy bastards that fanatically long to stage some irresponsible war on an innocent country. We understand that 9/11 was a terrible and shocking experience, not only to the US but also to most other parts of the world. But it’s your country that was under attack, a fact from which the US derive their pro-war stance, as the US leaders (and you, John) have made clear. And there is no one here in Europe who would ever deny that Hussein is a totalitarian dictator who oppresses his people. Now, what we are concerned with is:
Six years ago I spent 10 months in the US on an exchange program, living with a family that supported the Republicans - so I’ve already had some insight into the views many of the contributors to this forum share. And boy, did we have discussions back then
1. Will a war in Iraq really lead to “world order” and eventually (more) peace? Or will it rather lead to more terrorist responses from fundamentalists, maybe extending to Cental Europe? People here are more afraid of that than of the fact that Iraq could maybe support terrorists in the future if Saddam isn’t going to be removed. Nobody can tell what the future holds regarding terrorism, either way. There seems to be no _hard_ evidence of Saddam supporting terrorist organizations, or that Iraq is likely to become a really imminent danger to the world right away.
2. What will happen to all the innocent people living in Iraq? Are their sacrifices really worth the trouble, meaning could you really justify the deaths of thousands of (already scared) people?
3. What about the situation in Afghanistan? Shouldn’t we rather be concerned with resolving that issue to complete satisfaction for all that are involved?
4. I don’t know, but from what I have seen it seems to me that the actions US leaders take right now are mostly inspired by fear, a dangerous emotion that can suppress reasonable judgment. President Bush would probably say it’s not fear but pride and anger (which can be dangerous, too) - but if you look at what he says and what the media shows it actually is fear of being attacked once more. Let me refer to a site that underlines this argument: www.ready.gov.
Instead of being afraid, however, one should rather choose to act reasonably and with care.
These were the arguments that most of my fellow countrymen come up with during a discussion of this issue. It’s not necessarily what I think - to be honest, I’m torn between both positions. I don’t know what to think of it all. If I could only see the future
Write letters or petitions to state your opinion or become actively involved in politics, but don’t be angry and allow yourselves to consider all the different positions and the underlying reasons.
However, I think boycotting goods from a specific country only shows your anger in a bad way. Our economy is certainly in some way intertwined with our government, as it is in the US, but _they_ didn’t tell our leaders to vote for peace. If it has any effect - which I don’t know -, it will affect the wrong people. That’s like working in public transportation and going on strike, which I don’t approve of either
Have a nice rest of the week and greetings from Munich!
Antje
Just remember, United States of America does NOT represent the whole continent, there are countries that do not want to be part of this war and their opinions should be respected. My opinion, lets wait for the inspectors to do their job, in the mean time lets really work in protecting this country from within, not abroad. I just want to make a point, once we launch this senseless war, WHO is going to protect us from real mad terrorism, 9-11 proved that we have no one in this country to do the job. Hope we never regret this move.
I have responded to Antje with a new article.
As far as the rest of the continent. We are aware of reflexive Mexican anti-americanism. It is a shame, but it is a fact. Hopefully Vincente Fox can lead to better relations, if the PRI doesn’t stop all of his effortss.
the more I think of it the more I´m beginning to be afraid of Mr. Bush. I truly believe he is
somewhat confused.
anyway here is something to think about:
The following is the text of John Brady Kiesling’s letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
Dear Mr. Secretary:
I am writing you to submit my resignation from the Foreign Service of the United States and from my position as
Political Counselor in U.S. Embassy Athens, effective March 7.1 do so with a heavy heart. The baggage of my
upbringing included a felt obligation to give something back to my country. Service as a U.S. diplomat was a dream
job. I was paid to understand foreign languages and cultures, to seek out diplomats, politicians, scholars and
journalists, and to persuade them that U.S. interests and theirs fundamentally coincided. My faith in my country and
its values was the most powerful weapon in my diplomatic arsenal.
It is inevitable that during twenty years with the State Department I would become more sophisticated and cynical
about the narrow and selfish bureaucratic motives that sometimes shaped our policies. Human nature is what it is,
and I was rewarded and promoted for understanding human nature. But until this Administration it had been
possible to believe that by upholding the policies of my president I was also upholding the interests of the American
people and the world. I believe it no longer,
The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American
interests. Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been
America’s most potent weapon of both offense and defense since the days ofWoodrow Wilson. We have begun to
dismantle the largest and most effective web of international relationships the world has ever known. Our current
course will bring instability and danger, not security.
The sacrifice of global interests to domestic politics and to bureaucratic self-interest is nothing new, and it is
certainly not a uniquely American problem. Still, we have not seen such systematic distortion of intelligence, such
systematic manipulation of American opinion, since the war in Vietnam. The September 11 tragedy left us stronger
than before, rallying around us a vast international coalition to cooperate for the first time in a systematic way
against the threat of terrorism. But rather than take credit for those successes and build on them, this Administration
has chosen to make terrorism a domestic political tool, enlisting a scattered and largely defeated Al Qaeda as its
bureaucratic ally. We spread disproportionate terror and confusion in the public mind, arbitrarily linking the
unrelated problems of terrorism and Iraq. The result, and perhaps the motive, is to justify a vast misallocation of
shrinking public wealth to the military and to weaken the safeguards that protect American citizens from the heavy
hand of government. September 11 did not do as much damage to the fabric of American society as we seem
determined to so to ourselves. Is the Russia of the late Romanovs really our model, a selfish, superstitious empire
thrashing toward self-destruction in the name of a doomed status quo?
We should ask ourselves why we have failed to persuade more of the world that a war with Iraq is necessary. We
have over the past two years done too much to assert to our world partners that narrow and mercenary U.S. interests
override the cherished values of our partners. Even where our aims were not in question, our consistency is at issue.
The model of Afghanistan is little comfort to allies wondering on what basis we plan to rebuild the Middle East, and
in whose image and interests. Have we indeed become blind, as Russia ts blind in Chechnya, as Israel is blind in the
Occupied Territories, to our own advice, that overwhelming military power is not the answer to terrorism? After the
shambles of post-war Iraq joins the shambles in Grozny and Ramallah, it will be a brave foreigner who forms ranks
with Micronesia to follow where we lead.
We have a coalition still, a good one. The loyalty ofmany of our friends is impressive, a tribute to American moral
capital built up over a century. But our closest allies are persuaded less that war is justified than that it would be
perilous to allow the U.S. to drift into complete solipsism. Loyalty should be reciprocal. Why does our President
condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this Administration is fostering,
including among its most senior officials. Has ‘oderint dum metuant’ really become our motto?
I urge you to listen to America’s friends around the world. Even here in Greece, purported hotbed of European anti-
Americanism, we have more and closer friends than the American newspaper reader can possibly imagine. Even
when they complain about American arrogance, Greeks know that the world is a difficult and dangerous place, and
they want a strong international system, with the U.S. and EU in close partnership. When our friends are afraid of us
rather than for us, it is time to worry. And now they are afraid. Who will tell them convincingly that the United
States is as it was, a beacon of liberty, security, and justice for the planet?
Mr. Secretary, I have enormous respect for your character and ability. You have preserved more international
credibility for us than our policy deserves, and salvaged something positive from the excesses of an ideological and
self-serving Administration. But your loyalty to the President goestoo far. We are straining beyond its limits an
international system we built with such toil and treasure, a web of laws, treaties, organizations, and shared values
that sets limits on our foes far more effectively than it ever constrained America’s ability to defend its interests.
I am resigning because I have tried and failed to reconcile my conscience with my ability to represent the current
U.S. Administration. I have confidence that our democratic process is ultimately self-correcting, and hope that in a
small way I can contribute from outside to shaping policies that better serve the security and prosperity of the
American people and the world we share.
The rantings of a typical internationalist State Department bureaucrat. Hopefully a lot more like him will resign.
For too long the State Department has been populated with people who view international consensus as the most important goal of foreign policy.
They are dinosaurs. The world has changed in ways they don’t understand. They should all read this and then be made to take a comprehension test on it.
@ MR: JOHN MOORE
So Mr. John Moore was in the Army. Well great Mr.
I was in the Air Force! And I was in Berlin too. And was an exchange Pilot during the Golf war. And was stationed in the US and flew the F-15 Eagle. And lived in the US for a total of 10 years. So don´t give me any bullshit!
1. I will call Mr. Bush stupid as long as I wish!!
2.As far as the foreign minister…Yes he made mistakes in his life. But he got another chance. He is not sitting in a death cell somewhere in TEXAS as he would in Your country. And he is smart
3. Who build the wall, and who enslaved whom? I think You need a little brush-up in history (just as the majority of Your fellow americans…… I know, because I went to college there
4. So You defeated the UDSSR and YOU will find the weapons of mass destruction which we sold.
Listen buddy, I was cleared TOP SECRET and I had Irany class mates in my pilots class. And I know what went over the counter 25-27 years ago. So again don´t give me that bullshit!
5.Yes we invented nerve Gas. Many other things too… by the way. Remember Mr. Werner von Braun? Without him You would have never lost Your precious space-ships because You would be still driving cars with wooden wheels!
6. Why do You want to conquer Irak. Why not first things first? How about North Korea? Oh I see there is no oil?? Or how about finding Bin Laden. Oh I see the stupid Germans can hang around Pakistan with 50000 soldiers while You conquer Irak. That is an easier battle to win. You guys need Your Super Bowl 2x a year right? Cheer Cheer USA! USA! USA! USA1
How about some Popcorn along with it?
Right hand on the heart in 1st grade in school.
Pledge the what???? Thats worse than what Hitler ever did. And its fucking dangerous too.
7. So Your were past by BMWs and Mercedes on the Autobahn? Well great isn´t it? Is there any road in Your country where You can travel that fast?
It´s freedom. What? it´s not? It´dangerous? Oh I see……. dangerous. That´s why everyone has a gun in Your country. That´s freedom , I understand now!
We drive with 275km/h and have 27% less accidents than You?
Why? Because we can drive. And by the way those BMWs get about 45 miles to the gallon because the engines are ENGINEERED?
Your cars run 90 miles and get 12 miles to the gallon………engineered……
You know what that is?
8.No, no there is no litter on your highways. There is no litter in Your towns. Hey man just LOOK!!!
There is no pollution! No, there is sooooooooooo much room in the great US, there is so much room for error, so much room . Every one has there own gun. Did You know that the crime rate in Chicago, in New York and Los Angeles is 1450% ( read it out loud please ) 1450% higher than in Munich, Hamburg or Berlin??
Did You know that 40% of the average American 20 year old doesn´t know the difference between Switzerland, Austria and Germany. And thinks Bavaria is a different country. And that there is no electricity in Germany. And no televisions.
At the very end let my tell You a thing about the moral. something I will never understand as long as I live. And it symbolized the true difference of our cultures. When an american pilot visited my over here in Germany and stayed with his family for 3 weeks the following thing happened: One afternoon he came into our living room and saw a naked girl rush across the TV screen. It was at 6pm and it was a young girl and You could only see her breasts. He got so upset You wouldn´t believe it. His 8 year old son had seen the breasts of a young girl. We had a discussion for about 4 hours. The next day i went up to their guestroom and saw that his 8year old was watching a horror-movie where little snakes came crawling out of a guys stomach. Shortly thereafter his head was bitten off by a huge monster. I just looked at Fred and asked : So that is normal ey??
He thought that those movies are “just movies” but a breast is something evil for an 8year old to see……
I could never get that into my head. I finally gave up and that is exactly where the problem is……………
Later during my exchange tour in the US Air-Force I learned more about this issue of double-moral. On a deployement where the commander had briefed for hours about the moral and how we as officers should not mix with NCOs etc etc.
Well he and his Duty officer were seen later in the night as they were ………. two female sergants in their room.
Think about this one!
More to follow………
what was Your rank in the Army by the way?
General??
Well, Adolf, this is getting a bit out of hand.
First of all, I was not in the Army, I was in Naval Aviation.
Second, the Berlin Wall was built by Germans - East Germans. Those Germans oppressed their population. When the wall came down, it turned out that 10% of the population worked for the Stasi to spy on the rest.
Why don’t you tell us what “went over the counter” to Iraq 25 years ago when you were in Pilot Class?
You say “Did You know that 40% of the average American 20 year old doesn´t know the difference between Switzerland, Austria and Germany. And thinks Bavaria is a different country.”
That may be so. After all, from an American viewpoint, those countries aren’t very important. BWAAHAHAHA!
But I am not one to defend US education. I have never argued that the US is perfect.
You ask why we want to conquer Iraq first. I have answered elsewhere on this blog, but the main answers are:
1) We are already deployed there - the Korean danger was unveiled after our deployment…
and
2) It is in the heart of Araby, so a conquest there will leave us in a better position for dealing with other countries that might help or provide sanctuary to Islamofascists (such as Iran and Saudi Arabia).
You say that our pledge of allegiance is “worse than anything Hitler ever did.” Is that the old German selective memory kicking in? Is it worse than shipping 10 million people (6 million Jews) to their deaths? Is it worse than attacking free countries, setting off the worst war in history? Is it worse than the SS practice of choosing women based on their racial characteristics in order to breed the next generation of SS?
Get serious.
Hey! Do the french have a short memory? Do they not remember 1958 when they and the Brits invaded Egypt in order to retain control of the Suez Canal? At least the British are consistant!
Don’t just boycott wine and cheese…RCA is a french run company. What kind of electronic goods were you planning on buying? Add RCA to the boycott list!!!!
WOW - is that guy kidding or what! If not what an unbelieveable asshole….What Balls !!!
Boycott Thomson Multimedia products, RCA Brand etc they are owned by the French Government
Hmmm…. Short memories….. Thinking of short memories, how about the fact that we wouldn’t ever have won the Revolutionary War without the help of the French…. Or that they bankrupted their economy at that time to help us do succeed?
So, while they are figuring out more French goods to not purchase, I hope they remember to box up old lady Liberty and ship her back to the French. If you recall, she was a gift from the French. But, the way things are going, we won’t have any liberties left to speak of….
Gypsy,
Actually, you forgot another one. The idiots sold us the Louisiana Purchase. Ha ha ha!
I’d say the deaths of our troops paid for anything the French did before that.
So what have they done for us recently? Well…
They failed to hold Hitler in check until too late (sound familiar… appeasing a dictator?).
They let us expend many lives rescuing them from Hitler.
They screwed up much of the world with their vicious colonialism (in comparison to Britain, which left most of its colonies in good shape with a tradition of rule of law and democracy).
They messed up Vietnam (their colony) and dragged us into it.
They obstructed NATO and pulled out of Nato military cooperation in the middle of the cold war.
They are intentionally thwarting our attempts to defend ourselves, with the clear purpose of increasing France’s influence in the world.
I’d say on balance they are way into the debt side.
………………It is in the heart of Araby, so a conquest there will leave us in a better position for dealing with other countries that might help or provide sanctuary to Islamofascists………………
well that is the greatest bullshit I ever heard.
What do You mean dealing with those countries????
What we are doing right now is the best recruiting campaign Bin Laden ever got:
When will everyone understand.
They will deal with us alright. It will last longer than we ever dreamed of. It will last longer than world war2 and Vietnam together.
You bloody fools!!!
BUSH SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By dealing with them, I mean forcing them to stop spreading vicious Islamofascist propaganda and acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
And we don’t need to recruit for Bin Laden… he does just fine. The Arab world is full of hate, because of its own internal contradictions and its pathetic failures.
But in any case, it is better to be hated and feared than merely hated.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Chris!
Chris Boyle, I deleted your last comment where you faked your identity, because it was nothing but obscenities about our president. Criticism is fine on this board, and you can see lots of it. Vandalism is not, and your post was about as intelligent as painting your insults all over the wall of a building. So it is gone.
Yes, some of us know how to find out *exactly* who does the posting, you ignorant twit! I was hacking computers before you were born. Checked your hard drive lately???
You are actually chrisboyle12@aol.com and you are what we call a blogroach.
Would you douchebags please stop using all caps. It is really pointless and hard to read while laughing at your idiotic parroting of every tired cliche’ on both sides. Our economies are so intertwined it would be pointless to boycott anything. (Although bovine blood in wine does sound nasty.) On the grand scheme of things, this is more like a marital spat. The French are the bitchy wife on her period, the Germans are the grumpy old fart father-in-law, and the Americans are the poor working slob supporting them all. The English are the drinking buddies the Americans comiserate with. After the US stomps the crap out of Iraq, (the crack dealer next door who’s secretly porking France), things will go back to normal. Then the US will need to start working on the infestation of radical muslims, (like roaches, you can’t wipe em out, but you have to spray ‘em once in a while to keep their populations down. Damn things bit me on the ass last year!)
I think that the U.S. should pull back, protect the arab countries that want protection, pull our bases out of Turkey and Germany.bail out of the U.N. and when Saddam gets to a point that he more difficult to handle, let France, Germany, and Russia go in and deal with him. IF the Americans have to go in and clean up because of the lack of suppport or abilities of our questionable allies, then lay the big one on them. We don’t need to lose any of our fighting men and women’s lives over this. But one thing is for sure, we do not need the U.N. we are the ones that make the U.N. what it is.
Silly French. I love war. War is good. Dropping bombs is good. Killing people is righteous. Death is good. The Iraqis will like it, they deserve it. After the bombs and missiles and death, they will be free and Osama Bin Laden will still be alive. Death. Killing. Bombs. Collateral damage. Fear. Screaming children. Charred corpses. Smoke. Blood. Don`t buy French cheese.
Thanks for info.
Cost of containment.
The French haven’t paid the price of containment of Hussein. They forget why Al Qaeda was formed in the first place. To make America leave Saudi Arabia. We are IN Saudi Arabia to enforce the French “containment” of Hussein. We are IN Saudi Arabia at the request of the Saudis as they are afraid of “revenge” from Saddam for their support in the 1st gulf war. Our “containment” of Iraq is what caused the formation of Al Qaeda. Our “containment” had a cost of 2 towers, thousands of American lives and untold damage to our economy. The French haven’t had to pay the price of containment. We are no longer willing to pay the price of containing Saddam Hussein. The cost of war cannot be worse than the price containment has cost us in lives and treasure. And with war there is an END. Containment has no end. The costs of containment know no end. The cost of containment is too great. And the French have basically sided with Saddam. They feel no number of American dead or dollars is too high a price to pay for them to keep their lucrative business dealings with the Iraqis. Containment has failed. Containment is futile. As long as it is American dollars and American dead in the streets the French cry “Contain!! Contain!! Contain!!”. When the bodies of the French lie dead in the streets of Paris as our people were lying in the streets of New York then we will hear what the French cry. Until then the French have neither the right nor the HONOR to even comment on these comments. America has paid the price of the French policy and we are willing to pay no more. We tried it their way and it didn’t work. Now we’ll try it OUR way.
www.propagandamatrix.com
http://www.addictedtowar.com/Shocked.and.Horrified_9.15.2001.htm
wakeup Americans and for once learn to read.. a monkey called Bush is leading you.. if you let him you are nothing but the goats he owns.
The american terror in the world caused 8,000,000 deaths.. if you dont know it just, again, learn to read.
[…BLOGMASTER HAS DELETED CONTENT_FREE OBSCENE INSULTS - Posted from Germany]
I am the worlds biggest asshole. I am stupid, ignorant and arrogant. I don´t know what I´m doing. I should have stayed in Kindergarden.
Maybe I should kill myself.
Yes!!! thats it!!!!
[BLOGMASTER NOTE: By the same pathetic idiot in Germany who made the previous obscene comment that I deleted]
I´ll kill myself and bring better to the world.
Yours Georgie …the little asshole
I think the US should have invested all this
money into education, because then
64% of our people wouldn´t be so stupid as
to follow Bush into this war !
A Well-done to our President!!
Well now, who is doubting the great deeds of the everymighty George? No, You shouldn´t ! At last he will finish what Daddy was afraid to do 11 years ago. Little George wants to show his dad what his migthy son is capable of doing.
Yes, the Iraq is definitely the biggest threat in this world today. Never mind the Iran, never mind about North-Korea. No, no it´s the Iraq that threatens the world.
One thing that is worth mentioning: IRAQ has most of the oil of the entire world. And the best quality of oil.
BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!
Tons of atomicw eapons, atom-bombs, nuclear missiles. As we know the weapon inspectors found out that all those missiles reach up to 15% further than allowed!!
All those Intercontinental Weapons : Up to 150 kilometers ( that is 95 MILES ) !!!!! All those chemical weapons, hundreds of tons of it and all those biological granades. They are indeed the Thread of the century.
The worst thing is that they betrayed CNN. Yes, Iraq signed a contract with CNN stating that in the next war they would only use bows and arrows and a couple of BB guns so that the “on scene reporters” wouldn´get hurt.
Now this! They actually use guns!! Against the US !! Oh my god that ugly little mean Iraq. Not only did they betray the entire Univers……..no! they even betrayed CNN.
Next thing You know is they will use all those weapons of mass destruction!
Well what´s next for us? After this little escapade I think we should take on Pakistan…or Afghanistan because they also have nuclear weapons but are easier to defeat than Iran or north Korea, don´t y`all think?
Then move on to Russia or maybe France. Then Germany those cowards!
We actually should bomb Europe back to the stone ages! Those terrible people over there
( oops – isn´t that where we came from…. ah? ) those stupid Europeans. We should have never allowed them to have Mc Donalds!
Then take on those South-Americans! They will never cross our border again at night.
All those damned guys with mustaches from El Salvator, from Mexico, from Puerto Rico.
We will bomb the hell out of them. Yes!
Actually those guys in the North are also taking away our fish. Those canadians….?
Well we will think about that one for a while………………….
But all those others !!!!
We will build as many atom-bombs as we want…. bawahbawah!!
We will be the police of the world and everyone who is against us will be kicked in the ass.
We don´t give a shit about any international law or convention ( unless it is about our POWs )
We don´t need the United Nations. No. We are the UNITED STATES of AMERICA.
We are the greatest of the world, the smartest too…
Actually we are ……..especially our mighty George…..is ……… he is
GOD himself.
A message for the US troops in Iraq:
Don’t let them tread on us! FREEDOM WILL PREVAIL.
if your going to post in english please get the language right ! you sound like such an asshole !
Thank God for others in America who believe in the ideals that this nation is founded upon. Everywhere I look I feel that everyone is against us. I am continually amazed how many people flew flags after 9/11 and continue to enjoy the freedoms of this land but are against the defense of it. All I say to that is that if your not for freedom your against it and if you don’t like America defending herself go to another country and see if you can find better. YOU WON’T!
I have read a lot of disparaging remarks about American and Americans as a whole. We’re bulllies, don’t make sense and are in general stupid. But let’s face it ladies when other countries haved need help in the past (France, Germany to name a couple), it was the stupid and bullying Americans that had enough intelligence and strength to liberate you. If America/Americans are stupid and bullies. That must make France and Germany real idiots and weak wimps.
Enough said!
I have read a lot of disparaging remarks about American and Americans as a whole. We’re bullies, we don’t make sense and are in general stupid. But let’s face it ladies when other countries haved need help in the past (France, Germany to name a couple), it was the stupid and bullying Americans that had enough intelligence and strength to liberate you. If America/Americans are stupid and bullies. That must make France and Germany real idiots and wimps.
Enough said!
56,210 U.S. soldiers who died are buried in France, troops who died fighting for France’s freedom during WWI+WWII. Pussies. I am in the Navy and applaud Tony Blair, the British government and especially the Brit troops out their fighting side by side with Americans and my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives so far, American or British. And the French? Fuckin’ pussies!
56,210 U.S. soldiers are buried in France, troops who died fighting for France’s freedom during WWI+WWII. Pussies. I am in the Navy and applaud Tony Blair, the British government and especially the Brit troops out their fighting side by side with Americans and my condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives so far, American or British. And the French? Fuckin’ pussies!
Tonka, I thinks you are racist. Alain
YESTERDAYS SPEECH OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
Dear Fellow Citizens,
I would like to tell You why this war is absolutely necessary:
First of all my Dad did not finish the war 11 years ago, so I have the obligation to do so.
Yes, the Iraq is definitely the biggest threat in this world today.
Never mind the Iran, never mind about North-Korea. No, no it´s the Iraq that threatens the world.
One thing that is worth mentioning: IRAQ has most of the oil of the entire world. And the best quality of oil.
BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR!!
Iraq has tons of atomic weapons such as atom-bombs and nuclear missiles.
As we know the weapon inspectors found out that all those missiles are illegal.
All those Intercontinental Weapons : They are only allowed to fly up to 150 kilometers ( that is 93 MILES ) !!!!
And now my fellow citizens: SOME OF THOSE WEAPONS ACTUALLY FLY UP TO 15% FURTHER !!!
THAT IS UP TO 12 MILES !!! 12 MILES FURTHER THAN LEGAL RANGE!!!!
This is going too far! All those chemical weapons,
hundreds of tons of it and all those biological granades. They are indeed the threat of this century.
We want this war and we want it now. We also want to show the world that we are fair fighters.
Now as Y´all noticed, the Iraq betrayed us. Even worse, they betrayed CNN.
Yes, Iraq signed a contract with CNN stating that in this war they would only use bows and arrows
and a couple of BB-guns so that our “on scene” reporters wouldn´get hurt.
Now this! They actually use guns!! Against the US !! Oh my god that ugly little mean Iraq.
Not only did they betray the United Nations .. ah, forget the United Nations … no, they even betrayed CNN.
Next thing you know they will………. you never know what they will do !
Well what´s next for us? After this little escapade I think we should take on Pakistan or Afghanistan
because they also have nuclear weapons but are easier to defeat than Iran or north Korea, don´t y`all think?
Then we will move on to Russia or maybe France. Then Germany! Those cowards!
We actually should bomb Europe back to the stone ages! Those terrible people over there in Europe..
( Europe is east of New York, isn´t it? ……ah..yup ) those stupid Europeans!
We should have never allowed them to have Mc Donalds!
Then we will take on those South-Americans! They will never cross our border again at night.
All those damn guys with mustaches from El Salvator, from Mexico, from Puerto Rico.
We will bomb the hell out of them. Yes!
Actually those guys in the north are also taking away our fish. Those canadians ..?
Well we will think about that one for a while …..
But all those others !!!!
We will build as many atom-bombs as we want .. bawahawah!!
We will be the police of the world and everyone who is against us will be kicked in the ass.
We don´t give a shit about any international law or convention
(……..ah maybe the Geneva convention….forgot what that was….anyway..)
We don´t need the United Nations. No! We are the UNITED STATES of AMERICA.
We are the greatest, the smartest we are the best of the world !!
May GOD bless AMERICA !! ….. Ah ..
And if HE does´nt ………. we will bomb the shit out of his heaven too !!! YES !!
President Bush has indicated that when
Iraq has been secured, he intends to
split the country into 3 provinces:
Leaded , Unleaded , and Diesel …
I love how all these obstructing turd countries,
Russia,Germany,France are now worried about their
non-support of our efforts and the future after
this war ends.Americans have excellent memories
and we won’t forget who hid their heads up their
ass when push came to shove.Well,that’s a natural
reaction for the french,useless waste of real estate.A damn shame,all the Americans buried there
during the war,saving their ungrateful no good asses.The germans are another joke.How many of
their atrocity commiting relatives are still living?Never to spend a day,paying for their crime.Round up all those old nazis who butchered
their way across Europe,doesn’t matter how old they are and hang each last one who’s still breathing.Then maybe I’d pay a little attention
to the goosesteppers grandchildren.Other than that,go screw yourselves.The Eagle is very pissed
and he’s headhunting in iraq.Let all these meddling ragheads cross the border and interfere.
They all want to kill Americans,go for it,you
stupid ragheaded scum.I love seeing your filthy,
shredded bodies,rotting in the hot sun.
Mesdames, Messieurs,
Votre acharnement à vouloir sanctionner les français parce qu’ils expriment leur préfèrence à amener sadam hussen à quitter le pouvoir sous les pressions diplômatiques de préférence à la guerre, est incompréhensible.
Le Pape qui a été le principal acteur pour l’effondrement du communisme soviétique, a fermement condamné toute intervention militaire.
Mais le gouvernement des USA et la propagande de quelques responsables intéressés mercantilement à l’envahissement de l’Irak pour profiter de la mane pétrolière en particulier puis d’une position politique dominante sur le Moyen Orient, trompent le peuple américain sur les véritables enjeux.
Les populations d’Europe qui connaissent les souffrances de la guerre et de l’oppression, dans leur majorité réclament une solution diplomatique (92% en espagne, 90% en Italie, 88% en Belgique, 82% en allemagne, 72% en France …) C’est par millions que nous pleurons nos morts des deux dernières guerres mondiales, et beaucoup d’entre nous n’ont connu que les prières sur la tombe de nos parents et grands parents. Comme nous aurions aimé qu’ils nous bercent dans leurs bras, et comme nous aurions aimé nous souvenir de leur voie, de leurs chansons, de leur amour… et eux aussi.
IL y a eu beaucoup de mensonges véhiculés dans les médias américains et il est criticable de vouloir créer pour des raisons économiques ou d’égémonie, un conflit entre nos peuples.
La propagande est une arme de guerre et tromper les peuples de cette façon et en refusant comme le font les médias américains, un droit de réponse à ceux que l’on attaque conduit à la dictature et à tous ses excès. Les conséquences sont les propos que je lis avec effroi sur ce site, mais aussi que j’entends par les médias!.
Pourquoi alors seulement les français?…
Sommes nous si gênants, si dangereux?.
Le Pape, l’ensemble de la communauté oecuménique de toutes les religions du monde, a fermement condamné tous ceux qui invoquent Dieu et le Christ pour justifier des actes de guerre.
Les soldats, les peuples ont droit à la protection divine lorsqu’ils militent et agissent pour la paix et l’amour de leur prochain, pas quand ils combattent pour d’autres raisons.
Souvenez vous, après la guerre, il faut bien faire la paix. Les blessures peuvent se cicatriser, mais oublie t on pour autant les souffrances et nos morts. Combien de familles décapitées à jamais?.
Après chaque guerre, ceux qui ont survécus proclament “plus jamais la guerre”.
Et voila que les gouvernants de la première puissance économique du monde justifient des actes provoquant des centaines de milliers de morts, des centaines de milliers de blessés et invalides!.
Est ce bien un exemple qu’au nom du peuple américain un gouvernement qui se prévaut d’institutions démocratiques, veuille justifier les violences de la guerre?.
Est ce bien un exemple qu’au nom du peuple américain, ce même gouvernement veuille faire souffrir le peuple de france qui préfère le dialogue et l’autodétermination des peuples opprimés de préférence à la force?
Le recours à la force n’est qu