Posted on 04/07/2003 1:44:26 PM PDT by WaveThatFlag
The ugliness of the anti-war sentiment unleashed by France's leaders has reached such a fever pitch that even they have become embarrassed by it. (And who knew the president of France was even capable of embarrassment?)
More than a week ago a group of anti-war hoodlums defaced the graves of British soldiers killed during World War I and buried in the northern city of Etaples.
``Dig up your rubbish, it is contaminating our soil,'' read one of the spray-painted messages. ``Saddam will win and he will make you bleed,'' said another. Red swastikas also marred the headstones.
The incident prompted a personal letter of apology from French President Jacques Chirac to Britain's Queen Elizabeth, which said, in part, ``You know that at a time when your soldiers are engaged in combat, the thoughts of the French are naturally with them.''
That is, as the French would so eloquently put it, merde.
Because just days before Chirac sent his heartfelt note of apology, a poll appeared in Le Monde that found 33 percent of the French people hope Britain and the United States lose the war against Iraq.
This has been a week of serial apologizing in France. (It seemed the closer coalition troops got to Baghdad, the more earnest were the apologies.) It began Monday with Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin saying, ``Just because we're against this war doesn't mean we want dictatorship to defeat democracy. We are in the democratic camp. The Americans are not enemies.''
On Tuesday, Raffarin told his nation's parliament, ``It is indispensable to be vigilant against all displays of anti-Americanism, which would be unacceptable.''
On Wednesday, his spokesman added, ``We have no leniency toward the Iraqi regime. Of course, we want to see Saddam Hussein's regime ended.''
Even German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder joined the ``old Europe'' chorus of those singing a slightly different tune this week. In a speech to the German parliament, he called for ``the defeat of the dictatorship'' in Iraq, but never mentioned who might actually be doing the ``defeating.''
Well, Saddam will be defeated and that is what the French and German governments fear most: a free Iraq, grateful to its liberators and its new allies and with no particular need to curry favor with those who made a nice, fat living doing business with Saddam.
This is no longer about freedom fries and boycotts of fine Bordeaux. This is about trade and reconstruction contracts and the future of Saddam's favorite oil company, TotalFinaElf.
So, how do you say ``go pound sand'' in French?
Since "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" translates as "primates who captiulate and are constantly in search of cheese," I'd say don't bother. The French are from a different planet.
how do you say ``go pound sand'' in French?
disparaissent le sable de livre
Enemies, no. But not friends, either - not any more. Friends don't stab friends in the back, like France did with this country over the last several months (years, actually, since at least the 1966 withdrawal from NATO's military command structure, but who's counting?). Our nation spilled lots of blood to keep France free in WW1, lots of blood to liberate France in WW2, and spent hundreds of billions in both of those wars, the Marshall Plan and the remainder of the Cold War, all to keep France free and to ensure its prosperity - and in return, France can't even STFU when we lost 3,000 dead 1 1/2 years ago and want to take down a brutal fascist dictator that threatens more of the same? Far from doing so, its government actively campaigned against us with such influential countries as Camaroon and Angola (which, quite coincidentally were on the Security Council). Its threatened veto, plus this anti-US diplomacy, guaranteed that we couldn't get a favorable UN vote, and was calculated to thwart our nation's national interests and to embarass our leadership. No, those are not the actions of a friend. A friend whose arse we had saved twice (or 3 times, if you count the Cold War, which I do), and which was honestly opposed to our avowed policy would have said so privately, and then STFU when it failed to persuade us. France should have abstained, but we all know what it did instead.
We, both as a nation and as individuals, should act accordingly. I invited some guests to dinner at my home tomorrow and was graciously asked what my wife and I like to drink. I replied, "Any decent red wine, as long as its not French." I'll not willingly or knowingly buy products made in France or made by companies owned by the French. This means no "Car & Driver" (owned by Hachette, which is, believe it or not, owned 3% by none other than So-damned Insane himself) and lots of other products that I like, but it is well worth the small sacrifice (especially when you consider the very great, and sometimes ultimate, sacrifices being made by the brave personnel of our armed forces). I'd rather help those that are true friends of this country - and to Hell with ingrateful nations like France that are opposed to us.
As for those who say that economic boycotts hurt only the innocent, I say "bull merde." The French public voted Chirac into office and, as the article above points out, many want(ed?) us to lose this war. Well, that's fine, its their right to have (and to voice) their opinions ... just as it is my right to boycott their products and to tell everyone I know "EFF France!"
Ah, this one's easy. You tell them "Your price for crude oil has now just tripled...."
-archy-/-
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