Posted on 01/09/2005 6:18:02 PM PST by quidnunc
Over the past 6 weeks, I've been deeply enmeshed in one of those "go live at the end of the year" projects that we in the IT industry have learned to love. The kind where managers assume that since no one is working, why that would be the perfect time to go live!
Of course, it means that your doing complex work at the point of maximum distraction with many many holidays and no staff.
-snip-
Today, during an afternoon conference that wrapped up my project of the last 18 months, one of my Euro collegues tossed this little turd out to no one in particular:
See, this is why George Bush is so dumb, theres a disaster in the world and he sends an Aircraft Carrier…"
After which he and many of my Euro collegues laughed out loud.
And then they looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and neither was my Hindi friend sitting next to me, who has lost family in the disaster.
I'm afraid I was "unprofessional", I let it loose…
"Hmmm, let's see, what would be the ideal ship to send to a disaster, now what kind of ship would we want?Something with its own inexhuastible power supply?
Something that can produce 900,000 gallons of fresh water a day from sea water?
Something with its own airfield? So that after producing the fresh water, it could help distribute it?
Something with 4 hospitals and lots of open space for emergency supplies?
Something with a global communications facility to make the coordination of disaster relief in the region easier?
Well "Franz", us peasants in America call that kind of ship an "Aircraft Carrier". We have 12 of them. How many do you have? Oh that's right, NONE. Lucky for you and the rest of the world, we are the kind of people who share. Even with people we dont like. In fact, if memory serves,once upon a time we peasants spent a ton of money and lives rescuing people who we had once tried to kill and who tried to kill us.
Do you know who those people were? that's right Franz, Europeans.
There is a French Aircraft carrier? Where is it? Right where it belongs! In France of course! Oh why should the French Navy dirty their uniforms helping people on the other side of the globe. How Simplesse…
The day an American has to move a European out of the way to help in some part of the world it will be a great day in the world, you sniggering little fCENSOREDb…"
-snip-
As for the Euroeweenies, here's what they have to be so proud of these days:
1/8/05
Italian soccer star Paolo Di Canio has caused a stir by giving what looks like a fascist salute after scoring a goal against his team's arch-rival, Roma. Di Canio plays for Lazio, a Roman team that Mussolini supported and that continues to have fascist and racist elements (called "ultras") among its fans.
Don't mess with Lazio, dude.
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't recognize the name, but I remembered the incident.
Now that is an excellent comeback! Sometimes one can only take just so much of ignorance and rudness. Good job! (hope yours isn't in danger)
BTTT!
A rant worthy of a FReeper on a good day.
As they say, go read the whole thing.
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