Insurgents Discover That French Reporters Uphold Gallic Military Tradition

Jackie Spinner at the Washington Post hosted a live-chat Q&A on the war in Iraq and journalists' efforts to cover the action. Spinner joined the chatroom live from an Army outpost near Fallujah, and the very first question asked about the benefits of embedding reporters within military units as opposed to freelancing in a war zone:

Q - Is it preferrable to report from an embedded military unit, or do you prefer to roam about the city without their protection? I presume the quality of reporting is better if you aren't chained to a branch of the military, but it certainly seems much more dangerous to move about Iraq without their security. ... A - Unfortunately, it is impossible to roam about the city without protection. The only way we can cover this offensive for now is with the military. I should note that the insurgents offered embed spots to us as well. Only a French photographer took them up on it. He was detained by US forces yesterday as he fled his embed.

Not for the first time, I presume the Ba'athist remnants and Islamist terrorists may be regretting their strategy of bribing the French to put up a facade of legitimacy for them. Last year, a French journalist made waves by embedding himself with "insurgents" and photographing them while they shot and fired missiles at American soldiers. It seems the French get a lot less courageous when someone fires back ... but then, we learned that decades ago.

I have to apologize ahead of time for forgetting so many details.

I remember seeing video 6 months or a year ago of terrorists shooting some type of SAM at a plane. I was watching with disbelief when the broadcaster said the man filming it was a French reporter (or cameraman) brought along by the terrorists. I couldn't believe that a reported would be embedded with terrorists filming their acts without having some sort of moral problem. The French must have some sort of mental disorder where this is all okay.

Something I saw today.

=================================================
NEWS ALERT! TERROR ALERT LEVEL RAISED IN FRANCE!
=================================================
AP and UPI reported that the French Government
announced yesterday that it has raised its terror
alert level from "run" to "hide." The only two
higher levels in France are "surrender" and
"collaborate." The elevation was the result of
the recent fire which destroyed one of France's
white flag factories, rendering their military
totally undeployable.
=================================================

Eleven thousand soldiers
lay beneath the dirt and stone,
all buried on a distant land
so far away from home.

For just a strip of dismal beach
they paid a hero's price,
to save a foreign nation
they all made the sacrifice.

And now the shores of Normandy
are lined with blocks of white,
Americans who didn't turn
from someone else's plight.

Eleven thousand reasons
for the French to take our side,
but in the moment of our need,
they chose to run and hide.

Chirac said every war means loss,
perhaps for France that's true,
for they've lost every battle
since the days of Waterloo.

Without a soldier worth a damn
to be found within the region,
the French became the only land
to need a Foreign Legion.

You French all say we're arrogant.
Well hell, we've earned the right
We saved your sorry nation
when you lacked the guts to fight.

But now you've made a big mistake,
and one that you'll regret;
you took sides with our enemies,
and that we won't forget.

It wasn't just our citizens
you spit on when you turned,
but every one of yours
who fell the day the towers burned.

You spit upon our soldiers,
on our pilots and Marines,
and now you'll get a little sense
of just what payback means.

So keep your Paris fashions
and your wine and your champagne,
and find some other market
that will buy your aeroplanes.

And try to find somebody else
to wear your French cologne,
for you're about to find out
what it means to stand alone.

You see, you need us far more
than we ever needed you.
America has better friends
who know how to be true.

I'd rather stand with warriors
who have the will and might,
than huddle in the dark
with those whose only flag is white.

I'll take the Brits, the Aussies,
the Israelis and the rest,
for when it comes to valor
we have seen that they're the best.

We'll count on one another
as we face a moment dire,
while you sit on the sideline
with a sign, "friendship for hire."

We'll win this war without you
and we'll total up the cost,
and take it from your foreign aid,
and then you'll feel the loss.

And when your nation starts to fall,
well Frenchie, you can spare us,
just call the Germans for a hand, they know the way to Paris.

I didn't write the above; I do not have the permission of the alleged author to post his name. I also posted the poem on another thread, but think it is worth a repost here.

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