Posted on 06/05/2003 10:21:05 AM PDT by knighthawk
New York City's USS Intrepid Sea-Air- Space Museum, the world's largest naval museum, is being stiffed by the French donors of a warplane on its flight deck.
The French-American Chamber of Commerce has failed to pay a promised $10,000 for the Etendard naval fighter-bomber's upkeep, and the Intrepid Foundation is threatening to sell it for scrap.
During the entire six years the French plane has sat on the celebrated World War II aircraft carrier, the Intrepid foundation hasn't received a dime for its maintenance. This is in stark contrast to the way the Polish government contributed a MiG-21 fighter jet - and paid for its upkeep up front.
The Franco-American Chamber of Commerce insists that it is the French government's responsibility to pay for the Etendard's maintenance.
It's strange that neither the chamber nor the French government is willing to pay up. Though the French are notoriously fond of money - witness Paris' craven attitude to the Saddam regime - they are also obsessed with military glory.
And France ought to be proud of this particular plane. After all, it was a version of the Etendard (though flown by an Argentine pilot) that actually sank a British destroyer during the Falklands War of 1982 - one of a tiny handful of French naval triumphs over Anglo-Saxons in 250 years of maritime warfare.
Moreover, you might expect the French to be trying to mend fences with America after President Jacques Chirac's failed attempt to frustrate U.S. policy over Iraq.
Alas, for France, not so.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of wonderful aircraft flown by America and her allies that could take the place of the Etendard - ideally, a Tornado jet like the ones flown by the Royal Air Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Reminds me of those oxymorons like "jumbo shrimp" or "military justice" or "rap music."
Shove the damned thing over the side and be done with it.
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