EuroPress Review: Remembrance of other things past. (And of why Euroweenies suck!!)

NRO ^ | September 12, 2003, 9:00 a.m. | By Denis Boyles

[.cnI redruM]

You would think that commemorating September 11 would be a snap for our allies, the French. After all, it was on September 11, 1814, that the Americans were victorious over the British at the critical Battle of Plattsburg. The battle was the turning point of the War of 1812 — fought by the U.S. partly in protest against Great Britain's nasty habit of kidnapping American sailors and pressing them into service in the Royal Navy, but also partly in defense of France, which was suffering under a British embargo. It was only the first time America went to war for France.

[.cnI redruM]

I couldn't stop laughing, until I realized the French were actually serious.

[You Dirty Rats]

We fought the British partly in defense of Napoleonic France?!?!?

What an ignorant statement!!

[Reeses]

The Euro-left has a problem with September 11, because to express sympathy for America is not en emotion much in evidence in the European media these days. This year, the prevailing sentiment is disdain.

Actually the emotion is jealously. Leftists should be called more often on their eternal state of envy. Because they think they are God's gift to humanity, anything that challenges that self-image generates intense feelings of jealously. This causes leftists to want to cripple their competition, tax the rich down to their level, and to give money to the poor thereby proving to themselves they are indeed someone special due admiration and great homage.

[Graybeard58]

"but also partly in defense of France"

That's a bit of a stretch isn't it?

[Colosis]

Thanks for posting this - after reading the story I subscribed to NRO for a year. It was a spirit of the moment thing, so I hope it's good...

[norton]

Not really; Temporary mutual interest is a far more traditional basis for alliance than "special relationships" or 'traditional alliances'.

We benefitted from the French confronting Brits in Europe.
They benefitted from our confronting them here.
So 'we went to war for the French' is just about equal to 'we would not have gone to war without the French'.

We DID after all fight our own war with Great Britan and we DID have a British colony on our northern border. Lafayette's memory and an American amity toward France lasted at least through WWI.

[Squawk 8888]

The British blockade of France was detrimental to US trade, so it was one of the excuses used by the US for invading Canada.

[You Dirty Rats]

My point was that no part of our decision to declare war on Great Britain was due to a desire to aid Napoleon or come to the "defense" of France.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Actually the emotion is jealously. Leftists should be called more often on their eternal state of envy. Because they think they are God's gift to humanity, anything that challenges that self-image generates intense feelings of jealously. This causes leftists to want to cripple their competition, tax the rich down to their level, and to give money to the poor thereby proving to themselves they are indeed someone special due admiration and great homage.

Excellent capsule description of the left.