Posted on 02/14/2003 12:24:22 PM PST by conservativecorner
There is a joke going around that France is going to change her Tricolor flag. She is going to remove the blue and red parts, leaving only the white.
In fairness, however, the French are not waving the white flag of surrender today. They are standing in defiancenot defiance of Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, or Islamic terrorists, but of America and American interests.
In the days following Colin Powells masterful presentation at the United Nations Security Council detailing Saddams efforts to develop and conceal murderous weapons, the French cobbled together two ad hoc alliances to obstruct the United States taking the necessary step of disarming the Iraqi dictator through military force.
Hard Cheese, Jacques
First, they solicited the support of Germany, Russia and China for a fatuous proposal to expand and extend failed UN weapons inspections in Iraqin lieu of decisive military action. Secondly, with backing from Belgium and Germany, they resisted the request of NATO ally Turkey to comply with their NATO obligation to provide Turkey with defensive aid against possible Iraqi attacks.
It does not matter that France voted in November for unanimous UN Security Council Resolution 1441, giving Saddam a final opportunity to disarm or face serious consequences. As President Bush said last week, The UN Security Councils got to make up its mind, soon, as to whether or not its words mean anything.
Apparently, the French have made up theirs. At this point, their word does not mean anythingnot to their old friend the United States, not to their NATO ally Turkey, not when solemnized in the UN.
There are deep ironies here, of course. NATO and the UN are, in essence, international alliances forged from the experiences of World Wars I and II, where American soldiers fought and died to preserve France.
Certainly, America owed France much for sending us Lafayette and deGrasse to help overthrow the British monarchy. But that debt was more than repaid in the Argonne Forest and at Normandy. Between the U.S. and France now there is only one consideration: national interest.
There are many guesses why French President Jacques Chirac, and his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, believe it is in their interest to pursue an anti-American policy. They could be currying favor with anti-American Arab regimes. They could be worried about the sentiments of a growing Islamic bloc within their own country. The CIA says 5% to 10% of the French population is now Muslim. (Zaccharias Moussaoui, accused co-conspirator in the 9/11 attacks, is a French Muslim.)
Or it could be that as a weak power that would lose to California or Virginia in a war (both states are home port for more and better aircraft carriers), France is acting out a national inferiority complex.
To be sure, France has a right to resist and oppose America. But we also have a right to remember they didand this time we should.
Next time the French need their chestnuts pulled from the fire it either will or will not be in our interest to do it. If not: Hard cheese, Jacques.
I would, but we have so many soldiers buried there it's difficult to ignore.
If you're referring to the communist attempt to take over Chile in the 70's, well, old communists never forget their defeats, do they, comrade? Maybe you'll have better luck with Hugo Chavez.
I wonder if things worked out for Chile after all? badger75 signed up 2003-02-14
--Homer Simpson
WHO NEEDS THE FRENCH?
French Military History in a Nutshell Currently making the rounds in the military community:
The Complete Military History of France
- Gallic Wars - Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.
- Hundred Years War - Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman."
- Italian Wars - Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.
- Wars of Religion - France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots.
- Thirty Years War - France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other
participants started ignoring her.
- War of Devolution - Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.
- The Dutch War - Tied.
- War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War - Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.
- War of the Spanish Succession - Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved every since.
- American Revolution - In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."
- French Revolution - Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.
- The Napoleonic Wars - Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.
- The Franco-Prussian War - Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.
- World War I - Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.
- World War II - Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.
- War in Indochina - Lost. French forces plead sickness, take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu.
- Algerian Rebellion - Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.
- War on Terrorism - France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Muslims and the Germans just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.
The question for any country silly enough to count on the French should not be "Can we count on the French?", but rather "How long until France
collapses?"
Final Conclusion: "Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage."
..........There are many guesses why French President Jacques Chirac, and his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, believe it is in their interest to pursue an anti-American policy.
Ha! Now I see the source of the Frogs' problem! It's the hard cheese! The crap has backed up so far it has displaced their brains. They are just full of it and the only possible solution is a good dump.
The UN needs to send emergency shipments of Metamucil.
Try Rhode Island. Possibly even American Samoa.
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