France fearful of America's cold shoulder as threat of retaliatory trade boycott increases

Times Online ^ | February 22, 2003 | by Adam Sage

[Drango]

Chirac and his toadies are the target, and not the little farmer.

Yeah, what the 'ell! What's the economics of a frog farmer have to do with an American soldier who may die for the rest of us and indirectly for France?

NO BLOOD FOR FROGS

[tiki]

Thanks, I'll make sure not to buy any.

[ShadowAce]

Chirac and his toadies are the target, and not the little farmer.

The only way to make an impression on Chirac, though, is to erase that 80% approval rating he's got. Attack the little guy and his ratings go down.

[Guillermo]

“We are dealing with an up-market population that is less sensitive to populist ideas,” he says.

I was at an incredibly frou-frou restaurant in Coral Gables yesterday and these women there, the epitome of High Society, told the waitress that they did not want the Evian water because they were not buying French products...

[noslogans]

ah no....the whole event is about *US* oil *cementing* its commercial interests in Iraq...not to say
"guaranteeing".

look up worldwide production record graphs for 1950
to present. world production peaked a few years ago.
this is the big dryup boys and girls. at least, the
dryup of -cheap- oil. in any case, if you were a
trillionare who's income was solely derived from a
single commodity; access to which was beginning to
dry up...and you had a long-term lease on a bunch of
whores who were in charge of the world's most
powerful military...what would you do?

[DontMessWithMyCountry]

ah, but we have separated the 'diplomatic' from the 'commercial'; our politicians handle the 'diplomatic' aspect of telling the froggies what they may do with themselves; the consumers (you and I) handle the 'commercial' aspect by taking FULL advantage of our product disclosure notices on all goods we purchase. Yesterday I refused (for instance) to buy BIC razors because they were covered with froggie language (and financial interests, of course). I chose AMERICAN HERSHEY chocolates over Belgian (second-rate chocolates); and I put back a bar of soap that said it was 'made in Austria'. All this adds up very quickly. They really ought to shut up while they're behind, before they completely sink into their quickSAND.

[DontMessWithMyCountry]

FRANTIPATHY

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

I vow not to let a bit of French duck or goose liver pass my lips until the French change their act.

[MissAmericanPie]

“The Americans have to separate the diplomatic from the commercial.”

Yeah? Sage advice from a country that ran to America for fear the Al Queda instigated Balkin terrorism would boil over into their Muslim population yet turn their nose at the idea of America protecting itself from those same Muslim vermin Al Queda terrorists that caused the problem in the Balkins in the first place. No wonder their kangaroo court can't get Molshevic convicted of anything.

France is scared of it's own Muslim population, they are in too deep with Saddam, they are too infected with muslims, they can sink beneath the waves for all we care. Let Al Queda eat them for a snack, let France fall to Islam. Who would know the difference other than it hurting their wine industry?

[McGavin999]

Better yet...use California whites and Washington reds! Doesn't get much better than that

Only problem with that is that California is almost as bad as France (as witness to by the article above). The Aussies are with us, as is Spain and Italy.

These prissy Bay Area residents can cliche if they want, the unimaginitive usually are.

[mercy]

We used to buy Perrier. Now we buy Peligrino. No more Evian either.

We've also discovered Italian wines which I never new were so good. Valpolicella (sp) is a wine region in Italy that produces some very nice average red wines comparable to a good light Merlot. Zanato is a good vintner from that region. Their Valpolicella 'Classic' is under $10 and very nice. Try their Rapassa for a special treat. Under $20.

[judgeandjury]

Interprofessional Committee of Foie Gras Producers

Or, as it is more commonly known, the ICFGP.

[winner3000]

I just sent a bunch of French brand names from this thread to Francestinks.com

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Who would want French wine anyway. When I was there in '88, the wine we were served was more like a concoction of vinegar and clorine. California's wines are much better.

[AFPhys]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, I am officially Francophagic nowadays. Thank-you ... however, I definitely will use the slang words on occasion, though... (misfrogia and Francenslime) ..

...as I conduct my boycott of French wines/cheese, Michelin tires, Perrier, Evian, and yes, even my symbolic boycott of French fries.

[gaspar]

Boycott Trader Joe's. He sells cheap French products of inferior quality to Yuppies. On second thought, why save the suckers. They are the same liberals who wouldn't buy a car made in America.

[Renfield]

"...I looked all over for a suffix to mean "to despise." Couldn't find a thing. Any Safire-like wordsmiths out there?..."

We shall invent our own term. How about "Fncoloathe"

[Renfield]

"...I looked all over for a suffix to mean "to despise." Couldn't find a thing. Any Safire-like wordsmiths out there?..."

We shall invent our own term. How about "Francoloathe?"

[Renfield]

New Zealand makes the best whites, and some very good ones are made in Chile and Argentina. Wines from the southern hemisphere are a much better buy, generally, than anything produced in the northern hemisphere. I don't buy anything made north of the equator any more.

It is worth a trip to New Zealand to try their sauvignon blancs. Isabel Sauvignon Blanc, from Marlborough, is by far the best white wine I've ever tasted...heaven in a bottle...and it's not expensive. But you can't get it here.