In the Heart of France, Anti-U.S. Mood Softens

The New York Times ^ | 04/12/2003 (for editions of 04/13/2003) | John Tagliabue

[Billthedrill]

Mr. Lebel said he remained convinced that alternatives existed to war like "the United Nations inspections, maybe freezing Saddam Hussein's assets."

Golly, why didn't we think of that? And maybe international sanctions and UN resolutions too...lots of stuff we didn't try...

M. Lebel is an idiot.

I am convinced that the large majority of the French public has no idea how angry we still are with Moslem countries for supporting a campaign of hatred and terrorism that did not start, but only culminated, on 9/11. I am also convinced that same majority has no idea how angry we are with them. Or how long it will last. Very, and a long, long time, respectively.

[LaGrone]

These idiot French actually think we will forgive them right away for actively being against us. How wrong these fools are. At least twenty years of payback.

Get this Chiraq...NO CONTRACTS.

[thasea]

...only temporary. "I don't think you can resist our wines," he said.

Think again.....</sarcasm

[ladywolf]

Oh my God are you EVER right on that one; I live here. If we had a state coin it would certainly feature the twin dorks; Taliban Patty on one side and Commie G. Locke on the other.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

George Magazine

George Magazine is still being published? I thought it died a couple of months after its founder did.

[nanny]

Is there enough room on this site to list all the products made in China or Mexico that would do this country a lot more good than boycotting anything French?

I would wager if this country began China bashing or Mexico bashing, you would see our present administration hire a entire team of PR people to counteract it.

[Twinkie]

East Tennessee wineries and California wineries have
beaten the socks off French wines in international
competitions. Gold medals to Stag Leap Winery in
California and to Highland Manor Winery in Jamestown,
Tennessee to name a couple.
Twinkie

[CharacterCounts]

Not one of the French citizens interviewed understand the basis for the rift. They think the rift results from France's opposition to the war. The real rift comes from France actively undermining our efforts and emboldening our enemy. This amost assuredly cost American lives.

It is far more serious than the French people apparently believe.

[ODDITHER]

When my daughter was little her grandmother bought her a doll that she loved. It was a little red riding hood/big bad wolf doll. If you pulled the dress down, it was little red riding hood, If you flipped it the other way, it was the big bad wolf.

It appears that the French are much like the doll, depending on what's in it for them is which end of the doll they show to us.

They might want to patch things up, but for me - no way.

My 9-Great grandmother was killed along with her 3 year old daughter while sleeping in bed. The french had paid the indians in glass beads and whiskey and convinced them that the English were going to kill them and take away their land. That terrible night two other children were taken as slaves by the indians and marched 700 miles into Canada. They were placed with a French family as their slaves. They were beaten and humiliated by the French for two years.

I know that was a long time ago, but I see similarities here.

As with that war, the French would publically say one thing but were paying the indians to do another.

As with that war, the French were envious of the English ability to increase their economic status but were unwilling to work hard themselves.

Not much has changed since 1704.The French are envious of our freedom, power, strength and unity, but are unwilling to earn it for themselves. So they are now using the arab nations to do their dirty work while they tell us we are allies.


Bring home our brave souls that are buried there, and let them eat cake.

[Eala]

ps. I've heard Australian wines are great.

They are. The Hunter Valley in NSW is fast becoming another Napa Valley (CA), tourism and all. It seemed odd, though, to see so many wineries with Scottish names on them!

[Eala]

The only drawback to Washington wines is that they come from a state that is at least as socialist as France.

Believe me, there are some of us here working hard to retake The People's Soviet of Washington, aka The Evergreed State.

[AFPhys]

As further evidence of the Iraqi Chem/Bio capability, do not forget the enormous number of Chem/Bio suits, decontamination facilities, and instruction posters found already... There's more to come, though.

[AFPhys]

I'll be forever amazed that these maroons can continue to maintain that our "oil lust" played any part in this action. It seems so simple to comprehend that the cheapest way for us to get oil from Saadumb would have been to make a deal with him that he can do anything he wanted to do. After all, that is the deal with Syria, and he sold them oil at $11/bbl. We could have probably done even better.
Maroons...

On the broader scope of the article, there is zero chance of france's antiAmerican attitude in this action having only a short term effect. My very apolitical mother has cancelled the trip to france she and her sister scheduled for this fall. I know of no one, even the most avid peacenik, who does not believe france went way, way over the edge, and nearly all of them are expecting to conduct their own personal boycott.

If the french don't sell much less here, they will accomplish that only because they have drastically lowered their prices. Either way they will lose economically.

[HardStarboard]

>>>If we had a state coin it would certainly feature the twin dorks; Taliban Patty on one side and Commie G. Locke on the other. <<<

We need a three sided coin....gotta have a place to put Baghdad Jim McDermott!

[Lx]

Not Browning, is that true? I've wanted one of their high power .40s ever since I shot a friend's. Damn, California just certified it as 'safe'.

I looked at their web site at couldn't prove nor deny who owns them.

[Grampa Dave]

Actually Brownings have been and are made in Belgium. Or France Lite. They have been tremendous PIAs before and during this whole mess.

It will be inresting to see the financial dots from the Soddomites to the whore$ of Belgium or French Lite.

[Beck_isright]

"Mr. Lebel said he remained convinced that alternatives existed to war like "the United Nations inspections, maybe freezing Saddam Hussein's assets." America is mistaken, he said, if it thinks a military response to terrorism suffices without attacking social and economic ills that fuel militancy. "There has to be a political response," he said. "Terrorism doesn't come from nowhere, it's not the Immaculate Conception."

This statement speaks volumes about the French, but I think it was an erroneous translation. Let me give it a try with my rusty college French:

"Mr. Lebel said that France is basically a nation of cowards. We will sell weapons to anyone. We will betray anyone. We are yellow bellied commie a** hugging 100% cheese eating surrender monkeys. We do not believe in anything but the UN because they help keep those snotty Americans from invading us and saving us from the Nazi party which we supported. Vive le Vichy! Vive Le Stalin! Vive le Hitler!"

[Lx]

Damn, Belgium is just as bad. If they were made in France, you'd pull the trigger and a white flag would pop out that said, "I surrender". This is the same Browning that designed the 1911a for Colt I believe, isn't it?

Using Belgium as the search term on their web site, it came up with this:
http://www.browning.com/faq/detail.asp?ID=90

The funniest part is that at the bottom they say they produce their weapons at the best manufacturing facilities but in the line above it says they moved production to Japan due to significant cost increases in Belgium.


From: http://www.browning.com/faq/detail.asp?ID=90
Q: Where are Browning firearms manufactured?

A:Browning firearms have been traditionally made in locations world-wide. John M. Browning's first rifle, the Single Shot, was made in Ogden, Utah. The next guns carrying the Browning name were made in Belgium. This continued for many decades. This was the result of John M. Browning's lasting relationship with Fabrique Nationale, in Herstal, Belgium. Most Browning guns were made in Belgium by F.N. until the mid '70s when some production was shifted to Miroku in Japan. Today's Browning firearms are made in either Belgium, Portugal, Japan or in the United States. With some exceptions this is the breakout:

Browning Firearm Manufacturers
Belgium
Superposed

Belgium (assembled in Portugal)
Gold 12 and 20 ga. shotguns, Hi-Power Pistol, FN Pistols, BAR Mark II Safari Rifle, and BPR Pump Rifle

Italy
The BDA 380 Autoloading pistol

Japan
Citori, Model 81, Light Weight and Lightning BLR, A-Bolt II, 1885, Auto-5, Recoiless, B-SS, BT-100, BT-99, BL-22 Rifle, Auto-22 Rifle, A-Bolt Shotgun, BPS (all), A-500 G & R, and Gold 10 ga., All single barrel trap guns

United States
Buck Mark Pistols and rifles, Pro-9, Pro-40 and the BDM Pistols

The tradition of making Browning sporting firearms overseas was started with John M. Browning's Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun design being produced by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium. Production on many of the models made in Belgium shifted to Miroku in Japan in the mid-70's due to significant cost increases in Belgium.

We at Browning consider ourselves an worldwide company. We are proud of our tradition of producing the world's best firearms at the worlds best factories --where ever they be.