Knocking the French: Why?

NavySEALs.com ^ | July 30, 2006 | W. Thomas Smith Jr.

[SuzyQ2]

But we Americans seem to have short memories.

What else could explain the fact that we, generally speaking, so-often lambaste the French, calling them “cowards” for not allying themselves fully with us in every instance? We constantly throw in their faces the fact that we came to their rescue in World Wars I and II. And we’ve all heard the jokes: “Surplus French military rifles for sale. Never fired. Dropped once.”

[melt]

Okay. They censored my original foto & comment. So, I'll try again, with no comment.

Read my tagline.

[HeartlandOfAmerica]

*laugh* I'm watching Armageddon with Bruce Willis on DVD right now. An asteroid chunk just leveled Paris.

[RJL]

Weren't the French against going into iraq from the get go?

No, they told President Bush and Colin Powell that they were with us, then they publicly blindsided Colin Powell and the US in their UN press conference.

[Oztrich Boy]

"invented the guillotine "

The French invent? They copied it from the Scots, who got it from the English

Check "Halifax Gibbet"

[Route797]

Real men (and women) like cats.

[Schweinhund]

Everyone knows that the USA have an affair with France.

[quadrant]

A quick search of the records of even the most odious of tyrants and countries will turn up one good deed.
Seriously, France is and has always been the pest of Europe.

[Caipirabob]

France watch: Various idiocies and the atrocieties of the African Bastille States

FRENCH TWISTED: Don't Help Paris Rape Africa

[bwteim]

Wrong. The quote comes from Jed Babbin. Look it up.

Welcome to FR.

[bwteim]

Join us on the live thread, Middle East Live Thread, today's is

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1674150/posts

You can ask BurbankKarl to put you on his ping list.

[PzLdr]

French for 30 years. The family name was Buonaparte, and his father was a Corsican nationalist.

The landlord of the house we lived in when I was born was Puerto Rican. That didn't make me Hispanic.

[MNJohnnie]

More then repaid by saving their butts in 2 World Wars, the Cold War and the War on Terror. BTW, the French were not fighting for the USA, they were fighting their traditional enemies the English for World Empire. We were just a handy excuse.

[Hawthorn]

snowman1 wrote:


>> You get away from Paris and the people are marvelous, Parisians are a different story. They are rude and don't get caught in an elevator with a bunch of them <<

Agreed 100%!!!

But IMHO there's a certain upside to the rudeness:

First one needs to realize that Paris is clearly among the world's most beautiful cities. Apart from San Francisco, Rio and Hongkong, I'd say Paris has little or no competition.

And because of its great charms, I believe Paris would be jam-packed with Americans and other tourists 365/24/7 -- IF ONLY the Parisians weren't so extremely rude. The traffic would be unbearable and the already high prices would be astronomical.

But as things stand -- and as I see them -- the traffic, the crowds and the prices are manageable.

Therefore, for those who are able simply to tune out the rudeness, a visit to Paris can be a fantastic treat!

[Hawthorn]

Jedi Master Pikachu wrote:

> Are the Quebeçois and West Africans and French Polynesians arrogant? <

We was just in Quebec City, and I can assure everyone that the Québeçois were polite and friendly in the extreme. In fact, my wife said, "It's just like being in Paris without the rudeness!"

[mewzilla]

Knocking the French: Why?

Oh, hows about Oil For Food for starters. Then there's all the stuff mentioned in Bill Gertz's book Treachery. Example...

French connection armed Saddam

What's not to love, eh?

[Hawthorn]

Dale 1 wrote:

>His name is Jacques Chirac, a liberalist and a communist<


Chirac is most definitely a jerk, a crook, a demigogic America basher and a liar. Moreover, on top of all that, he's probably a creep and a pervert. It's very easy to detest the guy, and I'm sure I can equal you in that department.

But a communist? No way.

The French have plenty of REAL COMMUNISTS, both in the unions (thug commies) and on their university faculties (pure Marxist intellectuals).

And on the political spectrum, Chirac is miles (or should I say kilometres?) away from these "types."

[Pharmboy]

There would not have been a defeat at Yorktown without the French, rather if the French Fleet never showed Cornwallis would have been able to escape via water and we would not have gained a victory: big difference. It had nothing to do with General Washington's skill set as a general. And, FYI, he improved considerably as the war went on: Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth. At the Battle of Brooklyn he was poor in the field, but engineered a brilliant retreat which saved the army. And, he was a brilliant leader of men and fearless on the field.

As far as the French go, they were much more interested in helping us bloody English noses than in helping Americans per se. As soon as Washington became president, they began making trouble for us (see Citizen Genet, etc.).

[Old Student]

"la Legion was respectable.....mostly foreigners, though. "

The Legion was, IIRC, also the unit that fought at Dien Bien Phu. I've read that most of the soldiers who died there were former Nazi SS troopers, too. Somehow, I don't think we can attribute their steadfast defense of a hopeless post to the French, even if they did have at least a few French officers.