Yep, it's official: France is next after Iraq

[Guest Ozymandias]

Hoho, remember when the Republican Party was opposed to wasting OUR money on frivolities?

Me neither....

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In another swipe at the French, a Florida congresswoman has proposed that the government pay for families who might want to bring home from France the remains of Americans who fought and died in the world wars.

 

"I, along with many other Americans, do not feel that the French government appreciates the sacrifices men and women in uniform have made to defend the freedom that the French enjoy today," Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite said in introducing legislation providing financial help for the reburial of veterans from the two world wars.

 

The legislation, which faces uncertain prospects, is the latest show of congressional frustration over French threats to veto a U.N. resolution that would open the way for U.S. military action against Iraq.

 

Earlier this week, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, ordered that House restaurants change their menus to read "freedom fries" instead of French fries. French toast would also become freedom toast.

 

Lawmakers have also introduced bills to prevent France from participating in any postwar reconstruction projects.

 

Brown-Waite, a freshman Republican, said she decided to sponsor the bill after she was approached by a constituent who said he wanted to bring home his father, who was killed in World War II and buried in France.

 

Some 74,000 American war casualties are buried in France and Belgium, including 30,000 from World War I. The host nations, while retaining sovereignty over the burial grounds, have granted the land in perpetuity to the United States as military cemeteries.

 

Steve Thomas, a spokesman for the American Legion, said the veterans' group would need some time to look at the legislation. He said the American Legion has always respected the wishes of the families concerning those who died in combat, but noted that "a lot of people may not want to repatriate their fallen loved ones, separating them from their comrades, to make a statement about the French government."

[Guest Tim]

My opinion of America and Americans is in freefall.

[Guest Anglesault]

I'm very "Fuck France" Not just because of their asinine behavior now, but because they're the French.

 

That being said, this is bizarre behavior.

[Guest Austin3164life]

One of the stupidest and most obnoxious things I have ever read.

[Guest JMA]

I'm very "Fuck France" Not just because of their asinine behavior now, but because they're the French.

So, you hate everyone who is French?

[Guest Tim]

French people piss me off as well, and I have known some, but this is remarkably stupid.

And I stand by my first comment.

[Guest JMA]

I really don't understand the hate for the French. I thought prejudice was supposed to be a bad thing...

[Guest Jack Tunney]

I wonder how many people here would make anti-French remarks to Chris Benoit's face.

[Guest JMA]

It's bullshit, is what it is. Nationalist, propaganda bullshit.

[Guest bob_barron]

My opinion of America and Americans is in freefall.

Why should two ignorant Americans change your opinion of the rest of the country?

[Guest treble charged]

The French should change that line in the Simpsons when they dub it from English to, 'Mmm, 64 slices of war mongering cheese...'

 

I'd mark out.

[Guest Tim]

My opinion of America and Americans is in freefall.

Why should two ignorant Americans change your opinion of the rest of the country?

It's just that this is not an isolated incident. What about "Freedom Fries" and people petitioning to stop using French and German products? And these ideas seem to be getting widespread support. I support using force against Saddam, but America has gone about this in an entirely foolish and ignorant way.

[Guest hardyz1]

That's because the average American is a dumbass.

[Guest SP-1]

That's because the average American is a dumbass.

To (once again) rip off DEAN:

 

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

 

While I appreciate the spirit of the effort, it does seem pretty childish. Personally, I'd rather wait for somebody to get ballsy and want to kick France's ass, and wait for them to inevitably come calling on us for help.

[Guest ElectricRaccoon]

The average human is a dumbass. That's the problem, and why every organization, from a country to a marriage, consistently goes to shit regardless of the participants.

 

Also, why hasn't the falafel, given both its Middle Eastern origin and that part that sounds kind of like "Allah" been renamed the "Freedom Really-Not-Very-Good Fried Chick-Pea Thing"?

[Guest Vern Gagne]

No keep the bodies in France. They need to be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice these men made liberating their country.

[Guest Vyce]

I don't find this nearly as upsetting as any of you do.

 

I don't have any family members who died at Normandy, but if I did, I'd be a bit bitter at the thought of their ultimate sacrifice for a nation of anti-American ingrates.

 

[[What about "Freedom Fries" and people petitioning to stop using French and German products? And these ideas seem to be getting widespread support]]

 

As they should.

 

While the fries thing is silly, the boycott is a wonderful means of sending a message to the French. I'm supporting it.

 

I never exactly bought many French products before, but I'm not buying ANY now.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

I don't like actual French food so I can't really boycott anything.

 

This entire French boycott is a total non-issue. It's something to laugh about.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

Do you honestly think this makes the French people feel SAD?

 

Do you think they're UNHAPPY or SCARED because we want our bodies back and we're boycotting French products?

 

No. They're sitting in their little frog-ass houses LAUGHING at us because we're a bunch of little whining, spiteful babies. Yours, and the representatives who push this legislation's, attitudes further that sentiment.

[Guest Anglesault]

Nah, what we should do, is the next time the French are getting their asses handed to them by someone (And it's bound to happen, they're the French) we shouldn't bother bailing themout AGAIN and just tell them that we see no reason or them to be fighting the war.

[Guest Hogan Made Wrestling]

If France did get into a war (in the sense of being attacked), the US would help them because

 

1. They are a member of NATO and would respect Article 5.

 

2. If they didn't, France would probably just use nukes on the attackers. The US wouldn't want that to happen at any cost.

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

True, HMW. They probably would.

[Guest Some Guy]

If France did get into a war (in the sense of being attacked), the US would help them because

 

1. They are a member of NATO and would respect Article 5.

 

2. If they didn't, France would probably just use nukes on the attackers. The US wouldn't want that to happen at any cost.

No, they'll just quit again.

 

They quit in WWII, they quit in Vietnam, they would have quit in Bosnia if we didn't bail them and the Brits out. The French don't seem to have what it takes to really win a war. You have to destroy your enemy and they don'ty have the ability or balls to do it.

 

I don't have much problem with teh French being opposed to this war, that is there right. What I do have a problem with is that they are lobbying and threatening other countries who are undecided to oppose the war. That's bullshit. They owe us at least enough respect to just step out of the fucking way. We paid them back ten-fold for the Revolution, we bailed them out in WWII, we took over for them after they quit in Vietnam, we bailed them out in Bosnia, we forgave all debts from WWII. They fucking owe us a little respect.

 

I think it's going ot becom every clear why the French have gone beyong their typical obstructionism when we get into Iraq and start finding the receipts for nuclear, chemical, and biological materials that the Frogs have sold Saddam. There is no other logical reason for them to be this opposed to war. Remember Saddam was really pissed at the French for fighting in the Gulf War and the Frog PM has a picture of he and Saddam on his office wall.

 

It is inevitable that teh Frogs will get into another war and if we have a Republican Presidetn it is likely that we won't help unitl the very last moment and we shouldn't help them.

 

If they do use Nukes, good. Then they can shut the fuck up about our use of them 60 years ago.

 

I am supporting the boycot on French stuff, whatever it is that they actually make.

 

I think the "Freedom" stuff is a little silly, but who really calls them "French Fries" anyway? Everybody I know just calls them "Fries". "Would you like Fries with that?"

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

That's because the average American is a dumbass.

So is the average Canadian and Englishman.

 

 

Let's face it... the average PERSON is a dumbass.

[Guest JMA]

This anti-France attitude really disturbs me. How long before a bunch of idiots attack a kid because he's french? It's foolish. Hating someone because of where they were born is foolish.

[Guest Powerplay]

First, on topic: While these are pretty petty things, like SP said, the spirit is correct. What France is doing in the UN right now is the absolute picture of cowardice (Threatening to veto ANY type of resolution right now and basically stalling as they try and threaten their former colonies to go against the war). It's just sickening, imo. While Freedom Fries is a little stupid, I still get a nice little laugh out of it.

 

Now offtopic: Dreamer, why are you so Pro-France? What have they done for the World besides being uptight pricks?

[Guest Tyler McClelland]

How about helping us get our independence?

[Guest Vyce]

Do you honestly think this makes the French people feel SAD?

 

Do you think they're UNHAPPY or SCARED because we want our bodies back and we're boycotting French products?

 

No. They're sitting in their little frog-ass houses LAUGHING at us because we're a bunch of little whining, spiteful babies. Yours, and the representatives who push this legislation's, attitudes further that sentiment.

I'm sorry, next time I'll pay oh so much more attention to the French's sensibilities.

 

Please.

 

For the record, I've held the French with contempt for a lot longer than the past few weeks [not as an ethnic group, however; I have friends who are French by ethnicity]. I could fucking care less what they think. I could care less if they love us, hate us, laugh at us, whatever. Their opinion means NOTHING to me.

 

The current problem, however, is summed up nicely by SomeGuy. There's a difference between a country that's opposing us, such as China for example, who has gone so far as to threaten a veto, and France, who has done EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to sabotage and embarass us, even going so far as to send diplomats to other countries to sway them against us.

 

Ari Fleischer had a good point the other day: France rejected the British proposal the other day even before Iraq did. That should tell you something.

 

Like I said, I don't give a shit what the average French citizen thinks about America, but when they actively try and screw us over in some fashion, they deserve retribution, even in a small, petty, passive-aggressive fashion.

 

And regardless of what you say, a boycott will hurt France in the long run, if enough people participated, because they earn billions every year by exporting goods to America. A boycott is a perfectly fine non-violent means of voicing our disgu.....er, displeasure with France.

[Guest Anglesault]

This anti-France attitude really disturbs me. How long before a bunch of idiots attack a kid because he's french?

Don't worry. He'll surrender before he attack really gets going.

 

And people have had an anti-French attitude for as long as I can remember. The French have sucked for a long time now. Besides being incredibally easy joke material due to the fact that te have to be bailed out of everything they do, they have been an ingrate pain in the ass for America for a long time. Nothing has happened.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Ugh. Cowardice, honor, nobility, ALL OUTDATED CONCEPTS, and they have NEVER worked in a diplomatic way. Once again, there is no black and white or right and wrong in the geopolitical game, it is only shades of grey. We were also willing to look the other way with the Chinese treatment of Tibet and the Russian treatment of Chechnya for their votes at one time as well, or is everyone forgetting that? It's all a game, and you play to win the most for your team, no matter what.