- 14 Mar 2003 18:34
#2548
I got this at interestalert.com:
Do you know what's FUNNY about this?
That Congresswoman who doesn't like the french, her last name IS FRENCH! Haha.
My french teacher's last name was Waite (he's french) and I know other French people with Waite as their last name.
Culture Vulture:De-Frenchization part Deux
By CLAUDE SALHANI
WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- America's inane war of words on France and everything French -- or at least on what some Americans believe to be French -- continues to gather steam, some of it spearheaded by a small number of Capitol Hill lawmakers.
After wasting taxpayers' time and money renaming French fries, "liberty fries" and French toast "liberty toast," lawmakers now have another great idea on how to hit back at France for not seeing things the same way they do.
By the way, for all of you who did not know, the fries were invented by Belgium, and of course, the French don't call them French fries at all. But try arguing with officialdom, especially inside the Washington Beltway.
Folks, seriously, I am not making this up. I couldn't. And for that matter, neither could late night comedians Jay Leno or David Letterman. Something this ridiculous could only be the brainchild of people on Capitol Hill.
Are you ready? Here is the latest. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., a first-term Florida congresswoman introduced a bill Thursday to allow families to bring home to the United States the remains of fallen World War II soldiers buried in France and Belgium.
Brown-Waite said she had found two co-sponsors for her bill that is intended as a rebuke to France's opposition to the prospects of a U.S. invasion of Iraq.
"I, along with many other Americans, do not feel that the French government appreciates the sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made to defend the freedom that the French enjoy today," Brown-Waite said.
Err, excuse me Congresswoman, but part of that freedom those brave soldiers died for was to allow people to make their own choice. That is what democracy is all about. Even if occasionally it means disagreeing with the policies of the president of the United States. It does not mean the people of France -- with whom deep friendship exists since the American Revolution -- are any less sincere.
But still, this little historic fact does not seem to matter to some.
Says the Congresswoman: "The remains of our brave servicemen should be buried in patriotic soil, not in a country that has turned its back on the United States and on the memory of Americans who fought and died there." "It's almost as if the French have forgotten what those thousands of white crosses at Normandy represent."
Spokeswoman Natalie Loiseau of the French Embassy in Washington said it is unfortunate that some people in the United States are ignorant of the perspective of the French people.
"It is really unfortunate that some in this country know so little about France and the feelings of the French people," Loiseau said. "No one in France can understand these thoughts."
Speaking of ignorance and lack of perspective, judge for yourself. A 10th grade history teacher in the Washington area, for example, told his class that "French people hate us." He had to be corrected by a 15-year-old student, who was obviously somewhat more politically savvy. The student pointed out that the French do not hate Americans. They simple disagree with President Bush's foreign policy on Iraq. "There is a big difference," pointed out the teenager to his teacher.
Regardless, before the war with Iraq is over -- in fact, before it even starts -- it will, alas, undoubtedly claim many more cultural casualties.
The bill for the repatriation of fallen soldiers, planned for introduction Thursday, is co-sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill. Families of 81,172 servicemen interred in 14 cemeteries operated by the U.S. military would be affected.
Now, while they are at it, they could move to enact another bill that would call for the return of the Statue of Liberty to France. Or have they chosen to forget that the very first sight of America by millions of immigrants to this country was a gift from France?
And as a final step, they can also re-baptize L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC, to "The Child's Place." It would be an appropriate name in view of how childish all these shenanigans are.
-0-
> (This is the second installment on the ongoing French bashing debate. See the following link for the first installment. upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030312-012958-7638r)
Copyright 2003 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.
Do you know what's FUNNY about this?
That Congresswoman who doesn't like the french, her last name IS FRENCH! Haha.
My french teacher's last name was Waite (he's french) and I know other French people with Waite as their last name.
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( I'll be leaving for Germany is July and I'll be staying for 10 months, and in that time I hope to visit a lot of West Europe including France, UK, Italy, et cetera ) .
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