An Awating War…?

HollisterSurfer, I am old so have seen a lot of what is history to you. Your comment brought to mind a conversation I had in 1959 with a very well read, intelligent young man (now also old). He said (in 1959), "Watch China carefully. Our next big war will be with China."

I’ve been watching for 45 years and I suspect his prediction may eventually come true.

Quite frankly, the EU may bear watching too. If they joined all their armies, it would be larger than the US armed forces. If they joined someone against us, it probably wouldn’t do our stock market much good . . . or our infrastructure!

We always think war on our soil can’t happen to us, but it can happen to anyone. Friends are better than enemies and power is meaningless unless it is used with responsibility and generosity.

Right now, Chirac and Schroeder are having their own problems in the EU. There is still a lot of shuffling going on as each country tries to gain more power than the others. This will go on for a while and it would be good if we could manage to start getting along with most of those countries so when their power structure solidifies, we would be in a position of détente.

Ok for starters as a American I am, and have been absolutely irritated by the attitude of the French ( maybe not the average everday working French ) maybe my beef is with the government of the french, but either way it goes I as a American Soldier in the US Army is seriously pissed off at the french. I know this may be hard to understand, but I come from a American family who has lost members of my family either defending, or freeing the french. I (even though I didnt know them) lost 5 cousins in World War 1 for their selfless sacrifice to do what was right in defending the French from a invading German Army. I lost both my Great GrandFathers, and 7 cousins in World War 2 freeing the French from the Nazi’s. 5 of which died on Normandy Beach. Also I lost my father who died in Veitnam shortly after our American Forces took over for the French who bailed out of Veitnam. Now all this for me is personal, and Im sure im not the only American son who has lost family members in defense of the non-appreciative French. You know America has no problem at all running to the aide of the innocent actually its a heritage Im proud of, but if France ever comes under attack again I will gladly rot in jail before I defend, or put my life on the line for a unappreciative bunch of self-righteous bastards as the french. All this crap over Iraq has caused a rift between the US, and France I dont think will ever be bridged. All the US asked for was a little help from its so called ally, but what did we get? A knife in the back, and the odd thing is we are slowly starting to find out why. So far 76% of Iraq’s weapons (including chemical) were built, and provided by France, also 23 tons of Chinese built bombs were found in Iraq loaded with chemical, and biological components made in France. As American I can honestly say this I will never vaction in France………..key word NEVER. Anyway as of right now I veiw the French as a backstabbing spiting in the face of their freinds self righteous pompus self centered idiots, and until I get a letter of thanks, and apology from the French I will think of them as such.My Grandfathers and cousins, and father died for they thought was right, but I will refuse to put my life on the linefor a people who do not appreciate what the Americans have died, and done for them. As far as the post above saying the EU could threaten the US militarily…………well dont you damn well forget who helped this so called union come to be. The US of A. Sorry Europe, but if it wasnt for the US, and its unslefish giving of live to keep your ass’s free you would not be enjoying the freedom you have today….God Bless America, and the rest of you can kiss my rosie red American Ass.

Steeele: If you are still in the Army and refuse a direct order during a War – (i.e, the next time we have to help the French) – you would be lined up against a wall and shot. And disservedly so. I honor the lives of your family that were lost during wars that we have been in. And so do the French. Too bad you can’t honor them as well. Now that you have ruled out helping the French because they weren’t stupid enough to go rushing into Iraq, will you help Ireland? Finland? Norway? Sweden? Germany? Mexico?, Canada?, Iceland?, Denmark? Switzerland? Austria? and most of Africa, Asia, and South America? Just who will you defend? I can see you disagreeing with French policy, but the venom that you just spewed out makes you a disgrace to the service that I served in. Thanks for visiting this site. Maybe you can learn something. Donerail

Donerail.I appreciate your veiw, and in time Im sure Ill get over my animosity for the French, but right now its a personal issue for me. I look back through history, and the US has helped the French so much more than they have helped the US. Maybe thats the US’s destiny I dont know, but it just dont seem right. Not to say the French havent helped in this war against terrorism, but they way it looks to me the US, and Britain are shouldering the most, and I dont care how you slice it it just isnt right. Now as for the other countries you mentioned as a US Soldier I would gladly go to their aide. Dont get me wrong for one second I trust in the fact that ALL MEN WERE CREATED EQUAL, and that ALL shold be free from oppresion, but as I see it the French dont think so. How can a country who suffered so much from the Nazis turn a blind eye in Iraq? Where thousands of Kurds were slaughterd just because. The French motives are the exact opposite of what we as a nation (US) trusts in. My venom is not misdirected it is aimed at those who think the world should let these dictators do as they will. Now as far as my rotting in jail before I come to the aide of the French again………..well you know we as US Soldiers are taught better than that. I would go, but not without voicing my opinion first. Yes Ill admit its a personal thing to me because my family has lost so much for the French, and the refusal to help us was a knife in the back for those who died for them, and not just my family. I dont think you understand the full scope of the rift caused because of this. The everyday average American has animosity towards the french maybe not so much for the reasons I do, but they watch the news, and have seen the fact of the weapons that were provided to Iraq, or better yet Saddam were from France and China. This is something I would have expected from the former Soviet Union, but not the French. Now on my last post on this issue I want it understood my beef may not be with the french people as a whole, and it is the average normal everyday person that I would gladly die to protect, and save, but the French Government can kiss it plain, and simple. As far as your the French appreciate the fallen of all the american soldiers before me? Let me ask you this why were there signs at the national cemetary at Normandy saying "dig up your dead and take them home they are not welcome here" about if they actually gave a damn why our fallen soldiers who died for them? Yes I was there I went to see my grandfathers graves, and to honor their sacrifice for a people who have shown me they really dont give a damn about not only the American Soldiers who died for them, but the same disrespecting signs were on British graves as well. So tell me again how the French really care. I love that story. Anyway Donerail yes I have much animosity towards the French, but never mistake my honor to do my duty
for I will do it, but I will not do it without speaking my mind if it comes down to me fighting for the French. Im not usually a person to harbor so much against anyone not even our most hated enemies. We are taught compassion, and I have that, but my compassion for the French has, and is still being tested. I hope you understand that I do not hate the French…..mad as hell at them, but never hate. Matter of fact if any country you mentioned above came under attack I would volunteer happily. I know this doesnt clear up much, but maybe it opens up why, and how I have come to my opinions.

Steele,

As a Frenchman I’ll tell you this : we do appreciate your help in WWII and will never be thankful enough, just like you’ll never be thankful enough for our help in 1776.

I can sense through your posts that your head is filled with Evil Chimp’s nasty propaganda (you know, such as, ‘Saddam is an immediate threat to the US’, etc.), but let me tell you this : there will come a time, a few years from now, when you will actually THANK the French for refusing to ‘help’ the US in that war.

CRC

Steele: Maybe you can tell me what our motives are by being in Iraq? Bush says it was to destroy the WMD’s and give the Iraqi’s "freedom." Since you are now at the pointy end of the spear, what do you think our motivations were? Those of us that want Osama bin Laden taken out are confused as to why 140,000 troops aren’t engaged in finding him. I can sympathize with how you feel. There was a time when I was in the Army many years ago that I believed that I was fighting for the freedom of the South Vietnamese. What tragedies. It is odd, but I feel less safe and free less now than I did then. As has been pointed out in these threads, war really sucks and we have to really know what it is all about before we engage in it. The French have learned that and as crc95 observes, there will come a day when we will as well. Donerail

Steele is right, many French are not appreciative of what we have done for them. Many French communists and socialists wish there never
was a Allied liberation. they would have preferred a Russian liberation. they feel that the allies forced democracy on France,
while they wanted communism. U.S. policy after wwII was to prop up
France financially to prevent communist takeover. Some French interpet
this as the French government being a vassel state to the U.S.
Other French say we got in the war to late, that they were fighting
the germans since 1940. To which I say why didn’t YOU get in the war sooner, like an attack on Germany when they were busy with Poland.
Not all french are unappreciative but I have witnessed first hand
that many are.
As far as French help in American Revolution, our gratitude was due
to the Monarchy government. should we have helped them during the
French Revolution? Besides can’t we call it a wash with our help
during WWI?
Steele I do think it is unfair to say they "stabed us in the back"
because France simply didn’t go along with us, they did not
oppose us. I do wonder though if the French knew before the war that
there were no WMDs why didn’t they send troops to protect Iraq?
The world would have loved the little guy standing on higher moral
ground, defying the big bad bully. U.S. would have had to back down.
But France either lacked the courage or they were not so sure about WMDs. Its easy to be sure there are no WMDs now, we proved it so.
I don’t remember the French saying they were sure BEFORE the war,
only after. France wanted to continue sanctions until Saddam allowed
U.N. inspectors back in.
Will we ever be thankful for france for doing nothing during Iraq War? That is up to history, but if it is so, then I guess France has
found its function in modern world affairs, doing nothing.

Maxpower,

Your post is so immature that I don’t really see the point you’re trying to make. If you’re here to annoy French posters, I think you’re knocking at the wrong door, since there seems to be very few of us in here (sigh).

Of course everyone knew about the inexistence of WMDs in Iraq BEFORE the war. Read the press, the US press : even the CIA admitted to it ! All major military powers (US, Russia, France, China) had basically the EXACT same intelligence about what was going on in Iraq. Therefore the decision to invade the country was only political, and not based on military data.

And if France’s policy is to ‘do nothing’, then fine, we can withdraw our troops from all their peace-keeping, UN-appointed missions in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Bosnia, Haïti, Congo, etc.

Please try to keep the level of these forums high. If you don’t want to, I guess you must be familiar with the concept of ‘troll’.

CRC

maxpower: Not to belabor the issue, but sanctions seemed to have Saddam well under control. He would test the no-fly zone patrols occasionally and get a few missiles in return for the effort. He certainly was no prize but all some people were asking was for more time to be expended. In retrospect, what was wrong with that? I was against our war action at the time – even with Chaney and the Chimp telling me that they had absolute and reliable evidence of Saddams WMD’s and intentions. It seems that a lot of countries have WMD’s. We have to learn to deal with it. In retrospect, with 20-20 hindsight, I don’t think it was a good decision. Neither did the French and a lot of others for whatever reasons they had. Given what you know now, do you still think it was a good idea? We could not have waited somewhat longer before dropping the hammer on Saddam? Predictably, our military was superb and our "policy planners" were inept. You see, the French have already learned all of this. We are just not as smart. Donerail

To Steele and Maxpower:

Please use this link, images worth a thousand word…

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/powell-rice-wmd.wmv

CRC, so my post it to immature for you, this coming from someone who calls human beings "chimps". But I don’t blame you , I know what passes for satire in France, I even saw a French cartoon portraying
Colin Powell as a monkey.
You say France knew there where no WMDs before war, well that begs the
question, why didn’t they do MORE to prevent the war. If not militarity why not diplomaticly. these are the things you should be asking YOUR politicians. The U.S. is going through inquaries to
find out what went wrong with intell anylsis, if France had it right,
prehaps they need to inquire into why their government didn’t let
the rest of the world know. or why didn’t France have the diplomatric
prowess to get Saddam to let U.N. inspectors back into Iraq.
Do not the French people expect more from thier government then just
ranting and raving, but ultimatly being ignored?
I truly am sorry if I do not keep the dicussion high enough for
you, perhaps if I called you or France a dirty word, would that help
get it to your level?
And btw, I just post here to get to you and you only!

donerail I think the major mistakes where made in the FIRST Iraq war. I really did not think that war was necesssary, if you look into
the history of it, Iraq had a pretty good claim to Kuwait. I saw
Iraq as more or less an ally against Iran. Also, many of the atrocities committed in Kuwait were later found to be exaggerated.
But, once the war was started, it needed to be finished. I always
blamed Bush1 and Colin Powell for that but now not sure. So then what do we do, leave the people to overthrow their own government with
no support from us. that didn’t work so we make Saddam sign a
humiliation treaty,a la Treaty of Versailles and leave Saddam angry
and festering. we leave this guy who sees himself as a great military
leader where he can’t fly his planes over most of his own country
and he has to let forigners in to make sure he is not up to something.
This is total political humiliation, especially in the Arab world.
His trial will be interesting because maybe we will find out why
he didn’t just let the inspectors back in. Was he sick of the
humiliation or did he truly believe he had WMDs. He was surrounded by so many "yes" men they may have convinced him sugar was amthrax.
The point is, yes war is hell, but if you start it you have to finish
it and Bush1 did not do that. At the very least Saddam should have
been exiled and maybe Iraq would have just broken up into 3 "natural"
countries, because Iraq was an unnatural product of the worst treaty
ever written, Treaty of Versailles.

maxpower: Wow. I did not know that about the treaty of Versailles. President Wilson was right about that one. Unexpectedly (and sadly), I find myself agreeing with you. But now what do we do? Bush’s cowboy style seems to be making things worse than what it should be. Donerail

Maxpower…Im going to make my last post here short, and sweet for starters I would like to say yes some of my post went a little far I’ll accept that no problem, but I will not say I’m sorry for it to the French atleast not right now. Also "Chimp" now this is interesting. Are the French calling Powell a "chimp"? Well with what I’ve read in the news latley about the anti-semitism going on in France it clearly does not surprise me. It seems to me that France is diving deep into the racism of Ole Nazi Germany. Swastika’s on Jewish graves, and calling black people monkey’s, or better yet "chimps". Do me a favor France, and Frenchmen clean your own house before you start pointing fingers at the U.S. It appears to me you have enough trouble at home to deal with than trying to tell us Americans how evil we are. Atleast we are’nt running around putting swastika’a on Jewish graves, and atleast when a woman of any race, or anyone in the U.S. for that matter gets attacked on a train we dont just stand around , and do nothing……Oh wait that falls into the "do nothing" policy of France dont it. Atleast here in the U.S. our people will go to the aide of another human being, and not let them be abused like that. 30 witness’s on that train, and not one French person did anything to stop its interesting how a country so adamant about what the U.S. is doing in Iraq can’t even protect its own people from themselves. Oh, and by the way Powell is a very respected MAN not a "chimp". I have foud a new home for the KKK, and all the others like them, and its called France.

Here you go Direct from the AP:

PARIS, France (AP)A 23-year-old mother told police that she was robbed by a knife-wielding gang of six young men while riding a train with her infant on Friday morning, then mistreated after being mistaken for a Jew. None of some 20 witnesses came to her rescue, she told police.

"Anti-Semitism is shameful … but there is also a sickness in our society," said Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. "It’s indifference to violence." Police, their information based on the woman’s account, said that the gang, described by the victim as between 15 and 20, allegedly grabbed the woman’s backpack, taking her money and credit cards.

When they saw that her identification card said she lived in the wealthy 16th district of Paris, they reportedly told the woman: "There are only Jews in the 16th." The woman told police that the men then cut off locks of her hair, opened her shirt with their knives and used markers to draw three swastikas on her stomach. One of the attackers held the woman by her neck, forcing her to keep her head to the ground so that she couldn’t see them, several French newspapers quoted police as saying.

Interesting isn’t it 20 people on this train while this was going on in full veiw of everyone, and not one person did anything to stop it. Shame Shame. Now what was it you were saying about the big bad evil U.S again?

Steele, You are probably too young to remember but almost exactly the same thing happened in NY City years ago. A young woman was attacked near Central Park and hundreds of people watched (and listened to her screams) from their apartment windows and none of them even bothered to call the police. It was a national shame.

There are bad people and bad things happen in all countries. It is right to deplore them, but it is not right to blame an entire nation for the debased actions of a very few people in any one country, ours or theirs.

It appears that this whole story might be just one big scam. More news to come. I’ll keep you posted.

CRC

Yep i saw that the women who told that story had already make 5 or 6 similar complain within 5 years, anyway no biggies here, lamer and stupid people are everywhere, even on this forum as u could noticed… .

It is not because Americans got Bush as president that all amricans are as stupid and greedy as him, fortunatly.Now for the Chimp matter, i tough that u guyz called Bush the Chimp? Hell if only Colin Powell could run instead of Bush, I’ll even vote for him!!!

And Steele, if there’s one racist person here it is you and it is very sad, I feel bad for you because obviously u are brain damaged and it is probably not u’re fault. Americans are great people, living in US for two years helped me understand how great your people are, unfortunatly there is some redneck and racist like Steele in every country in this world, we got to deal with it. So i’m not gonna arguing and prove wrong, all the stupid racist attack on my country that Steele made, he probably won’t understand what I say.

Anyway he said that it would be it’s last post, so at least it is a good day today.

Yes the crime may well have been faked,but don’t witnesses have an insentive to counter her story to save their own skin. with their good
samaritian law, these witnesses could face jail time if they back
her story. interesting side effect.
Your brilliant president goes and makes policy decision about
racism before the crime is investigated. Now he has a vested interest
in the investigation. Real smart.
If not for Steele, please prove to me their is no such thing as racism
in France.

No need for proof, there is racism in France, like there is in USA, no more, no less. There’s is a lot of racism in USA against the black people, we got alot of racism in France against Arabian people… Big deal, that’s the way things are, not really what it could be called a news here…

There’s stupid people everywhere. Stating that there’s more in a country than another is a racist statment.

Newsflash : like I said earlier today, the woman is in jail right now, along with two of her accomplices. She just faked it, and appears to be mentally disturbed. Soooo, big scam confirmed. You’re all welcome.

CRC

Steele: your comment, "and atleast when a woman of any race, or anyone in the U.S. for that matter gets attacked on a train we dont just stand around , and do nothing……Oh wait that falls into the "do nothing" policy of France dont it. Atleast here in the U.S. our people will go to the aide of another human being, and not let them be abused like that. 30 witness’s on that train, and not one French person did anything to stop its interesting how a country so adamant about what the U.S. is doing in Iraq can’t even protect its own people from themselves. " <—Your comments are GARBAGE, as are YOU…

a few years ago in NYC, 2 black men in Village came around me, started groping me and wanted to take my purse. I fought them off MYSELF and they ran away. NOT ONE AMERICAN MAN OR WOMAN, and there were literally HUNDREDS on the street, NOT EVEN ONE PERSON would help me…they all stood there and WATCHED!!! When it was over, instead of asking me if I was ok, they all kept FAR away from me!!

Next time you make such blanket statements about another country, go look at your own! America needs to clean its OWN HOUSE before it starts pointing fingers at other countries!

LaVieilleBranche: I am not sure we needed to know the skin color of the muggers. In any event, what stops a lot of people from getting more actively involved in these things is fear. Frankly, my life or wellbeing is not worth your purse. Folks who do those things are very often high on drugs or booze and can not be reasoned with. Further, they quite often carry knives or firearms which makes such intervention risky. In this day and age, I would intervene only when I knew it would be a slam dunk on my part. That might not be what you want to hear but it is the reality.

crc95: You have come thru again. I guess Steele has to digest these new facts and adjust his rhetoric somewhat. Donerail

donerail. If somebody mugged your wife for her purse and stabbed her, I’m sure you’d wish for somebody to have intervened. Especially if she had died. This might be just be a scenario, but it can happen…think about it…

Steele is a racist, anti-French bigot. I wonder if he’d say the same things against Blacks or Jews. I dont think so, because those people could sue for "hate" speech. But "hate speech" against the French? Not in the USA….

Glad he is gone from the forums. This web site is a better place without him.

Donerail To get back to Iraq, it really is a mess over there, and it
will be hard for us to leave a stable government in place. But there
are some promising developments.the first being the Kurds. They are our only ally within Iraq. they alredy have a small army in place
and could well soon become a soverign state. Hopefully this will give
Iran pause if it thinks of invading Iraq after we leave.
Another thing is that many of the insurgents see themselves sort of
like American style minutemen, after we leave they will stop fighting.
With the fighting and bombing reduced, the oil will start to flow and
invertment money will pour in. Next american or should I say Western
pop culture will also come. Now I know everbody here loaths pop
culture but it might be superfical and hedonistic enough to counter
Islamic fundamentalism.
As far as Bush, well I really don’t like him, but i did agree with him
on iraq. but I also know a broken watch is still right twice a day.
Kerry can at least speak in public, but he never really says anything.
I might just vote for Nader. I guess I can finally forgive him for what he did to the Corvair.

the guy backs Bush on Iraq but is nevertheless ready to vote for Nader.

Did I miss something here ?

Wow healthcare in the US must be really bad for such psychos to run amok like that.

CRC

Health care in the US is a joke. Just for starters, 87 million people have absolutely no health insurance at all. Most of these people have full time employment but their employers do not provide health insurance. Some employers provide health insurance for their employee but not his/her family which means there are a LOT of wives and children without health coverage and not being paid enough to buy their own coverage. Personally, I’d rather pay higher taxes and have universal coverage but no one has asked my opinion.

SalB: I would rather pay the same amount of taxes and take a couple hundred billion from the Pentagon and put it into health care.

crc95: I have to agree (grudgingly) with maxpower on his last post. He does seem to have a convincing position about the historic framework of Iraq. I can agree with him up to the point of Nader and the Corvair. Nader has outlived his political usefullness and now the right wingers are sending him money as he will take votes from Kerry. I used to drive a (1964) Corvair. A rear engine, air cooled deathtrap made by GM. I now have to get a drink as the flashbacks are coming.

Donerail

You had a corsair. I never owner one but a friend in high school had
a 1966. I thought it was a really cool looking car. i remember helping
him take the engine out, took 3 guys.
crc I know you would not understand this but we have diverity of ideas over here, we just don’t all vote like automatons for the same candidate. What did chirac get last time 82% was it? what do you do just vote for who the state-controlled media tells you to? And this
is a guy who could well be arrested once he leaves office.
You really are a funny guy though I gotta admit. are you sure your
grand-mere didn’t maybe fool around with a G.I., Brit or maybe even
a German? Something had to give you your humor!

Maxpower, The reason Chirac got such a high percentage of the vote in the last elections was because he was running against a major right wing bigot named LePen. The French were terrified he would win so a huge majority voted for Chirac. If Chirac had had a more moderate candidate running against him, it would have been a very close election. Some even think he would have lost. Don’t base your opinions on one election.

SalB: Being a teacher and all, isn’t "right wing bigot" a redundant phrase? Donerail

I think it depends on how far right . . .

us and france at war with each other?Nawwwww not im our life time i think.I realy dont think it would happen now or ever.It would be realy bad for both of us.Not just the lost lifes but money.I think both goverments are smarter then that.Even(some of you might not see it this way)bush isnt that stupid to let a war happen with france.But if it did happen it would be ww3 i think.France wouldnt came at us by there selfs.And we wouldnt go at them by are selfs.But thats what i think.I could be worng.I hope i dont live to see the day where two old time friends fight each other.It would be heartbrakeing.

especially when you see ALL the trouble the US has to go through when invading a small, harmless, defenseless, weaponless country like Iraq

CRC

it wasnt veary much trouble to invade them.It was trying to keep the peace that hurt us.If you think a bout it we are fighting this war difrently then the other wars we fought.Ie vienam,the world wars and korea.I say that because back then we had a biger army and we used a draft.
not only that,in this war we are not being helped by some of our best friends.But no matter what after this year in november who ever is in office thay will have realy no choice but to make our army biger,stronger and better trained or this kind of thing will happen more.But as i said thats just what i feel.

So, do they talk about these two French kidnapped in Iraq and threatened to be killed in the US medias ? I was wondering how they comment on it. Is it like "hey hey, see, we told you you French losers should better join us in the International Holy War Against Terror !!" ?

I know this may not sound very PC, but boy, how I miss Saddam !

CRC

crc: The kidnapped Frenchmen were mentioned here in passing on the news..as in, ok, 2 Frenchmen were kidnapped because of the French ban on headscarves in schools….ok, now onto the important things….

The US media has helped very very much to propegate this "French boycott." Without the media participation, it would of died out a long time ago. Don’t be suprised, what with the RNC going on, that the kidnapped Frenchmen won’t even be menioned on the news anymore.

I wonder if the media would be so nonchalent about kidnappings if these victims were Israeli?? I doubt it….

crc95: From what I can ascertain, the coverage has been about the same as when the Italian and Pakistani and Nigerian and Spaniard were kidnapped. The coverage wasn’t all that pronounced one way or the other. I would be more interested in the FRENCH coverage. The US screwed up in Iraq but we were on the right path to track down the savages in Afghanistan – and anywhere else where we know them to be located.

LVB: The "media" do not propagate anything. People who claim to be boycotting French products would not have bought them anyway. If some people are actually boycotting something they are doing nothing than reflecting their ignorance. We are fortunate to have a free media. Do you want to elaborate on the Israeli comment?

Donerail

Hello all, I’m back!!! Was in the west of France on the Island of "Noirmoutiers" in the "Vendéeé area. Back in Nice now…

As for the two French hostage, It is a verry big deal here!!! It takes 70% of the news!!! The good thing is that all the french muslim disagree on the kidnapping and they even do some big walk and ask to set them free!! Last minutes, the deadline was tonight, they decide to give them more time… don’t know how long. Stupid Terrorist, they almost diserve that France join USA in Irak…

ManuNice: Sounds like you had a nice Holiday. You insight into the kidnappings is appreciated. Donerail

In Los Angeles, the French kidnappings are pretty big news. We got more on that than on our own election coverage. I think they’re doing the election on a select channel and, of course, ABC doesn’t broadcast anything except football on Monday nights!

It’s odd but many people out here think Muslims should be allowed to wear whatever they want (within reason, of course) in a free country like France. However, most people seem to feel that having made its decision to ban the scarves that if Chirac gives in to the terrorists at this point, it will encourage them to do even worse things.

Most people genuinely don’t understand why the French journalists were kidnapped since they feel France was on the side of the Muslims. It’s hard to people to separate Iraq from other world politics. Of course this is complicated by the fact that the headscarf ban never really got into the news here so most people don’t have a clue what it’s all about anyway. Our coverage is very spotty . . . whatever the media decides to cover at the moment, sort of the news du jour.

I think everyone around here wants the journalists to be set free. I think they are seen as innocent victims.

The news coverage is HUGE here, but I feel it’s mainly because the two kidnapped are journalists, and therefore there is that kind of media solidarity. I’m pretty sure the coverage wouldn’t have been the same is the two guys were truck drivers, and personally this makes me somewhat bitter (yeah, I don’t like the media too much).

As for the "scarf law", which is not simply directed againt muslim scarves, it will never be overruled. This law was made to protect traditional secularism in the French public school system, and to prevent the surge of what we call "communautarisme" in schools. This law pisses off muslims and their scarves, as well as sikhs and their turbans, jews and their kippas, and cathofreaks that choose to wear huge crosses around their necks.

CRC

crc95: i cant belive you said that.You miss saddam?That is worng…well to each his own.I know things are realy bad to put it lightly but to say that a bout that sob.He was all most like hitler.I hope that sob burns for what he did.Any ways it is soo sad whats happeing to thos french men.My heart gos out to there familys.

The reason I said I miss Saddam is because I think he was doing a better job running Iraq than what Bush is doing, and, when you come to think about it, using the same methods !

You can’t understand what I mean if you make your opinion on this matter by watching the news networks, especially when they constantly teach you that Saddam was a ruthless Arab Hitler, and Bush is a new Roosevelt.

I could elaborate on this for pages and pages, but I don’t know if this is the purpose of this forum, which is supposed to be about the many charms of France !

CRC

There is a report on Netscape News that the journalists may be set free. Hopefully this is the case. Somehow there must be a better way to influence the law making process than by kidnapping people and threatening to kill them.

France was really between a rock and a hard place on this one. You don’t want innocent people to die yet if you give in, you just make the terrorists realize that their methods work. Talk about a no-win situation!

If I were a Muslim in France, I would simply send my child to a private Muslim school. We sent our kids to private schools and it was worth it to us to have them under the influence of people who held our personal beliefs. It’s hard to fight Walt Disney and the government. Are there such schools available there?

Of course we were really weird. We didn’t have a television while the kids were growing up either!

crc95: I presume your post was made to liven up the Forums as I don’t think you really believe it yourself. You couldn’t possibly be that out of touch or just plain stupid. I have not been to Iraq and I never met Saddam Hussein. I haven’t been to the moon either but I believe it is there and that people walked on it. I have never seen a positive comment about Saddam except for Baghdad Bob and just now with your post. I know a couple of people who were thinking of doing some business in Iraq back in 1991. They told me the place was unbelievably scary and they felt very relieved when their plane went wheels up from the place. Government thugs and corruption all over the place. That is certainly a generalization on my part but the weight of world opinion seems to be that Saddam was very malevelant. I guess the USA is not that good with how to conduct Imperialism or Colonialism – maybe the Europeans can give us some insight in that regard. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe we should have gone in there when we did – but we did and now we (and you) have to make the best of it. Now entertain me some more with your pages of defense for Saddam and his regime. Any other dictatorships that you would like to present as role models? Maybe you can get on Saddam’s Defense Team – but don’t turn your back on him.

SalB: Do you really think those terrorists cared one iota about the scarf issue in France? I certainly don’t. These people are savages and they band together to hate and to kill. For the most part they are uneducated and are under the hypnotic spell of religion. Now, having said all that, what do people think of our -excuse me the Allies – "carpet bombing" of civilians during WWII? I think that was what crc95 was leading up to.

Donerail

crc95, I assume your original Saddam comment many posts back was a cynical allusion to the fact that at least under Saddam, Iraq was under control and the anarchists hadn’t taken over. In that light, it makes sense. He wasn’t a good ruler but right now there is no ruler and it is anarchy or chaos whichever term best suits your mood du jour. Iraq is not on the brink of civil war; it is having a civil war and we are caught in the middle of it.

Yes, donerail, I do think the terrorists care about the scarf issue in France and I think they care about many issues. The terrorists are not just the ones who dream this stuff up, they are also the minions who carry it out. They have to believe or they wouldn’t do it. Every time their plots work out and they get their way, the terrorism escalates. That is why Bush has to be stopped. He keeps giving them new excuses for more terrorism. That isn’t making the world safer; it’s making it more vulnerable.

If he continues to tank the US economy, he’s going to find an escalation of terrorism by his own people and that will be even more difficult to stop. You can’t take away peoples’ jobs and health care and benefits and expect them to be good little Republicans. They will be discouraged and then very angry and frustrated.

According to ABC news tonight, the French journalists will be released. For that I am supremely thankful.

Donerail, I think SalB got my point. Saddam really was a ruthless thug, but he sure knew how to run his country. Iraq is no westernized USA or Europe. It is an Arab, Middle East country. Rules that apply to such a country CANNOT be the same as the rules we may find where we live. Besides, you can see the time when Saddam will be replaced by just another bloody, US-appointed dictator. We won’t know as much about it since the new guy will be friends with the US, but it will not be very different.

Saddam was a western-style dictator : contrary to what many ignorant believe, Saddam didn’t give a truck whether you were Sunni, Chiite, Kurd, Christian, or whatever : what Saddam wanted is peace in the valley. You could be anything and pray whomever as long as you abode by Saddam’s rule. He built a secular and stable country right in the middle of a very unstable region and next to these very crazy Saudis.

What was also good with Saddam was that he could be bought. I understand why the US were so attracted with his oil, but what they could have done is just make peace with the guy and buy him off, instead of playing it Rambo style and making this international mess, and turning Iraq into an Al Qaeda live training camp, a fundamentalist haven, and a powder keg.

Now, I know what I wrote may look very cynical. But cynicism is what foreign policy is about, it’s not about happy happy thoughts and flowers, but you already know that

CRC

crc95: Just to clarify a few things. Saddam was not as competent as you suggest. He put a disproportionate share of Iraq’s GNP into a half-baked military. His military purchases and training were a joke. The country’s infrastructure was a bigger joke. A lot of his problems were due to UN sanctions which were of his own doing. His thugs were loyal but unreliable incompetent. The education and medical systems were imploding. Now, he and his inner circle did quite well. The Palaces were first rate but very unproductive. He launched costly and unsuccessful wars against Iran, Kuwait, and his own northern provinces. He did manage to kill quite a few people while maintaining the control that you so deeply admire. Were you sleeping when they were teaching history or economics over there??

You do make one good point. If we can get more of the terrorist savages to congregate in Iraq for training and mission operations – it will be easier to kill them. These savages are nothing more than germs or a pestilance and disserve the death they so much desire. I don’t see much to admire in them at all. SalB seems to think they actually believe in their cause. I don’t think they have that intellectual capacity. I think they are too stupid. Anyone who gets so absorbed into that religious mumbo jumbo and then acts like they do are either crazed or just plain stupid. In my humble opinion.

Donerail

donerail, Whether Saddam was a good or bad leader begs the question. He was "their" leader and we had no right to remove him. If he was that hated, they would remove him themselves. We did it in 1776 and we were no more qualified to defeat our rulers than the Iraqis are today. If they had started a revolution and then begged us for help, then it might be justified, but not just bulldozing in unasked, unwanted and without plan.

We saw a movie about the liberation of Italy following WWII this weekend and it showed the Italians running to welcome the American troops with flowers and parades. That is what Bush expected to happen in Iraq. If he had done his homework, he would have known that was not going to happen. Bush expected the Iraqis to want to be like us. They are not us and should not be expected to be like us.

I still think what you said is worng but you do make valid point on that.He was curle and ruthless but there was order when he was a round.But as with any war stuff that is happeing now will happend wether you like that war or not.I for got who said this but some guy said this in veitnam i think."the us can beat any army with its power.but it will all ways loss beacuse the people will not support them" well i for got who and it may not be word for word but if you think a bout it its true.Even if for say saddam did have WMD people dont have a realistic on what happens in war.I feel no mater what war happends for now on we will loss because the people dont want to see there family die and or just dont want to oppen there eyes.Sorry i got a little off topic….I fear the us will end up being invaded beacuse of weak leader ship.I dont like bush and i dont like kerry.SO ether way i think where screwed.

SalB: I hope you do better in your classrooms than you do in this Forum. To equate the 20th and 21st centuries with the 18th century in terms of how you can deal with force of arms is amazingly naieve. I agree that we had no right to remove Saddam. The problem is we did, and he is gone, and now what do we do? You might think that Bush wanted a reception like the Italians gave the US GI’s. That is juvenile. I think that Bush could give a shite what the locals gave as a reception. I think he wanted to make a statement in the Mideast that they had to stop screwing with the US – either with terrorism or with oil production. The problem is he just won’t come clean with us and tell us that was the reason. So he alienates a good portion of the US and most of the remaining civilized world. Kerry had better start getting out in front with regard to leadership and communication or we will disserve four more years of The Chimp. Meanwhile, crc95 is envious of Les Etats Unis.
Donerail

donerail, It finally happened. You proved that you actually are Amero-Franc.
Thanks.

Donerail … the woman’s right … who pissed in your Cheerios ?

About Saddam : I never said he was The Greatest Leader Ever. What I meant is he was the lesser of two evils. Who came up with that concept ? Wasn’t it Winston C ? I mean, come people, you are American, I’m not. I’m not the one facing 1,000 dead troops, a record breaking deficit, and wrath or contempt from the whole world, and for what ? Wouldn’t you want an ante-2003 Iraq back right now ?

And as for me being envious of the USA, I don’t know where does that come from, maybe from an unusually high ingestion of Timothy Leary’s secret potions ? I could be envious of the US, but just not right now. Because, right now, in France, it’s WINE SALES TIME !!!! Check this out : Gewurtzstramminer for E 5.99, St Amour for 4.99, Loupiac for 4.25, and Passetoutgrains for 3.99 ! Starting tomorrow.

CRC

Good afternoon every body,

I’m reading your messages since yesterday: I’ve found very interesting points of view, intelligent and stupid ones , but I won’t enter in this discussion, my english is not good enough and it has been so hard to understand more or less what it was said on this site about France, so imagine how hard it is to write tryng not to do mistakes. School lessons are so far away…
I just wanted to say that I’m glad to see that the subject of this forum changed. "An awaiting war!!!" Between France and USA? It’s so ridiculous…What a pitty to have lost time thinking about it and thank’s to those who have defended France against opinions like Steele’s and manpower’s ones.
crc95: en fait, je suis entré dans ce forum parce que j’habite en Guyane Française et qu’ici le vin est hors de prix ( sans compter que le climat de l’Amazonie ne leur convient pas trop ) alors quand j’ai vu ceux que tu as annoncés, ma gorge s’est asséchée…
Travailles-tu dans ce secteur d’activité ou bien était-ce simplement quelques infos prises ailleurs? J’aimerais bien savoir où…Merci.
Very sorry to have disturbed everybody in your discussion, but like crc95, I think that there are other subjects more interesting than to know what country is the better…

Montjoly: You are very kind and considerate. Also very observant. We really aren’t talking about war between America and France. Unless, of course, something happens to our frommage and vin production capability. Welcome and excuse me now, as I have to leave a couple of messages.

crc95: You just had to play the wine card, didn’t you? OK, now I’ll deal out a few: A virtually toll-free Interstate Highway System; Harley-Davidsons to ride on those highways; Gulf at $1.79/gal, Mobil at $1.82/gal, Exxon at $1.81/gal, Diesel at $1.65gal; MTV; Microsoft; and the Boston Red Sox. So there.

AuntB, I mean SalB: Is that the best that you could do? I can tell I must really irritate you. I point out that your thought process is becomming less and less coherent and you can’t stand it. Worse, you cannot exercise any professorial powers over that nasty Donerail. By the way Teach, if it wasn’t for the French back in 1776, we wouldn’t have thrown off the yoke of good old King George. You made it sound so easy and that we did it all by ourselves. Good thing for France or you would be trying to teach me how to sing God Save The Queen. Now make yourself useful and suggest how we can extricate ourselves from Iraq.

Donerail

Salut Montjoly,

Les prix annoncés sont ceux de la "foire " aux vins de Auchan Cergy-Pontoise, qui ouvre demain. Avec une collègue, on a décidé d’y consacrer notre heure de déjeuner Désolé de t’avoir asséché la gorge. Je pensais que vous étiez mieux loti que ça en Guyane. T’as essayé les campements de la Légion ? Peut-être sont ils mieux pourvus.

@+

CRC

crc95, qu’est-ce qui c’est campements? Bienvenu au Forum Montjoly. Votre anglais c’est excellent, beaucoup de meilleur que mon français. crc95, merci pour me soutenir. J’apprécie ce. Ce forum a été inamical dans ces derniers temps. Vous faites m’heureux!

SalB: I meant to ask you. Who did we "liberate" Italy from? Donerail

SalB: YOU GO GIRL! listen up boys: when you want the truth, ask a woman

crc: wind sales?? gewertz at that LOW price??? hmmm is it a vendages tardives? miam miam 😀

Montjoly: BIENVENUE!

donerail, I assume you’re joking asking from whom Italy was liberated. You do know they were in WWII on the side of Hitler and you do know the people there were not fond of either Mussolini or Hitler and you do know they were delighted when the American troops arrived in Italy? Please tell me you know this.

Donerail is going through a bad spell these days. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the end of summer, that forces him to say bye bye to the Harley. Maybe that’s why he keeps rambling on gas prices and highways ? I heard through the grapevine that he left Boston last week-end in his truck and threw garbage at any driver who refused to drive above 150 mph.

Or maybe he just misses Amero-franc too much ? That would explain why he started to carry his own private vision of History.

I think we should all show some support and try to comfort him the best we can. He needs us.

CRC

Bien, bien, bien, quel accueil!

Thank you very much to every body, including Donerail, who welcome me first, in his way of course.
Donerail: Why did you show you so unfriendly with me 🙁 No time to loose with froggies talking about wine? Ok, Ok, let’s talk about this forum subject, but the problem is that I’d like to understand what you’re wanting to proove? That we wouldn’t be as happy as we are without USA to make the police in that world? We needed you in WW1, WW2, and nowadays to face terrorism ?
Well, you’re right, and it would be crazy to think the contrary: your country is now the only one to be able to do such a job… Do we have to be gratefull? Yes, as long as you fight for our freedom ( I mean for your freedom also ), we will be gratefull and fight with you, like in Afghanistan when you tried to capturate Bin Laden ( French are now leading the UN forces ): you had to do something after 9/11, and you did well.
But as long as your President will lie and go to war for money, he will have to face the international community, and France in the first line. And each time you’ll show you unfair, American ban will be burned, as well as French ban has been burned sometimes in Africa.
We’re not angels but that world is not black or white, there’s a lot of colours you’ve to deal with. USA had to deal with Saddam, as bad as he was. You told it, USA had no right to do it, but it’s done, and now what? I’m not an expert and I don’t have the magic answer who could take you out of it, I think you just have to go and let the Iraki people find their own way.
And if you don’t like the way they’ll find, it won’t mean that it’s not the good one…
salB: Thank you to welcome me and I’m glad to see that you speak french, I’ll be very carefull of what I’d say when I’ll be talking to crc95 😉
Lavieillebranche: Merci.
crc95: Je t’envie, ici la moindre bouteille de vin est à 7 ¬, les bons vins pas à moins de 15¬, ( le Gewurtzstraminer doit être à plus de 12¬ mais je n’aime pas trop le blanc sec alors je ne sais pas trop). Le Loupiac, qui accompagne si bien un foie gras, ne se trouve pas à moins de 15¬ et encore…
Pour moi qui suis du Sud Ouest, ici c’est un peu le bagne de la gastronomie française et pour tout dire, il vaut mieux manger local. Ou Brésilien puisque c’est juste à coté. Finalement, c’est encore lorsque je vais au Brésil que je bois le plus de vin, notament des vins chilien: ils se sont nettement améliorés et il y a quelque grand cru dont je ne vous dit que ça…
Bon il va être midi, ce message m’a donné soif ( pas à vous? ), que diriez-vous d’un ti-punch ou d’une caipirinha bien glacée…
Au plaisir de vous lire…
Dominique.

Oups, I signed with my name, let’s do as you’ve seen nothing…
Montjoly.

Montjoly, I’ve never tried the Chilean wines but I have read good things about them. Perhaps I should try some. Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks.

crc95 or ManuNice, We’re landing at Nice on Oct. 7. We have two days before we head for Italy. Do you have any good restaurant recommendations and/or any wine recommendations? Keep in mind that we are budget travelers. I can’t imagine paying for a meal that cost more than 30 euros each and we usually pay 20 euros or preferably less.

We’ll be back in Provence in November for a week and a half and staying in the area between Aix and Avignon (out in the country). Recommendations there would be nice too.

Thanks.

SalB, I’ve never been to Nice so I can’t help you. But hey, you might wanna try this American chain called Mac Donald’s, I heard they serve meals under E 7.00 ! Pretty amazing isn’t it ???

Montjoly : comme prévu j’ai fait le plein ce midi : 3 boutanches de Gewurtz, 1 de Pinot Noir d’Alsace, 2 de Saint-Amour (pas loin de chez moi ça), 2 de Loupiac, 1 de Pacherenc, soit 9 bouteilles, pour 48 euros. Pretty good deal, comme diraient les ricains Moi aussi j’ai entendu dire beaucoup de bien du vin Chilien, alors, pourquoi pas !

CRC

salB: Why did you stop to speak French, we’re on France.com, aren’t we? Alors parlons Français que diable! Par la malepeste ( c’est d’actualité, et justement dans le bordelais… ), il n’est pas dit que l’anglois aura raison de nous si vite. Défendons la langue de Molière. Sal, quelques soient l’accent et les quelques écorchures que tu puisses lui faire, notre langue aime à être parlée et les Français apprécie toujours le fait qu’on ait fait l’effort d’apprendre le Français. On pardonne beaucoup à ceux qui ont au moins essayé de s’intéresser à nous, car on ne peut pas apprendre une langue sans absorber une partie de la culture des peuples qui la parle.
Bon voyage à Nice, où je ne suis jamais allé, mais où paraît-il il y a une "Churrascaria" brésilienne. Si tu ne connais pas le système "Rodizio", je te le conseille. Par contre je ne connais pas le niveau des prix, sorry…
crc95: arrête, tu me fais mal. Quand je pense que je ne retournerais pas en métropole avant l’année prochaine, si Dieu le veut…Bon c’est pas grave, peut-être aurais-je l’occasion de me payer quelques boutanches au Brésil, mais le hic c’est que je vais rester dans le nord ( Belèm ) et que les restos bien équipés niveau cave c’est dans le Sud ( Sao Paolo & Rio de Janeiro ). Sinon, c’est à la roteuse que t’accompagnes le casse croûte, et quand vous connaissez les bières Brésiliennes, c’est même pas la peine…
En plus, cette fois-ci ( je dois être un peu fou ) je vais sur une île isolée, sans route donc sans voiture et sans pollution, on se déplace à pied ou à cheval, où il n’y a même pas le courant donc pas d’éclairage public, ce qui te donne des nuits étoilées superbes, que tu as le temps d’admirer vu qu’il n’y a pas de télé non plus. C’est franchement un petit Paradis originel. Mais sans aucun confort. On dort en Hamac et on ne mange que du poisson, des crabes et des crevettes, du riz et de la farine de manioc, alors de là à trouver une bouteille de vin!!!

Pour ce qui est des vins Chiliens, je vous donnerais mes impressions suite à mon prochain voyage dans le sud en janvier. Je ne me rappelle pas des noms sur l’instant.

Bon, c’est pas tout ça mais y’a bébé qui pleure, lui aussi veut sa bibine, à lundi 🙂
Montjoly.

Je me suis trompé, à Bordeaux ce n’est pas la peste mais la rage, c’est quand même dingue non, je croyais que c’était éradiqué…

Montjoly: I am sorry about that impression that I left with you. Actually I agree with everything you said. I really wasn’t trying to proove much of anything. I was just trying to get some life back into these Forums. Maybe I was trying to proove that my pontificating was more entertaining than that of SalB’s. I can’t imagine that I failed in that but maybe I did. You have to remember that SalB and LVB are both Lefty Teachers and I represent the more moderate and balanced wing of Americans. They both have had a major headstart in traveling to your wonderful country but I plan to catch up. By then maybe I will be as far Left of Center as they are.

crc95: Thank you for your understanding and kind words of encouragement. BTW, how are things working out with danairozo?

Donerail

crc95: I almost forgot to give you the real facts regarding that truck/turnpike incident. I was rolling down the Jersey Turnpike in my Ford 150 Lighting, making good time when up ahead there was this broad slowing everything down. The closer I got to her, the better the view of the cleavage so I kept getting closer. I got up along side and the view was really cool. Then she starts screaming something out the window. I had a tray with a burger, fries, and coke on it and it sounded like she wanted to share it with me. You can imagine how difficult it must be to toss a tray of food over to a cleavage revealing broad at 80mph. I missed, of course, and she went ballistic. Now thats certainly not the story that was being floated around to you. In any event, thanks for your continued support.

Donerail

Donerail: I’m not a left teacher, and I vote for the good sense. I’ve no problem with american people, because I think they don’t have had the good informations at the good moment. Your president, your government and your media have lied and fooled you.
I just regret USA people to have voted for Bush in 2000, because every body knew that he was not brillant, and sometimes, to be stupid is dangerous, mainly when you’re president of the most powerfull country. 9/11 was a big luck for him, and a bigger tragedy than you could imagine for the world… You american have big responsability toward the word, so vote with good sense please.
France paid to know that you can’t occupate a country and win peace by force, if the local population is not agreeing with your action. You’ll always have to face the son of the man you killed.
I mean you can’t make history against geography.
OK, now I’ve really to go to see my baby, See you on monday…
PS: Don’t you speak french, I spent half an hour to write this answer!!!

Montjoly, Un jour j’ai demandé un homme français pourquoi il n’a pas parlé anglais à moi. Il m’a dite, "Il est très difficile." Il est très difficile pour moi parler français. Il est très difficile pour moi épeler français. Il est plus facile lire français.

Regarding your reply to donerail, we Americans did not all vote for Bush for President in 2000. He did not win a majority of the vote; there was a huge scandal and the Supreme Court appointed him President. Believe me, half of us would love to get him out of office. It will be a very close election and many of us are frightened that he will win again.

I know how you feel. It took me 20 minutes to write the French above. I hope it makes some sense. How old is your baby?

SalB: I believe Montjoly was responding to me. But you responded as I would have and I appreciate your efforts on my behalf.

Donerail

donerail, My efforts were not on your behalf. I was under the impression this was an open Forum discussion. Half of the Americans who bothered to vote would have written the same thing.

crc95, I was looking for food, not McDonalds . . . and you knew that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You cannot buy wine at McDonald’s in the US. Even more reason to not enter the place!

Don’t know where you live, but if you are ever near in Brittany near Neant sur Yvel, there is a very nice restaurant called Aux Ajoncs dOr. It’s right next to the church. It is inexpensive and really good. We got lost and ended up there by chance. Everyone in town was there eating lunch. The service was incredibly cheerful and the food was excellent.

Donerail : I knew you were the culprit in that NJ turnpike incident ! But now that I got the true recollection of what actually happened, I can show some understanding. I mean, anyone would act just the same for some ‘cleavage revealing broad ‘ ! Just hope AuntB didn’t read your story or you’re in for some big trouble.

SalB : when I was attending law school in Lyon, there was a MacDo closeby we’d go to sometimes. Well, every year when "Beaujolais nouveau" would come out, they would do a "Beaujolais nouveau value meal" : a meal with one 33cl bottle of Beaujolais. I remember the price was 35 francs in those days, a real bargain, especially for college students.

Maybe that’s how MacDo can brag they’re so popular in France

CRC

SalB: I have to disagree with you on just one minor point. Thanks to our amazing education system, half of all Americans who voted probably don’t know how to write. It is comforting to know, however, that when I go on vacation and don’t have my computer – that people can still ask me questions and you can respond for me. As crc95 pointed out, I need all the support that I can get. Thanks again for your support.

crc95: Beaujolais at McD’s. Another reason La France is so far ahead of us. Sort of like having a bottle of Bud at La Tour D’Argent in Paris. Donerail

doneril: I’m not a Lefty teacher… i’m a Lofty Teacher, with Lofty ideals!

a beaujolais nouveau value meal? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! :-))))

I cannot imagine MacDo doing that in the USA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

Well, that’s one way to get people into McD’s!

Hi everybody,

How was your week-end? I had a very busy one, cleaning the garden with my father. It’s a big work that we have to do every fifteen days, grass and trees are growing so quickly here…Today I have my face and the top of my body burned by the sun, have you had a shiny week-end also ?
And this was a resting week-end, next one we may go fishing at the "evil’s island", were "Papillon" has been in jail( you may know the movie, with Steeve Mac Queen ).

SalB: Ok, it seems easier for me to write in english than for you to do the same in French, but you may know as the teacher you are that it is only practicing you can learn a foreign language. I’ve spent my childhood holidays in spain as so as I was speaking a quite fluent spanish, but now that I’ve no spanish people to practice with, I’m forgetting everyday a bit more, pero no puedo hacer nada: que piedad, madre de dios…
But I didn’t learned spanish for nothing, because it has helped me to learn Portuguese when I began to travel to Brazil, but by the beginning, you cannot imagine the shame of being in a country and to have to speak english to make you understand ( when you find someone to speak enklish with ), I’m not saying at all that it’s a shame to speak english ( of course not and I subscribe to this forum in that purpose, but it’s a problem there because who speaks english in south america is considered as a "Gringo", and that’s not very good for him…
I see the difference now I speak a fluent portuguese, and I’m sure you understand what I mean, France speaking french and France speaking only english are very different. Maybe french is a bit more difficult to learn, mainly to write? Qu’en penses-tu crc?
Answering the question about my son, he’s a bit more than one month old, and I’m so happy to have him :-))
Do you have any ?

Donerail: Beaujolais nouveau at Macdonald’s ? Bud in La Tour D’argent? How can you compare it? I mean Beaujolais nouveau and Bud are both no good ( let’s wait fot the third thursday of november to taste the next beaujolais, hoping it will make me lie ), ok , but the difference is that Bud in La tour d’argent would make cry generations of "sommelier" and "canards au sang"…
And seriously, do you really like Bud? I’ve drunk one Bud once, and I found it so untasty…
Have you tasted yet some european’s ones? Leffe, Adelscott, Fruit défendu…Those are good tasty beers…Please, make me know others american beer not to let me on that bad impression.

Now, to be honest, who never goes to Mac Donalds? When I was student in Toulouse, It was a meeting point, mainly because they were doing a promotion for students: for one sandwich bought, one offered! When you’re a young hungry man, with no time to go back home and not so much money, well, you fall in the facility temptation.
Now, I don’t go more there and even when I’m alone at home, I cook a little meal. But I’m afraid my son will want me to bring him there:-(
Fazer o qué ( tem brasileiros por aqui??? )?

Ok, enough for today, I go back to work…
Montjoly

Montjoly: Bud is like a potato chip. One is not so good, but after half dozen or dozen of them – it tastes a lot better. The weather here in Boston is starting to change. The days are getting shorter and the mornings are quite chilly. The garden is yielding a nice crop of tomatoes, herbs, carrots, and peppers. It sounds like you are enjoying the season as well – and with that new addition. Donerail

Hi, Montjoly. I’m happy you had a good weekend. Yes, we have three children, two daughters (with red hair!) and one son. Our son has three children, our grandchildren! They are all lovely little girls. The youngest will be three in a couple of weeks. Enjoy your son while he is little. Children grow up so fast . . . or perhaps times seems to go faster each year.

You’re right. I need to practice my French, especially the spelling. However, right now I am supposed to be learning Italian because we are going to Italy in October and November. I’m trying to stay away from French so I don’t get confused. When we get back from Italy, I’ll try to write more French to you. Okay?

Hi everybody,

SalB: It’s OK, I’ll wait your return from Italia to speak French again. Where are you going in Italia? Is it the first journey there?
My baby has blond hair with green eyes for the moment ( I know that it can change later ); as I have black hair and eyes, I cheked how was the postman, but he is innocent, he’s a black guy…Wait and see…

Donerail: I know what you mean but just try to drink a dozen of "leffe" or "Adelscott"… I’m drunk after 3 of it.

Everybody: I heard that Bush was 11 points in front of Kerry, is that true? Will we have to stand this *#@§µ£¤ 4 years more? :-((((
Just seeing in what the *%$&¤"£ we are because of him in 4 years of presidency, I’m afraid of what he could do with 4 years more.
Montjoly

Montjoly, This is our first "real" trip to Italy. We’ve crossed the border from France a few times just for a day and last March we visited Rome for a week because we didn’t want to go to Rome with our car on this coming trip. We’ve leased a car (Peugeot to be picked up in Nice, France) and will drive through Tuscany for a month. We’re staying on three different farms, two in Tuscany and one in Umbria just over the Tuscan border. One of the farms is owned by two painters who are going to show us how to do fresco. We’re really looking forward to that.

The blond hair and green eyes are funny. Our two daughters both have red hair, one has blue eyes and one has brown eyes. My husband & I both have dark hair, one has blue eyes and one has brown eyes. I’m sure someone studying fruit flies would have fun trying to figure out the genetics of all this! To make our family even more crazy, our son has dark hair (like we do) but he has one blue eye and one brown eye. He used to get teased a lot for that. The three kids used to tell people that together the three of them had six eyes, three blue and three brown. We used to get a lot of "What color is the mailman’s hair" jokes too.

Bush actually is ahead of Kerry at this point, but Kerry has gotten some of Clinton’s advisors to help him so hopefully this will turn around. Kerry spoke to Clinton before Clinton’s heart surgery and Clinton advised him to stop talking about Viet Nam and start talking about the economy. Good advice. Let’s hope it works!

SalB: I thought that I had a mixed family but your one is like "United colours of Benetton". On my father side, my grand father was Italian borned in Algeria, my grand mother was spanish borned in Valencia, and on my mother side, both were french but my grandfather is borned in Morroco ( Atlas mountain ).
Sorry, I’ve written a so long message on the other Forum ( Bush or Kerry ) that I’ve no time to write anymore. Maybe tomorow.
Have a sweet night, you and your family.

Montjoly…yo hablo espan~ol muy bien y si gustas puedes practicar conmigo..que te parece? Y si, tienes razon, el Frances es mas complicado que el Espan~ol. Hasta luego.

Ciao

Myfarside, That’s funny. I took Spanish in college and I took French a few years ago. I thought French was easier than Spanish and I had a wonderful Spanish teacher. I guess we all learn things differently, don’t we. My son agrees with you!