Freedom Fries Anybody??

[tommyalf]

Well with the strained relations between the U.S and France many U.S companies have started to boycott French products. CNN reported that a number of restaurants in Florida changed the name of French Fries to Freedom Fries. While other companies are no longer serving French wine and sending French products back to their vendors.

I have to say I'm not a big fan of the French for various reasons that I'll go into later. What’s interesting is they call Bush a dictator and an emperor, look a Chirac. He's trying to bully the other EU countries into supporting France and Germany's point of view instead of letting them stand on their own and voice their own opinion. I was under the impression that when the EU was formed the member nations would be allowed to keep their own identity and dictate their own foreign policy, not capitulate to whatever the EU's strongest members decide. Let France continue their saber rattling, the other EU countries will get more from the U.S then France will ever give them. As for Germany all I have to say is “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones”, or maybe they need their own history lesson.

Now for the lighter side of why I'm not a big fan of the French.

1. They still test their nuclear weapons, and worse then that they test their weapons in the paradise of the South Pacific.

2. They treat American tourists like crap, even when you respect their laws and culture. Paris is a beautiful city but the people have to be the rudest most disrespectful people I've ever met. I'll keep my American tourist dollars in other countries. Not going back to Paris anytime soon.

3. French officials tried to disqualify Lance Armstrong from the Tour da France for being on drugs to treat his cancer.

4. Lastly French people smell really bad. Hosted a French exchange student for two weeks while I was in High school after 7 days he smelled like bag of fertilizer. Had to throw that one in.

Anyone want some Freedom Fries?

[indian airlines]

Have to agree with that one. French people are the r-u-d-e-s-t in the world.

I don't like Bush anymore than i like Chiraq.

French fries are not french!!

[Richard]

I also agree. The French are too snotty. I've been to France numerous times. The country is beautiful and the food is great but the people there really make you angry. For one, when you kindly ask for help, they turn their noses high in the sky and respond in a very rude and unhelpful manner. Oh, and they aren't very forgiving. One apologizes, they turn their noses high in the sky and continue to bitch about it.

Secondly, they are TERRIBLE drivers. Our family drove to France often from our former home in Belgium, it's like they never had lessons.

Chirac, nuclear tests in Tahiti, I agree, disgusting. How dare he spoil a popular paradise spot just to see how powerful his WMD's are. The nerve.

Acually, I think French fries are French. In french they are called frites. I think they resembled potato wedges more than your average Wendy's fries.....

[Greg]

I agree that at times the French can be irriatating but in the 1950's the U.S. tested nuclear weapons on Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific.(But they stopped open air nuclear testing a while back) And french fries aren't French so not eating them because they have the word"french" in their name is closeminded. But other than that, right on.

[Richard]

strange for them to be called french fries. personally, i just call them chips.

[Stephen Toernblom]

To me fries are fries unless I order Fish N Chips. I can only say that the few french people I have met have been nice, atleast to me.

Stephen

[JoeJoe440]

strange for them to be called french fries. personally, i just call them chips.

Joe,

[NWA 757 351]

go freedom fries!

There was actually a french boycott website I got into a few days ago, but I forgot the name of it....anyone know what site I am talking about? They actually had the freedom fries section on it as well...........

[NWA_4_life]

“People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones”, or maybe they need their own history lesson.

I like that One.

Dave

[AC_A340-500]

tommyalf:
You said: "As for Germany all I have to say is “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones”, or maybe they need their own history lesson."


The Allies have spent the past 55 years trying to turn the Germans into peaceful people. No one wanted a repeat of what happened in WW2. Now you are coming down hard on them because they actually learned from their mistakes and prefer peace to war?! What kind of sense does that make?
I currently live in Germany and have the liberty of listening to their side of the story. I respect the German people for their stance on this issue of war and peace. This is truly a test for them: Go along with what your closest allies say and do (ie. America) or examine an issue for yourself to decide what is right or wrong. I don't think it's them who need the history lesson!

As for "freedom-fries": with that attitude, Americans better be willing to tear down their Statue of Liberty and send it back to Europe (although that may require another history lesson). Freedom Fries? Get real!

[a78jumper]

I agree the Toads can be pretty nauseating as a race, full of themselves for no real reason. Is this not the same country that is still conducting atom bomb tests in the Pacific?? The worst of them all was President Charles deGaulle, who in an advanced case of senility, got carried away with himself on the front steps of Montreal City Hall after a visit to Expo '67, and shouted "Vive le Quebec Libre"(Long Live a Free Quebec) to a frenzied crowd of Quebecois. His butt was turfed out of Canada the next day, and relations have always been a bit formal, if not frosty between Canada and France since. Really disgusting when you tour the graveyards in France full of Canadian (and American) soldiers who fell in two World Wars liberating France. I am fully bilingual English/French, and am proud to say I hail from Quebec of some french ancestry. I was visiting Alsace in 2000, to tour about with some German friends, none of whom speak french, and the waitress was pretending she did not speak English or German. So I started to order "en francais", upon which she passed comment about my colonial accent/wording because I forgot potatoes in France are "Pommes de terre". Mange la merde toi! Chienne! By the way fries in Quebec are just "Patates frites", no reference to being french at all!
________
Ford (Europe) Model C

[aerpix]

For all of you in need of a history lesson: French fries are not called so because they are from France, but rahter originate in neighbouring Belgium.

Not eating french fries or drinking Perrier water for the current tension between the USA and France is just shortsighted. France is a great country, and that includes Paris. The rudest people I have ever met live in New York. This is, however, not so in the rest of the US.

French people are generally very pleasant and helpful, but there's the odd one out of course, like everywhere else. I am from a place where studying languages is a must, and if you try to make your way through France with a little bit of French language you should not encounter too many problems. Is it not so that the Americans and British expect everybody else in the world to speak their language, only because they are probably too lazy to learn another language (or perhaps not even speak their own language perfectly?)? Where is the difference between the French that are proud on their language and expect visitors to at least try a little bit of French, and the American and British who think everybody on this planet has to speak English?

Calling the French rude or arrogant just for this is again shortsighted. And then what exactly is the difference between a country testing its nuclear weapons and a country starting wars in a row?

I guess there's a hwole bunch of history lessons out there to be learnt by a lot of people.

Regards,
Peter

[AC_A340-500]

aerpix:

I agree with you. Excellent points!

[LH 340-600]

I also agree with aerpix.
The hole idea is stupid. I wonder when they will change the name for "Hamburger".
Those people act like little childreen do.


and for tommyalf:

I am from Germany. And at least we heave learned from our history. But unfortunately some other people have not. America might be the most powerfull country on the world but it is not the greatest and only one.

[AC_A340-500]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

a wonderful little article from Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Stupid White Men). Enjoy...



Monday, March 17, 2003

A Letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush on the Eve of War

George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC

Dear Governor Bush:

So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and
the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear
that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having
survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could
take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got
a few truths I would like to share with you:
1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News
aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the
White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people
who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why?
'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and ki lled any of us! No Iraqi has
even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans
think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives,
then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works!
2. The majority of Americans -- the ones who never elected you -- are not
fooled by your weapons of mass distraction. We know what the real issues
are that affect our daily lives -- and none of them begin with I or end in
Q. Here's what threatens us: two and a half million jobs lost since you
took office, the stock market having become a cruel joke, no one knowing
if their retirement funds are going to be there, gas now costs almost two
dollars -- the list goes on and on. Bombing Iraq will not make any of this
go away. Only you need to go away for things to improve.
3. As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a
popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against yo u,
Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them.
4. The Pope has said this war is wrong, that it is a SIN. The Pope! But
even worse, the Dixie Chicks have now come out against you! How bad does
it have to get before you realize that you are an army of one on this war?
Of course, this is a war you personally won't have to fight. Just like
when you went AWOL while the poor were shipped to Vietnam in your place.
5. Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota)
has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to
stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right
now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every
member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids
for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey,
guess what -- we don't think so either!
6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some r oyal screw-ups.
Yes, some of them can be pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we
wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the
French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for
us? That our greatest thinkers and founding fathers -- Thomas Jefferson,
Ben Franklin, etc. -- spent many years in Paris where they refined the
concepts that lead to our Declaration of Independence and our
Constitution? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a
Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who
invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do
-- tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on
the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you
really should have traveled more (like once) before you took over. Your
ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted
you into a corne r you can't get out of.
Well, cheer up -- there IS good news. If you do go through with this war,
more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a
lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein.
After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity
polls as everyone loves a winner -- and who doesn't like to see a good
ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world
ass!). So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's
election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to
have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further
down the toilet!
But, hey, who knows -- maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the
election! See, start thinking like THAT! Keep hope alive! Kill Iraqis --
they got our oil!!
Yours,

Michael Moore