Thanks to Ruth for the French flag pin which DHL delivered here yesterday and which will now ride with me around Chicago and beyond. As some of the readers of this blog know, I have been looking for some kind of French pin or patch to put on one of my backbacks since 2003 when the French people and their government loudly condemned U.S. plans to invade Iraq. The more the French were vilified here--remember the "Freedom Fries" movement?--the more I wanted to broadcast my own "Vive La France!" message. It was surprisingly difficult to find such a pin or patch, and I eventually gave up, but I mentioned the project to Ruth last summer and through the magic of E-Bay, almost a year later . . . Voíla! The sting may have worn off a little bit since the French have been proven so right on the Iraq question, but I will still wear it with gloating pride.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Vive La France!
Thanks to Ruth for the French flag pin which DHL delivered here yesterday and which will now ride with me around Chicago and beyond. As some of the readers of this blog know, I have been looking for some kind of French pin or patch to put on one of my backbacks since 2003 when the French people and their government loudly condemned U.S. plans to invade Iraq. The more the French were vilified here--remember the "Freedom Fries" movement?--the more I wanted to broadcast my own "Vive La France!" message. It was surprisingly difficult to find such a pin or patch, and I eventually gave up, but I mentioned the project to Ruth last summer and through the magic of E-Bay, almost a year later . . . Voíla! The sting may have worn off a little bit since the French have been proven so right on the Iraq question, but I will still wear it with gloating pride.
13 comments:
I was at the opening of the Bush library at A&M and actually invited because 45 of my combat photos were on display there. The evenings Q&A period had Bush Sr. the British Prime Minister, Schwartz,cough, a CIA director and the press secretary of Bush and one or two other interested parties. They sat on the stage of the theatre or A&M and took questions from a standing mike in the audiance.
One person asked about the French contribution and there was a whole lot of finger pointing on the stage. Finally Bush said, well we did have people over there we didn't want and just got in our way, and we had to figure out something for them to do, so we put them way out on the Western edge to act as a "screening" unit.
Weasel, weasel
I was so glad you finally got your pin. Even my brother, who lives in France couldn't get one for you.
Vive le France!
I spent some time in Germany, walking around on Long Range Patrols, usually at night and with Navy Seals. It was actually a pretty place except the cold water in the streams we crossed. The people were nice and interesting. It was a very clean country with almost no trash and the I would rather be there than some places in Dallas. What's wrong with Germany and why not viva la Germany too.
Well, as it relates to the this particular issue, the French have drawn more flak in the U.S. than the Germans have for their opposition to the Iraq invasion, so waving the French flag is more likely to annoy. But as I've said many times before, you'd probably be better off unemployed in any country in Europe (getting free health care, decent unemployment benefits, free higher education, and relatively safe from gun-wielding thugs) than working for a minimum wage in the States, so, yes, Long Live Germany!
Vive le France!
Viva la Ruth--having embarked on satiating one of Steve's odd requests before I know how difficult it can be to deliver and I also know how difficult it is to put the quest down. When someone desperately wants something as seemingly small as a French pin, you feel like--well this should be easy enough . . . and then a year passes. Or in my case, your computer crashes. Go Ruth!
Steve -- I just noticed your "Do a Good Deed" link to the Greater Chicago Food Depository Web site. Nice! Thanks so much for your support.
To connect this post to France (Vive La France, by the way), I'm guessing countries like France and Germany don't have a need for food banks. I reflect on what I do and realize the distribution of free food by a private nonprofit actually may reinforce the inequities of capitalism. But at least we're helping people who need some help.
Is this a subtle cheer for Boris Diaw?
Well! I'm so pleased to have taken part in this Don Q quest to its successful conclusion. There are several different kinds and styles available on eBay, and I regret it has taken me so long to follow up on it since I first found out you were looking. Your comments about marching with Emilio caused me to remember. Will you attach one of the pins to his stroller as well? (There should have been three in the package.) And give one to Mari? I just love protests! I hope there will be some good ones (protests) resulting from Al Gore's new movie that I can really sink my teeth into and enjoy, and that I will feel well enough to participate in myself (chances for that anytime in the near future do not look good)! That's why my memories of Austin in 1969-1972 are so dear to me. The hippies were constantly protesting in favor of the environment and, by tying themselves to the magnificent live oaks which still grace the campus of the university, getting press from The Austin American Statesman, not to mention the much villified (by the establishment) campus underground newspaper The Rag helped prevent UT officials from cutting down many them. Saving trees was a very common occurrence in the era of the Hippies (whom I loved although I never was one). My fear is that no one will care... Alas, these self-same hippies are now big business corporate presidents and attorneys, lobbying on behalf of business and against my beloved environment. (Well I just read over this comment, and it sounds really disjointed and not understandable, but I know that those of you who know me will understand, so I'm leaving it as it is...)
I think Hippies are over-rated. A lot of it was just a fashion fad. Some were radical, no doubt, but many were just superficial trend-followers who wore long hair and bell-bottoms because it was the cool thing to do at the time.
By the same token, I don’t think it is fair to tar all ex-hippies with the same “sell-out” brush. Many of those who were radical then, remained radical even though they cut their hair.
I think you’re right, Bob: we should have the kind of social welfare net that makes food banks redundant. And we should rally support for political representatives who are willing to raise taxes and reapportion the taxes we already spend so that such a social welfare net can be woven together here in the United States. (And if anybody who reads this can convince me that such a candidate or slate of candidates is out there, I will gladly add a link to their website, too.)
In the mean time, keep up the righteous work you do helping people who need help.
Go Bob!
I can't blame France for being concerned with the chaos in the Middle East. They are caught between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes it is wise to make a pack with the devil. Especially with their experiences with the Devil.
We have our spanking yet to come.
Everybody is worried about the poor French but the little country south of Lebanon holds the keys to the kingdom. If they go bezeekers,all hell will break loose.
During the Yom Kipper war they loaded their N weapons and were going to use them.
The rest is history, we re-supplied their decimated military and they counter-attacked, crossed the canal and were w/in 20 miles of Cairo. That's when Russian paratroopers began loading on transport planes and we gave the country and people no one secretly likes an ultimatum to "STOP!"
Walk slowly and watch for snakes. Hatred beyond belief boils.
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