There was a small article in "Time" about all this a few weeks ago...they talked about how sales of some products (like imported French cheeses) have gone down, while others (like French wine) have still been strong.

could end up being an interesting historical sidenote nonetheless...

Ahh, that would be freedom scorn! :D

Ahahhahahahhahaha. Thats some funny $hit yo.

I think we oughta kick the living sh*t outta Saddam first, and when the war is over then parcel out the oil franchises, deliberately excluding the French and the Germans -- better yet, give 'em some land that's guaranteed to drill up dry! And when they come and complain to the world that they've been mistreated and left out of the spoils of war, Gee Dubya oughta turn around and say to Chirac in his West Texas twang, 'Payback for a veto's a b*tch, ain't it?

As opposed to the chemical weapons stamped "Made in America"... you got to remember that the US armed and supported Saddam wholeheartedly during the 80's. All this talk about Anthrax and VX (which by the way was developed originally by the US) is a little hyporcritical... and thats a relatively common view worldwide.

Political Historians can you shed light?
I may very well be wrong about this, but I didn't think we had any sanctions at that time that prohibited the distribution. (Stupid definitely, but not against international agreements)

If that is correct, the timeline for the weapons/parts would, in comparison, be illegal.

The French are so stinky!
How stinky are they?
They are so stinky that Americans have substituted ANOTHER name of a common product....






Jacques strap!
Thank you Canada for your contribution to the "protection" of Amrican Men!http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/remybussi.gif http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmili...py/roflmao.gif

The French

"My favorite bumper sticker in Washington D.C. right now is the one that says 'First Iraq, then France'."
- Tom Brokaw

"The French announced today that they would not help us remove Saddam from Iraq. Well Duh! They didn't even help us remove Hitler from France."
- Jay Leno

"France said this week they need more evidence to convince them Saddam is a threat. Yeah, last time France asked for more evidence it came rollin thru Paris with a German Flag on it."
- Dave Letterman

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage."
- Unknown

I'm not going to worry about what the French should or shouldn't do, or anyone's personal feelings about the war.

But does anyone else think that besides being junior high-ish to not say French fries or french toast, that this is a complete waste of time...Here we are on the brink of war, and people are more worried about bashing the French then they are of the possible consequences (both good and bad) of our actions?

To me it seems so irrellevent that this is even taking place, let alone to come from a representative from Congress. My best friend's boyfriend is getting shipped to the Persian Gulf on Tuesday and this guy is holding a grudge against the French and venting it by changing the name of french fries? F-in' ridiculous...:mad:

a pastor said that 'going to war with france is like going to war with a spitball. its worthless' :)

Thank you! Well stated.

By the way, french fries are from Belgium.

I understand the patriotic sentiments, especially right before war, but everyone seems to be mad at France for not paying. However, if that is a basis for good global citizenship, I would like to point out the deliquency of the United States to pay simple membership dues to the UN. We have been removed from committees because we refuse to pay our dues. What really makes us any better than any other country in the world that we are somehow exempt from these dues? Is it possible to say that factors have led us to be trigger happy?

Look at the US history, we have a great way to put our guns where they shouldn't be. South America...and I do mean the WHOLE continent. We put Sadam into power, we supported him and when he executed opponents the first day in the senate, on TV, we excused him. When he exterminated the Kurds, we excused him. Perhaps deterance hasn't worked for us with him as it did Stalin, but diplomatic means are the best way to go. If it eventually leads to an UN SANCTIONED WAR, so be it, but going in as renegad countries, is not the means to achieve global harmony...where does this war stop...excuse me 'conflict' as we have not had a delcaration of war, only a shady delegation of that power by congress.

Those are my two cents. :)

Iraq has used biological weapons against the Kurds in the north of Iraq before, as well as against Iran in the 1980's, however "based on a US Senate Committee on Export Administration report of 1994, we know that between 1984 (at the latest) and 1989, private American suppliers were exporting all kinds of chemical components to Iraq, after obtaining licensing by the US Department of Commerce. According to the report, "These biological materials were not attenuated or weakened and were capable of reproduction." They included:
Bacillus anthracis - Causes anthrax
Clostridium botulinum - Source of botulinum toxin
Histoplasma capsulatam - Causes a disease that attacks lungs, heart, brain, and spinal cord
Brucella melitensis - Bacteria that can do major damage to organs
Clostridium perfringens - Highly toxic bacteria that causes systemic illness
Clostridium tetani - Also highly toxigenic
E.coli, genetic materials, human and bacterial DNA, precursors to chemical-warfare agents, plans for chemical and biological warfare production facilities and chemical-warhead filling equipment were also exported (all according to this report).
The report mentions: "It was later learned that these micro-organisms exported by the United States were identical to those the United Nations inspectors found and removed from the Iraqi biological warfare program"(During the first rounds of inspections in the 90's) (Blum, Rogue State, p. 121-123). "

HEY, thanks for the info, I really did not know!

About the humor- If you look back to the Great Depression, at the point of denial, people took their sorrows to the "clubs". Jokes, booze and what money people believed they had left flowed like water. It was ONE alternative to jumping out the window. Our people are under stress, we have discourse in our country...in our world. Thank GOD we have humor! As it has been said, "Humor is the best medecine." I think it helps people deal with the horror of what may come. So ...make me laugh. I think we all could use a good one!

My mom told me that someone ordered a French Martini the other night, and she just couldn't help correcting them.

Has anyone mentioned "Freedom Maid" yet?
Seems like a contradiction... :p