Ok, lessee now -- if we boycott...
French Fries -- Idaho potato farmers are hit
French Toast -- Kansas wheat farmers
French Bread -- unless imported, those same wheat farmers
French cheeses -- That brie probably originated with some dairy farmer in
Minnesota
French wine -- is it really French or a French name (champagne, Chardonnay)
grown and vinted in California or upstate New York?
I just did an interview last week with a French driver, Sebastien Bourdais
(driving CART for Newman-Haas). Asked him about some of this stuff.
Fortunately, he said, he is living in Miami which is melting-pot enough with
a lot of different ethnics he is not really getting any backlash.
The effect on him personally is so minimal the subject did not find its way
into my story, but I liked a quote from him that most of the people he is
around "understand that a human person, French, German, or other
nationalities, are not responsible for their country's position."
So I guess we should not blame Moet for France's political position and
start spraying Taylor off the podium instead (motorsports content!). On the
other hand, what I do believe is that those who opposed joining us for the
conflict should not expect to join us for the spoils, which includes the
rebuilding of Iraq and the new-market windfalls that will be for commercial
interests involved. Or to put it another way, if some French company is
involved in the rebuilding, it will be because American/Coalition
authorities chose it as the best option, not French authorities pushing a
Francophile agenda.
--Rocky Entriken (treated rudely in France back in '65 just because I was
American, treated warmly in ten other countries including both Germanys)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Linnhoff" <knuckledragger@kcweb.net>
To: "Autox list" <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 2:38 PM
Subject: Re: French Owned Companies?
> Greg, it's not just this once that France has ignored the request for help
> from fellow NATO nations, even if the request was merely to fly over
French
> soil. This goes back decades even before NATO was formed. The French
have
> a long and dubious history of non-action. It grows wearisome after a
while.
>
> Now as to the boycott, well, that'd be darned hard to enforce. I can tell
> you however that I am absolutely doing my part for the effort by not
eating
> French fries, French toast, French bread, French cheeses or drinking
French
> wine or water. I am also refusing to use French-milled soap.
>
> Eric (pass the lye soap) Linnhoff in KC
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