You could have heard a pin drop

[kgwilson]

Ever wonder what happens when you forget history

 

In France , at a fairly large conference, Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper

 

was asked by a French cabinet minister if Canadian involvement in Afghanistan was just an example of "empire building".

 

Mr. Harper answered by saying,

 

'Over the years, Canada has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to

 

fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked

 

for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

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JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when De Gaulle decided to pull out of NATO. De Gaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

 

Rusk responded "Does that include those who are buried here?"

 

You could have heard a pin drop

 

 

 



 

 

 

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.

 

What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

 

 

 

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly:

 

'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people;

 

they are nuclear powered and can supply Emergency electrical power to shore facilities;

 

they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day,

 

They can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

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A Royal Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S.,English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

 

 

 

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, the English learn only English. He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'

 

Without hesitating, the British Admiral replied,

 

'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's, and Americans arranged

 

it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

........................................................................................................................................................

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

 

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.

 

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

 

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

 

The Englishman said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

 

"Impossible. You English always have to show your passports on arrival in France !"

 

The English senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained,

 

''Well, when I came ashore at Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchman to show a passport to."

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M61A1]

Ever wonder what happens when you forget history

 

 

.........................................................................................................................................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.

 

What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

 

 

 

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly:

 

'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people;

 

they are nuclear powered and can supply Emergency electrical power to shore facilities;

 

they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day,

 

They can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'

 

You could have heard a pin drop.

 

 

 

..............................................................................................................................................................

A quick search shows that the French ha one nuclear carrier and three LHDs which could carry out such duties.......you probably could have heard a pin drop due the surprise that a Boeing engineer had a clue about something going on outside his/her own office. (yes, I've worked along side them.)

 

 

[Marty_d]

Hmmm... France-bashing and faux-patriotism with a right wing bent... originally released by a Dubya staffer I'm guessing.

 

And while we're forgetting history, let's not forget the French Resistance who regularly risked, and often lost, their lives helping Allied airmen to escape. A couple of hundred years before that the French fought alongside the US against England to help them win their own county.

 

I think it was the US that forgot their history, with the "Freedom fries" and "French surrender monkeys" bullsh1t when France quite rightly refused to join their ill-advised "coalition of the willing".

 

 

[dutchroll]

....not to mention that France is one of very few countries in the world that has been completely surrounded by enemies hell bent on invading it for the last thousand years. They've had their ups and downs, but I reckon they've done ok, all things considered.

 

If anyone truly believes a US carrier was going to use its catering facilities to feed 3000 tsunami victims 3 meals a day, produce several thousand gallons of fresh drinking water for the tsunami victims every day, and treat several hundred of them every day in its internal hospital facilities, they seriously need their head read. But yes they would provide some degree of disaster relief, and that is very nice of them to get to Indonesia after everyone else (including Australia).

 

'Well, when I came ashore at Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchman to show a passport to."

 

Sort of funny I guess. But it's also pretty flippant, obnoxious and arrogant when you consider the sacrifice of a lot of French people during the German occupation. Many of them paid with their lives, murdered ruthlessly by the Gestapo, etc. A lot just tried to survive as their country was totally overtaken by a vastly superior military force which destroyed all others opposing them at the time. It was easy for the British. They just fled at Dunkirk, saved by the tyranny of living on an island back in the day when overseas invasions were not just a matter of sending a fleet of C-17 transports directly to the war zone. Not so easy for the people who were left behind!

 

 

[M61A1]

When we were staying at Hickam AFB, (years ago now), you could buy T-shirts with something along the lines of "My granddad visited here in 1944 but didn't land", as most of the tourists were Japanese. Unusually humourous for the yanks.

 

 

[kaz3g]

I speak just a little French. I have friends from France, Quebec and Louisiana who speak French. It's a beatiful country with a beautiful, romantic language and a rather sad history. As someone who reads a lot of military history occurring during both World Wars, I have real respect for those French men and women who continued the fight against Germany during the dark years of 39-43.

 

But I'm also aware that much of their military capitulated in the early days leaving those who would fight in terrible circumstances. The direst enemy of the Patriots was comprised of those other French citizens who joined Vichy and actively collaborated with the invader.

 

And De Gaule was an arrogant sod who could never reconcile the fact the British twice succeeded where France failed...miserably.

 

That's my take on it.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Yenn]

A lot of people, mainly Poms love to knock the French. My father used to say if the french like it, it cant be good for the British. I have been there and it is a lovely country, lovely people and you can get a good feed just about anywhere. Maccas and Kentucky Fried may exist there but it is the little cafes and restaurants that feed the people. Very civilised and they also have good aeroplanes.

 

 

[microman]

And of course New Zealanders remember the Rainbow Warrior affair - when the French government sent a team of frogmen to attach a bomb to the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour - because the ship was about to leave for Mururoa to protest French nuclear testing. The bomb killed one crewman, however we caught a couple of the bombers, put them on trial, duly sentenced them to a term of imprisonment, and then had to capitulate to French government demands to release them into French custody, or face trade bans that would have crippled our economy. Of course the French released them as soon as they could and have never apologised for what was in effect an act of government-sponsored terrorism.

 

However as I will soon have a French daughter-in-law I guess even that must be forgiven - though I doubt the thousands of New Zealanders buried on French soil would agree.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

After they coerced the Kiwis to transfer these terrorists to their custody the bloody French broke an undertaking to have them serve out their sentence (they had been duly convicted in a proper court of law).

 

They not only released them, but the arrogant bastards added insult by presenting medals to these murderers.

 

 

[Happyflyer]

Sir Humphrey Appleby always said the French were the real enemy!