[quote]Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights:
<strong>
umm... hasn't that been always the case?
(Excluding, of course, Switzerland and Luxembourg.)</strong><hr></blockquote>
I heard somewhere that this is an extension of the Roman Empire. People have leraned from them that the best way to rule and be on top is militarily. After all they conquered the known world and kept it for quite a while. Not sure if I believe it or not, but it sounds reasonable.
Nah, I would say it's something else, has to do with sex and religion but I can't really explain it because I'm writing about this issue and I can't throw it out there with the brain farts I normally post.
[quote]Originally posted by GardenOfEarthlyDelights:
<strong>
umm... hasn't that been always the case?
(Excluding, of course, Switzerland and Luxembourg.)</strong><hr></blockquote>
Except that the Swiss have a massively successful military history and could probably mobilize faster than any other country. The pope has Swiss guards for a reason.
Au contraire. It's 'foreign' because its volunteers are stationed abroad. Anyone can join, true, but if you desert you'll go to jail if you try and set foot in France again.
[ 02-21-2003: Message edited by: Hassan i Sabbah ]</p>
I guess you all know that French is a mother language of Latin?</strong><hr></blockquote>
You have that exactly backwards. French is decended from Latin as are also Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. That's why they are called Romance (sometimes Romanic) languages - they come from the colonizing influence of the Roman Empire.
As for the jabs aimed at France, I've thrown a few elbows too but it doesn't do anyone any good to take it too far. As James Woolsey put it in yesterday's WSJ, "We diminish ourselves and our arguments by denying the noble side of these nations' history and slandering their national honor. Yes, the Germans had the Nazis and the French the Reign of Terror and Vichy. And we had slavery. We both had our villains and our heroes..."
You have that exactly backwards. French is decended from Latin as are also Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. That's why they are called Romance (sometimes Romanic) languages - they come from the colonizing influence of the Roman Empire.
[quote] As for the jabs aimed at France, I've thrown a few elbows too but it doesn't do anyone any good to take it too far. As James Woolsey put it in yesterday's WSJ, "We diminish ourselves and our arguments by denying the noble side of these nations' history and slandering their national honor. Yes, the Germans had the Nazis and the French the Reign of Terror and Vichy. And we had slavery. We both had our villains and our heroes..." <hr></blockquote>
Right, I think it could be a good conclusion for this thread.
A Prussian aristocrat, he was 60 years ago a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht when he was approached with a proposition by a friend, also an officer from the ranks of the Prussian aristocracy. Hitler was coming to visit the base where Mr. von Kleist was stationed and his assignment was such that he would be the first to greet the Fuehrer as he descended from his aircraft. Would he consider strapping himself with explosives and killing them both, his friend asked? Mr. von Kleist said that he would want to ask his father's advice. ...
Comments
It's interesting that societies <strong>now</strong> get their worth from how well they do militarily.<hr></blockquote>
umm... hasn't that been always the case?
(Excluding, of course, Switzerland and Luxembourg.)
Perhaps the French are very willing and just not very good at it.
[ 02-19-2003: Message edited by: Guartho ]</p>
<strong>
umm... hasn't that been always the case?
(Excluding, of course, Switzerland and Luxembourg.)</strong><hr></blockquote>
I heard somewhere that this is an extension of the Roman Empire. People have leraned from them that the best way to rule and be on top is militarily. After all they conquered the known world and kept it for quite a while. Not sure if I believe it or not, but it sounds reasonable.
<strong>
umm... hasn't that been always the case?
(Excluding, of course, Switzerland and Luxembourg.)</strong><hr></blockquote>
Except that the Swiss have a massively successful military history and could probably mobilize faster than any other country. The pope has Swiss guards for a reason.
Now let's hear no more about French military cowardice.
You have to be insanely brave just to fill in the application form.
<strong><a href="http://www.frenchforeignlegion.org/"; target="_blank">The Fench Foreign Legion.</a>
Now let's hear no more about French military cowardice.
You have to be insanely brave just to fill in the application form.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yes, but it's the French Foreign Legion. There are few, if any, French people in it!
[ 02-21-2003: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>
<strong>
Yes, but it's the French Foreign Legion. There are few, if any, French people in it!
[ 02-21-2003: Message edited by: RodUK ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Au contraire. It's 'foreign' because its volunteers are stationed abroad. Anyone can join, true, but if you desert you'll go to jail if you try and set foot in France again.
[ 02-21-2003: Message edited by: Hassan i Sabbah ]</p>
What the hell. France is still cool.
<strong><a href="http://www.frenchforeignlegion.org/"; target="_blank">The Fench Foreign Legion.</a>
Now let's hear no more about French military cowardice.
You have to be insanely brave just to fill in the application form.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I found the "For Sale" pop up that came with the site very amusing considering the thread.
<strong>Oops. I'm wrong. Turns out that there are, actually, no French people in the Foreign Legion.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's a legion of foreigners (non French people)
[quote]Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah:
<strong>
What the hell. France is still cool.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Agreed!
<strong>
Agreed!
damn brit! yer sposed to hate the french!
<strong>
I guess you all know that French is a mother language of Latin?</strong><hr></blockquote>
You have that exactly backwards. French is decended from Latin as are also Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. That's why they are called Romance (sometimes Romanic) languages - they come from the colonizing influence of the Roman Empire.
As for the jabs aimed at France, I've thrown a few elbows too but it doesn't do anyone any good to take it too far. As James Woolsey put it in yesterday's WSJ, "We diminish ourselves and our arguments by denying the noble side of these nations' history and slandering their national honor. Yes, the Germans had the Nazis and the French the Reign of Terror and Vichy. And we had slavery. We both had our villains and our heroes..."
[ 02-22-2003: Message edited by: spaceman_spiff ]</p>
<strong>
You have that exactly backwards. French is decended from Latin as are also Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. That's why they are called Romance (sometimes Romanic) languages - they come from the colonizing influence of the Roman Empire.
[ 02-22-2003: Message edited by: spaceman_spiff ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
Right.
[quote] As for the jabs aimed at France, I've thrown a few elbows too but it doesn't do anyone any good to take it too far. As James Woolsey put it in yesterday's WSJ, "We diminish ourselves and our arguments by denying the noble side of these nations' history and slandering their national honor. Yes, the Germans had the Nazis and the French the Reign of Terror and Vichy. And we had slavery. We both had our villains and our heroes..." <hr></blockquote>
Right, I think it could be a good conclusion for this thread.
<strong>It's interesting that societies now get their worth from how well they do militarily.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Ich bin ein Yurrupean.
<a href="http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110003109"; target="_blank">Not All Bad
In defense of (some) French and Germans.
BY R. JAMES WOOLSEY
Saturday, February 22, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST</a>
[quote]
...
A Prussian aristocrat, he was 60 years ago a lieutenant in the Wehrmacht when he was approached with a proposition by a friend, also an officer from the ranks of the Prussian aristocracy. Hitler was coming to visit the base where Mr. von Kleist was stationed and his assignment was such that he would be the first to greet the Fuehrer as he descended from his aircraft. Would he consider strapping himself with explosives and killing them both, his friend asked? Mr. von Kleist said that he would want to ask his father's advice. ...
<hr></blockquote>