Andy Rooney on the forgetful French

You can't beat the French when it comes to food, fashion, wine or perfume, but they lost their license to have an opinion on world affairs years ago. They may even be selling stuff to Iraq and don't want to hurt business.

The French are simply not reliable partners in a world where the good people in it ought to be working together. Americans may come off as international jerks sometimes but we're usually trying to do the right thing.

The French lost WW II to the Germans in about 20 minutes. Along with the British, we got into the war and had about 150,000 guys killed getting their country back for them. We fought all across France, and the Germans finally surrendered in a French schoolhouse.

You'd think that school building in Reims would be a great tourist attraction but it isn't. The French seem embarrassed by it. They don't want to call attention to the fact that we freed them from German occupation.

I heard Steven Spielberg say the French wouldn't even let him film the D-Day scenes in �Saving Private Ryan� on the Normandy beaches. They want people to forget the price we paid getting their country back for them.

Americans have a right to protest going to war with Iraq. The French do not. They owe us the independence they flaunt in our face at the U.N.

I went into Paris with American troops the day we liberated it, Aug. 25, 1944. It was one of the great days in the history of the world.

French women showered American soldiers with kisses, at the very least. The next day, the pompous Charles de Gaulle marched down the mile long Champs Elysee to the Place de la Concorde as if he had liberated France himself. I was there, squeezed in among a hundred tanks we'd given the Free French Army that we brought in with us.

Suddenly there were sniper shots from the top of a building. Thousands of Frenchmen who had come to see de Gaulle scrambled to get under something. I got under an Army truck myself. The tank gunners opened fire on the building where the shots had come from, firing mindlessly at nothing. It was a wild scene that lasted, maybe, 10 minutes.

When we go to Paris every couple of years now, I rent a car. I drive around the Place de la Concorde and when some French driver blows his horn for me to get out of his way, I just smile and say to myself, "Go ahead, Pierre. Be my guest. I know something about this very place you'll never know."

The French have not earned their right to oppose President Bush's plans to attack Iraq.

On the other hand, I have.

60 Minutes

bleh... when some one thinks that the US won world war 2 all on there own i tend to take anything that comes out of there mouth as garbage. yes the americans were a big help, but from what i remember the Germans were already being pushed back before the americans came in. they just helped push back harder. everyone who fought in the war against the axis deserves equil credit.

"The French have not earned their right to oppose President Bush's plans to attack Iraq."

now that's just #ing sick. now everyone has to earn there right to speak freely about what they want? what happened to freedom of speech? are people not allowed to disagree with the US? the US always spouts off so much about stuff about freedoms and rights. i thought they were going to Iraq to free the people under saddam, but yet they don't like it when the French freely choose and say what they want.

[Edited on 28-2-2003 by jra]

One of the founding and basic principles of the United States is the Freedom of Speech. I guess that only applies to loudmouthed television journalists and not the general population of the above-mentioned independent nation.

Freedom of Speech means that yes, you DO have suffer viewpoints you think are idiotic from time to time. But make the point that you disagree with what was said, not with the person's right to say it.

Too much coffee Andy? idiot. he has no right to say those things!

Andy Rooney is not saying they don't have the right to oppose war literally, as much as he is saying who are they kidding.. and don't forget, it was not our policy to get involved in foreign affairs.. we were fired on by german u-boats and then of course Pearl Harbor occurred.. this is why i don't understand why people aren't more grateful for our assistance in defeating Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan.. and i am not going to believe for 1 second that the other allies had Germany retreating when we entered the fray in Europe.. it wasn't until the Americans came with their industrial power above all else, that the Germans couldn't resupply as fast as the Allies could.. Also i would appreciate it if you didn't seem to think that your people were the only ones who died because it was in Europe.. my great grandfather died in the Battle of the Bulge fighting for Freedom, and nothing else.. i know Americans are almost universally hated for entering in other countries' affairs it seems, but we don't enter until you prove that you can't handle the situation yourself.. so i humbly apologize for America trying to help save freedom and liberty in Asia, the pacific, and Europe and north Africa, and any inconvenience this may have cause you and your families

Wow, well said illguy and Mr. Rooney. This is utterly rediculous. Just cuz you guys hate americans doesn't mean you cant give credit where credit is due. Face it, American played possibly the biggest role in the war. We were the turning point. Yes the British were huge fightin off the krauts the whole time, however they were giving ground and if not helped would eventually fold. THe Russians did play a large role in pushing them out of Russia. THe comment on every allie deserving equal credit is ludicrous. The French were steamrolled. I dont know how much credit they deserve, all they did was basically kill some Germans and hold em up a little bit. Granted im not an expert on WWII, but i did take a class just on world war two last year and learned some valuable information. Rooney is very correct on everything mentioned with degaulle and all that #. Its a shame that people hate america (greatest country in the world) so much that they will say anything just to detest it. If it wasnt for Americas involvement we all could be speaking German right now. We constantly send troops, money, goods and weapons to countries in distress and need, yet we get no damn respect.

We have a very simple lesson to be learned.

1) Stop expecting others to be grateful (long term) for our help/aid.

2) ... see above.

i never said i hate americans nor did i say they did nothing in WW2. i said they were a big help. they did a lot, but they didn't do it all themselves. that is all.

i was merelygoing after Rooney cause he (from what i understood) was saying the French did not have the right to express there own opinion. that is what i don't like. you guys are over reacting. perhaps it's my fault for not being clear enough. sorry.

here is an article i read today. this is another example of how some people don't react well to differnt opinions. i feel sorry for this woman. www.accessatlanta.com...

p.s. and yes i know the French didn't do a whole lot during ww2... i was thinking more of the British and its colonies and the Russians that deserved equal credit.

[Edited on 28-2-2003 by jra]

We were a big help?
Make no mistake. German would be the official European language. There is no two ways about it. Any other view is revisionist.

Makes no difference. See Mr. Smith's above stated rules for the here and now fact and truth.