I'm Thankful to France for

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Is there a reason that I can't edit my post on this thread? I haven't noticed this on other threads.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

you can edit your post for two hours. enough time to edit spelling, but this way you cant go back and change time.

"I'm Thankful to France for"

Andre the Giant!!
I miss him,he was cool.

Andre the Giant was great, brings up great childhood memories. By the way, I'm not sure how you get that this post sounds like a France bashing post. If anything its here to point out that I, as a proud American, is thankful to a nation for many things. I say this in a time where many Americans are looking at France in a negative light because of the situations arising in the middle east. Lets face it, our governments all have their own agendas. We may or may not agree with them. I personally do not agree with many Jacques Chirac ideologies, it doesn't mean I don't like the French people. It would be like a French citizens judging me based on George Bush.

In addition, Eli Whitney was not the first to invent interchangeable gun parts. Clock makers used the idea of interchangeable parts since the early 1700's. "In 1790, the French gunsmith Honor� Blanc demonstrated his muskets entirely made from interchangeable parts; the French government didn't like the process (since with this process, anyone could manufacture items, and the government lost control), so it was stopped. The idea of interchangeable parts was introduced to American gun manufacturing by Eli Whitney (1765-1825) in 1798. "

I wanted to add to my list. After recently making the switch from being a rum drinker to Vodka drinker, I am going to have to thank France for Grey Goose and also their vodka made from grapes called Ciroc.

As an avid literature reader... I'm thankful to France for Victor Hugo. I just bought the soundtrack to Notre-Dame de Paris: the musical, and it reminded me of the guy's dramatic genius.

Originally posted by Croat69
You guys forgot to mention that the french gave us french fries

(...)

No, french fries are actually belgian!

By the way, why is this everlasting? We did this for you, you did that for us, we didn't do this, you didn't do that... Just like schoolyard fights...

Times change and so do countries and their leaders. Without each other anyway, neither of us, any country, would be the same. We all need all of the others, for various reasons. The hatred some people feel about some countries is ridiculous and stupid, I think.

French Wine.

True, wine is grown elsewhere. The French, however, are the standard bearers for it. I don't drink much wine from France specifically, but their affect on the industry is pretty huge.

Also, lets face it, Europe is democratic because of the French. The French took their internal revolution abroad, they invaded monarchial countries and installed (pro-french puppets but..) demoncratic popular regimes.

The French are also responsible for the existence of Germany. Before Napoleon brought all those duchies and principalities and cities together under one leader, German wasn't a political term, it was merely an ethnic term.

Originally posted by Nygdan
True, wine is grown elsewhere.

Wines out in California are up to 17% alcohol!

Also, lets face it, Europe is democratic because of the French. The French took their internal revolution abroad, they invaded monarchial countries and installed (pro-french puppets but..) demoncratic popular regimes.

You could also credit the US for their revolution, but the follow-up is much more their own doing. The Industrial Revolution played a huge part in this as well, can't forget that.

There's a huge variation in the etoh concentrations for wines. Basement wine (anyone who knows old italians is familiar) can have really high concentrations and really low concentrations green jug to green jug.

California is making headway in the respectability area. NY, in the finger lakes and the east end of long island, are somewhat new, and it takes a while to get the proper terroir, grounds/soil/climate, but they too are making good advances.

South America, like Chile and Argentina, have lots of good big regions.

Outside of europe, South Africa has excellent wines, and Australia is getting crazy! They have lots of good syrahs, but they call it 'Shiraz' for some reason.
Syrah is supposed to come from persia, and Iran, to this day, still has a thriving wine growing industry. Surprising no, since muslims are said to not be able to drink it. Then again, the Rubyait's very title is a reference to ruby colored wine and grapes!

edit to add
Please don't take me for one of those self-loving pretentious morons who pretend to know all about wine tho. There's so many of them today that you've gotta be clear!

[edit on 14-4-2005 by Nygdan]

the Merovingian bloodline.........

Without which we wouldn't have that wonderful leader George W. Bush.


www.davidicke.com...

OOOOOhhhhh.....can you taste the sarcasm? Can you? Can you?

The Statue of Liberty!!!

Without which the Ghostbusters would never have saved New York!!!

posted by optimuss fett
I like france and i like the french,beautiful sounding launguage and great sense of humour.....even if in all the times paris has been attacked they never tried to defend it!

Not entirely true. In the war of 1870-1871, between the French and the Prussian-led Germans (incidentally, this war helped unify the Germans into one state), the French did try to defend Paris. It was placed under siege for quite a while and many died.

On September 19 the Germans began to besiege Paris. Jules Favre, foreign minister in the new government, went to negotiate with Bismarck, but the negotiations were broken off when he found that Germany demanded Alsace and Lorraine. Léon Gambetta, the leading figure in the provisional government, organized new French armies in the countryside after escaping from besieged Paris in a balloon. These engaged but could not defeat the German forces. Bazaine capitulated at Metz with his 140,000 troops intact on October 27, and Paris surrendered on Jan. 28, 1871.

Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71

Originally posted by infinite8
Though I can't stand Jacques Chirac of France, I do want people in the US to realize that there are reasons to be thankful to France. This is not a competition between who has invented more, just a note that there are things to be thankful for.

The French have achieved more.

They also invented (among other things):

The parachute

The margarine

[edit on 21-5-2005 by AtheiX]

mmmmmm
french toast,french fries
mmmmmmm

Originally posted by blackSt33L
mmmmmm
french toast,french fries
mmmmmmm

I don't know what you call french toast, but french fries are....

BELGIAN !!!!

OK?

How many times will I have to say that?

Hey, spread the word, some people might find themselves enlightened.

French onion soup gratinee, foie gras....food and wine in general...

That's about it

[edit on 6/29/2005 by djohnsto77]

I believe it was a man named Lafyette who helped the Americans, not the French, during the Revolution. THat is why there are so many towns through out America named after this man and not the kingof France at the time of the Revolution. Lafyette basically had to pay a loan to the French king in order to use the troops he commanded to help the Americans.

France shouldn't be hated, the country is great, their culture is great, but whats to hate is the liberal media there who brainwash the people, their white trash quasi socialist pm chirac.

I personally love their language, I find it very sexy.

a flower is le fleur (roll the r), some of the words just roll of your tongue like a nice tongue massage.. maybe thats why their rated the best lovers in the world... they know how to french kiss, and then some.

Originally posted by TrueLies
France shouldn't be hated, the country is great, their culture is great, but whats to hate is the liberal media there who brainwash the people

- You have got to be kidding.

If you want to see an agenda driven, government and 'establishment' supporting 'brain-washing media' you'll have to look elsewhere.

French media is actually diverse - and as 'deep' - as they come (ie a damned sight more diverse than many).
True they have their tabloid nonsense (but privacy laws tend to knock much of that British-style tabloid idiocy on the head) but they also have excellent quality newsmedia with very good mass appeal.
The French people are far from your average uninformed 'sheepeople' capable of being and willing to be led by any such ridiculous notion of a shallow "liberal media".

their white trash quasi socialist pm chirac.

- Oh come on, 'fess up and give it a rest, huh?

Come on, tell the truth.

If it wasn't Chirac it'd just be the next guy you'd be complaining about for having the audacity to try and put French interests first or who dared see things differently.
As French Presidents and PM's very often do.

That's the flip side to all this rubbish about how the French have suffered defeat etc etc, it means they aren't for being pushed around and made to go along with anyone's 'policy' if they don't want to.

......and good luck to them for it, real freedom in action.

Nice.

(whatever happened to "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." (Voltaire) eh?
Where is that great value of freedom in all of this venom aimed at France and the French, hmmm?
Not much 'defending' going on with many of these Americans supposedly so concerned with 'freedom' these days, huh?)

Originally posted by sminkeypinkey

Originally posted by TrueLies
France shouldn't be hated, the country is great, their culture is great, but whats to hate is the liberal media there who brainwash the people

- You have got to be kidding.

If you want to see an agenda driven, government and 'establishment' supporting 'brain-washing media' you'll have to look elsewhere.

French media is actually diverse - and as 'deep' - as they come (ie a damned sight more diverse than many).
True they have their tabloid nonsense (but privacy laws tend to knock much of that British-style tabloid idiocy on the head) but they also have excellent quality newsmedia with very good mass appeal.
The French people are far from your average uninformed 'sheepeople' capable of being and willing to be led by any such ridiculous notion of a shallow "liberal media".

their white trash quasi socialist pm chirac.

- Oh come on, 'fess up and give it a rest, huh?

Come on, tell the truth.

You want me to say something that you agree with? That's not my truth, nor my style. You want to harp on me because i live in the states? Is that what gets you torked so easily, hmmm?

Any pm that has the audacity to say ridiculous things about british food, namely their beef is grounds to call him white trash. What he said was nonessential and irrelevant, why would he do that?

Why would he sell wmd's to Sadam? Of course I understand how every pm and president put their country's well being before anybody else's but where's the morale?

Where's the tactfulness, where's the support for the kurdish people?

If it wasn't Chirac it'd just be the next guy you'd be complaining about for having the audacity to try and put French interests first or who dared see things differently.

Mr Omniscent knows what I would be complaining about next huh? I see... Well, i'm not going to comment on that since you've claimed yourself to be all knowing.

it means they aren't for being pushed around and made to go along with anyone's 'policy' if they don't want to.

......and good luck to them for it, real freedom in action.

Nice.

this has nothing to do with what my prior comments about.. I see your disdain for people living in the us is making you a very bitter and hateful person.

(whatever happened to "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." (Voltaire) eh?

Don't know voltaire, us canadians never really got edumacated on the guy.
I apologise, growing up as a canadian I was conditioned to disapprove of what people said even if I don't agree with it, I was taught to dislike the person..

Where is that great value of freedom in all of this venom aimed at France and the French, hmmm?

I don't know, but the french don't want to be part of canada,and for some reason canada won't let them split.

Not much 'defending' going on with many of these Americans supposedly so concerned with 'freedom' these days, huh?)

what makes your stereotypical ass think i'm american, hmmm?