Freedom Fries Re: Put an End to "Anti-Americanism" Re: Michael Hardt

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

At 5:47 PM +0000 2/23/03, Carl Remick wrote:
>>Well, my son over my shoulder just said "Hell I'm anti-American. 
>>I'm anti any imperialist nation that aims to control others for its 
>>own benefit". Now this is a slightly less kneejerk version of 
>>anti-Americanism than I meant -- it does have *some* reference to 
>>"how it might be at fault", but it's still "blanket" enough to be 
>>called anti-Americanism, and signs like "Fuck Bush, Fuck America" 
>>(and there were a lot of that genre) suggest to me that, at least 
>>in Sydney, numerous protestors were ok with even more expansive 
>>dismissals.
>>
>>The real question, I think, is whether the evident elements of 
>>anti-Americanism are in fact something the movement can handle well.
>
>I don't think this is a problem for the movement -- it's a problem 
>for self-pitying Americans, who have to stop whining and get a grip 
>on it.

My "fallow traveler" Carl Remick is always so hard on Americans, 
undermining my hard work of defending the middle of Middle America. 
:->  _Some_ Americans, however, do deserve all my "fallow traveler" 
can dish out:

*****   Fried politics: Restaurant serves 'freedom fries'

Wednesday, February 19, 2003 Posted: 10:49 AM EST (1549 GMT)

BEAUFORT, North Carolina (AP) -- You can get fries with your burger 
at a restaurant here, but just don't ask for french fries.

Neal Rowland, the owner of Cubbie's, now only sells his fried potato 
strips as "freedom fries" -- a decision that comes as Americans watch 
French officials back away from support for possible war in Iraq.

"Because of Cubbie's support for our troops, we no longer serve 
french fries. We now serve freedom fries," says a sign in the 
restaurant's window.

Rowland said his intent is not to slight the French people, but to 
take a patriotic stance to show his support for the United States and 
the actions of President Bush.

"It's our way of showing our patriotic pride," he said, noting that 
his business has a lot of local military troops as customers.

Rowland said the switch from french fries to freedom fries came to 
mind after a conversation about World War I when anti-German 
sentiment prompted Americans to rename German foods like sauerkraut 
and hamburger to liberty cabbage and liberty steak.

<http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/02/19/offbeat.freedom.fries.ap/>   *****
-- 
Yoshie

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