<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=468 border=0 valign="top"> <TBODY> <TR vAlign=top height=1> <TD> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thought this was interesting article....Josh</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="http://www.fresnobee.com/24hour/iraq/story/807673p-5743898c.html"><FONT face=Arial size=2>http://www.fresnobee.com/24hour/iraq/story/807673p-5743898c.html</FONT></A></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>CLAUDE SALHANI: A gauche protest<BR><BR>United Press International<BR>(Published Friday, March 14, 2003, 11:57 AM)<BR><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></TD></TR> <TR> <TD><FONT face=Arial size=2>(UPI) - America's inane war of words on France and everything French - or at least on what some Americans believe to be French - continues to gather steam, some of it spearheaded by a small number of Capitol Hill lawmakers. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>After wasting taxpayers' time and money renaming French fries, "liberty fries" and French toast "liberty toast," lawmakers now have another great idea on how to hit back at France for not seeing things the same way they do. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>By the way, for all of you who did not know, the fries were invented by Belgium, and of course, the French don't call them French fries at all. But try arguing with officialdom, especially inside the Washington Beltway. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Folks, seriously, I am not making this up. I couldn't. And for that matter, neither could late night comedians Jay Leno or David Letterman. Something this ridiculous could only be the brainchild of people on Capitol Hill. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Are you ready? Here is the latest. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., a first-term Florida congresswoman introduced a bill Thursday to allow families to bring home to the United States the remains of fallen World War II soldiers buried in France and Belgium. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brown-Waite said she had found two co-sponsors for her bill that is intended as a rebuke to France's opposition to the prospects of a U.S. invasion of Iraq. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>"I, along with many other Americans, do not feel that the French government appreciates the sacrifices our men and women in uniform have made to defend the freedom that the French enjoy today," Brown-Waite said. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Err, excuse me Congresswoman, but part of that freedom those brave soldiers died for was to allow people to make their own choice. That is what democracy is all about. Even if occasionally it means disagreeing with the policies of the president of the United States. It does not mean the people of France - with whom deep friendship exists since the American Revolution - are any less sincere. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>But still, this little historic fact does not seem to matter to some. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Says the Congresswoman: "The remains of our brave servicemen should be buried in patriotic soil, not in a country that has turned its back on the United States and on the memory of Americans who fought and died there." "It's almost as if the French have forgotten what those thousands of white crosses at Normandy represent." </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Spokeswoman Natalie Loiseau of the French Embassy in Washington said it is unfortunate that some people in the United States are ignorant of the perspective of the French people. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>"It is really unfortunate that some in this country know so little about France and the feelings of the French people," Loiseau said. "No one in France can understand these thoughts." </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Speaking of ignorance and lack of perspective, judge for yourself. A 10th grade history teacher in the Washington area, for example, told his class that "French people hate us." He had to be corrected by a 15-year-old student, who was obviously somewhat more politically savvy. The student pointed out that the French do not hate Americans. They simply disagree with President Bush's foreign policy on Iraq. "There is a big difference," pointed out the teenager to his teacher. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regardless, before the war with Iraq is over - in fact, before it even starts - it will, alas, undoubtedly claim many more cultural casualties. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>The bill for the repatriation of fallen soldiers, planned for introduction Thursday, is co-sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill. Families of 81,172 servicemen interred in 14 cemeteries operated by the U.S. military would be affected. </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, while they are at it, they could move to enact another bill that would call for the return of the Statue of Liberty to France. Or have they chosen to forget that the very first sight of America by millions of immigrants to this country was a gift from France? </FONT> <P><FONT face=Arial size=2>And as a final step, they can also re-baptize L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., to "The Child's Place." It would be an appropriate name in view of how childish all these shenanigans are.</FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BODY></HTML>