French going wild for Kerry

[dude1394]

Will Kerry be the first president picked by the french?

French Loving kerry surrender monkeys

French Going Wild For Senator Kerry In Election Fever

‘A CERTAIN ELEGANCE’ IS SEEN

By MICHAEL MANVILLE Special to the Sun



PARIS — It could be the flawless French he learned while at boarding school in Switzerland. Or that he summered in his youth at a picturesque village on the rocky shores of Brittany. Or his pledge to take America’s allies more seriously and pursue an inclusive foreign policy.

Or maybe it’s the simple fact that he’s not President Bush.

Whatever the reason, the French are going wild for John Kerry.

His face graces the covers of magazines and newspapers on Paris newsstands. He’s the subject of radio phone-in and television talk shows. Journalists chase down distant relatives and long-forgotten acquaintances in search of anecdotes.

If November’s presidential election were being held here, there’s no doubt that Mr. Kerry, the Massachusetts senator and Democratic candidate, would win by a landslide.

“People are going crazy. My phone is ringing from morning to night because everybody wants to know about Kerry,” said the head of the France chapter of Democrats Abroad, Constance Borde. “I’m even getting calls from French people asking if they can contribute to the campaign, and of course I have to tell them no.This is something I’ve never seen happening.”

It seems hard to imagine the French being enthusiastic about anything American these days. Under Mr. Bush, relations between France and America have been at their lowest ebb in decades, with the two nations trading jabs for more than a year over French opposition to the war in Iraq.

While Americans were muttering about “cheese-eating surrender monkeys,” the French were crying foul over “American imperialism” and burning Mr.Bush in effigy on the streets of Paris.

“There is no question the Bush administration is unpopular in France, as it is across Europe,” said the director of the French Center on the United States, Guillaume Parmentier.“Bush himself is deeply unpopular. He is perceived as being non-presidential; even his demeanor makes Europeans uneasy.”

But in Mr. Kerry, the French seem to have found an American they can embrace.

On the streets of Paris, his candidacy is being welcomed with open arms.

“He is very much admired in France,” said a municipal office worker, Patrick Forestier, as he strolled with his lunch through the Latin Quarter. “It seems like he will be more sympathetic to Europe… .And of course anyone who is opposed to Bush will be popular with us.”

A shop worker on Boulevard St-Germain, Dominique Van Oudenhove, said Mr. Kerry seems the perfect antidote to four years of Mr. Bush.

“It is so important to have a president who knows Europe, whose spirit is open to its people and culture. Bush is so closed to the world.With Kerry there is a hope that we can start getting along with the United States again,” she said.

Mrs. Borde said the French see in Mr. Kerry the kind of leader they are more accustomed to.

“He is the closest thing that you will have to a French politician, with a certain diplomacy, a certain elegance,” she said.“He is more like a leader would be in Europe,” Mr. Parmentier said. Asked in what way, he laughed and replied: “Well, he doesn’t look Texan.”

Instead, he looks like the kind of American the French have always appreciated — urbane, well traveled, and sophisticated. Mr. Kerry’s connection with France dates back to his youth, when he spent summers with a flock of cousins in St-Briac-sur-Mer, a summer resort town where his maternal grandfather had built an estate.

James Grant Forbes, an international lawyer and banker,settled there with his wife, Margaret Winthrop, in 1908. The couple raised 11 children, including Mr. Kerry’s mother.

Their rambling cliffside property, called “Les Essarts,” was destroyed when Nazi troops occupied St-Briac, but Mr. Kerry’s grandfather rebuilt the estate and it became a regular summer haunt of far-flung relatives.

One of Mr. Kerry’s cousins, 58-yearold Brice Lalonde, is a former French environment minister and now mayor of St-Briac.In an article in L’Express under the headline “My cousin JFK,” Mr. Lalonde recently wrote of how Mr. Kerry always took charge of his cousins’ activities when he visited the estate.

“He was the one who organized the games, who led the gang,” wrote Mr. Lalonde, whose car sports a “Kerry For President” bumper sticker.

Still, Mr. Kerry has not returned to St-Briac in 20 years. At the height of American-French tensions last year, he skipped a family reunion that saw more than 200 relatives gather at the estate.

In fact, some here are looking to downplay his European connections, fearful that they may harm him in the campaign and give ammunition to the Republicans. One Bush administration official has commented that Mr. Kerry “looks French.”

Mr. Lalonde has repeatedly told reporters Mr. Kerry is a quintessential American with a deep sense of patriotism.“To cut off all suggestion,well-meaning or ill-meaning depending on what side of the Atlantic it comes from, John Kerry is in no way a Frenchman, even if he knows France,” Mr. Lalonde wrote.

Mrs. Borde said she believes Mr. Kerry’s past will be more of an asset than a drawback.“I think this could play in his favor,” she said. “Ordinary Americans are beginning to understand what damage has been done to our international reputation and they’re getting worried about it.”

Some observers here wonder if the French are not in for a disappointment if Mr. Kerry becomes president.

Mr. Parmentier said French fans tend to forget the fact that Mr. Kerry supported the war in Iraq and that he isn’t likely to drastically change American foreign policy.

“His attitude is very different, so the atmosphere will probably be better,” he said. “But there is a limit to what he can do.” In an opinion piece published last week in Le Figaro, Bruno Tertrais, an analyst with France’s Foundation for Strategic Research, warned that the French are “dreaming” if they expect Mr. Kerry will give them “an America they can love.”

Writing that the French are expecting a victory for Mr. Kerry will mean an end to “neo-conservatives and fundamentalists, to military super-strength and attempts to reshape the world,”Mr. Tertrais said he wanted to “shatter some illusions.”

He wrote that American political culture was so changed by the September 11 attacks that the Democrats would be no less likely than the Republicans to exercise American military power.

“Bush or Kerry, the next occupant of the White House will still be a war president,” he wrote.

And as for rebuilding U.S.-French relations, Mr.Tertrais held out little hope that Mr. Kerry would be any different from his predecessor.

“The transatlantic crisis of 2003 is still too fresh for any American president, no matter who he is, to reach out his hand too visibly to our country.”

The French aren’t the only Europeans laying claim to a connection with John Kerry. In the tiny Czech village of Horni Benesov — the birthplace of Mr. Kerry’s paternal grandfather — residents are hoping to one day host a presidential visit. “I believe he will become the American president. He seems a very reasonable, very likeable person,” the town’s mayor, Josef Klech, told Reuters recently. “He has said he has an interest in coming here if he visits the Czech Republic. This can put our small town on the world map.”

Mr. Kerry’s grandfather was Fritz Kohn, an ethnic German Jew born in Horni Benesov, a former mining town near the Polish border. A brewer in a land known for its fine beers, Khon moved to America at the turn of the last century, converted to Catholicism, and changed his name to Frederick Kerry. Mr. Kerry was unaware of his grandfather’s roots until a genealogist dug up the news last summer.

[mavsman]

So it's a bad thing for an American to be popular in another country?

[dude1394]

France, yes

[Murphy3]

The French aren’t the only Europeans laying claim to a connection with John Kerry. In the tiny Czech village of Horni Benesov — the birthplace of Mr. Kerry’s paternal grandfather — residents are hoping to one day host a presidential visit. “I believe he will become the American president. He seems a very reasonable, very likeable person,” the town’s mayor, Josef Klech, told Reuters recently. “He has said he has an interest in coming here if he visits the Czech Republic. This can put our small town on the world map.”

Hey, maybe I could become the President some day. I'm reasonable and likeable...err, well, DAMMIT. I guess I can't be President. That whole 'likeable' thing is going to keep biting me in the ass.

[mavsman]

And with the Spaniards now rowing back, even after being attacked, and Blair struggling for popularity, hey, right now Japan and Poland are very strong allies of yours. Pardon me for being afraid, but Japan as an ally, we in Germany have had this before. Our Poland was Italy, but other than that, too many enemies and too many fronts have killed cultures of magnitude before. And I'm pretty sure that every one of them thought "not us, 'cause we rule!" before it happened. So did the Romans. Think about it, before you tell potential allies to **** off.

[dude1394]

France is NOT an ally. I don't think I mentioned any other ally other than the frenchies did I.

[Murphy3]

**** off.

[Murphy3]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
**** off.

Sorry, I guess I'm just an over zealous American.
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Usually Lurkin]

“He is the closest thing that you will have to a French politician, with a certain diplomacy, a certain elegance,” she said.“He is more like a leader would be in Europe,” Mr. Parmentier said. Asked in what way, he laughed and replied: “Well, he doesn’t look Texan.”

Mr. Lalonde has repeatedly told reporters Mr. Kerry is a quintessential American with a deep sense of patriotism.

To the French, the quintessential American is a French politician who doesn't look Texan. Talk about cultural imperialism!

[madape]

If Osama Bin Laden can pick the facist dictators of Europe, is it a stretch to think that the Euro's can pick the president of the US? There are many people in this country who think we should put the interests of France above the interest of Americans. Of course, those people are spineless cowards like their Spanish cousins.

[Mavdog]

France disgrees with our invading Iraq so now they are the enemy?

Very poor thinking in my book.

The French like one American candidate over another?

Who cares....it does, and will, mean nothing to the American voters. I would like to hear who are "people in this country who think we should put the interests of France above the interest of Americans" as I haven't heard any such thing. Suely you aren't referring to the potential Democratic candidate.

Please explain "If Osama Bin Laden can pick the facist dictators of Europe, is it a stretch to think that the Euro's can pick the president of the US?" In that there are NO "facist dicatators of Europe", what is your point? Obviously nothing of substance it seems...

[madape]

Please explain "If Osama Bin Laden can pick the facist dictators of Europe, is it a stretch to think that the Euro's can pick the president of the US?" In that there are NO "facist dicatators of Europe", what is your point? Obviously nothing of substance it seems...

The minute the new Spanish regime starts fostering liberty and freedom, Al Qaeda will step in and force regime change again. The Euro cowards will nod approvingly and accept their new facist leaders as obiediently as they have done for their entire history. Anyone who thinks that terrorism isn't a threat to democracy and freedom is a fool. The terrorists have showed their hands, and the Spanish have embraced their new masters. Spain is now a member of the great Islamic Reich, as are France and Germany. We'll see this November if the American electorate is more loyal to freedom as the spineless cowards in Europe.

[Mavdog]

So what you're saying is that there are NOT any "facist regimes" in Europe.

Terrorism is a challenge to liberty and freedom, that is undeniable. These radicals see free thought as herecy. They are against everything that western ideals are all about.

The votes for the socialists were not done in support of the terrorists, it was done to deny support for the Popular Party and their failure to heed the wishes of the Spanish electorate. If an American administration were to pursue policies that were against the wishes of approx. 90% of the American public I'd expect them to lose their next election as well. Such as attitude doesn't connote any "facist" leanings as far as I can see.

Odd that you would label France as a part of the "Islamist Reich" when they are a purported target due to their recent prohibition of headscarves in the public schools. One would think that being a part of such a "Reich" an act like banning headscarves would never pass...

An additional item of discord with the Spanish voters was the former Spanish government's attempt to lay blame for the train attacks on the ETA, done even as evidence mounted the attack was done by Islamist. It seems that voters don't like it when one's government is less than honest, a point that our current administration should taske to heart.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Mavdog
France disgrees with our invading Iraq so now they are the enemy?

Very poor thinking in my book.

The French like one American candidate over another?

Who cares....it does, and will, mean nothing to the American voters. I would like to hear who are "people in this country who think we should put the interests of France above the interest of Americans" as I haven't heard any such thing. Suely you aren't referring to the potential Democratic candidate.

Please explain "If Osama Bin Laden can pick the facist dictators of Europe, is it a stretch to think that the Euro's can pick the president of the US?" In that there are NO "facist dicatators of Europe", what is your point? Obviously nothing of substance it seems...

If france had ONLY disagreed with us in the security councel without actively trying to undermine our position, as well as lying up to the minute of the vote to us about their intentions so they could sabotage us, if their technology wasn't all over iraq, if they hadn't signed billions of dollars worth of oil contracts with iraq that would have kicked in once the sanctions were lifted.

Yea, then I might say they were just an ally voicing another opinion. However those are NOT the actions of an ally. There is a REASON that NATO's defense planning does NOT include France.

If you think they are an ally, you are much more trusting than I.

Of course the recent China/France military maneuvers off the coast of Taiwan to influence their upcoming elections is just another reason to consider them an "ally" isn't it.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Mavdog
So what you're saying is that there are NOT any "facist regimes" in Europe.

Terrorism is a challenge to liberty and freedom, that is undeniable. These radicals see free thought as herecy. They are against everything that western ideals are all about.

The votes for the socialists were not done in support of the terrorists, it was done to deny support for the Popular Party and their failure to heed the wishes of the Spanish electorate. If an American administration were to pursue policies that were against the wishes of approx. 90% of the American public I'd expect them to lose their next election as well. Such as attitude doesn't connote any "facist" leanings as far as I can see.

Odd that you would label France as a part of the "Islamist Reich" when they are a purported target due to their recent prohibition of headscarves in the public schools. One would think that being a part of such a "Reich" an act like banning headscarves would never pass...

An additional item of discord with the Spanish voters was the former Spanish government's attempt to lay blame for the train attacks on the ETA, done even as evidence mounted the attack was done by Islamist. It seems that voters don't like it when one's government is less than honest, a point that our current administration should taske to heart.

The votes of the spanish people was abject cowardice in the face of a bully. The Aznar government was leading comfortably until the islamofacists blew up some citizens. The citizens freaked out and decided that standing up to terrorists was too risky, so they tucked tail and slunk away. I do know they will pay an economic price as the aznar government had done a great job on their economy, but they may/may not pay a price with more terrorism. I'm sure they will have another attack if a hard-line government is viable come election time as it's show it will work there.

Of course their cowardice will effect the rest of europe and the world. We will all have to be doubly alert during elections from now on.

[madape]

People of Europe: Cast away your thoughts of freedom. Get in line and bow your heads! Any who attempt to resist us will be met with death.

It's disgusting how these pukes fall right in line. They are so scared they can't even see straight. There are no morals in France. They have no backbone. They are a people only interested in self preservation. They never fight for anything, not even to save themselves. If they saw their own people being sent to death camps, they would sooner cower and hide than raise their voice in protest. The same goes for Germany and now Spain. No wonder it wasn't hard for the terrorists to find allies quickly in Europe. We should have all known these pussies would be easy targets.

People in America know where to find the cost of freedom. It's buried in our dirt. Unlike the cowards in France, Germany, and Spain, Americans are willing to die to be free. Europe may fall to terror, but the great English speaking countries of the world will once again come together to save the Morally Bankrupt Continent from totalitarian rule. Many of our sons and daughters will surely die in the struggle. But sacrifices are requied to acheive liberty. If Europe is unwilling again to bear that cost, we here in America and our friends in Great Britain will once again will be forced fight the fight by ourselves. America coming to the aid of a craven, white-flag waving Europe.... Same old story. Same old song and dance.

[Mavdog]

The votes of the spanish people was abject cowardice in the face of a bully. The Aznar government was leading comfortably until the islamofacists blew up some citizens.

The polls showed the Popular Party withabout a 3 point lead, not "comfortably" by any means.

Radical Islamists are not "facist" in any respect, perhaps you don't understand what facism is or was.

The citizens freaked out and decided that standing up to terrorists was too risky, so they tucked tail and slunk away.

An extremely simplistic statement that ignores a) their overwhelming opposition to Spain's involvement in the Iraq invasion, an invasion which had NOTHING to do with radical Islam/terrorism, and b) the voters dislike for the Aznar government's attempt to balme the ETA when all evidence showed it to be the work of Islamic terrorist.

I do know they will pay an economic price as the aznar government had done a great job on their economy, but they may/may not pay a price with more terrorism. I'm sure they will have another attack if a hard-line government is viable come election time as it's show it will work there.

The Aznar economic reforms were endorsed by the Socialists if I recall correctly.
It would be a good question if another attack would help or hurt the popular Party.

Of course their cowardice will effect the rest of europe and the world. We will all have to be doubly alert during elections from now on.

I see this not as an act of "cowardice" but rather as an instance of a government not listening to its voting public and paying the price at the ballot box.

[madape]

An extremely simplistic statement that ignores a) their overwhelming opposition to Spain's involvement in the Iraq invasion, an invasion which had NOTHING to do with radical Islam/terrorism, and b) the voters dislike for the Aznar government's attempt to balme the ETA when all evidence showed it to be the work of Islamic terrorist.

Remind me again why the terrorists bombed Spain in the first place? If Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror, someone should bother to inform the terrorists, because they seem pretty god damned interested in it. They know, as anyone who is paying attention knows, that Iraq is the battleground in which the war against terror will be won or lost. They know that if democracy is able to succeed in the arab world, that their cause is finished. Why else would they seek to oust regimes that are fighting the war? If anything, this confirms the legitimacy of the war.

[Mavdog]

Remind me again why the terrorists bombed Spain in the first place?

Spain was a part of an attack against an Arab country. Pretty simple, huh?

If Iraq has nothing to do with the war on terror, someone should bother to inform the terrorists, because they seem pretty god damned interested in it.

Your word tense is wrong...Iraq HAD nothing to do with the war on terror, was not a part of any Al Queda attacks on western targets. AFTER the invasion occured, it NOW is a cause they embrace. Cause and affect.

They know, as anyone who is paying attention knows, that Iraq is the battleground in which the war against terror will be won or lost. They know that if democracy is able to succeed in the arab world, that their cause is finished. Why else would they seek to oust regimes that are fighting the war? If anything, this confirms the legitimacy of the war.

The war on terror is not predicated upon the battleground in Iraq, as the last year's multiple attacks by terrorists shows. NONE of the terrorists attacks over the last year were the work of Iraqis, involved Iraqis, or were borne out of Iraq.
Morroco, Indonesia, Bali, Malta, all done by people who were NOT Iraqis. Just like 9/11 they had no Iraqi involement.

It is a good question if democracy would be the end of terrorism. There is a basic disconnect between the Islamic societal structure and democracy, as it is a heiarchal structure with no room for dissent.

IMHO the end of terrorism is best reached by economic progress, and the common Muslim believing that tomorrow will be better than their current plight is today.

No "legitimacy" is comfirmed by the continued attacks on western targets by the terrorists. If anything these attacks confirm that Iraq was not involved in this Islamic terrorism, for if it were the terrorists would be less effective...and they aren't.

[dude1394]

IMHO the end of terrorism is best reached by economic progress, and the common Muslim believing that tomorrow will be better than their current plight is today.

Now you are thinking Mavdog. So how to go about it. The middle east is awash in riches but the people get none of it. The culture as it exists today is dead. It cannot compete. It abhore modernity.

IMHO the double whammy of a liberal iraq and afghaniztan. Not to mentione Pakistan rejoining the fight against terrorism and our abilty NOW to confront Saudia Arabia and turn our attention to Iran will make the difference.

But it won't happen tommorrow and it will be a long process. Unfortunatley I don't think the dims/libs are up for long-term suffering. They had to be drug kicking and screaming to confront the soviet union, I don't think they have the intestines for it.

[mavsman]

Originally posted by: madape
There are no morals in France. They have no backbone. They are a people only interested in self preservation. They never fight for anything, not even to save themselves. If they saw their own people being sent to death camps, they would sooner cower and hide than raise their voice in protest. The same goes for Germany and now Spain.

Made my day. Yes, us Germans are known to be lovers, not fighters. That's why we're so popular around the world.

[madape]

Originally posted by: mavsman

Made my day. Yes, us Germans are known to be lovers, not fighters. That's why we're so popular around the world.

Well, while you guys keep yourself busy "loving" yourselves all night long, America will be busy preventing Arab militants from splattering your brain matter all over your pink valentine wallpaper. Have fun! wear a condom!

[dude1394]

Mavsman...curious if you are being tongue-in-cheek. Actually from my perspective the german people are quite pacifistic. In fact I don't nearly have the feelings about germany that I do france. Germany at least comes to their pacifism honestly, france is two-faced and cannot be trusted.

Now from a practical matter I think pacifists are naive at best. But they usually do have strong convictions. Of course those convictions don't stand up to someone willing to kill you anyway, but they are strong convictions.

[mavsman]

Dude, you're right about Germans - well at least a good part of 'em - being pacifistic. What I tried to imply was that this, as you know (maybe Madape doesn't, but what do I know), is a result of being raised in a country that quite likely killed more people during the last century than all other nations combined.
We actually have been raised to learn from our ancestor's mistakes and to believe that it's actually cooler to let other people live their lives instead of forcing them to be like us or killing them if they are "different", because they might feel pretty ok the way they are and just because it's different it doesn't have to bad.
OK, now the constant western interference has bred an islamic generation that's torn between devotion (emigrants) and hatred (terrorists) and somebody has to deal with it. We already had our share of branding a whole ethnicity with a yellow star, is it okay if we pass this round?

[dude1394]

The only thing I would have to throw in theremavsman is what if the US had also been pacifistic during the cold war? Also I would believe that the same thing that the US did for germany after wwII they are attempting to do for iraq right now. Of course it's in our best interests and I wouldn't support it quite frankly if it wasn't.

Whether someone believes in the strategy or not, it's hard to fault the compassion inherent in the attempt to try and free a country from a tyrant and spend more than the marshall plan trying to help them join the human race as free people.

It has alwasy been confusing to me how the traditionally liberal folks could not champion that. It seems they did in bosnia for example? It seems hollow to me. I have a very difficult time understanding what the political left even stand for any more. How they can support bosnia but oppose iraq is beyone me.

[mavsman]

You know what, I honestly can't tell you the difference between Bosnia and Iraq. But from an outsider's pov (and I've been in- and outside the US during both wars, so i've seen the difference in broadcasting), the international media-coverage has been very diverse.
During the mission in Bosnia the US was always shown as a force that was acting selfless and taking charge. During the "war on terrorism", we saw a nation that was in fear, reacting and missing their aim - terrorists - but instead killing a lot of Afghans and Iraqis.

[dude1394]

IMHO the difference in the media coverage is that the US had no vital interests in bosnia. Ergo it was ok to use force. Ironically the way that clintoon ran the bombing runs had a lot more innocent bosnians dieing because of the inaccuracies of boming from 10K feet, not with smart bombs.

I think what I'm seeing quite frankly is a lot of countries scared to death that we will stir up either their own muslim populations or have the muslim terrroists attacking them. They would much rather we just sort of forgot about it and let the muslims continue to screw each other as long as they are only trying to destroy israel.

They think the way to battle terrorism is to just hope it goes somewhere else.

[mavsman]

They think the way to have been battling terrorism was to not provoke it. Action forces reaction. What makes the US think everything has to run their way? Can't be the fact that the US is the nation with the most imprisoned minors. Can't be because of the wealth. There are more people living on the streets or in mobile homes in the US than I've ever seen anywhere in Europe, if you don't count the Ex-Yugoslavians that have been bombed out of their homes. So what is it? "We do 'cause we can do"?

[dude1394]

I guess if we had a benevolent country providing our security we might be able to create a welfare state as well. I'm not exactly sure why you have an issue with mobile homes to tell you the truth? So you are saying there are no slums in europe?

But it's okay, I don't think we americans are necessarily trying to become european. But maybe euros could learn a little from us. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

French Blame Heat Wave Deaths on Health Care System
By Jim Hauser
Talon News
September 29, 2003

PARIS (Talon News) -- Nearly 15,000 elderly French citizens have died as a result of the heat wave that hit in August. A 37-page report released last Wednesday following an inquiry by France's lower house of Parliament put most of the blame on the nation's health care system. But some experts say much the real blame lies elsewhere and that many of the deaths could have been avoided.

The official report blamed a breakdown in communication in France's health care system and a lack of doctors for the unprecedented number of deaths. Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei has initiated a new study that will look into a possible link between the deaths and the vacation schedules of medical personnel. The heat wave hit during the August vacation period, when doctors, hospital staff, and many others take leave.

Mattei also unveiled plans to shore up France's ailing health insurance system. The health insurance system for salaried workers showed a deficit of EUR 10.6 billion ($12.2 billion) for 2003. If no corrective measures are taken, the deficit could rise to EUR 14.1 billion in 2004.

The French parliament recently approved a measure that is expected to generate EUR 800 million in 2004 earnings by raising the tax on tobacco products. Other proposals that would raise an anticipated EUR 3.1 billion in funds include an increase in the daily fee paid by hospital patients, a tax increase on advertising by pharmaceutical laboratories, and a cut in reimbursements for homeopathic medicine.

But even if France does improve its health care system it would still not address the underlying cause of heat related deaths, according to one expert.

Iain Murray is a Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC where he specializes in climate change, sound science, and international regulatory issues. He was formerly Director of Research at a small DC organization that examined the use and abuse of scientific data in the media and public policy.

In a recent article entitled "Son et Lumiere Over French Heat Wave," Murray says that the French could have avoided many of the heat related deaths by following America's lead.

His article cites a new report from University of Virginia researchers Bob Davies, a climate scientist, and Wendy Novicoff, a public health specialist.

Their study indicates that America has adapted to hot weather over the last couple of decades. In the 60s and 70s, days of excessive heat would claim significantly more lives in America's major cities than days of normal temperature. The average number of such deaths from 1964-1991 led the Max Planck Institute to predict doubling or tripling of heat-related mortality rates in cities like Chicago and St Louis by 2050.

"Davies and Novicoff's data demonstrate that simply hasn't happened," says Murray. "Across the United States, annual excess mortality from heat-related deaths has decreased by around 80 percent since the 1960s, despite an apparent increase in average temperature."

"Davies and Novicoff attribute this decrease to sociological and physiological adaptations," Murray continues. "In other words, we've gotten used to hotter weather while at the same time have mitigated its worst aspects by improving access to air conditioning, better health care, and proactive community response and warning measures."

Many low-income households in France are forced to make do with fans and open windows because high taxes on energy make air conditioning unaffordable. The taxes were imposed to cut electricity consumption in order to satisfy the demands of environmental groups who are blaming the heat wave on "global warming."

But even with improved access to air conditioning, it is doubtful if France's power system could have handled the additional load. Seventy-five percent of the country's electricity is generated from nuclear power plants, many of which are relics of the 1960s. As the demand for power rose during the heat wave, the system quickly reached its limit.

The gravity of the situation became evident when Electricite de France (EDF) revealed that it had begun experimenting with jury-rigged garden sprinklers to hose down the exterior shell of a hot reactor building on an old plant in the Alsace region.

EDF officials were faced with the choice of either starting a shutdown of the nation's 58 reactors and adding to the already spreading health crisis or risking widespread nuclear accidents.

Before the current crisis, France was already preparing to bring online the first in a new series of reactors, but antinuclear groups in France are calling for a complete phasing out of nuclear power. It is unclear at this time how France intends to deal with future heat waves while simultaneously satisfying the demands of environmental groups.

"In many ways the French disaster was needless. Heat waves are not a new phenomenon, in France, America or anywhere else, so blaming the entire debacle on global warming when the average temperature has risen only slightly over the past few decades is merely an exercise in scapegoating," Murray concluded. "By learning from the way America reacted in the past to the problem of heat-related excess mortality, France could have avoided its current problems."

[madape]

Originally posted by: mavsman
Dude, you're right about Germans - well at least a good part of 'em - being pacifistic. What I tried to imply was that this, as you know (maybe Madape doesn't, but what do I know), is a result of being raised in a country that quite likely killed more people during the last century than all other nations combined.
We actually have been raised to learn from our ancestor's mistakes and to believe that it's actually cooler to let other people live their lives instead of forcing them to be like us or killing them if they are "different", because they might feel pretty ok the way they are and just because it's different it doesn't have to bad.
OK, now the constant western interference has bred an islamic generation that's torn between devotion (emigrants) and hatred (terrorists) and somebody has to deal with it. We already had our share of branding a whole ethnicity with a yellow star, is it okay if we pass this round?

No doubt that Germany has earned the right to be pacifists. America is very happy that Germany has learned from it's mistakes.

When you decide to join us in our struggle against fascism, ethnic cleansing, and anti-semitism, let me know.

[OutletPass]

When you decide to join us in our struggle against fascism, ethnic cleansing, and anti-semitism, let me know.

--Oh, Mr. President..

[Mavdog]

The German's are a part of the effort against terrorism, guess you didn't know they are currently on the ground in Afganistan, Balkans and Somalia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schröder: No German troops to Iraq

Gerhard Schröder told DW-TV: Afghanistan, yes; Iraq, no.

In an interview with DW-TV, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder confirms Germany’s commitment to fight terrorism and work toward stability in Afghanistan. But he says there are no plans to send German soldiers to Iraq.

After Tuesday’s attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad which killed 24 people, the German government came under mounting pressure to rethink its attitude toward military involvement in Iraq. However, in an interview conducted on the lawn of the chancellery in central Berlin, Gerhard Schröder reiterated that no German soldiers will be going to Iraq.

“There are no concrete requests vis-à-vis the German government to send soldiers to Iraq, neither by the coalition forces, nor by the United Nations,” the chancellor said. “This is why there’s simply no need to enter into such a theoretical debate at present. You also have to see that our capacities are limited.”

At present German troops are involved in large-scale operations in Afghanistan, the Balkans and the Horn of Africa. Estimates are the soldiers will be posted there for some time to come. According to officials in the Bundeswehr, or German Federal Armed Forces, the military is already stretched to the limit.

“Let’s not forget that in Germany itself we have some 3,000 soldiers protecting various bases, installations and other objects belonging to the United States and Britain. So, nobody can accuse Germany of doing too little in the fight against terrorism,” Schröder told Deutsche Welle.

While Germany’s military might not have the strength to go into Iraq, there is little desire among German politicians and military officials to enter into a situation on the ground in Iraq which seems to be deteriorating. There are also objections on principle. Although Berlin promised humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Iraq after the end of the U.S.-led invasion, the government has argued that those who waged the war must also deal with all issues concerning stability in the country.

Commitment to Afghanistan

Addressing the situation in Afghanistan, Chancellor Schroeder said it had become increasingly obvious that more has to be done on the ground to support the caretaker government of Hamid Karsai. Germany, he added, was in principle prepared to go the extra mile and contribute to reconstruction teams in the provinces, which are still largely controlled by warlords and considered extremely dangerous.

“I’d like to stress that Germany’s involvement in Afghanistan has been substantial. And I think that it’s fair to say that without our commitment, there would be less security and stability in and around Kabul. Now, it’s of course important to export this security level in the capital to other regions in Afghanistan.

He said Germany has a fact-finding delegation currently in the Kundus region to see whether it is feasible to send a German provincial reconstruction team there in future to be protected by Bundeswehr soldiers.

“It’s too early to speculate whether this will materialize. But if conditions turn out to be okay, me might be sending between 50 and 300 people to Kundus,” the chancellor said.

On Friday, Chancellor Schroeder had talks in Berlin with Richard Lugar, a key U.S. Senate Republican and chairman of the foreign relations committee. Lugar has come out in favor of a new UN resolution on Iraq to help secure greater international support in peace-keeping efforts by the coalition forces. The two discussed the current tense transatlantic relationship and Lugar encouraged Germany to rethink its “no” to military involvement in Iraq, although he did not meet with much success.

“We will have to learn to live that, if that’s the Germans’ final decision,” the Republican from the state of Indiana said.

Link to article

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: Mavdog

The French like one American candidate over another?

Who cares....it does, and will, mean nothing to the American voters.

I also don't care what France thinks of either candidate. It is similar to me saying that >I< have a preference as to what leader they elect, it doesn't matter one way or another.

And expecting France to be a constant ally is to ignore reality. France has always put their interests ahead of everyone else, when they want something from us then they'll come begging AGAIN.

[madape]

For a bit of fun, go to google and do a search on:

'French military victories'

and hit "I'm feeling lucky"

[madape]

We tried appeasement once before...
By Mark Steyn
(Filed: 23/03/2004)

A neighbour of mine refuses to let her boy play with "militaristic" toys. So when a friend gave the l'il tyke a plastic sword and shield, mom mulled it over and then took away the former and allowed him to keep the latter. And for a while, on my drive down to town, I'd pass Junior in the yard playing with his shield, mastering the art of cowering more effectively against unseen blows.


That's how the "peace" crowd thinks the West should fight terrorism: eschew the sword, but keep the shield if you absolutely have to. Yesterday, The Telegraph reported that two Greenpeace activists had climbed up to Big Ben to protest at the Iraq war. Don't ask me why Greenpeace is opposed to the liberation of Iraq. It's been marvellous for the eco-system: the marshlands of southern Iraq are now being restored after decades of Saddamite devastation.

Nevertheless, the Greenpeace guys shinned up St Stephen's Tower, just as a couple of months before that a Mirror reporter blagged his way into a servants' gig at Buckingham Palace just in time for the Bush visit, and a couple of months before that an Osama lookalike gatecrashed Prince William's party.

History repeats itself: farce, farce, farce, but sooner or later tragedy is bound to kick in. The inability of the state to secure even the three highest-profile targets in the realm - the Queen, her heir, her Parliament - should remind us that a defensive war against terrorism will ensure terrorism. Tony Blair understands that. Few other European leaders do.

For more than a week now, American friends have asked me why 3/11 wasn't 9/11. I think it comes down to those two words you find on Holocaust memorials all over Europe: "Never again." Fine-sounding, but claptrap. The never-again scenario comes round again every year. This very minute in North Korea there are entire families interned in concentration camps. Concentration camps with gas chambers. Think Kim Jong-Il's worried that the civilised world might mean something by those two words? Ha-ha.

[b[How did a pledge to the memory of the dead decay into hollow moral preening?When an American Jew stands at the gates of a former concentration camp and sees the inscription "Never again", he assumes it's a commitment never again to tolerate genocide. Alain Finkielkraut, a French thinker, says that those two words to a European mean this: never again the führers and duces who enabled such genocide. "Never again power politics. Never again nationalism. Never again Auschwitz" - a slightly different set of priorities. And over the years a revulsion against any kind of "power politics" has come to trump whatever revulsion post-Auschwitz Europe might feel about mass murder.

That's why the EU let hundreds of thousands of Bosnians and Croats die on its borders until the Americans were permitted to step in. That's why the fact that thousands of Iraqis are no longer being murdered by their government is trivial when weighed against the use of Anglo-American military force required to effect their freedom. "Never again" has evolved to mean precisely the kind of passivity that enabled the Holocaust first time round. "Neville again" would be a better slogan.

Among all the foolish apologists for the murderers of Madrid, it was the Reverend Mark Beach who happened to catch my eye. Preaching at St Andrew's Church, Rugby, nine days ago, Mr Beach said: "The people of Madrid are reaping the fruits of our intolerance towards those of different races and religions. The war in Iraq was never going to solve the problems of that region but instead inflamed Arab people all over the world to new heights of anger towards the West."

God Almighty. The sooner the Potemkin Church of England is sold for scrap the better. Almost every word of Mr Beach's is false; there are mosques in the English Midlands, but no Christian churches in Saudi Arabia. Its official tourism commission lists among prohibited categories of visitor "Jewish persons".

It is precisely because the West is so open to different races that Islamist bombers can blend in on Madrid commuter trains, and the Tube and the Paris Metro, in a way that, say, a team of blond, blue-eyed Aryan bombers certainly couldn't in Damascus. The war in Iraq has actually solved quite a few problems in that region, and Arab people all over the world aren't inflamed - the allegedly seething Arab street is as somnolent as ever.

In 2002 and 2003, I took a couple of two-legged, mini fact-finding trips - first to western Europe, then on to the Middle East. And both times I was struck by the way the Muslims of Araby were far less inflamed than those in the alienated immigrant ghettoes around Paris and Amsterdam. Life in the West, exposure to the self-loathing platitudes of Anglican clerics, these are the sort of things that seem to inflame Muslims. Many of the wackiest Islamists from Richard Reid to Zacarias Moussaoui to Metin Kaplan are products of the enervated Europe symbolised by the Rev Mark Beach.

A century ago, in The Riddle Of The Sands, the first great English spy novel, Erskine Childers has his yachtsman, Davies, try to persuade the Foreign Office wallah Carruthers to take seriously the possibility of German naval marauders in the Fresian Islands: "Follow the parallel of a war on land. People your mountains with a daring and resourceful race, who possess an intimate knowledge of every track and bridlepath, who operate in small bands, travel light, and move rapidly. See what an immense advantage such guerrillas possess over an enemy which clings to beaten tracks, moves in large bodies, slowly, and does not 'know the country'."

Davies wants Carruthers to apply the old principles to new forms of warfare. The Islamists are doing that. Their most effective guerrillas aren't in the Hindu Kush, where it is the work of moments to drop a daisycutter on the mighty Pashtun warrior. They're travelling light on the bridle-paths of Europe - the small cells that operate in the nooks and crannies of a free society, while politicians cling to the beaten tracks - old ideas, multicultural pieties and a general hope that things will turn out for the best.

That's the drawback of sticking with the "Neville again" routine: appeasement is even less effective when the faraway country of which you know little is your own.