Group Therapy: Why do the French anger you?

[JeremySF]

3 countries will veto: France, Germany (if they could) and Russia. But 80% of the anger seems to be directed towards the French.

So us what ticks you off about the French. Or if they don't, why don't they?

Some people argue that they are more upset with France than other countries, because they set the bar higher for France and they expect more from the French.

Others are angry because they see France as being hypocritical, They contend that the French armed Saddam (yes, I know we did too) and helped create the mess we're currently in, yet they won't truly take any real measures to disarm him.

Others just want more excuses to dislike the French.

What's your reason??

[Krome]

The French dont anger me. I think it is great that they have stood up and declared the right choice.

[G Sharp]

No anger here.

[MetaMan]

french in general need to be flushed

[rooster]

russia can never be trusted no matter what.

France and germany are basically the same. Their politicians are openly anti-american. They are looking out for their own interests and hurting allies. Part of 'old europe' which basically wants europe to be more powerful than usa and not be influenced by usa.

I think that is all find and good, but over several years these countries have shown they are not willing to keep their backyard clean.

[BigFrog]

dont anger me at all. in fact, i respect them for taking a stand against the monkey and his 'war machine'.

[SleazyDream]

russia and germany can fight back

[ChrisH]

JeremySF,
Wow you ruined your credibility rather quickly. You should pay attention if you are going to talk about things you have no clue about.

Germany is not a permanent member of the UN Security Counsel and therefore cannot veto anything.

UK
France
China
Russia
USA

Have veto power, the other 10 are rotated and have no veto.

Just fucking with you man

[Mr.Fiction]

The White House and their friends in the media have decided to target the French, so easily led people hate the French.

If the right wing media told these people to hate Blue Cars, tomorrow there would be 30 threads about Blue Cars sucking.

It's very simple.

[ChrisH]

Originally posted by JeremySF
3 countries will veto: France, Germany and Russia. But 80% of the anger seems to be directed towards the French.

So us what ticks you off about the French. Or if they don't, why don't they?

Some people argue that they are more upset with France than other countries, because they set the bar higher for France and they expect more from the French.

Others are angry because they see France as being hypocritical, They contend that the French armed Saddam (yes, I know we did too) and helped create the mess we're currently in, yet they won't truly take any real measures to disarm him.

Others just want more excuses to dislike the French.

What's your reason??

On a serious note ;)

What pisses me off is that they have siad they will veto ANY new resolution. Without even seeing it, or knowing it's content. That and the fact that if they were onboard we most likley wouldn't have to even go to war with Iraq. But Saddam see's the split and is using that for leverage.

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by Krome
The French dont anger me. I think it is great that they have stood up and declared the right choice.

Do you really they declared their opposition based on moral reasons or their own self-interest?

You do realise:

1) 25% of Iraq's trade is with the French
2) Numerous French companies have violated sanctions and embargo restrictions
3) French oil giant, TotalFinaElf recently negotiated a contract to exploit Iraq's southern oil fields, worth $40 to $60 billion. Contract will only come to fruition with Saddam in power
4) The long personal relationship between Saddam and Chirac has been documented since the 70s.

[xroach]

because they voted 49% to seperate a few years back

the real ones from europe are alright, good tunes

[ChrisH]

http://www.lexnotes.com/misc/jacques_iraq.htm

[Mr.Fiction]

Originally posted by JeremySF


Do you really they declared their opposition based on moral reasons or their own self-interest?

You do realise:

1) 25% of Iraq's trade is with the French
2) Numerous French companies have violated sanctions and embargo restrictions
3) French oil giant, TotalFinaElf recently negotiated a contract to exploit Iraq's southern oil fields, worth $40 to $60 billion. Contract will only come to fruition with Saddam in power
4) The long personal relationship between Saddam and Chirac has been documented since the 70s.

Dick Cheney also had a relationship with Iraq, why isn't he being protested?

According to oil industry executives and confidential United Nations records, however, Halliburton held stakes in two firms that signed contracts to sell more than $73 million in oil production equipment and spare parts to Iraq while Cheney was chairman and chief executive officer of the Dallas-based company.

Two former senior executives of the Halliburton subsidiaries say that, as far as they knew, there was no policy against doing business with Iraq. One of the executives also says that although he never spoke directly to Cheney about the Iraqi contracts, he is certain Cheney knew about them.

in 1998, Cheney oversaw Halliburton's acquisition of Dresser Industries Inc., which exported equipment to Iraq through two subsidiaries of a joint venture with another large U.S. equipment maker, Ingersoll-Rand Co.

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by ChrisH
JeremySF,
Wow you ruined your credibility rather quickly. You should pay attention if you are going to talk about things you have no clue about.

Germany is not a permanent member of the UN Security Counsel and therefore cannot veto anything.

UK
France
China
Russia
USA

Have veto power, the other 10 are rotated and have no veto.

Just fucking with you man

Go read what I wrote.......France, Germany (if they could), and China....


LOL.....I edited it. duh....i'm an idiot. You're totally right. That was a MAJOR brain fart.............my bad!


I was just thinking, "Hmmm...axis of evil...there's three countries, right? China, France and ....Germany...."

[DearAbby]

French Frys are greasy and attribute to heart disease. The French are trying to kill Americans with their frys. Fucking commies.

USA! USA! USA!...

common people, chant with me.

USA! USA! USA!

[Mr.Fiction]

Not only is Haliburton not being protested or punished, they're being rewarded by the White House:

LONDON -- Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), a division of the Houston-based oil services company Halliburton, has won a Pentagon contract to assess and rehabilitate possible damage to Iraq's oil infrastructure, in case Saddam Hussein sets his oilfields ablaze following a US military strike.

The company was also contracted to oversee firefighting operations in Iraq's oilfields.

The KBR contract adds force to the arguments of those who believe oil is Washington's primary motive for war, considering George W Bush's Vice President Dick Cheney served as Halliburton's chief executive officer (CEO) from 1995 until the 2000 Presidential election.

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by DearAbby
French Frys are greasy and attribute to heart disease. The French are trying to kill Americans with their frys. Fucking commies.

USA! USA! USA!...

common people, chant with me.

USA! USA! USA!

And boy are they smart......

they got us to think they're French when they're actually Belgian.

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by Mr.Fiction


Dick Cheney also had a relationship with Iraq, why isn't he being protested?

No doubt. My only point is that call a spade a spade. People mistakenly think France is opposing action because of some pacifist idealistic reason, when in fact the reason they are not going to war is to protect their interests.

Personally, I'm not angry at France for looking out for their own self-interest. What do you expect? Of course they're going to look out after their own interests. What does piss me off is that they've been an obstacle to disarming Iraq since the day we liberated Kuwait. And their support during PG1 was lukewarm at best.

[Sly_RJ]

You know what I suddenly realized? Blue cars suck. I hate blue cars! They're so ugly, cost inefficient, terrible driving, and just an overall pain in the ass.

Now here's the real kicker... up until yesterday I loved blue cars! In fact, I own a blue car! I just put out an ad in the local paper to sell my blue car. But it's going to be hard to sell it, everyone is trying to sell their blue cars now! Something weird has just happened to my fellow Americans, we all hate blue cars!

[Sly_RJ]

Originally posted by JeremySF


No doubt. My only point is that call a spade a spade. People mistakenly think France is opposing action because of some pacifist idealistic reason, when in fact the reason they are not going to war is to protect their interests.

Personally, I'm not angry at France for looking out for their own self-interest. What do you expect? Of course they're going to look out after their own interests. What does piss me off is that they've been an obstacle to disarming Iraq since the day we liberated Kuwait. And their support during PG1 was lukewarm at best.

Agreed.

[directfiesta]

Originally posted by JeremySF


... they've been an obstacle to disarming Iraq since the day we liberated Kuwait.

WE ????? You mean the US alone???
The Gulf war was a coalition ( which this one will not be) of near 40 countries!!!! The total cost was around 70 billion, of which the USA paid their share : 7 billion !!1

What is that WE thing???? Quite pretentious!

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by directfiesta


WE ????? You mean the US alone???
The Gulf war was a coalition ( which this one will not be) of near 40 countries!!!! The total cost was around 70 billion, of which the USA paid their share : 7 billion !!1

What is that WE thing???? Quite pretentious!

We......as in WE the coalitiion. Sorry, I didn't have time to list all 40 countries. Just like WE liberated Afghanistan.... We the coalition.

If I meant just the U.S., I would have said , "When the U.S. liberated kuwait", rather than when "We liberated Kuwait."

[sacX]

Iraq Exports - partners:
US 46.2%, Italy 12.2%, France 9.6%, Spain 8.6% (2000)

Iraq Imports - partners:
France 22.5%, Australia 22%, China 5.8%, Russia 5.8% (2000)

Source: CIA world fact book.

[JeremySF]

Unless you've been asleep at that wheel for the past week, you've seen a lot messages going around about the French. And I've been as guilty of posting a few myself.

Turns out some people from work saw one of my posts and were not too pleased. So I got in a bit of trouble for posting this thread. They were afraid that I might offend our French friends.

If you are French and I offended you, I apologize. It wasn't to be taken too seriously. While I disagree with certain things the French government does (just as I disagree with things my own government does), I have nothing against the French people, period!

In fact my father lives in Aix-en-Provence and has lived there so long that he considers himself more French than American. Personally, I've spent a lot of time myself in France and I loved it. My former business partner is French, as are many, many of my good friends.

So again, if anyone was offended, I truly apologize. That was not my intention.

[MaxDent]

Originally posted by sacX
Iraq Exports - partners:
US 46.2%, Italy 12.2%, France 9.6%, Spain 8.6% (2000)

Iraq Imports - partners:
France 22.5%, Australia 22%, China 5.8%, Russia 5.8% (2000)

Source: CIA world fact book.

I'll field this one for Jeremy. The reason that 46.2% of their oil is to the US is because we've traded food to help the Iraqi people. That aid was under the control of the Iraqi govt and sold off to pay for Iraq's military budget and keeping Sadam in power.

Why would we invade if we already have nearly half of their oil? The other half? Why, when we can buy it on the open market?

[Gemini]

There was just an article on CNN or some news site, that as late as last week, new shipments of French arms etc arrived in Iraq. If thats true, it would be seriously undermine French-US relations. Its not like, over this past weekend Bush sent all the soldiers over there. I'd say that is going against what the UN laid out in 91 eh?!

I never followed the UN very much, just WHO decided that France should be a perm member of the Security council anyhow? They quit NATO once already (due to greed amongst other things). That should have shown their colors then and there. So boot them off and put another perm member in.

[directfiesta]

Originally posted by Gemini
That should have shown their colors then and there. So boot them off and put another perm member in.

Yhea!!! Put Brittain !!!
Woops, they are already there....
Hummm???? Put TEXAS .
That should do the trick... and no need for a chair, they have their own .....

[Mr.Fiction]

Originally posted by JeremySF
Unless you've been asleep at that wheel for the past week, you've seen a lot messages going around about the French. And I've been as guilty of posting a few myself.

Turns out some people from work saw one of my posts and were not too pleased. So I got in a bit of trouble for posting this thread. They were afraid that I might offend our French friends.

If you are French and I offended you, I apologize. It wasn't to be taken too seriously. While I disagree with certain things the French government does (just as I disagree with things my own government does), I have nothing against the French people, period!

In fact my father lives in Aix-en-Provence and has lived there so long that he considers himself more French than American. Personally, I've spent a lot of time myself in France and I loved it. My former business partner is French, as are many, many of my good friends.

So again, if anyone was offended, I truly apologize. That was not my intention.

I saw this thread as making fun of right wing idiots as much as the French. Equal opportunity joking seems to be your style. At a time when it's increasingly rare to see conservatives thinking for themselves, you seem to have an open mind.

Go Friend Finder!

[JeremySF]

Originally posted by Mr.Fiction


I saw this thread as making fun of right wing idiots as much as the French. Equal opportunity joking seems to be your style. Go Friend Finder!

Thanks fiction....I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity offender.

[deathwish000]

Wow i notice 90% of ppl in this thread are Europeans, take your side.

[Mr.Fiction]

Originally posted by JeremySF


Thanks fiction....I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity offender.

I'm sure I disagree with you on a lot of shit, but anyone who actually gets offended on GFY is too uptight to start with. Hopefully the people you work with understand that.

[ChrisH]

Originally posted by Sly_RJ
You know what I suddenly realized? Blue cars suck. I hate blue cars! They're so ugly, cost inefficient, terrible driving, and just an overall pain in the ass.

Now here's the real kicker... up until yesterday I loved blue cars! In fact, I own a blue car! I just put out an ad in the local paper to sell my blue car. But it's going to be hard to sell it, everyone is trying to sell their blue cars now! Something weird has just happened to my fellow Americans, we all hate blue cars!

Fucking commie!!!

I burned my blue SUV last week

[ChrisH]

Originally posted by JeremySF
French friends

That's an oxy-moron at best

[Joe Sixpack]

Originally posted by ChrisH


That's an oxy-moron at best

You're just a moron.