Hey Ira, I watch FOX and vote Republican and I'd go to France in a heartbeat. In fact, I went twice when Bill O'Reilly was having his ridiculous "French" fries campaign. lol!

DH, now he doesn't care a lick for the French. Of course, my recounting our exchange w/ the protestors near Notre Dame in 2004 didn't help sway his opinion. I thought it might since our high school group was logical and made their point in civilized conversation when they engaged some of the protestors. They, in turn, were surprised that the students knew the points of debate and refuted them well.

Maybe there's hope now after the recent election. ;-)

Uh, Flanner, hate to tell you this, but it's actually the BRITS, their colonialist policies, their reckless partitioning of lands, who are REALLY responsible for the genocide, starvation, political unrest and other problems that afflict parts of Africa and Asia, like Nepal, and Burma (never mind the Middle East!).

Yes, you can REALLY trace it back to your country's misguided "altruism" (read: racial superiority) of the last half of the 19th century-in its aggressive dash to capture overseas acquisitions in a preemptive attempt to provide the mother country with the raw materials it needed to protect existing trade links. And of course, the old "divide and rule" strategy -the manipulation of conflict- left the world with its legacy of partition that the world still has to grapple with in present times for the situations mentioned above, now doesn't it?

Although now, the tables have turned. It's the UK who is adrift in the world, searching for its lost identity, and clueless as ever.

Girl I think you missed one... I think the Brits invented cancer, too.
LOL

Kellye: Eisenhower was born in Dennison Texas.

"but it's actually the BRITS, their colonialist policies..."

Not the Spanish, Portugese, French, Dutch colonialist policies? They had extensive empires as well.... Not to mention the Turks, Mongols, Mughals -- I could go on.

There were plenty of atrocities committed during colonization -- and before -- and since.

In spite of my disagreement over its politics (though it should be better now), France is my favorite country to travel to. So I definitely can say that I don't travel based on my politics. I would, however, based on issues of personal safety.

Some would say the French attempted to tell us we were stepping in it in Iraq not unlike a lot of people IN the US to include people in the military who in some instances, for their candor, were forced out.

One does wonder about the British role in cobbling together a "nation" out of several tribes and calling it Iraq.

I am a bit more pessimistic in their reasons for opposition (i.e. profiting per Oil for Food). And it is certainly not just Iraq, but also aspects like economic policies and just a general skepticism of America/English language that I disagree with.

Ira, I'm a republican. I watch Fox. I go to France. I don't like Bush.

Sam - look at it positively - the glass is half full.

Joe: They were not the only ones making money on Oil for Food:
http://tinyurl.com/yw3r4p

twk:
blow, blow, blow; I guess if we see each other over there, we'll just pretend it didn't happen. }:~>

Just read that article in the WSJ, opera, but thanks for the link.

With pigs dying in China from a “mysterious epidemic”, medicine from China killing off 100 people in Panama and American pets dying from wheat processed in China, I think it’s prudent to skip that country.

It turns out that I’m one of those, “live to eat”, types.

>"As far as Poland goes I feel they helped kill most of the Jews there"

Excuse me? The Poles helped kill most of the Jews?

Do I misunderstand you, or am I hearing an allegation I haven't heard before?<

Yes Waring, the Poles actively cooperated with the Nazis in exterminating their Jewish population.

Even today, with fewer than 5000 Jewish people in Poland, there are still prominent politicians and Churchmen who publicly have blamed the country's problems on the Jews.

Warsaw Ghetto joke circa 1943:

"Last night I had a wonderful dream."
"Oh, what was it?"
"I dreamed that I saw 'Down with ritual slaughter" painted on a wall."
"That's a wonderful dream?"
"Yes. It means the Germans are gone."

I should have edited my previous remark.

>the Poles actively cooperated with the Nazis in exterminating their Jewish population.<

Of course, not all Poles cooperated with the occupiers, whether Soviet or Nazi.

However, it was only in those countries where the Civil Authorities, national and local, actively cooperated with the Occupying Powers that the extermination of Jews and other "undesirables" was successful.

Poland was one of those countries.

>FWIW, Eisenhower wasn't from Texas...LJB was though.<

Dwight David Eisenhower, born October 14, 1890 at Denison, Texas. Died March 28, 1969 at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.

>I imagine there were Englishmen in 1776 that wouldn't visit 'the Colonies' because radicals led by a terrorist were seeking independence.<

I guess that depends on what one's definition of a "terrorist" is.

I hope that you think that Reagan's "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" worth considering.

>As a general rule, boycotting countries on "ethical" grounds is counter-productive onanism ....<

Onanism or "mental masturbation"?

Onan was actively engaged in copulation with his widowed SIL. However, he withdrew before climax.

For that he was smitten by G-d, because he not only violated the law requiring him to provide his brother's wife with a child, but took advantage of her.

The Bible doesn't record what she had to say about it.

To those who say,

"I'm a republican. I watch Fox. I go to France. I don't like Bush".

You are all invited to dinner at my house.

Since we can easily accommodate 6 people at our dining room table, I expect that there will be room for all of us.

Ira; LOL on that last one. Great wit today!