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The French Just Don't Get It-Not At All

I've been accused here of disrespecting the French-it's true because they are such burros-what possible good could this do?

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gy1C3eyN5HPYKsZkVGfm39jEnjkQ
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France to launch new bid for Colombia hostage release

PARIS (AFP) — France is to launch a fresh bid Monday in its campaign to free Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt, held hostage in the jungle by leftist rebels, the foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will meet Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in Bogota before visiting Ecuador and Venezuela, whose left-wing President Hugo Chavez has sought to play a mediating role in hostage releases.

Kouchner "will re-evaluate the hostage situation with the three heads of state and stress the urgency of a humanitarian solution leading to the freeing of those held by the FARC," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Betancourt, a dual French-Colombian national, was seized by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2002 while campaigning for the presidency, and has been held by the Marxist rebels ever since.

Pictures released in November showed her looking frail and the French government has warned that she may be gravely ill.

The FARC rejected one French plan to release Betancourt this month, expressing annoyance with Uribe's handling of the proposed handover.

The FARC has been fighting the Bogota government for more than four decades and is believed to hold hundreds of captives.

Kouchner will head to Ecuador on Tuesday and Caracas on Wednesday, the government said. He will also seek to ease tensions between Colombia and its two neighbours, raised by an anti-FARC raid by Colombian forces into Ecuador in March.

By Sam Salmon on Apr 25, 2008, 20:48 in Politics & the war.

SiV says on Apr 26, 2008, 05:34:

Don't get so het up- what's it got to do with you? And leave your xenophobia at the login, please.

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

sloopskipper says on Apr 26, 2008, 06:50:

Touché

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 06:55:

SamSalmon - i'm with you, xenophobia or not. if we can't giggle at the stupidity of the french, then who? jajaja

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

podborski says on Apr 26, 2008, 07:13:

we've always got bleeding heart liberals slguy! : )

SiV says on Apr 26, 2008, 10:07:

Love that- Americans giggling at the stupidity of any other nationality. What was the statistic of Americans who can't find the US on a world map again?

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

Sam Salmon says on Apr 26, 2008, 10:48:

I'm Canadian you poor dumb burro-if you'd been here longer than a weekend you'd know that.

' a la orden!'

SiV says on Apr 26, 2008, 11:18:

Although the statistic refers to US citizens, I believe that Canada is part of the American continent, isn't it? slguy, who made the giggle comment, is from the US, isn't he?
Incidently, I've been a PBH user for over 5 years.

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 11:29:

yep - i'm american.

doesn't hinder my ability to recognize stupidity in the least.

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

romy says on Apr 26, 2008, 11:47:

I don't like the single-minded focus of the French goverment. All they seemingly care about is the release of Ingrid and to me that is of minor relevance to the entire scheme of things.

Regardeless, I don't condone overgeneralizing judgemental statements like calling the French burros or stupid. That is simply ignorant.

slguy- how do you recognize stupidity? not even IQ values have been found to be completely reliable in determining 'stupidity' so I highly doubt your superpower.

SiV says on Apr 26, 2008, 12:07:

Hey, slguy, it was a joke. Although I don't necesarily agree with you on much, I respect your opinion, and think you half got at least half a brain- which for this site puts you in the upper 10 percentile. Take a chill pill, and let's not degenerate into insults, please.

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 12:58:

i wasn't insulting you, siv! i was talking about the french again. ;)

and i share your sentiments of mutual respect, btw. we rarely learn anything by debating w/ folks who share our viiewpoints, do we?

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 13:03:

romy, even very intelligent people can also be stupid, in my view.

i have been exposed to french arrogance enough to recognize stupidity when i see it, and i'm not typically given to gross generalizations. the french are a glaring exception.

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

manINred says on Apr 26, 2008, 13:06:

I am writing this in response to the person who wrote: "'I've been accused here of disrespecting the French-it's true because they are such burros"

Yes, well, are we to blame the entire French race for the acts of their government?

Are they all stupid, as we so often enjoy to claim?

Well, quite frankly. it is xenophobic and arrogant to insult the French based on certain acts of their government (which are inherently self-interested, but not overly bombastic).

Let's start insulting 'the Americans' now for the state because of Bush.

Or better yet, let's start insulting 'the Colombians' for electing a parapolitical narco president!

manINred says on Apr 26, 2008, 13:08:

Hey, the people of Zimbabwe must officially be retarded then, what lowlifes, with their president Robert Mugabe, one of the biggest pieces of shits on the planet. Iraqis are mass murderers (and inherently arrogant and evil) etc... etc...

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 13:09:

fwiw, my personal opinion is a far cry from being only a political opinion....

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

buggy says on Apr 26, 2008, 14:53:

"My heart also belongs to France. . . . Since the beginning of this kidnapping, France has been the voice of wisdom and love. It has never given up, it has not accepted the passage of time as the only solution, it has never wavered in defense of our right to be defended. When the night is darkest, France has been the beacon. When asking for our freedom was frowned upon, France was not quiet. When they accused our families of doing harm to Colombia, France gave them support and counsel. . . ."

Ingrid Betancourt,
Rainy morning, like my soul, jungles of Colombia, Wednesday, October 24, 8:34 AM

“Ojos y oídos para Norteamérica / para su propio pueblo, sordo y ciego" Pablo Neruda

docwilliam says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:01:

I enjoy my French fries with catchup, oops, hope I did'nt insult anyone.

"There's no time to panic"

buggy says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:03:

"Mi corazón también le pertenece a Francia. Y el también "mon coeur apartient
a la France. Ma douce France qui m´a tant donné''. Escribo en español para
no crear suspicacias que dificulten el tránsito de esta carta. Cuando pienso
en Dios y pienso en su bendición sobre todos nosotros, pienso en Francia. La
providencia busca expresarse a través de canales de sabiduría y de amor.
Desde el inicio de este secuestro Francia ha tenido la voz de la sabiduría y
del amor. Nunca se ha dado por vencida, nunca ha aceptado el paso del tiempo
como la única solución, nunca ha claudicado en la defensa de nuestro derecho
a ser defendidos. Cuando la noche es la más oscura, Francia fue el faro.
Cuando era mal pedir por nuestra libertad, Francia no se calló, cuando
acusaron a nuestras familias de hacerle daño a Colombia, Francia les dio
apoyo y consuelo. No podríamos creer que es posible salir algún día libre de
aquí si no conociera la historia de Francia y de su pueblo. Le he pedido a
Dios que me nutra de la misma fuerza con la que Francia ha sabido soportar
la adversidad para sentirme más digna de ser contada entre sus hijos. Quiero
a Francia con el alma, las raíces de mi ser buscan nutrirse de los
componentes de su carácter nacional, siempre buscando guiarse por principios
y no por intereses. Quiero a Francia con mi corazón porque admiro la
capacidad de movilización de un pueblo que como caminiuos, entiende que
vivir es comprometerse. Hoy Francia se ha comprometido por los secuestrados
en las selvas de Colombia, como también lo ha hecho por An Sang Su Ki o por
Ana Polikouskaya. Siempre en búsqueda de la justicia, de la libertad, de la
verdad.

Quiero a Francia con mi reflexión, porque hay en Francia la elegancia de la
constancia para que no parezca terquedad, y la generosidad del compromiso
para que no caiga en la obsesión. Mi amor incondicional eterno a Francia y
al pueblo de Francia es la mejor expresión de mi gratitud. No soy digna ni
merezco el cariño que me han brindado y me siento muy poca cosa para si
quiera aspirar al respaldo de tantos corazones. Me tranquilizo pensando que
el compromiso de Francia es el compromiso con otro pueblo que sufre, es el
derecho de auxiliar a otros seres humanos ante el dolor. Es la decisión de
actuar frente a lo inaceptable, porque definitivamente todo lo que ha
sucedido es simplemente inaceptable. Todo lo que ha sucedido acá es
inaceptable. "

“Ojos y oídos para Norteamérica / para su propio pueblo, sordo y ciego" Pablo Neruda

MaFe says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:08:

SL, I agree with you!

romy says on Saturday April 26th, 2008 11:47:

slguy- how do you recognize stupidity? not even IQ values have been found to be completely reliable in determining 'stupidity' so I highly doubt your superpower.

I think everyone has their own way of interpreting what they consider stupidity. I recognize stupidity too, and I am sure you have your definition of stupidity and your form of recognizing it....just like everyone else...

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. "-Aristotle

buggy says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:14:

So you think that what Ingrid wrote is stupid ...

“Ojos y oídos para Norteamérica / para su propio pueblo, sordo y ciego" Pablo Neruda

slguy says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:23:

buggy, read much? you may wanna sharpen your skills.

Before you throw me out, make sure I pay my bar tab

romy says on Apr 26, 2008, 15:27:

MaFe- that's the point 'stupidity' is relative, and therefore classifying something as stupid is meaningless. What you consider to be stupid is different from what other people consider to be stupid.

sloopskipper says on Apr 26, 2008, 17:02:

France is a beautiful country, with fascinating places, and beautiful and interesting people, but if you insist in being the "Ugly American", you will not enjoy it.

sloopskipper says on Apr 26, 2008, 17:05:

I must think of National Lampoon's European Vacation as a way not to experience France, although I found it funny as hell.