The French

[phuloi]

Toule Depot,France was my first duty station in 1965,and the word was out 40 years ago to watch out for those knife-between-the-teeth "Algerians".Whether or not they were really Algerians,Morrocans,or whatever,the fact remained that they were Muslims and were to be avoided at all costs.The Frogs cowed to them then and obviously,still do.

[SuperScout]

Go ahead and chop it off, and use another body part! You'll be a better man for it, loved my women, feared by sheep, and well-known to the police.

[Seascamp]

And it would seem the ?Black Feet? are right in the French face and staying there. The hue and cry going up in France is about intense social, economic and employment discrimination against the North African Moslems and no doubt their claims are absolutely true. Those former colonial subjects reckon they have some claims to be made and goodies due and the French are saying, ?Non, bon ami?.

I have no premonition about the French taking a big time terrorist hit but the logic of population numbers and distribution, the ever worsening and chronic civil unrest plus the global Islamic Revolution rhetoric flying around, and it looks like an evil stew a bubbling in the caldron.

Scamp

[frisco-kid]

Wisconsin and Oregon [Tillamook] cheese is better; California wines are better; it took the Cajuns to improve their food; and they haven't been a good military ally since the Revolutionary War. Alot of people forget that the Vischy [sp] French killed American GI's as they came ashore in N. Africa.

[catman]

I have tried to avoid these threads. As some of you know, my last name is Catura. Go back about two generations and it was Caturia, and two before that was Catuiea.

You all being the worldly types that you are, and the big push now days for genealogy, my name can be traced to the world renown "House of Caturia" of Paris. Translated it means seamstress.

Not sure how I feel about all of this, many mixed emotions.

Trav

[melody1181]

I think it was an english man that I heard that jacques chiracs names should really be jacques a$$.

[Seascamp]

Hmm Mel, as I recall that is Pres. Bush's name for the French gent.
Really, that's true, and the media was making a deal out of the name giving and usage. It was a 'oh my gosh' :ek: issue that didn't grow wings and fly very far.

Scamp

[revwardoc]

frisco-kid,

Love the magazine cover photo! I sent it to my fellow members of our French Regiment, Le 85eme Regiment de Saintonge (American Revolution era). They'll either love it, too, or plot to kill me.

Just this past weekend, we were in Newport, RI to re-enact and celebrate the landing of le Compte de Rochambeau's army in that town in 1780. A good time was had by all, despite the arrests.

[SuperScout]

You might also pass on this bit of historical information to your French buddies:

In one of the frequent wars between England and France, a captured British officer was asked why he and his men wore red coats. His Captors mocked him, saying it was easy to spot the redcoats as they made such good targets. "Monsieur," he replied, "we wear red coats, so that if we're wounded, our men won't see us bleeding, won't become frightened, and will stay and fight on!"

"Mon, Dieu," replied Henri, le captor. And from that day forth, every French soldier wore brown pants.

[Boats]

The Frenchy's are not all bad as we all would like to make them after all they are part of the old world. Here these European countries have for hundreds of years been overrun - occupied - and inter-married for several generations. It's not hard to see how they could be so indifferent to circumstances in other parts of the world.

But - and I say that twice. Today the world is so inter-mingled so well traveled - and so many are going here and going there - that keeping track of their movements is nearly impossible.

Insecurity is a common place and moreso from those countries who've got histories of such terror in their past. You think they would get tougher skins - but once you've been beaten down so many times you'd think their skin would thicken.

No terrorist one wears a uniform in these skirmishes or terrorist activities so you can't ID them. They blend in like cream in coffee and some even use sugar.

I can honestly say that I can read people - many who say one thing and do another. I can also spot or read those who don't fit a local profile. These are built in instincts that we all have.

The Europeans have much to loose and they are afraid of having to start over again. They struggle with their inabilities to provide for the general welfare of themselves.

It's always the have's and the have not's that will alway be at two different ends of the spectrum. Some will take it from you because they can - and other's will do far more worse things - because they can.

These regimes or terrorist can't afford full blown armies but they afford and will fund small radical groups - who will for the sake of some religious purpose - do hard to the innocent. I wonder what their afterlife must be like? I hope that what they anticipate becomes some real night-mare full of depressing and painful results upon their arrived.

I can honestly say the USA is the only place I want to live. My only regret is that we didn't stop this activity long ago before 9/11.

How will this end? Only time will tell.

God support or troops and keep them safe is what I want right now.