FRANCE and Dick Morris

I asked "Do the Germans want to forget their Nazi past?" Christopher Jones, who until recently lived in Germany and gas moved to France, writes: "In a way. They are far more concerned with the reform/destruction of the social welfare state, which was a significant bulwark against any Nazi resurrection. In particular, the current debate concerns "Zahnersatz" -- or who will foot the bill for new teeth among an increasingly elder and apparently toothless generation (not to mention the German passion for the "Conditorei" This brings me to General Sullivan's curious article by Dick Morris about the French. I agree with Harry Papasotiriou. If this is the way the Americans view France, then we are in big trouble: such simple minded twisting of history can only lead to a real disaster (Iraq is still a case in point.) Although the article was too long, it contained a few truths and allot of idiocies. The writer excused the Germans for not participating in the Iraq war while chastizing the French for their appeasement." For me, the German governmental insults to Bush (comparing him to Caligula and Hitler) and a hate campaign conducted in the media went way farther than anything I saw in France.

Morris paints a psycho-picture of a France traumatized by the First World War, incapable of taking a stance while he excuses the German decision not to support the US as a noble and understandable stand by a people who had gone to war twice in the last century. The fact is that German pacifism has long and deeper roots than in France -- extending back to the "lost generation" of WWI and is best exemplified by writers such as Erich Remarque. (Hermann Hesse if I am not mistaken actually was an objector to military service in the Kaiser's army.) In the post WW2 period, France has been involved several nasty colonial wars which has metamorphosed into 37 military "peacekeeping ops" in various African republics. Not exactly the stuff for cowards. Morris then tries to extrapolate US values and US political correctness onto France and Europe which is a thinly veiled argument in favor of "Globalized" uncontrolled immigration (throw in Frankenstein's GM food while you're at it) -- a real favorite among the US elites. His swipes at anti-semitism in France are ridiculous when you look at the white supremacist/neo Nazi movement in the States. I would go even farther and contend that the FN is not a classic "racist" party (it has many Arabs in its ranks who immigrated legally-- watch out for the regional elections) In short, it shows a complete ignorance of French hiostory, character and values not to mention his culinary statements which are insane"

RH: GM food, insane culinary. statements, haute cuisine? These would seem to be extraneous to the argument.

Ronald Hilton - 7/4/03