I was standing at a bar in Mexico waiting for my beer when a Frenchman next to me heard my American accent.  He said hello in English, and proceeded to make a statement that really surprised me.

In a combination of French (I can get by in French) and broken English he said the following:

[b]"America is not good right now...it's very bad situation."[/b]  (He was NOT saying that America was not good, he was saying that what happened was horrible.)
[b]"The French, we are with you.  You know why?  Because in 45 you Americans come to France and take the Germans away.  Thank you.  The French, we are with you."[/b]

I wouldn't have been so surprised if he was an old man who had experienced the War, but he was about my age (mid to late 20s).  It has been my experience that the French don't usually acknowledge this minor historical detail when conversing with or chastising Americans.

I just got home from the Persian Gulf tour...again...and they (frogs) continue to be bastards there. They will not fly missions into Iraq from the south and will not arm their aircraft. The Brits on the other hand are true allies almost to a fault. We discussed bombing the French and the Saudis both of whom hate us there. Yes the Saudis HATE us. Imagine being treated like a third world pariah by a fuckin Saudi!!! It happened to us all day every day.

I can't say anything about their politicians, but the French people are generally very nice.  I went there when I took French in high school.   The manager of the hotel where we stayed was kind of a jerk, but everyone else we met was very nice.  It helps to at least be able to speak broken French.  They generally don't care for people who come over and don't bother to learn their language first.

Of course, I and many others on this board can relate to that one, right?  [:)]

Vive le France!  Et merci aussi pour vos assistance en 1776!  Les Freres en guerre pour toujours!
[beer]

(I hope I got that right.  I'm a bit rusty.)

True, true.  Everytime I've been to France the people were very nice to me.  I think you're right about the language thing.  If they see that you're making an effort, they like that.  I always make an effort though when I travel.  That's the whole point for me of going overseas...experiencing new things and trying to learn as much as possible.

You will be glad to know the French have now sent 60 troops to support the airport at Mashar el Sharif(sp).
Certainly made me feel more comfy.

The French sent in troops?

Well, are they looking for someone to surrender too just yet? [}:D]

I crack myself up sometimes!

The French are with us?  Kinda reminds me of the salesman for a helicopter company that said "We stand behind our aircraft."



(Well yeah but, do you stand [i]under[/i] 'em?)

It must be their representatives that will negotiate the terms of surrender.

if you are suprised that the french are still thanful for the americans, just spend a little time in normandy and you will be amazed.  i spent nearly a week last year in caen (near omaha beach and the american cemetary)and have a close friend who's family lives there. although it may be different in the summer when it is overrun with american tourists, the local families and people in general are very mindful of those that returned their country back to them. the reason that they would most likely be rude to any american, is because they sometimes have difficulty distinguishing from american and english accents. so they assume that you are english (they STILL hate the english)

The time I spent in France was great.  I haven't been happy that many times in my life, but I certainly was for a short time then.  Other than a couple of police officers in the airport, I wasn't treated rudely by anyone, and I don't speak a word of French.  To those of you that make fun of the French for surrendering quickly to the Germans, think about how well the US would have fared from a surprise attack from Germany at that time.  It took us years of a military build-up to challenge them.  Also, I've heard a lot of people complain about the French surrendering Paris without a fight (the old joke: how many troops does it take to defend Paris?  We don't know, because it's never been attempted.).  Go visit the city, and tell me that you wished parts of it had been destroyed in a war.z

France bailed out Gem Geo. Washington, during the American Revolutionary War.  Had it not for the French coming on board of the Colonists, Wahington would have been beaten.

I collect French military weapons for the same reason I collect Italian military weapons.....they have never been fired and only been dropped once.

My grandfather came over from Italy as a child (thank God he married an Irish lass) and I love visiting Italy but about the only military force I think less of than the French are the Italians. Sorry Vito.......

Rocketman

Well, their wine is tasty....

Chateau La Fitte Rothschild (Spelling?)
Chateau Mouton Rothschild
Bordeaux's of course

And let's not forget that healer of all ills....

Armagnac, oh yes, the best of the best!

Actually, I spent a week or so in Lyon and Paris on Hewlett Packard's nickel.

Nice place when someone else is paying...

Cuban cigars, Armagnac and skinny women....well, two out of three ain't bad....

And that is taking into account the fact that the allies unintentionally killed many, many french civilians during the liberation of france. There was no other way when you're fighting a war through people's homes, villages and cities. The french understood that... why our protesters today don't is beyond me.