Walsingham

A huge favourite of mine, and one just waiting to become a animated movie: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Green-Ginger-...1118&sr=8-1

I still don't think it's a fair statement. The german doctrine just overwhelmed the French. The French weren't exactly well prepared or smart with how to fight back. You can look back and judge the armed forces (as per Guard Dog's post) for capitulating so easily, but I don't think it's fair to say they didn't attempt to keep Germany out. That's fair. When they went into bat they were going to lose, and the cabbage eaters were going to win. But that makes it MORE reprehensible, not less, IMO.

I like the fact that they're supposed to be black because they're so skanky.

Have you read The Authority? They basically look at this idea. You know, why IS a guy who can bend bridges catching muggers?

Myah. Furniture is for losers. I spent my first six months with nothing more than a couple of carpets, a duvet, and my computer. That's why we have the y gene, mate.

Good idea. I just find it difficult to hold to a regular fixture.

Ay. I dont think any nation could have stood against a Blitzkrieg assault at that time, and its not fair to say the French were "surrender monkeys". The Allies got a slight taste of that during the Ardennes offensive, and that didnt go too well. Let's not go nuts, mate. What was needed was 1. A quality at lower levels which would ensure an aggressive independent action without orders. Something which is hardly impossible. 2. Plenty of robust and testing command exercises, particularly involving communications. Which was hardly unknown at the time. The Germans were doing them in the twenties.

It is trendy(and being a man of fashion I have done the same) to blame the Maginot line. But in my opinion the failure of teh French was attributable to two things: 1) The indifferent attitude of the French soldiery to fighting. They simply didn't see the point of personally exerting themselves. A sort of "Let Pierre do it" mentality. 2) The French high command were utterly outdated and pure peacetime soldiers, built on good manners and verbal enthusiasm. They had neither the mind nor the commmunications to deal with blitzkrieg. Had but one of these problems existed in company with a strength in the other area they would not have failed so badly. Our own forces were saved by pure bloody mindedness. But the French did not enjoy that luxury. In saying this I do not think I am being unfair. We British were identical in the Far East, particularly in Singapore. More importantly I think the Frenchwere guilty of little more than a civilised sensitivity. Would most of our countries do much better in the face of aggression today?

An interesting notion. While I mistrust Kissinger on general principle (curly hair*), I know France had a great many communist sympathisers after the war, and would have had a great many more if the landings in Southern France hadn't been *ahem* delayed. However, the notion of appeasement immediately after seeing the results of appeasement is so perfectly asinine it has to be true. For God's sake we're doing it now in many quarters. *Could be hobbits.

France also was less than enthusiastic about the Desert Storm. Possibly because so much of Iraq's air force was French, and it wouldn't do to have 'made in France' raining down all over the place.

Precisely, my Texan friend. Well, actually, you Texans have reason to object to them, of sorts with their backing of Mexico, but that's it. Sammo, what you call brown-nosing I call being friendly. Isn't it nice to see someone reach across teh wall of often quite serious hostility that has grown up between the US/France since De Gaulle, and shatter that wall with some simple words of enthusiasm and gratitude?

What annoys me far more is the fact that this total charade is being paid for by the taxpayer. It's an utter waste of time. No-one who thinks there's a conspiracy will be reassured. Ergo, waste of time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7083347.stm I don't know if anyone thinks this was a conspiracy, but something which is very odd is why the papers haven't bothered to track down the owner/driver of the Fiat Uno. There surely can't be more than a few hundred in Paris. This is just lazy.

BTW, mate, did you earn that there black belt?

My apologies. I figured it was front page. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/7BF...91D487DC403.htm samm, I think our definitions of right wing may differ.

I was just reading Sarkozy's speech to Congress. The man truly deserved his standing ovation. I shall be raising a glass to a new better era, and to our gallant alies finally having a decent leader.

Booze in Ireland wasn't that cheap. Was it?

I concur with my learned friend.

Always makes me think of Rocky and BUllwinkle. Which makes me think of Jan Jansen.

Who's next?

Thanks, and condolences. I'm currently eating some rather nice homemade chicken soup. As luck would have it, I had roasted a chicken for dinner Saturday night. When this set in on Sunday, I realized that we had some carrots, celery, and fresh thyme in the fridge along with the leftovers. Perfect opportunity for some cure-all soup. Heh. I also made soup. A great sausage fat, beef mince, and vegetable soup with plenty of paprika.

Sorry to hear you are ailing, old man. I too have some sort of lurgi.

ftfy Like I said, I've seen it pretty much everywhere... No. It's like the bromide in the koolaid, it's purely an Obsidian thing.

Why do I get the feeeling some of you chaps are just trying to improve the oddss of SOMETHING being willing to breed with ye.

Oh gawd, that makes them even more awesome Dolphins gang-rape? Don't be ridiculous. They partake in consensual orgies. Actually, we know it precisely because they can talk. Marine biologists have heard the poor bloody female dolphins complaining. Xard, you are in poor taste, sir, and I am querying admin to install a button that allows me to subject you to dolphin-based sexual assault.