Walsingham

I recall you being more nihilistic last year.

I agree with Steve, too much furniture makes rooms claustrophobic. I used t get people saying "Why do you have such a fantastic big place and no furniture?" Whereas now they ask "Huh! And how much did this cost you?"

on all your accounts too! there really should be the forum 'Knights of the Nine" or somthing. top nine posters or top voted posters get a tag like that. You mean a forum with NOTHING but drivel on it?

Thanks for you opinion, Tigranes. I guess I will go buy them then... The third one was completely whacky.

I'm happy we have you here to determine which jokes are funny and which aren't. Tell me when I can laugh next, I sure need it right now. Sure thing. I'll tell you when my mom dies and you can make jokes about it on the day of the funeral.

\ You just like it b/c it has Green Or is that my reason ... hehe ... FLoSD.ObE Nutloop.

Another issue is the commitment of Britain to the defence of France against Germany. In the history of the time this was as bizarre as America siding with Morocco against Britain. This is discussed in many books, but most interestingly in 'Sea Power' by the anonymous author 'T124' (1940). Essentially you had a Britain who had been primed pre-war by key individuals to support France. Then after the outbreak of hostilities the commitment became a British emphasis on troops over ships. This was both bizarre and unhlepful because it fooled the land command into believing tehy could win on land were it was tactically impossible. Good topic choice, BTW. If we merely go through the emotional components of honouring the dead we will quickly forget the truth of the deaths. If we forget the truths we are doomed to repeat them. EDIT (Trading at war): In that case China is actively supporting genocide in Sudan, and terrorism in Iraq, not just with materials but finished weapons.

It is the signal defect of education that it permits us to dress up childish ignorance as if it were reasoned thought. I think you're correct that these teenage nihilists are really just angry eedjits.

Hah! I am a fighter! Stab! Stab stab!

Has anyone else noticed we've all got classes now?

I read abvout this in the news, but thought I'd wait for one of you chaps to bring it up. I didn't know what to say besides: 1: How pathetic these individuals are 2: How they are almost always known to the authorities before the attack 3: Nothing is done about them prior to the attack 4: In my opinion stopping guns won't stop these individuals. They can and will switch to other means of lethal force such as bombs or arson. 5: I think the solution is much more effective monitoring and care.

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?