Well, some 150 comments into this thing and I was finally set-off to the point of posting myself. Frankly, I'm not even disturbed by the lack of American flags at Normandy...at least not after reading some of the absolutely ludicrous posts I've read here that demonstrate immense ineptitude when it comes to piecing together history and approaching it in a logical manner. So a few reminders for some of you out there...
1)Yes, France did help the United States in its bid for independence. But let's not forget that the American Revolution was fought against the British, who just happened to be long-time enemies of the French. As the saying goes, my enemy's enemy is my friend. France's participation in the revolution was, by the most conservative approach, as much about their self-interest as it was virtuous. I'm not in any way accusing France of only looking out for number one, but let's face facts here...it wasn't about just being nice to the new kid.
2)I loathe even addressing this, but whoever it was that claimed America's participation in WWII's European theater was inconsequential most likely serves as a prime example of the failings of public education. In an effort to aid its allies, the United States pulled itself up by its bootstraps from a depression to launch a military machine that had been left to rust following WWI in a relatively short period of time. It wasn't just the soldiers, either. It was every American who bought a war bond, rationed, left home to work on the assembly lines or lost a loved one to aid our allies against an enemy that really didn't even pose that much of a threat to the US at the time. Furthermore, the US abandoned isolationist policies to aid Europe in its time of need. These are the same policies, the belief that the US should keep its nose out of foreign affairs, that countries such as France want the US to practice now. Well, we learned from our mistakes back then, and it would be silly of us to go back to it today.
3)Finally, the US was attacked on 9/11, for those of you who seem to forget. I don't care what we may have done to lead up to it, we were attacked and we're not going to let it happen again. Unlike so many other countries that seem to believe appeasement is the best policy, we won't stand idly by as our nation is attacked in hopes that our enemies will just work it out of their system. If you take on the US, there will be repercussions. And we'd sure as hell appreciate it if our friends would lend a helping hand. But France turned out to be the kind of buddy who says he'll help you move but won't answer the phone when it comes time to lift that heavy entertainment center into the truck. Not only that, but the kind of friend who calls all your other friends and encourages them not to help either. In the end, we learn that with friends like that, who needs...well, you get the point.
Listen, I've got nothing against the French people as individuals. In fact, I feel more sorry for them more than anything. Here is a people rich in culture and history that seem to have lost their way in the modern world and are allowing it to be destroyed not by the US, but by the very radicals the US hopes to eliminate. There simply comes a time when you need to stand up for what you believe is right. That has been a constant theme throughout America's relatively short history, but one that has proven prosperous. Perhaps it doesn't mesh with the storied history of France, but it's worked for us and we're going to keep on keeping on (thanks Joe Dirt). And when all is said and done, we'll go home and start screening our calls, just in case its a fair-weather friend looking for a helping hand.
And that's the way it is.