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All right, there's a 3 063 words long post here that should suffice to explain my position.With the French version of the text, that's 6381 words of explanation.
More than what the teapot where a tempest is currently taking place could handle, I guess, but still, before I leave I'm going to add a few - final - words on that issue and a whole slew of apologies.
I read and received several valid and respectable sources - including the museum - that confirms the (now famous) central flagpole is not supposed to constantly hold a flag - I guess that rules out the "frogman doctored the photos!" accusations - and that in any case, the flag it's destined to wave is not the US one.
Therefore, I'd say my initial trouble at the sight of this empty pole is now dissipated. There was indeed something missing, it was missing for a good reason but it was not the US flag.
As for the other two (the empty golden base and the empty space in the display case) The Mayor's spokeswoman declared that these were sold out, mainly because of the D-Day commemorations. That confirms the initial foreboding - about which flag was indeed missing - that led me to take these pictures and write this article and also rules out, definitely this time, the "frogman doctored the photos!" accusations. (And so much for the fellow who claimed he was there too and saw the flags... Nice try buddy. You can come back and
Therefore, I'd say my initial trouble at the sight of this empty golden base and this empty space is now dissipated. There was indeed something missing, it was indeed the US flag and it was missing for a good reason.
It's nice to see that, despite the clash between our two countries over the past months, it's still possible that US flags be sold out up to almost one month after the 6 of June, isn't it? That's a good sign.
Consequently, this calls for a first slew of apologies to the Museum staff and Bayeux's Mayor office.
From my recent experience I feel like introducing a new procedure to make sure I'm not misunderstood:
<WARNING THIS IS NOT SARCASM. THIS IS A FIRST DEGREE STATEMENT>
To the Bayeux Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy and Bayeux's Mayor office:
Please accept my apology for questioning myself publicly in my private weblog "the dissident frogman" over missing symbols within the museum, at a rather sensitive time and context.
Please accept my apology for apparently not making clear enough the fact that despite my trouble, I considered that issue was innocuous enough to write about it in a sarcastic way and a teasing tone, like I use to do with rather innocuous subjects at large.
Please accept my apology for failing to foretell the misunderstanding and disproportionate response it would trigger from my readers.
Please accept my sincere apology for the unpleasantness it brought on you.
<WARNING THIS WAS NOT SARCASM. THIS WAS A FIRST DEGREE STATEMENT>
Now, I'm not in the position of giving advices or guidance so I will only share with you a personal feeling: I guess it's fine for those among you who took that issue in the same sarcastic way as I did and wrote to the museum and the Mayor's office with the same teasing tone. I guess it's fine as well for those who kept their blood cold enough and requested more information in a polite way.
For those who reacted with less restrain, well... I'd say it's between yourself and your conscience.
Just in case, the addresses are still in the initial post.
Please keep in mind that, at any rate, I will take full responsibility for what I did write and for the intentions that animated me when I wrote.
I will write more, like I did, to clarify my initial intentions whenever misunderstanding occurs.
But I will certainly not bear the responsibility for what you decided, consciously or not, rationally or not, to understand and to make out of what I wrote. Free will regulations.There are several subjects I would never - and never did - take lightly, whenever they are seriously and obviously challenged.
Among them you'll find America of course, but also the attacks against civil liberties, the various declared or waiting-to-happen totalitarianisms, the legitimacy of the state of Israel and of its decade long fight against Islamo-Marxist terrorism... That's a non exhaustive list, but let's keep it short for now.
What it means is that when I believe there is a serious issue pending about these chosen topics, I make it bluntly and incontestably clear, without even the slightest shred of joke.
People who can't feel without a doubt, the strong difference of tone, meaning and underlying intentions that exist between "Consecration" and "Tertian Fever" for instance, will have a serious problem reading me.
As a fact I respectfully - albeit firmly - suggest that either they take the time to chill out, have a seat and a soft drink before they start to read anything here, every time they come in and visit the dacha or find another place to hang out with friends.
Make no mistake: you will surely be missed, but it's nonetheless safer for both of us.There will still be lights in the dacha and I won't close the door but before I pack my bags and leave you for a long expected trip to other horizons, maybe it's time for another slew of apologies.
And since I'm an incorrigible snide fellow, I'm not going to use the new safety procedure this time. Let's see if you can play the "Guess where the dissident frogman is being sarcastic" game again.
Just a word of caution though: sometime there will be sarcasms and sometime there won't:
To my esteemed readers and to the respected bloggers who read me and pointed at my post "Tertian Fever" and to all the people who put themselves in the position of making and defending an argument on the basis of this post of mine.
I underestimated the underlying sensitivity of the issue I addressed in my post. Please accept my apology.
I underestimated the intensity of the reaction of thousands of unknown, presumably responsible, presumably sane, presumably endowed with reason individuals, freely browsing the Internet, at the reading of my post. Please accept my apology.
I underestimated my outstanding influence as a cultural and spiritual bilingual leader over a worldwide electronic network constituted of independent and uncontrollable entities and minds. Please accept my apology.
I would humbly suggest as a modest excuse that I wasn't aware of it.
I overestimated my ability to
Also,
I apologize for not being a full blown funded investigation journalist working on behalf of an important press company,
I apologize for being only a simple enthusiastic blogger posting opinion material and personal feelings on a private web space, on his own time and money (albeit with the generous and unselfish help of some wonderful persons, as far as money is concerned).
I apologize if you didn't clearly notice the difference it makes. I must have been wrong.
<WARNING THIS IS NOT SARCASM. THIS IS A FIRST DEGREE STATEMENT>
To the persons who put themselves in an awkward position, defending or arguing on the basis of my post, no matter the amount of reason, understanding, caution and free will - or lack of - they personally put in reading it and reacting to it,
Please accept my sincere apology.
<WARNING THIS WAS NOT SARCASM. THIS WAS A FIRST DEGREE STATEMENT>
I apologize for not being God, the nation's Little Father, chairman Mao the Great Tillerman, a tricycle, bin Laden's mummy or one of the thousands so helpful and dedicated French "social assistants".Off with this now.
I'm going to pack my bags and settle a few things here and there before I leave¹.
There are several quotes from my esteemed blogging colleagues in the ticker on top of the dissident frogman's home page.
I don't know why, but one of them that I've always considered as well thought suddenly comes back to my mind:
Equal parts profane satire and blunt seriousness, this renegade Frenchman (...)Pertinent depiction isn't it?
Kimberly Swygert, Number 2 Pencil.
Half profane satire, half blunt seriousness.
Maybe it's time to drop one of them.
Or maybe both.
Bye now.
the dissident frogman.
France, 3rd of July 2003.
¹: The next time you'll hear about me, it will be for a slightly different thing.
Oddly enough, it should involve heavily doctored photos with little, if any, flags on them.
And probably very little sarcasm as well.
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