In honor of Bastille Day, we offer an amusing reflection on French character and a salutary reminder about the nature of popularity in international affairs, courtesy of John Adams:
[The French] consider nobody but themselves. Their apparent respect and real contempt for all men and all nations but Frenchmen, are proverbial among themselves. They think it is in their power to give characters and destroy characters as they please, and they have no other rule but to give reputation to their tools, and to destroy the reputation of all who will not be their tools. Their efforts to ’populariser’ Jefferson, and to ’depopulariser’ Washington, are all upon this principle. To a Frenchman the most important man in the world is himself, and the most important nation is France. He thinks that France ought to govern all nations, and that he ought to govern France. Every man and nation that agrees to this, he is willing to ’populariser’; every man or nation that disputes or doubts it, he will ’depopulariser,’ if he can.
Calm down. This site is right-wing, and takes it shots at France. But it did just praise a French philosopher Chantal Delsol.
Perhaps you hadn't noticed, but no one tells Zell Miller to calm down. I do, however, periodically challenge fools who question my authority to duels.
Keep going Zell, that hardly fills a single cahier de doleance.
Wow Zell,
I'm in awe of your ability to frame an argument. I must add that I'm also particularly impressed with your vast and varied vocabulary. In case you missed it, the above is known as sarcasm. If you can't manage to articulate your position more intelligently, save your arguments for your stoner buddies.
In case you hadn't noticed, I was quoting and satirizing common Republican arguments about France. Freedom Fries? All of my posts meet a higher intellectual standard than that.