France offers aid to hurricane-hit US

[Judi Lynn]

France offers aid to hurricane-hit US

Thursday September 01, 2005 11:57 - (SA)

PARIS - France is prepared to send humanitarian and military aid to the United States to help the country cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating storms in that country's history.

"Our operational humanitarian aid group is going to meet to study the civilian and military means that France could make available from French regions and the French West Indes," said a foreign ministry spokesman, Denis Simmoneau.

He said several French citizens were trapped in New Orleans, one of the cities worst hit by the storm and subsequent flooding, but there were no known French fatalities.

"From our crisis unit, which is going to Baton Rouge from Lafayette, we are following the situation of the French people we know about," Simmoneau said.
(snip/...)

http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/zones/sundaytimesNEW/basket7st/basket7st1125568620.aspx

[NYC]

1. It seems we need the help.

Will Bush accept it?

[doxieone]

2. Lots of French Cajuns in Louisiana.

Glad to see they are willing to support their ex-residents in Louisiana and Mississippi.

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. Ex-residents?

Those folks came over via Canada in the 1700's.

That's like praising Dublin for aiding the Scotch-Irish in rural Georgia who've had people here since before the revolution! ;-)

[Flagg]

33. New Orelans was a French colony

Most of them came from France, not Canada.

[alcibiades_mystery]

39. Cajuns are from Canada

They're Acadian. They are, of course, ethnic French, which is why they left Canada for the French territory of Louisiana after Nova Scotia was ceded to the British, who persecuted the French Acadians.

[tammywammy]

46. Thank you, you're right.

Cajun = Acadian. My family is cajun, and the early ancestors fled Canada for Louisiana.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

48. Louisiana/New Orleans was a French penal colony

and I suspect that many ethnic French who call themselves Cajuns are actually descendants of the individuals who were sent to Louisiana as punishment for their crimes. Most of them weren't locked up, but were exiled to the New Orleans area to live and establish new lives without the means of getting back to France. Most of them involved low level crimes. The famous novel "Manon Lescaux" (inspired the Opera Manon) has its hero and heroine ending up in a Louisiana penal colony at the end. Other French exiles to Louisiana directly from France included soldiers assigned to the garrison who decided to become permanent settlers, ex Bonapartists following the end of the Empire, and those fleeing religious persecution. I would say about half of them came when the British ejected the French from parts of Canada and half came directly from France.

[HEyHEY]

47. They are acadians - learn your history

Acadians were expelled from Atlantic Canada even after they pledged allegience to the crown. They feel they were deserted by France still hold that grudge.
Yes, Lousianna was a French Colony, but the residents all ended up there from Canada. ANd many went back... that's why New Brunswick is still half french.

[MalibuChloe]

38. that's nice of them to help rebuild the Freedom Quarter...eom

[flordehinojos]

3. i know new orleans needs help, i know the people there are suffering ...

i have a problem with any foreign aid coming in to assist bush assist the people in need

because

i see it as a way for bush to get out of the responsibility that

he

has towards the people in this country, and as a way for him to continue to use our tax gathered dollars to finance an illegal, illegitimate, occupation of iraq, rather than having to use those dollars for the benefit and WELFARE of us here in the USA.

just a differing view on the fact that bush ought to be held accountable. he ought not to be ENABLED or RESCUED anymore, not by his daddy, not by his mommy, not by his unca dick, not by ANY FOREIGN COUNTRY, and especially not by a country whose french fries were disdained and turned into freedom fries at one point in recent history.

[tocqueville]

4. in that case you would never send any relief to the 3rd world

because most of these countries are dictatorship

The important is tro save lives. Americans will deal with Bush later

[flordehinojos]

8. there is a difference, though. the difference is dictators oppress their

own people...they do not usually invade other people's land to profit from other people's oil -- which is what bush has done... plus, don't we fill our mouths full of air when we tell the world and ourselves that we are the richest, more powerful country in the world?
well, let bush prove it!

[tocqueville]

9. saving lives is more important than all those considerations

[flordehinojos]

11. my only point is that sadly saving lives will enable bush to continue his

war and his looting of our treasury. that is my only point. and, oh, yes, my other only point is that the saving of those lives in NO, MISS and ALABAMA ought to be bush's sole responsibility. those are my two only points.

[TroglodyteScholar]

31. Put your politics aside, man...

You make those of us with hearts look bad.

[Judi Lynn]

49. He spent the money we could have used saving lives to kill Iraqis:

to kill people who had nothing to do with his "Trifecta."

[IconoclastIlene]

52. deal with Bush later...ha ha ha....

Before or after his library is built?

If these dems cannot find something to impeach this monster on; then how much hope is there....impeach clinton for a b.j. How about Iraq, 9/11 and now, another debacle, Katrina...blame it on the Lord?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. "... country whose french fries were disdained...."

Well, I don't think french fries are really from France. Nonetheless, the devastation wrought on New Orleans by Katrina has been the lead item on the French TV news lately. Any place that retains aspects of the Code Napoléon is bound to attract their attention.

From Wikipedia: "Louisiana's civil code features some aspects of the Napoleonic Code, but is based more on Roman and Spanish civil traditions."

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

50. Pre-revolutionary France used Roman law

And Louisiana was founded as a French colony before the Empire and before the French Revolution. Thus the Roman Law in Louisiana is also a vestige of the French presence.

[Earth_First]

5. Next up: Freepers complain

Daily Freeper Mantra: "Where's the foregin aid!?"

Finally arrives, now the freeps WILL complain this is aid from France...

[Mike Daniels]

19. They are already saying we should refuse any aid from Venezuela

as it will undermine Bush's stance against Chavez

[Cha]

30. Tough Shit...bush has Already

undermined his own stance against Chavez and with the help of his sick little buddy patwah robertson.

[IconoclastIlene]

53. Bush/Robertson Fatwas!!!

Talk about kicking oneself in the ass...no one does it so well as these two.

[noonwitch]

36. As they are not the ones suffering, it's easy to take that stand

If I were stranded on that overpass, I'd take any help I could. I wouldn't necessarily care about the politics of the person offering it.

Of course, if I were stranded on that overpass in the sun, I would have died yesterday of sun poisoning.

[othermeans]

25. The complainers probably don't live in LA., MS. or AL. n/t

[Cha]

32. Yeah, I'm wondering how

freepers who are from those states feel about other freepers complaining about where they get help from?

[Supersedeas]

40. the one thing that you can count on from Thuglickcans, France bashing

[Frederik]

6. It's a devious plan to retake Louisiana

Weren't the Freepers talking about making a list of the countries NOT offering help? Well, so far that would include every country in the world except France and Venezuela :rofl:

[Tinoire]

24. Laughing so hard....

... "a devious plan to retake Louisiana"

[AspenRose]

45. With our current administration Louisiana would have been better off under

French control!

On edit: Has Cuba offered help? Wouldn't that be something if they did! Ha!

[NVMojo]

7. wow, the countries that Bush admin screwed over are the first ones

to help us! France, Venezuela ...I'm impressed. They are taking the high road. Bless them!

And screw the Freepers. They are canabals.

[DIKB]

12. They are far better

people than the freepers and neocons in this country.

[cmd]

15. don't forget Russia!

at the risk of sounding Bushie. Yesterday Russia said it had two cargo planes ready to go with helicopters and people trained in rescue.

[iverglas]

44. don't forget us -- Canada: screwed over, sending aid

I know how easy it is to forget us ... but we're being screwed over by the US (softwood lumber and beef/cattle, at the moment ...), and we've not only offered aid, we've sent it.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050831_katrina_template_050831/?hub=Canada

<Province of British Columbia> Solicitor General John Les said the province decided to send Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) after officials in Louisiana asked for help. "We're the first non-U.S.-based team to be requested," said Les. "They're going to be helping as many people as they can."

... The 45- person team -- which was dispatched to Southeast Asia after the Boxing Day tsunami -- is equipped to provide emergency room doctors, building engineers and swift water rescue personnel.

... Earlier Wednesday, Canadian officials said they're prepared to send whatever type of aid the U.S. needs.

... Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has volunteered that province's Emergency Medical Assistance Team.

[AlFrankin]

13. "France offers aid to hurricane-hit US"

The link does not work...is there another one?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

22. How's this?.....

France may mobilize relief from Caribbean
<http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/12533711.htm>

QUOTE:

PARIS - French humanitarian aid officials met on Thursday to examine ways of providing support for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the United States, a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said. France is considering ways of mobilizing relief teams from the French Antilles in the Caribbean, ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said at a news conference.

"France expresses its readiness to bring this aid based on the needs American authorities express," he said. French authorities were following Katrina's aftermath "with particular attention," he added.

[leesa]

14. It would be interesting to see the US allow foreign troops on their soil

We barge into everyone else's countries with our troops but I can't imagine we would allow them here.

Very nice gesture by France.

[tocqueville]

16. we won't carry any weapons, promised

[belle]

34. Isn't it, though? Personally, I think we need all the help we can get.

As far as worrying about whether this is "saving" Bush (I can't believe anyone would even consider that if it means saving actual people): you know, I think that having someone else swoop in and save his ass will not go unnoticed this time. If nothing else, the savers will make good and sure it won't.

[OneGrassRoot]

18. He said on GMA this morning.........

that he hasn't asked for foreign help. I'm paraphrasing, but he essentially said that we can take care of our own and don't need outside help.

Fucking cowboy.

[leftchick]

20. he is a fuckhead!!!

I hate him

[DrDan]

21. Sean InSanity was complaing yesterday that Isreal was the

only country offering help.

Let that f****r know that France has done the noble thing also - and to give them due credit.

http://www.hannity.com/index/contact-form

[Olney Blue]

28. Yes, I heard InSanity while I was driving an interstate in Utah

yesterday- he disparaged France for not helping.

Everyone who calls in to that show started their comments with what a great American they think that InSanity is- thought I would drive off the road.

France takes the high road, and guess what- they were right about Iraq.

[Danmel]

37. Canada also offered help

Hannity is an asswipe

[CBHagman]

41. State Department says many countries have offered help.

Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said that the U.S. has not only received messages of sympathy and condolence in the wake of Hurricane Katrina but also what he termed "generous" and "numerous" offers of assistance from countries around the world and international organizations. Would-be donors include the United Kingdom, NATO, Venezuela, Israel, and the Netherlands, to name but a few.

[CBHagman]

23. Good for them!

:loveya:

On edit: Here in the States, there has frequently been no news coverage of the charitable, development, and relief efforts of other nations. Thus we get the impression that America is always the main contributor. We may be at the top in terms of dollar amounts, but not in terms of percentage of GDP. Moreover, Western European nations maintain a much stronger social safety net (and social spending in general) than does the United States.

So kisses on both cheeks for the French (not what you think, naughty people) today.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. Depending of the French in question

Why not the cheeks I'm thinking? :evilgrin:

[donsu]

26. media is still saying no country has offered help

nt

[CBHagman]

42. Which networks and/or publications?

MSNBC and NBC are getting e-mails from Americans who think there hasn't been enough help from other countries. I hope NBC sets the record straight.

[Cha]

29. Sweet! Take that

bushwa..The French are offering their help to the victims of hurricane Katrina!

I know this is just killing bush..arrogant sob.

[gauguin57]

35. France knows where to put its money ... into aid, not a pointless war

Merci beaucoup, mes frères!

[Captain Hilts]

43. Merci beaucoup! (nt)

[Az_lefty]

51. ha ha ha

the irony of France bailing us out is just too sweet.
:rofl:

[IconoclastIlene]

54. Wait til we need help from Korea and VietNam.....

Let's let the rest of the world bail us out of this one!!!!