September 17, 2004
The biggest hangover in man's history
I think I will stay in France on November 2, just to be able to look at their surprised, horrified, incredulous, little faces.
Le Nouvel Observateur is again trying to sell its rag with a hateful, anti-Bush issue.
WHY BUSH MUST BE DEFEATED
Why he must leave.
For the United States, for the world, for us, the re-election of George W. Bush would be a catastrophe
A catastrophe because... he would try everything to prevent the destruction of America and he would never surrender to France and/or the UN? Oh, the catastrophe, indeed!
The links to the different articles - which I have not read, thankyouverymuch, still don't have that much time to lose - include "The ultra-right crusader", "Dr. Strangelove of the tax cuts", "The greenhouse effect lover", "The arsonist firefighter of hatred" and "How to get rid of him."
The issue also includes a nice, little article by Jim Harrison titled "The soul of America" and an editorial titled "The crusade of Bush and Putin."
Meanwhile, between two prayers at the Mosque of Paris, Villepin found the time to publish another book, titled "The shark and the seagull." One wonders if Villepin doesn't have a ghostwriter (in French, un nègre, a negro). Le Monde, groveling to Dom, published the introduction of the book, which it presents as "Villepin's vision of the world in the light of the Iraqi crisis."
Excerpt:
This book is richer thanks to the conviction that France was never more herself than when she was looking towards the universal and she was audacious enough to embrace the elsewhere. Our country has a message of hope to deliver. It can appease the turmoil of fear and hatred by offering the perspective of justice. France, average power, a nation like others? No, but a power in the peoples' service, power awaited, hoped for and heard, in love with the values of tolerance, democracy and peace. Power in service of a universality that it defended along the centuries by force and laws, and that cannot live today but on respect and exchange.
UPDATE: Now, here's a book you wanna read
Why Bush will be re-elected. What will happen whether he is or not re-elected.
Posted by Carine at September 17, 2004 09:47 AMCongratulations - I got queasy at three separate points in that article. I think that's a recoed.
Posted by: Doug at September 17, 2004 03:54 PMAt least one thing those people are good at: making us all sick.
Posted by: Carine at September 17, 2004 09:51 PMPower in service of a universality that it defended along the centuries by force and laws, and that cannot live today but on respect and exchange. -tell it to Ivory Coast Domineek
I watched a program about a fellow who was on a mission to spend 17 days on a remote Island in the south Pacific. Nothing but a spit of land mostly corals and a few coconut trees. He had to charter a fishing boat which just happened to be heading in that direction, to get there. We're talking God forsaken useless end of the Earth remote. WHy he wanted to go there I can't remember. It was for the Nat. Geographic and I imagine it had to do with ancient peoples traveling to South America or some such nonsence.
Anyhow the poor guy is hit by storms, waves, bit by crabs, sunburnt, starved, parched (he had to collect rainwater to drink) generally he had a miserable time.
The reason I bring it up was he never got to finish his alloted time period. A French Naval Destroyer floated up on the horizon and shouted at him through a bullhorn that he was trespassing. Then anchored and badgered him into leaving. It took a day and a half for a boat to get there to pick him up. The Destroyer was still sitting there when he was collected by a different fishing boat.
I suppose it is reassuring to know that in todays modern world there is a zero possiblity of Gilligan being stranded on an uncharted desert isle. But I couldn't help thinking of the French Navy, what a bunch of pricks.
Posted by: papertiger at September 18, 2004 05:07 AMThat picture of the cover has been photoshopped to cover GWB's face in creepy sinister shadow, right?
I can't imagine him being photgraphed that way...
If anyone has an 'agenda', it's Nouvel Obs.
I can hardly stand to go into a 'presse' (place where the French go to buy their newspapers and magazines) anymore. It's all so anti-American...
Posted by: Valerie at September 18, 2004 11:10 AM
Valerie,
You 're not alone in boycotting the press stands.
Le monde and figaro sales figures are down 12-15%(i don't even bother to count the copies they "give" for free to airliners, counting them as sales), and le monde plans to fire 100 personnel.
As for nouvel obs and al, you must understand that they have a captive readership, who beforehand agrees with its content(like "humanité",the communist party paper).
The most successful paper medias in france are Tvmags and gossipy rags.
That's cultural refinement ......
Posted by: frenchfregoli at September 18, 2004 12:26 PMNo no, Valerie, that's just the way GWB likes to be portrayed: dark, sinister and evil.
Perfect to scare poor, little, objective and innocent journalists.
Posted by: Carine at September 18, 2004 12:30 PMFrenchfregoli,
A couple of months ago, I received a free copy of Le Nouvel Obs in my mail box, one with the picture of Bush and Sharon and a title saying something like "those who are putting the world on fire."
I immediately called them to ask them how they got my address (complete with floor and apt. # - actually, I have an idea who is selling addresses to rags like Nouvel Obs now). Of course they refused to answer. And I told them to never ever again send me one issue of their rag. That even if they paid me a million to be a subscriber, I wouldn't want their trash. You think they would have asked why. Of course they didn't bother asking.
Same story when I unsubscribed from Canal +.
But I think you're right, they're slowly but steadily losing readers and viewers.
Posted by: Carine at September 18, 2004 12:39 PMthat is so weird. In the States MSM or legacy media is losing its readership also but for the exact opposite reason. Our press is losing because they openly lie about the Government... wait a minute . I suppose the French media is losing thier readership because they lie about our government too? also because bloggers are kicking the mainstreams ass.
Posted by: papertiger at September 19, 2004 07:43 AMThat cover photo is a screen capture from the DNC video smear "fortunate son".
The video is interesting because it appeared two hours after 60 minutes did its now infamous smear job on GW, called Rathergate. Sure enough Dandy Dan has a prominent role in "fortunate son" interviewing Ben Barnes, the Kerry fund raiser, who claims suddenly to have wealed his vast influence as the future Lt. Governor of Texas (he hadn't been elected to that position yet at the time of W's enlistment) to get Bush into the TANG.
Also the dreaded memos rear their computer generated heads.
Thanks for the information, Paper.
(munch, munch...)
Posted by: Valerie at September 19, 2004 11:02 AM
