Bastille Day

[Pete]

Today is Bastille Day, France's national holiday. Does this mean we have to say nice things about Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles de Gaulle ("Vivre le Quebec libre")?

Allons enfants de la Patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé!
L'étendard sanglant est levé!
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes
Mugir ces féroces soldats?
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Egorger nos fils et nos compagnes!

Aux armes, citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons!
Marchons ! marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons!

Information

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[goo]

How many Frenchmen does it take to change a light bulb? One. He holds the bulb and all of Europe revolves around him.
The only way the French are going in is if we tell them we found truffles in Iraq. - Dennis Miller
As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure. -Jacques Chirac, former President of France. Rush Limbaugh: As far as France is concerned, you're right.
France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." —Mark Twain
I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me. - General George S. Patton
Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion. - Norman Schwartzkopf
We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it. - Marge Simpson
The only time France wants us to go to war is when the German Army is sitting in Paris sipping coffee. - Regis Philbin
The French are a smallish, monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better, on average, than the citizens of Baltimore. True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whiskey I don't know. - P.J O'Rourke
You know, the French remind me a little bit of an aging actress of the 1940's who was still trying to dine out on her looks but doesn't have the face for it. - John McCain, US Senator from Arizona.
Bon Mots that almost got away:

An old saying: Raise your right hand if you like the French. Raise both hands if you are French.
Next time there's a war in Europe, the loser has to keep France.

[TomSudz]

We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it. - Marge Simpson

I had a little mirror with that on it on my wall locker in Iraq!

[Vern Humphrey]

I was in France the week before the 200th anniversary of Bastille day. That was the day they started to plan for it.

The French have contracted with the Chinese to learn how to hold fire drills.

[gunner]

Hopefuly there is no war in europe. I dont like croissants for breakfest.
Have to say there are many nice people in the Alsace

[JDBoardman]

During the Napoleonic Wars, a senior French officer was interrogating a captured British officer.

"Monseur, why do you wear the red coats, they make you stand out on
the battlefield?"

"We wear scarlet tunics so if wounded, the sight of blood will not cause
the troops to panic"

This explains why, to this day, the French Army wears brown trousers.

[mhb]

Well, in Chiangmai, in Northern Thailand, in 1970, if memory serves (and it is sometimes unreliable, of late), I was part of a 15-man Army detachment living in rented apartments which were part of the complex belonging to the premiere hotel in that place. Late one night (or very early in the morning) that July, I was awakened from my hard-earned (well, needed) rest by the damndest racket of screeching, shouting, fireworks, etc., coming from the vicinity of the swimming pool, which lay between our hovel and the hotel itself. Since we (the detachment) weren't making the disturbance ourselves, this was unusual. I staggered out of the house toward the pool to see what the devil was going on - on nearing the pool, I could hear the unmistakeable din of drunken French tourists, slurring the Marseillaise at the top of their lungs. Thinking about it for a moment, I realized they were celebrating Bastille Day (as we had celebrated the 4th of July a few days earlier). I shouted 'Vive la France!', to show my support for international fraternity, and staggered back to bed.
Laissez les bon temps rouller!
mhb - Mike

[Ken The Kanuck]

Well, in Chiangmai, in Northern Thailand, in 1970, if memory serves (and it is sometimes unreliable, of late), I was part of a 15-man Army detachment living in rented apartments which were part of the complex belonging to the premiere hotel in that place. Late one night (or very early in the morning) that July, I was awakened from my hard-earned (well, needed) rest by the damndest racket of screeching, shouting, fireworks, etc., coming from the vicinity of the swimming pool, which lay between our hovel and the hotel itself. Since we (the detachment) weren't making the disturbance ourselves, this was unusual. I staggered out of the house toward the pool to see what the devil was going on - on nearing the pool, I could hear the unmistakeable din of drunken French tourists, slurring the Marseillaise at the top of their lungs. Thinking about it for a moment, I realized they were celebrating Bastille Day (as we had celebrated the 4th of July a few days earlier). I shouted 'Vive la France!', to show my support for international fraternity, and staggered back to bed.
Laissez les bon temps rouller!
mhb - Mike

Ahh Chiangmai, Iused to love walking around at daybreak looking at the temples which were mirrored on the outside and looking at the redish colours reflecting off of them, went up to ChiangRai and trekked into the Golden Triangle. That to produced some good memories. Ever go down the Mekong in those boats with the outboard motors with the long drive shaft?

Mid 70's for me.

KTK

[mhb]

Yep. I spent nearly 8 years altogether in Thailand, between late 1969 and 1991, finishing-up my overseas service with 4-plus years working out of the Embassy in Bangkok. During my last term there, I had a sign over my desk: "Golden Triangle Tours", because, as a Thai linguist, and someone who spent most of my time running the borders, I got to lead all the visiting firemen around to the spots of interest. I tried every mode of transportation available, from the Samlor three-wheelers through baht busses, trains, etc., to oxcarts and, on one occasion, elephant-back. And, of course, the long-tailed boats 'rua hang yow'.
mhb - Mike

[Pete]

Seeing as how it's the French national holiday we ought to say something about them. The First World War wouldn't have been won without the heavy sacrifices French army and during that conflict we copied the G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4 form of staff organization from their army. The five-paragraph field order format we learned from the British in 1917.