February 10, 2003
A MODEST PROPOSAL:
In Mel Gibson's The Patriot, a film that has numerous drawbacks, there's one very effective device that we might borrow. His character, Benjamin Martin, watches helplessly as his brave but foolhardy young son is gunned down by a savage British dragoon. When Benjamin sets out to take his vengeance he melts down the boy's lead soldiers and molds them into bulletts, allowing the dead boy to participate spiritually in the fight for a freedom he'll never get to enjoy himself. Perhaps it might be appropriate at this time to do the same thing with the Statue of Liberty.If there ever was a time when the French cared about Liberty--a proposition about which I'm skeptical--that day died long ago, as witness their willingness to let the Iraqi people suffer under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. Suppose then that in the spirit of a France that once was, perhaps in the spirit of Lafayette, we melt down the Statue of Liberty and use it in the first warhead we launch during this coming war?
UPDATE:
Americans' Opinions of France Drop to New Low: Germany and North Korea also rated more unfavorably this year (Frank Newport, February 10, 2003, GALLUP NEWS SERVICE)
Americans have a sharply more unfavorable image of France than they have had at any point over the past decade. Favorable opinions of the country have dropped 20 points in the last year, while unfavorable opinions have risen by 17 points. Americans' attitudes toward Germany, which, like France, has balked at approving the U.S. position on the necessity of military action against Iraq, have also become substantially more negative since last year. The image of North Korea in the minds of Americans, already quite negative, has become even more so this year compared to last.
Britain richly deserves it's top ranking. In case you missed it, C-SPAN rebroadcasts Prime Minister's Question Time and they've a video of the session of 1/29/03 that's truly extraordinary. If you skip to the 29th minute (there's more on Iraq earlier but this is the best part) you'll get Mr. Blair facing down his own backbenchers and his declaration that North Korea is next and we won't stop there. It's quite thrilling. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 10, 2003 1:51 PM
Must disagree with you here, Brother Judd. The Statue of Liberty may have come from France, but she's a dyed-red-white-and-blue-in-the-wool naturalized citizen, and has been for over a century.
Using scrap steel from the WTC and scrap aluminum from Flight 93 in our impliments of war, however, is a great idea.
Darn, Mike, you beat me to it. Don't touch Lady Liberty, but wow, what a great use for the scrap from 911!
Posted by: Jorge at February 10, 2003 2:16 PMI'm with Mike . . . We rescued Lady Liberty from her disreputable French past when we rejected Victor Hugo's gassy poem and engraved that of Emma Lazarus on the base:
"Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips.
"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
You guys are thinking too small. We recast the Statue using debris from the WTC and have the best of both worlds.
Posted by: oj at February 10, 2003 3:45 PMPerhaps the most apropos description of the French comes from Lenny on the Simpsons: Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys. It's almost funny enough to make baked brie squirt out your nose.
Posted by: John Resnick at February 10, 2003 5:08 PM> Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys
Haven't you guys been reading the Corner? It sounds even grander in French:
Primates capitulards et toujours en quete de fromages
For shame, Mr. Judd. The Statue of Liberty is now fully American whatever her orgins. I'd hate to think what you'd say about my husband who is mostly German and French (although even I've teased him that it is his Irish great-great grandmother that redeems him). Surely, once they make it to our shores they are wholly American. Even Lady Liberty.
Now the idea of using scrap from the WTC, Flight 93 and the Pentagon for warheads appeals to me in many ways. And, I'd love to see the iron cross recovered at the WTC used in some kind of a memorial.
Maybe we could just humilate the French by ignoring bicycle racing from now on. There's a win-win situation.
Posted by: Harry at February 11, 2003 5:11 PMHarry:
We already do better than that, we ignore the bike race (what was the name of it again, Tour de Weasels or something like that?) and one of our guys wins it every year. Very galling for them (or is it gualing?).