There used to be saying of the Gael of old..."The wee man is worse than a Frenchman" IS MIOSA 'M FEAR BEAG NA FRANGACH.
The story goes that there was a wee Srathspey man callen John MacAndrew, a noted bowman previously of the (French) King's Own Scottish Archers. He was beset by his enemies and they broke down the door of his house. Wee Johnnie crouched in the corner with his back to the wall and as his enemies
invaded his unlit house they charged into the dark and where silhouetted against the door from with the light of the Highland gloaming.
Wee Johnnie proceded to shoot down and kill his enemies one by one until none were left.
The widows of the attackers said the wee man was "worse than a Frenchman"
Being as the story is about archery it probably took place in the early to mid sixteenth century or at the lastest the 17th century because by the 18th century firearms were beginning to take the place of bows in Scotland.
But at the time as you can see from the context of the story Frenchman had a brave reputation. What happened?
The Great War happened.
Auld Pop had great respect for the fighting qualities of the common French "poilu" in 1915 and in 1917 both on the Western Front and in the Struma Valley (Greece/Bulgaria).
But he also used to say, "the only good Frenchmen, sad to say, are dead Frenchmen."
To stop the Germans in the First War France drafted every able bodied man age 16-49 into the army and they suffered 73% casualties and over two million killed. By the end of the war their spirit was gone and they were filling the ranks with ill-trained African mercenaries led by a handful of French NCO's and officers.
Even in WWII and Vietnam the French were scraping the bottom of the barrel. They had soldiers in the combat arms with one eye and one arm.
And most of all the French women led the way of the Latin women (the Spanish and Italians) have followed in their footsteps of being very anti-war and having very few children one or none.
If you have an only child and its a boy, perhaps the only boy of his generation in his family, he is not going to be a rough and ready type nor will he be encouraged to join the priesthood or the military.
But we will have to re-visit the old French saying....it is hard to know what could be worse than a Frenchman of those who are supposed to be on "our side."
But then again by 2100 France will be a majority Moslem country and an Arabic-speaking one? Will French slips into minority status? Stranger things have happened.
After all the Gaels once ruled most of Western Europe until those thug Latins and brute Germans started pushing us out. I personally think it is time we asked for reparations. Half the city of Paris will do nicely and an apartment in Munich.
When we burned Rome to the ground in 390 BC we should have finished the job but Brennus took a dive and accepted the payoff of gold and (probably barrels of wine).
Who are the French anyway?
Franks (Germans) watered down and buttered down by soft Gallic lasses and a lot of red wine....hey their food and cheese is still great and....my brother-in-law is half-French and a great guy (even though he is a peacenik most of the time but I told him he needed worry the MUNROS wil protect him and his money when push comes to shove. He laughs. He likes Scotland and the Munros. He married one so he knows how fierce and independent we can be. He says my sister is when her 'Irish is up" as untamed as a Mustang and wilder than than a Gypsy.
The last person who tried to rob her ended up with a broken arm. While getting on the freeway one early AM an intruder tried to break into her car.
She had left the driver's door unlocked. She didn't hesitate...she floored the car and went from 5mph to 80 in ten seconds and nearly tore the man's arm off.
Touch not the cat but with a glove. Life isn't all cheese. Maybe the French forgot that. Life has been too easy for them. Maybe a few more years of Nazi occupation might have stirred them up a little. But as it is we alway bailed them out. So that's what's the matter!
Posted by: Ricardo Munro on September 27, 2003 10:12 PM
What kind of utter twat writes of the French suffering millions of dead fighting fascism (as they indeed did) and then announces -
Life since 1940 has been too easy on France. Get your facts straight France suffered MILLIONS of DEAD fighting Imperial Germany in WWI
...they suffered almost embarassingly few casualties "fighting Fascism " in WWII... Both Britain and France ony suffered a fraction of the casualties they suffered in WWI in WWII. As I recall Britain lost about 950,000 in WWI and about 300,000 killed in WWII. The USA lost about 400,000 killed in all of WWII.
France didn't come close to that not in WWII...the heavy fighting was done by the Brits, the Aussies, the Canadians, the Indians, the USA and the Russians above all not the French....they barely fought in 1940 and were out of the war except for token forces that never exceeded 100,000 men and were totally equipped and financed by the USA. The Brazilians contributed about 30% of that and proportionately suffered ten times the casulaties the French did. Mostly in Italy and southern France.
What does that tell you???
Posted by: Ricardo Munro on September 29, 2003 11:43 PM
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Posted by: Denk Jeremy
on December 10, 2003 11:29 PM
A person never tells you anything until contradicted.
Posted by: Fryling Milo
on December 21, 2003 01:50 AM
There used to be saying of the Gael of old..."The wee man is worse than a Frenchman" IS MIOSA 'M FEAR BEAG NA FRANGACH.
The story goes that there was a wee Srathspey man callen John MacAndrew, a noted bowman previously of the (French) King's Own Scottish Archers. He was beset by his enemies and they broke down the door of his house. Wee Johnnie crouched in the corner with his back to the wall and as his enemies
invaded his unlit house they charged into the dark and where silhouetted against the door from with the light of the Highland gloaming.
Wee Johnnie proceded to shoot down and kill his enemies one by one until none were left.
The widows of the attackers said the wee man was "worse than a Frenchman"
Being as the story is about archery it probably took place in the early to mid sixteenth century or at the lastest the 17th century because by the 18th century firearms were beginning to take the place of bows in Scotland.
But at the time as you can see from the context of the story Frenchman had a brave reputation. What happened?
The Great War happened.
Auld Pop had great respect for the fighting qualities of the common French "poilu" in 1915 and in 1917 both on the Western Front and in the Struma Valley (Greece/Bulgaria).
But he also used to say, "the only good Frenchmen, sad to say, are dead Frenchmen."
To stop the Germans in the First War France drafted every able bodied man age 16-49 into the army and they suffered 73% casualties and over two million killed. By the end of the war their spirit was gone and they were filling the ranks with ill-trained African mercenaries led by a handful of French NCO's and officers.
Even in WWII and Vietnam the French were scraping the bottom of the barrel. They had soldiers in the combat arms with one eye and one arm.
And most of all the French women led the way of the Latin women (the Spanish and Italians) have followed in their footsteps of being very anti-war and having very few children one or none.
If you have an only child and its a boy, perhaps the only boy of his generation in his family, he is not going to be a rough and ready type nor will he be encouraged to join the priesthood or the military.
But we will have to re-visit the old French saying....it is hard to know what could be worse than a Frenchman of those who are supposed to be on "our side."
But then again by 2100 France will be a majority Moslem country and an Arabic-speaking one? Will French slips into minority status? Stranger things have happened.
After all the Gaels once ruled most of Western Europe until those thug Latins and brute Germans started pushing us out. I personally think it is time we asked for reparations. Half the city of Paris will do nicely and an apartment in Munich.
When we burned Rome to the ground in 390 BC we should have finished the job but Brennus took a dive and accepted the payoff of gold and (probably barrels of wine).
Who are the French anyway?
Franks (Germans) watered down and buttered down by soft Gallic lasses and a lot of red wine....hey their food and cheese is still great and....my brother-in-law is half-French and a great guy (even though he is a peacenik most of the time but I told him he needed worry the MUNROS wil protect him and his money when push comes to shove. He laughs. He likes Scotland and the Munros. He married one so he knows how fierce and independent we can be. He says my sister is when her 'Irish is up" as untamed as a Mustang and wilder than than a Gypsy.
The last person who tried to rob her ended up with a broken arm. While getting on the freeway one early AM an intruder tried to break into her car.
She had left the driver's door unlocked. She didn't hesitate...she floored the car and went from 5mph to 80 in ten seconds and nearly tore the man's arm off.
Touch not the cat but with a glove. Life isn't all cheese. Maybe the French forgot that. Life has been too easy for them. Maybe a few more years of Nazi occupation might have stirred them up a little. But as it is we alway bailed them out. So that's what's the matter!
Posted by: Ricardo Munro on September 27, 2003 10:12 PMWhat kind of utter twat writes of the French suffering millions of dead fighting fascism (as they indeed did) and then announces -
"Life has been too easy for them".
Posted by: A_V on September 28, 2003 09:11 AMLife since 1940 has been too easy on France. Get your facts straight France suffered MILLIONS of DEAD fighting Imperial Germany in WWI
...they suffered almost embarassingly few casualties "fighting Fascism " in WWII... Both Britain and France ony suffered a fraction of the casualties they suffered in WWI in WWII. As I recall Britain lost about 950,000 in WWI and about 300,000 killed in WWII. The USA lost about 400,000 killed in all of WWII.
France didn't come close to that not in WWII...the heavy fighting was done by the Brits, the Aussies, the Canadians, the Indians, the USA and the Russians above all not the French....they barely fought in 1940 and were out of the war except for token forces that never exceeded 100,000 men and were totally equipped and financed by the USA. The Brazilians contributed about 30% of that and proportionately suffered ten times the casulaties the French did. Mostly in Italy and southern France.
What does that tell you???
Posted by: Ricardo Munro on September 29, 2003 11:43 PMNever underestimate the power of human stupidity.
Posted by: Denk Jeremy on December 10, 2003 11:29 PMA person never tells you anything until contradicted.
Posted by: Fryling Milo on December 21, 2003 01:50 AM