Honour the dead or not

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If you have to get killed for your country it seems like it is best to die for France.

I saw the live coverage of the burial ceremony of the nine French soldiers killed in Ivory Coast on French national TV last night. And it was "magnifique"! Against the setting of the Dome des Invalides, the French national place of burial, the coffins were carried under Chopin's death march and regimental bugle calls from an honour guard of hundreds of fellow soldiers. The president of the Republic himself delivered a moving speech and handed out posthumous medals. It was all very well choreographed and very dignified.

I cannot receive US TV over here, but the impression I get from news reports is that the US dead are more or less smuggled back to the States with press coverage denied or discouraged and no presidential speeches at Arlington, etc. Is Bush ashamed of the people he has sent to their deaths?

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Some would opine it is more honor by far to those fallen in their nation's service, and more honorable, to grant them and their families privacy, respect, and dignity, and to press unflinchingly, unstintingly and unceasingly for the just and successful resolution of the cause for which they gave all than to exploit their sacrifice in the interest of public entertainment and political expedience.

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timberlandko wrote:

Some would opine it is more honor by far to those fallen in their nation's service, and more honorable, to grant them and their families privacy, respect, and dignity, and to press unflinchingly, unstintingly and unceasingly for the just and successful resolution of the cause for which they gave all than to exploit their sacrifice in the interest of public entertainment and political expedience.

Well, that is a nice piece of hypocrisy, as if Bush has not milked the 911 event for every drop of political gain he could get out of it to the point of having his party's convention in New York.

In France the families of the fallen all have had the option to have a private burial, but they have chosen to have their loved ones honoured in a national ceremony. Bush has yet to answer the bereaved mothers, fathers and other family and friends of US soldiers who died in Iraq, why their kids had to die.

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And some 60.5 Million Americans, a sampling larger than the population of France, would opine that's a bunch of nonsense. So would some 50 Million folks no longer governed by the Taliban or the Ba'ath Party.

"French Approval" is about as valuable to most of The US as is a tapeworm to its host.

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timberlandko wrote:

And some 60.5 Million Americans, a sampling larger than the population of France, would opine that's a bunch of nonsense. So would some 50 Million folks no longer governed by the Taliban or the Ba'ath Party.

"French Approval" is about as valuable to most of The US as is a tapeworm to its host.

What is your point? We were talking about honouring the fallen soldiers. Nobody said the French had to approve of the US or vice versa. The point I have made is that the French President has honoured its fallen soldiers in person on national TV, while the American President has not been present at any funeral even though he has had over 1000 opportunities.

And being arrogant does not equal being right.

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Tell that to the french :-)

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Honour the dead or not

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