"It will ridicule Belgium on the world stage ... I'm accusing them of blackening our name."

The dictionary definition of someone who can dish it out but can't take it. What a complete and total loser.

Someone (me?) should file a complaint against the entire country of Belgium for what they did to the Congo years ago. Nasty little poodles they are.

LOL! Schadenfreude, anyone?

"This is extremely irresponsible. It's completely crazy and irrational," Michel told reporters at a European summit in Greece.

Bwa ha ha ha ha! Sucks being held to the same standards, doesn't it, you smug, elitist pup.

Paint it black, you devil!

"It will ridicule Belgium on the world stage"

Yeah, like that's hard to do.

ha ha ha. ha ha ha.

It will ridicule Belgium on the world stage ... I'm accusing them of blackening our name."

Personally speaking I come here for the chuckle value and the leftist are a never, ever ending source of some pretty damn good chuckles

Well, the Phlegmish hawked up a good one!...

[Link: www.google.com...]

This is so freakin' funny that I just wet my pants.

yay

So the Chocolate Poodles are Merchants of Death. What next, French hypocrisy in Africa?

The Belgian Waffle: "This is extremely irresponsible. It's completely crazy and irrational"

What's sauce for the goose.....

Hee hee hee

That is soooooo good!

I laugh about this stuff until I remember that my sons' lives are pledge to defend Michel should anything happen to Belgium. And, unlike Belgium, we would honor that commitment despite the fact that the country is the most hateful little squalid can-no-even-prosecute-pedophile-torturer-killers shithole in Europe.

Poetic justice. What comes around...

Not to rain on the schadenfreude, but I don't think the Belgian Foreign Ministry has much to do with this goofy "worldwide Belgian jurisdiction" law, do they? Presumably this particular bad idea was thought up by that country's Parliament. I also seem to recall having read that the government has been pressuring to have it repealed, mindful of how much damage it's causing.

And I give up... what is the "none so black" quote from? I couldn't recognize the voice.

ahhh...it warms the heart. a snake devouring its own tail.

Occasional Reader

sounds like JOseph COnrad...may be a allusion to the Belgian atrocities in the Congo...

Don't you just HATE IT when that happens?

BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

I love it! We have the basis for an entirely new metaphorical cliche'. Belgium now proves that it is possible to "pull oneself down by your own bootstraps".

This whole ICC was a pathetic joke to begin with. Instead of affording an increasing respect for law, over-reaching schemes such as the one embodied by this preposterous court only breed contempt and disrespect of the law.

I thought Chimay was the only good thing to come out of Belgium... and now this story...

Love it.

#17 Occasional Reader

Michel is also the president of the Mouvement Réformateur, the #1 Wallon political party. The MR voted that law -- and so did Louis Michel.

What is this thing, a Monopoly card that says "Sue one other player for anything." ?

"I'm bringing you before the Belgian Court for wearing plaid!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'm trying you for war crimes because you took my parking place!"

And to think they have international authority? How unilateral!

As funny as tyhis is, I still highly doubt that the Belgians will seriously reconsider /revoke this particular law.

Louis Michel missed a good opportunity to shut up, that's for sure...

With this type of buffoonery going on in Belgikistan (speaking as a former foreign diplomatic staffer in Brussels - with NATO, not the EU, thank you very much) it is hard to see how ANYONE could POSSIBLY be concerned about the International Criminal Court being politicized......

....yaaaarghhh...snort.....

....Sorry, tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.

Reap the whirlwind, waffle-eating wafflers.

- Birdgunner

#25 Raj Against The Machine

Louis Michel missed a good opportunity to shut up, that's for sure...

He voted that law, ordered his party to vote that law, now it comes back to bite him in the ass. I think he missed a good opportunity to vote against, first.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#23 Caton:

Well... in that case...

[orchestra swells]

[Schaden]freude, schoner Gotterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium!...

Those who live in Scheiss houses should keep their mouths shut.

"It will ridicule Belgium on the world stage ... I'm accusing them of blackening our name."

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

What is not so funny is that NATO still keeps its HQ in Belgium. That means some day some Euroweenie is going to claim ICC jurisdiction over some US military personnel or DoD staffer (maybe even higher up) and have them arrested, for the sole purpose of forcing the US to consent to the court's jurisdiction even if it is only to argue for the release of the prisoner.

The court is bogus, its purpose is essential another socialist gambit to exercise authority without a real basis for it.

The US should take no chances of being ensnared. NATO HQ should be moved promptly.

ploome #19: I've read Heart of Darkness and I don't recall that quote. I don't think it's Conrad. Anyway, the link is to a voice recording that sounds relatively recent (Conrad died in 1924).

I love that law. Rumsfeld is correct. It will make it virtually impossible for Belgium to keep the headquarters of NATO, and it may eventually make it difficult for Brussels to be the so-called capital of the EU.

All that and there's little chance of ever prosecuting political targets successfully under it. The law seems a work of art and thing of beauty to me. Then again, I don't have Belgium's best interests at heart.

"Sublime schadenfreude; the Foreign Minister of Belgium is being accused of war crimes under the same law that has been used against Ariel Sharon, President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

in case no one has gotten to this yet, the quote (re: post #17) is from Spinal Tap, the funniest movie ever, next to Ninja Bachelor Party.

So does anyone else have an idea of the provenance of the "none so black" quote? Anyone? Anyone besides Lisa Simpson?

HEH!!

And just how good is this other one from EU headquarters:

MPs accuse EU commission of looting cover-up

Chris Heaton-Harris, a Tory MEP, said millions of pounds of public money had vanished into the hands of a clique of officals serving as directors of related companies. "I'm convinced this has been a huge cover-up and the commission never had any intention of solving any of these problems until forced to by allegations in the press," he said.

Thanks for the link to Spinal Tap. More please.

DR

"Michel, an outspoken critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, was furious about the allegations against him."

Ya just gotta hate when sh*t like this happens to yourself! Sucks to be Michel, for sure....

#2 Sharkman
I have always wondered that myself. How could Belgium hold trials for anyone when their hands are still bloody from raping Congo.

...Spinal Tap?

#39 David: ah! so that's what it was. I wasn't sure. The black LP cover, lol... :-)

So, Charles: will be the end for the Belgian Foreign Minister?

*nudge nudge*

It should be mentioned that Nepal needs those arms to fight the Maoist communist rebels that want to overthrow the government and turn it over to China.

[Link: www.worldpress.org...]

Oh, Belgium!

This is a start -- but only a start.
Belgian students are not told of the Belgian genocide against the people of the Congo. When are they going to face up to that?
The Belgians have given themselves the right to be judges over everyone in the world, but they have not come face to face with the genocide they perpetrated in the Congo. Hypocrites.

Occasional:

So does anyone else have an idea of the provenance of the "none so black" quote? Anyone? Anyone besides Lisa Simpson?

The "none more black" is a reference to the cover of the Spinal Tap album Smell the Glove, which is ... well, black.

I suggest a homework assignment for everybody this weekend: watch Spinal Tap, and read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

Additional homework that is really powerful: Adam Hochschild's "Leopold's Ghost" a book came out about 1 year ago about the millions killed in the Belgian Congo and how nobody gives a rats ass because the victims were 'just' African tribesmen (and women and children). What the beglies did there is hideous, deliberate maiming of women and children, awful sick stuff for which they have escaped paying any price. And they sit in judgment of others?!?! Read ye of it. It is vy well written.

If people from France are French, are people from Belgium Belch?

#47 Mare

When did the Belgians murder of the Congolese take place?

LMAO

Right! And please remember that it was BELGIUM who supplied the main battle-rifles (FN-FAL's) that were used by the Israeli Defence Forces when they conquered the "Proud & Ancient Palestinian Nation"----and seized their Holy Capital "Al Quds". Sooooooo........I suppose that the investors, employees, and management of Fabrique National---past and present, should be arrested for their part in the destruction and occupation of the "Palestinian Nation".

What's good for the goose, should be good for the goosed!

Advice to the Belgian Foreign Minister. What goes 'round comes 'round and bites you in the butt.

in the imortal words of Nelson Munz...Haa Haa

The Belgians previously apologized to Rwandans (what's left of them, anyway) for standing around with their mouths hanging open while hundreds of thousands of people were being murdered in 1994. Verhofstadt said "I confirm that the international community as a whole carries a huge and heavy responsibility in the genocide ..."

Luckily for the Belgians and other members of the "international community", they won't have to carry any "huge and heavy responsibility" for more genocide in Iraq, because we cleared that matter up ... with no f----g help from them.

You're welcome!

#48 -- I love it!

#41 zaza

Spinal tap was a satiric "documentary" of a rock group by the same name. One of the most hilarious movies ever made.

Comment from one of the Iranian protesters:

"I work with a human rights NGO here in Tehran. Everyone is pointing fingers at the United States and hurling insults at that country. What makes me absolutely sick is the European Union's appeasement of Iran. For 24 years my country has suffered at the hands of tyrants who in the name of religion do as they please and issue 'fatwas' on a daily basis. The pinnacle of this appeasement was the closing down of the Mujaheddin offices in Paris."
Azad, Iran

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

From Biased Bullshit Corp's Iranian "Have Your Say" remarks.

"What makes me absolutely sick is the European Union's appeasement of Iran."

You go, guy!

The only thing more pleasing for me to read then the IDF killing some subhuman potential splodeydope member of the RoP is to read about the Frogs or their chocolate poodles getting a comeuppance.

BELGIAN ARMY ARRIVES AT O'HARE; BUSH ARREST SCHEDULED TUESDAY

Chicago - An elite force of 400 highly trained Belgian military arrived this afternoon at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where Field Marshall Claude Daubuisson vowed "an all out offensive" to arrest US President George W. Bush, "after we locate several pieces of lost luggage."

The lost luggage incident was the latest setback in the Belgian effort to bring Bush to justice for international war crimes, following a brief flare up at the Duty Free Shop when Daubuisson was not permitted to buy a second carton of Marlboros. The Belgian Army was also stymied in their effort to make a direct assault on Washington when they were unable to obtain SuperSaver tickets to Dulles on Air France.

"How were we to know the invasion was on a blackout date?" complained Foreign Minister Louis Michel.

Pacing nervously near an empty baggage carousel in O'Hare's Terminal 5, Daubuisson said that his elite SpecOps team had a fluid, rapid-contigency battle plan in place for such setbacks. "Our rental car team has already been deployed to the Avis counter to postpone our reservations," he noted, "and we made sure to bring the confirmation number."

Air France baggage claim spokeswoman LaTasha Cummings noted, "I don't know where they damn bags is. You can fill out a damn voucher. I'm on break."

Daubbuisson said that the Belgian Army would bivouac at the nearby Red Roof Inn tonight, and embark on the land-assault portion of their mission at 0900 hours tomorrow after complimentary breakfast.

"Do you know where we can get a good roadmap?" he asked.

I'm pretty sure I've asked about this, sorry, but didn't the French secure for themselves a ten-year immunity from the ICC before proceeding to bash the US for not joining?

My mom got a toy poodle once. It was a hateful and annoying little creature that seemed undeterred by its own insignificance.

From an Amazon review of "King Leopold's Ghost":

Amazon.com
"King Leopold of Belgium, writes historian Adam Hochschild in this grim history, did not much care for his native land or his subjects, all of which he dismissed as 'small country, small people.' Even so, he searched the globe to find a colony for Belgium, frantic that the scramble of other European powers for overseas dominions in Africa and Asia would leave nothing for himself or his people. When he eventually found a suitable location in what would become the Belgian Congo, later known as Zaire and now simply as Congo, Leopold set about establishing a rule of terror that would culminate in the deaths of 4 to 8 million indigenous people, 'a death toll,' Hochschild writes, 'of Holocaust dimensions.' Those who survived went to work mining ore or harvesting rubber, yielding a fortune for the Belgian king, who salted away billions of dollars in hidden bank accounts throughout the world. Hochschild's fine book of historical inquiry, which draws heavily on eyewitness accounts of the colonialists' savagery, brings this little-studied episode in European and African history into new light. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to the Hardcover edition."

Good old King Leo. Think we could dig his ass up and put him on trial in front of some international TV cameras? What a hoot that would be. Maybe I should incorporate and call myself "Sharkman's International Criminal Court for Foreigners - No American's Tried Here!" Probably lose my law license for impersonating a judge, but it might be worth it (the publicity, you see).

#58 Joel

The only thing more pleasing for me to read then the IDF killing some subhuman potential splodeydope member of the RoP is to read about the Frogs or their chocolate poodles getting a comeuppance.

Come on, nothing beats a work accident :-)

An open letter to Belgium:

Dear Belgium:

We humbly apologize for helping the British (and a few of the French) chase off the Germans in 1918, thereby saving you for the purpose of more serious truffle hunting.

We also humbly apologize for liberating your chocolote-covered, inconsiderate, ungrateful munchkin-like selves from the Germans again in 1944, but we do thank you for said chocolate.

Thanks, though, for hosting the Battle of Waterloo, and the Treaty of Ghent, and of course, and for being the butt of all the "French Poodle" jokes we made up during the run-up to Operation Kick Saddam's Ass in Under 45 Days.

Finally, f*ck you for your Genocide in the Congo way back when. You certainly have a lot of nerve telling the U.S. how to conduct its foreign policy. "Little country . . . Little People" indeed.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED . . .

Sharkman
Chief Justice
Sharkman's International Criminal Court for Foreigners
(No Americans Tried Here!)

Imagine Michel's surprise in realizing that the wind was blowing his own urine right back at him...

Ahum. this would be an excellent opportunity to whore^h^h^h^h^hpromote my own blog where more gossip and naughty details of the Belgian government can be found, amongst other things.

[Link: dof.skynetblogs.be...]

be seeing you,

The dog of Flanders

monsieur pot meet monsieur kettle----qui vous etes calling NOIRE--mothafuckier

#64 Sharkman

You are discriminating by saying that no american can be put on trial in your invented court, at least it isn't the case for the Belgians: they discriminate against no one.
if I do remeber well the mass killing of Vietnamese is a lot more recent than the congolese one performed by the Belgians so I wouldn't talk if I were you. I have nothing against all of you but I hate it when there is no real opposition, it feels like a Frontpage debate.

#67 chrono------------------like the people of the u.s. haven't acknowledged and owned up to our misguided vietnamese adventure for the last thirty years----as opposed to the belch's classical denial and rewriting of history-----by the way participation on one side of a civil war with good if muddled intentions does not equate to the congo black native robbery racist genocide--except for those with ideologically influenced historical blinkers

#67 chrono

"Mass killing" of Vietnamese, huh? Got a reliable source for that lie? Or are you trying to make an amoral equivalence between war and repression?

Field Marshall Claude Daubuisson has my sympathy. If there's anything the French are good at, it's losing luggage on their national carrier. If any of you are ever in Paris and see one of the locals wearing a yellow tee shirt with a picture of a sombrero wearing dachshund on it, tell the clown I want it back. Losing the luggage was insult to injury because I couldn't even get a decent cup of coffee on the flight.

#70 CC Phil

If you want decent coffee when flying to France from the U.S. (or vice-versa), fly Continental. I believe they are the only ones to have espresso machines.

ROFL!!

#69 Caton

I think Chrono is referring to My Lai and, sadly, that's true enough. Calley was convicted by a court martial, but Nixon pardoned him, if I recall correctly.

As for Continental, they're on my list too. Olympic is kind of scruffy, but I kind of like them.

#68 HULUGU

It seems to me that you make a lot of assumptions, I wants facts: are books on Congo being banned in Belgium or are you sure that the US governement had better intentions than the belgian monarchy (the common Belgian had of course no right whatsoever), the former can be checked but for the latter there is simply no way anybody could: I like the US but I also like Belgium so I will not let you spill hatred on it.

#71 Caton

If I remember correctly Belgium was at the time a monarchy and the king didn't of course give a damn if the people were for or against war.

#75 chrono -

Well, you don't remember quite right. Belgium was a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, same as they are now.

No doubt there were some really impressive Belgian anti-war protests ... yawn.

chrono:

I also like Belgium so I will not let you spill hatred on it.

Oh, don't get all excited. That's not hatred, it's just a little Glenlivet and Drambuie. It's good for the carpet.

You tell 'em, though. I don't care what anyone says --- I think the Belgian "War Crimes Tribunal" is really, really cute.

#75 chrono

If I remember correctly Belgium was at the time a monarchy and the king didn't of course give a damn if the people were for or against war.

Totally wrong.

Belgium has always been a constitutional monarchy, and the powers of the King are and have always been very, very limited. In addition, Congo was not a colony of Belgium, it was a private colony owned by the King -- and the King of Belgium cannot and never could order people around, declare war or send the army. While the King is, in name, Commander in Chief (and sometimes more than in name, as King Albert 1st proved), it's the elected gov't that decides the policies.

#77 and #78

You seem to know better than me the historical context but I sure would like to know what percentage of Belgians were for or against. I think I was wrong to bring up Vietnam, I shouldn't act like those I critize.

"the King of Belgium"

never been such a person, constitutionally, there is only a King of the Belgians. Congo was for a time his (Leopold II) personal property, later it became a Belgian colony.

#77

it's just a little Glenlivet and Drambuie. It's good for the carpet.

Could you please tell me who they are so that I can understand the comparison with what I wrote?

If you want trivia about evolution of democracy in Belgium, here comes:

First elections in 1831, only people paying a certain amount of income tax get to vote.

in 1893, all males 25 years and older get to vote. rich or educated people get an extra vote (rich and educated two extra votes).

in 1919 all males 21 years and older get to vote. no extra votes for the rich and educated.

in 1948 women also get to vote.

#79 chrono

*Sigh* Exactly what I feared...

The reference book for Congo is Le partage de l'Afrique Noire by Henri Brunschwig. I have a copy, I even know exactly where it is, but if I start unpacking books to answer questions, my wife will kill me. So this is from memory...

The defining moment in Belgium colonialism is the Berlin Conference in Nov. 1884. The Association Internationale du Congo, a company owned by Leopold II that ended up officially owning the "state of Congo" as defined by the Berlin Conference, enjoyed wide support in Belgium, IIRC around 70% -- which explains why Belgians took the risk of going to Congo when it was NOT a Belgian colony, and they had no gov't support.

dude, they are, like, single malts :-)

OMG, this thread on the chocolate poodles is hysterical. You guys only left one phrase out: Hoisted by (on?) their own petard.

Standouts:

Nekama (#30) LOL!

Iowahawk (#59) I think that's your best ever. You owe me a new laptop, monitor and keyboard. Diet Coke, computing and Iowahawk do not mix well.

Caton (#62) LMAO

Sharkman (#63) LMAO again.

CCPhil (#70) I dunno, AirFrance may have done you a favor, but I'm still sorry for your loss...

Glen Wishard (#77)

I don't care what anyone says --- I think the Belgian "War Crimes Tribunal" is really, really cute

Why I have always loved you.

#80 Dog of Flanders

"the King of Belgium"

never been such a person, constitutionally, there is only a King of the Belgians.

You are, of course, right. Sorry about that -- I misspoke.

Congo was for a time his (Leopold II) personal property, later it became a Belgian colony.

Well, actually, the state of Congo as defined by the 1884 Berlin Conference was "owned" by the AIC (i.e. the AIC had an international mandate to administer it in any way it wanted as long as free trade was allowed), and the AIC in turn was owned by Leopold II.

The Congo mandate was transferred to Belgium through the Colonial Charter of 1908, IIRC.

#84 Dog of Flanders

Huh... no. Drambuie is not a single malt. It's a whisky-based liquor. :-)

Almost forgot BH (#24) LOL!

and Model4

It was a hateful and annoying little creature that seemed undeterred by its own insignificance.

Aren't you confusing your mother's dog with GordonCliff Claven?

#83 Caton

enjoyed wide support in Belgium

Is that writen in the book? If so, I sure hope it isn't a revisionist one, left-wing academics usually exagerate facts.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

Hoist on their own succulent chocolate petard.

#59

"Do you know where we can get a good roadmap?" he asked.

*splutters all over the monitor*

Iowahawk, you're a riot!

#89 chrono

enjoyed wide support in Belgium

Is that writen in the book? If so, I sure hope it isn't a revisionist one, left-wing academics usually exagerate facts.

Yes, and the reasons for the support are explained in detail, too.

To put it shortly, after the 1870 war, European countries competed in Africa with small numbers of cartographers and explorers, each coming back with "treaties" and maps to assert their control of given zones, instead of waging war against each other. This was widely supported by every European, who preferred seeing a competition for drawing maps of Africa than yet another bloody European war.

The result of that competition, however, was that citizens of each country started being emotionally involved in those colonies. Belgium was a special case: the population widely supported the colonial effort, while the gov't didn't want to get involved. The reasong for the gov't not wanting to get involved in Congo was the lack of easy communications in Congo (or, as Leopold II put it, "without a railroad Congo isn't worth a franc").

When, through forced labor, the railroad was build, the gov't saw the King's ownership of the AIC as dangerous, because it gave the King some real power. At the same time the King wanted Belgium and the Belgians to profit from Congo. Hence the 1908 Colonial Charter, which everybody wanted but for vastly different reasons -- national pride for most, fear of the King's increasing power for the politicians, and real concern for his people for the King of Belgians.

#89 chrono

By the way -- if you have any doubt about Brunschwig's credentials, you know shit about history. I'm talking real historians here, people like Braudel, Duby, Conquest, ... and Brunschwig.

#85   mommydoc 

that's the title on USS Clueless, I believe

#67 chrono:

if I do remeber well the mass killing of Vietnamese is a lot more recent than the congolese one performed by the Belgians so I wouldn't talk if I were you.

No, you don't "remeber" well. Last time I read King Leopold's Ghost, ten million Congolese were murdered by the Belgians. When did the Americans murder ten million Vietnamese by working them to death, maiming them for disciplinary purposes and for general perversion, all during peacetime. Try reading the book or anything else sometime.

Could you please tell me who they[Glenlivet and Drambuie] are so that I can understand the comparison with what I wrote?

Now that was funny!

Hey hey, lets not forget here that the only reason we were in Vietnam in the first place was because the Communist North was completely ignoring ceasefires and all treaties it had signed and trying to invade the Republican South. We were trying to freakin defend South Vietnam (not for altruistic reasons mind you, but because we feared the spread of Communism). Eventually we withdrew because it was an unwinnable war, and then the real genocide began: The Stalinist purges and collectivization. Vietnam then became the poorest nation on earth for many years to come.

#96 Juliette

King Leopold's Ghost only covers the period from the Berlin Conference to the Colonial Charter. The slaughter had started before, but the worst was after the Colonial Charter. Serious estimations of the death toll in Congo range from 20 to 35 millions, from 1876 to 1960. And an additional couple of millions during the Katanga secession (1960-1963)...

#98 Allah Puncher

Eventually we withdrew because it was an unwinnable war, and then the real genocide began:

I would ask you to rephrase that, thank you. The reason we left was because the war had no support in the US. When politicians try to fight wars GIs die for no reason. Hence my hatred for slick willy. He caused my fellow military to die in numerous places throughout the world to keep the heat off him and his indiscretions. As happened in DS-1, OEF, and OIF, when the generals ran the war we kicked the shit out of our enemies. When the pols run the wars we get Vietnam, Somalia, and Haiti. There is no war my military cant win, as long as we are allowed to fight.

The DROLL TROLL guffawed mightily and commented on the unmitigated gall and inflated ego displayed by Michel referring to Belgium being important enough to be ridiculed on the World stage. Hell they couldn't even buy a ticket to get in the theater say nothing about being in the play even if it were a French Farce. A fool cannot be ridiculed only pitied.

#100 reaganite

I was about to post something like that, and then I thought again... Viet-Nam was politically unwinnable. The stupid part is that bombing the fucking dams would have forced the commies to choose between starving and surrendering -- and that would have taken less than the bombings on Hanoi...

#102 Caton
It was a different time. They were pissing their pants scared of the Russians and the Chinese. So as pols usually do, they half assed the war and 58,000+ Americans died for no reason, as they died in Haiti, and in Somalia, and regrettably Lebanon. I will never vote for a President who will not let the Generals fight the wars.

#103 reaganite

Well... I still think you'd be better off with a President that lets the sargeants run the wars... But I agree.

#104 Caton
The Generals make the plans, we carry it out. The chain of command still says they're in charge. I'd rather fight for a general than a pol.

Caton, Reganite

We actually did pretty well on the ground, but you're right, it was pointless without support on the homefront.

#106 CC Phil

We actually did pretty well on the ground, but you're right, it was pointless without support on the homefront.

Only war in history where every major battle was won by one side and they still lost the war.

#105 reaganite

Yep, the generals make the plans. The sargeants run the army and win the war. To each his own :-)

#107 reaganite

Only war in history where every major battle was won by one side and they still lost the war.

Good point: the commies didn't win. The U.S. lost.

#108 caton

Good point: the commies didn't win. The U.S. lost.

I guess that's what happens when you have quiters in the WH.

#77 Glen Wishard

Glenlivet and Drambuie? ACK!! A more disgusting drink than a Rusty Nail I have never had in my life.

#88 mommydoc
ROFL!!

Iowahawk

Very well done. This thread has been a wonderful chortlefest for me and you capped it off nicely. Thanks!

Between the Europeans and the central Africans themselves, it's a wonder that there are any people left in that region.

NTropy:

Glenlivet and Drambuie? ACK!! A more disgusting drink than a Rusty Nail I have never had in my life.

Now this I can't believe. What the hell do you wash your haggis down with?

#112 Glen Wishard

Now this I can't believe. What the hell do you wash your haggis down with?

Red Herring question - a sane person doesn't 1) eat haggis or 2) drink the lighter fluid combo of scotch and Drambuie. Apologies to all insane haggis eaters out there.

NTropy:

... a sane person doesn't 1) eat haggis or 2) drink the lighter fluid combo of scotch and Drambuie.

While flying a high-performance aircraft, you mean. Agreed!

Can't imagine eating the haggis (remember the scene in ER?) but I used to love Rusty Nails. 'Course that was when I just drank blended. Having discovered the joys of single malt (on the increasingly rare occasions when I indulge), the thought has never occurred to me to mix a good single malt. Hmm, interesting thought. May have to experiment, although not this W/E since I am travelling alone in the Land of Enchantment. Could get into major trouble...

"It's all coming back to me," said the blind man as he peed into the wind.

Yes.

Here are the rules regarding popular exotic mystery meats in casings:

Haggis is okay but nothing special. It's really overrated.

A Kishka on the other hand is a damn fine meal. Damn fine! It's so good it can make you cry!

Hogshead cheeze is burning dog turds. It may well be one of the leading causes of suicide in the southern United States. Y'know...most people think that death is the only way to get that taste out of your mouth...

I haven't made up my mind about Boudin yet. I'm thinking it's okay but weird.

I hope this bried guide has been helpful.

#117 Emery Calame

I haven't made up my mind about Boudin yet. I'm thinking it's okay but weird.

The Creoles make a boudin that is anything but OK. Guaranteed to burn a hole in your stomach.

And now that I think of it, it's not weird either -- all Creole cooking is hot.

Mmmmm, kishke. But not with a Rusty Nail or even a single malt. A situation in which only Manischewitz will do. I'm thinking cream white or Niagara.

>

A small opposition party said it had filed a suit against Foreign Minister Louis Michel for authorizing a Belgian company to sell arms to Nepal.

"The law says every collaboration with these crimes is a crime itself and should be punished in the same way," party spokesman Ben Weyts said. "The sentence for this crime is life in prison."

Seriously now. The point of the suit is ARMS SALES folks. And the Belgian "FN" company can admire it's weapons as they are displayed on just about any news footage from areas of conflict in Africa, Asia, and South America.

The racist "ebonics" dialogue put in the mouth of the baggage handler, who was given a stereotypically black name, ruined an otherwise good humor piece. There was no reason for it to be there.

--Skep

Well...I like spice-ee stuff. :D

Let's just say I can eat live (non-pickeled) jalapeno peppers like candy and I do alright with some Cajun or Creole stuff but can't stand real authentic Indian cuisine though I can eat the "American" versions with a glass of milk and not live to regret it.

#122 Emery Calame

Well... I warned you. The boudins créoles from the Réunion island, those prepared with white peppers, are the hottest.

Check this out: the Belgians are already backpedalling, calling for the war crimes law to be abolished.

skep--If you recognized it, guess it must be pretty pervasive. And I think Juliette would agree that sometimes sistahs can be the most humorously and cuttingly dismissive, especially when going ghetto. And the juxtaposition of the "elite" Belgian special forces being effectively stopped by a "mere" ghetto sistah is wayyyy funnier than if they were stopped by some Nietsche-quoting pseudo intellectual.

Besides, the funniest part of that snippet was the part about the form and being on break. Stopped by the same bureaucracy they worship.

Why iowahawk is a genius of parody. Really right up there with E. Nough at this point.

Additionally, after the horror they inflicted in the Congo, it's especially fitting and funny that they should be stymied by a black American. And, since this is a parody of a news article, which would never label the baggage claims agent as black, this was an effective way to make the point.

So, not racist at all. If anything, empowering. A sistah getting back at the chocolate poodles of African murder.

Iowahawk, you really are brilliant. And skep, you're a PC moron.

I am a Flemish guy living near Antwerp, you Americans liberated us already 2 times, please free us once again of these fu**ing Wallons (who made these stupid laws)

Patrick: My sympathies. And my thanks for remembering. Good to know that you're not all idiotarians. Please post early and often. It gives us hope.

#125 mommydoc:

And I think Juliette would agree that sometimes sistahs can be the most humorously and cuttingly dismissive, especially when going ghetto.

Whipping out one's carefully held-in-check "ghetto" can be an effective verbal weapon, as this troll discovered.

:-)

just gotta say
Iowahawk is king !

HG

Juliette: LOL!

I just read our stupid politicians are changing this f*$cking law instead of throwing it away, I can only truly apologize, I didn't vote for these $ùùholes and please remember you have more friends then opponents here in Belgium,

I sad Flemish guy near Antwerp

Backpedalling Belgian style:

BRUSSELS - Belgium has decided to change a
controversial war crimes law for the second time
this year, the foreign minister said, following
fierce criticism of the legislation by the United
States.
Belgian radio VRT reported that
the amendment to the law, under
which foreigners can be tried
no matter where crimes were
committed, would make it apply
only in cases where victims or
perpetrators were linked to
Belgium.
The law has attracted a score of
lawsuits accusing world leaders of all sorts of
abuses, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
over his role in the massacre of Palestinians
in the Sabra and Chatila refugee camps in
Lebanon in 1982. U.S. President George W. Bush
and British Prime Minister Tony Blair also face
allegations of war crimes in the war in Iraq.

Liberal and Socialist leaders took a break on
Saturday from negotiating a new government
following their May 18 electoral victory to
reach an agreement to change the law. "Many of
the lawsuits were not justified," Belgian
Foreign Minister Louis Michel told RTBF radio
late on Saturday. "In each of these lawsuits
there was a harassing effect or nature towards
an allied country or towards a democratic
country.
"So, we have redesigned the law in a way to meet
these objections or concerns (from other
countries)," he said.
Under the agreement, the law would only apply to
lawsuits whose victims or perpetrators were
Belgian or had some other connection to the
country, VRT radio said on Saturday. Details of
the agreement had yet to be made public.

[Link: www.haaretzdaily.com...]
Gee, now everybody is relieved. Betcha Sharon, Bush, Rummy, Blair, Castro, Arafat couldn't sleep well before these sweeping changes.
Waffle anybody?

#133 CastorOil

"So, we have redesigned the law in a way to meet these objections or concerns (from other
countries),"

Of course the suit against Louis Michel has nothing to do with it. Absolutely nothing.

Is "buying weapons from Belgium" link enough? I hope so.

Under the agreement, the law would only apply to lawsuits whose victims or perpetrators were Belgian or had some other connection to the country...

Expect Sharon's citizenship to be issued immediately.

#135 zulubaby

Expect Sharon's citizenship to be issued immediately.

LOL!

#107 reaganite

Only war [Vietnam] in history where every major battle was won by one side and they still lost the war.

I can think of one other instance that occured during the Indian Wars in the American West. In 1877, the U.S. tried to move the southern Nez Perces from their land in northeastern Oregon to a reservation in Idaho. Under the leadership of Chief Joseph, the Nez Perces fought a series of successful battles, often employing European-style tactics against the pursuing U.S. Army. But, just a few miles short of the Canadian border, the U.S. Army was within striking distance of the women and children of his tribe. Instead of risking a massacre, Chief Joseph surrendered.

In this war, it wasn't just every major battle. It was every battle, period.

great, now it's time to have a bash at gretta, do spread the word:

Gretta Duisenberg: My Fair Lady?

[Link: www.israelcool.com...]