French Ban ALL protests for W's visit

[Durandal]

If Bush gets another four years, Europe will simply cut him off and actively work to stifle any efforts the US makes in the UN. They may not have a problem with the US government or even its people, but Bush has managed to make a lot of European leaders personally despise him.

[Hamel]

I'd guess that one of the reasons why they hate us is because we backed an anti-communist junta in '67.

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

1) Not all commies are like Stalin. FFS how would an ex-nazi be any better?
2) The guy we put in was enough a tyrant~ the guy had 8000 people tortured during his first month in power
3) If they want communism, that's not our concern

[salm]

How exactly is them shutting down anti-Bush protests on their own initiative going to make Bush look bad?

perhaps because they want to make it look like the government has to hold back it´s own people in order to make the protestsers look even more radical

kind of like in an almost bar room brawl in which one buddy holds back the other buddy and tries to calm him down while the held back buddy is acting like a real agressive, strong guy who gets into brawls on a daily basis.

perhaps i´m reading way too much into this and the french just don´t want to waste money, like someone else said before.

[Guardsman Bass]

I'd guess that one of the reasons why they hate us is because we backed an anti-communist junta in '67.

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

1) Not all commies are like Stalin. FFS how would an ex-nazi be any better?
2) The guy we put in was enough a tyrant~ the guy had 8000 people tortured during his first month in power
3) If they want communism, that's not our concern

But it WAS a concern- at the time, the US was afraid of Communism spreading into some form of world empire, with the US being isolated and going extinct. Otherwise known as the Cold War.

[JME2]

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

1) Not all commies are like Stalin. FFS how would an ex-nazi be any better?
2) The guy we put in was enough a tyrant~ the guy had 8000 people tortured during his first month in power
3) If they want communism, that's not our concern

But it WAS a concern- at the time, the US was afraid of Communism spreading into some form of world empire, with the US being isolated and going extinct. Otherwise known as the Cold War.

Yes and what a waste of 40 years, money, lives, and potential that was.

[Hamel]

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

1) Not all commies are like Stalin. FFS how would an ex-nazi be any better?
2) The guy we put in was enough a tyrant~ the guy had 8000 people tortured during his first month in power
3) If they want communism, that's not our concern

But it WAS a concern- at the time, the US was afraid of Communism spreading into some form of world empire, with the US being isolated and going extinct. Otherwise known as the Cold War.

I know what the Cold War is. I also know that putting nazi criminals in place of communists isn't and never was a smart idea, so all that hindsight 20/20 BS goes out the window. We made Greece's leader our business when we shouldn't have.

[TheDarkling]

But it WAS a concern- at the time, the US was afraid of Communism spreading into some form of world empire, with the US being isolated and going extinct. Otherwise known as the Cold War.

Indeed and that was used to excuse propping up all manner of brutal fascist dictatorships, not to mention supplying freedom fighters/terrorists with weapons and training, then we have dubiously justified invasions. While the US can justify its actions because of its great ideological war don't be surprised if the people who had to live with US sponsored dictators don't see things in the same light.

[Frank Hipper]

But it WAS a concern- at the time, the US was afraid of Communism spreading into some form of world empire, with the US being isolated and going extinct. Otherwise known as the Cold War.

Indeed and that was used to excuse propping up all manner of brutal fascist dictatorships, not to mention supplying freedom fighters/terrorists with weapons and training, then we have dubiously justified invasions. While the US can justify its actions because of its great ideological war don't be surprised if the people who had to live with US sponsored dictators don't see things in the same light.

Iran, anyone? If that isn't a case of being forced to lie in a bed of our own making, I don't know what is.

[JME2]

Or Afghanistan for that matter; after all, much of Osama's weapons and funding came from the US.

[Frank Hipper]

Or Afghanistan for that matter; after all, much of Osama's weapons and funding came from the US.

Not nearly as cut and dried a case as Iran. Bin Laden couldn't still be using 20 year old Stingers, anyway. What wasn't used against the Soviets more than likely got used during the Afghan civil war.
A handful of US made weapons lying around somewhere isn't entirely unreasonable, but it's not entirely likely, either.

[Crown]

I'd guess that one of the reasons why they hate us is because we backed an anti-communist junta in '67.

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

Oh please. You are basically saying; 'We preserve the freedom of democracy, by reserving the right to stop the people to vote in free elections which decide their own future.'

Your 'Stalin clone' anology is particularly apt, if you consider the conditions that were prelevant in Greece under the Junta who murdered and detained its own citizens without any oversight at all!

Oh gee, I wonder why Greeks don't feel an overwhelming debt to America from protecting it from a 'Stalin clone' ...

[JME2]

I'd guess that one of the reasons why they hate us is because we backed an anti-communist junta in '67.

Then I guess whe should have let them enjoy the enlightened rule
of a Stalin clone for forty years

Oh please. You are basically saying; 'We preserve the freedom of democracy, by reserving the right to stop the people to vote in free elections which decide their own future.'

Your 'Stalin clone' anology is particularly apt, if you consider the conditions that were prelevant in Greece under the Junta who murdered and detained its own citizens without any oversight at all!

Oh gee, I wonder why Greeks don't feel an overwhelming debt to America from protecting it from a 'Stalin clone' ...

Hence why the U.S. needs to get it out of its head the idea that it and only it polices the world and installs "proper" order to the world.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

At least I'm not the only one seeing a repetition of history between the Greece/communist incidence, and the current affair in the middle-east. The only difference is, that I see, is while the Greeks may hate the US more, the fundies in the middle-east are more willing to do crazily violent things to express their displeasure. Either the country I live in will have to learn that it is not cut out to be the world's mommy, or I'm getting myself a one-way plane ticket overseas.

-Damien