nobletucky
Plinker
Little nutshells about our history:
You could have heard a pin drop...
When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin
Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our
plans for Iraq were just an example of “empire building”
by George Bush.
He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United
States has sent many of its fine young men and women into
great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is
enough to bury those that did not return.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
______________________________________________
There was a conference in France where a number of
international engineers were taking part, including French
and American. During a break, one of the French engineers
came back into the room saying “Have you heard the latest
dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier
to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intended to do, bomb them?”
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our
carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat
several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can
supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they
have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people
three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons
of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half
a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and
injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such
ships; how many does France have?”
You could have heard a pin drop.
___________________________________________
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that
included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian,
Australian and French Navies... At a cocktail reception, he
found himself standing with a large group of Officers that
included personnel from most of those countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped
their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that,
whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only
English. He then asked, “Why is it that we always have to
speak English in these conferences rather than speaking
French?”
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied “Maybe
it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans
arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
________________________________________
And, this story fits right in with the above…
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in
Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to
locate his passport in his carry on.
“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the
customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France
previously.
“Then you should know enough to have your passport
ready.”
The American said, “The last time I was here, I
didn’t have to show it.”
“Impossible. Americans always have to show your
passports on arrival in France!”
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long, hard look.
Then he quietly explained, “Well, when I came ashore at
Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country,
I couldn’t find a single Frenchman to show a passport
to.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
_________________________________________
I thought that some might appreciate this.
You could have heard a pin drop...
When in England, at a fairly large conference, Colin
Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our
plans for Iraq were just an example of “empire building”
by George Bush.
He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United
States has sent many of its fine young men and women into
great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is
enough to bury those that did not return.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
______________________________________________
There was a conference in France where a number of
international engineers were taking part, including French
and American. During a break, one of the French engineers
came back into the room saying “Have you heard the latest
dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier
to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intended to do, bomb them?”
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our
carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat
several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can
supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they
have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people
three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons
of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half
a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and
injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such
ships; how many does France have?”
You could have heard a pin drop.
___________________________________________
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that
included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian,
Australian and French Navies... At a cocktail reception, he
found himself standing with a large group of Officers that
included personnel from most of those countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped
their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that,
whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only
English. He then asked, “Why is it that we always have to
speak English in these conferences rather than speaking
French?”
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied “Maybe
it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans
arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
________________________________________
And, this story fits right in with the above…
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in
Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to
locate his passport in his carry on.
“You have been to France before, monsieur?” the
customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France
previously.
“Then you should know enough to have your passport
ready.”
The American said, “The last time I was here, I
didn’t have to show it.”
“Impossible. Americans always have to show your
passports on arrival in France!”
The American senior gave the Frenchman a long, hard look.
Then he quietly explained, “Well, when I came ashore at
Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country,
I couldn’t find a single Frenchman to show a passport
to.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
_________________________________________
I thought that some might appreciate this.