Why is Creative Loafing columnist Andisheh Nouraee writing as if France is only now warming up to us? "With an Obama presidency likely," he writes. "It looks like much of the animosity has passed." Excuse me? I’m not disputing that there’s been some boneheaded shlock regarding France coming from the right in recent years, but the hostilities ended in mid-2007 with the ascension of a French president who understands what’s at stake for the West in today’s geopolitical configuration. That was well before Obama became the Democrats’ candidate of choice and while Bush still had almost two years left in office. 
         In March 2007, I spent most of an afternoon with Christine Lagarde, France’s minister of trade. She was in town to give a speech at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Lagarde, an avid supporter of pro-American president Nicolas Sarkozy, spoke of how France was adopting a much more free market system to get out of the way of French entrepreneurs. She also scolded the U.S. for not being globalized adequately (less than a quarter of our business community does business overseas), but lauded our close trade relations.

She said: “In 2006, France exported €26.4 billion worth of goods to America and imported €25.3 billion from the United States. The United States is France's 6th supplier and 6th buyer and its largest customer in Europe. France is America's 10th supplier. Every second, our two countries trade €1,640 or almost $2,000 worth of goods. But this is not all. The United States is the biggest foreign direct investor in France, in 2006 American companies created 9,500 jobs in France. Today, 600,000 French employees are working for American subsidiaries which contribute to 10% of all French exports. Conversely, France is the 4th-largest investor in the United States; 550,000 Americans are employed by 2,600 French companies in the USA.”

She continued: “In Georgia alone, more than 500 French enterprises employ several tens of thousands of people. French companies such as the tyre manufacturer Michelin, construction materials manufacturer Lafarge, and eyeglass-lens maker Essilor contribute to Georgia’s economic development. France is determined to remain an open country and to strengthen trade with all countries in the world, particularly the United States.” 

But she didn't just talk about our close trade relations, she also said:"France and the United States share a common destiny. France and the United States share many values that are often promoted together and exported to other countries. France's Declaration of the Rights of 1789 is closely tied to the American Declaration of Independence of 1776. We are bound by such values as an attachment to democracy and confidence in progress. We are heirs to the Age of Enlightenment. Today, France and the United States need to join hands to develop solutions to the challenges of our time in such areas as environmental protection, health, and the battle against counterfeiting. In June 7, 1777, the Marquis de la Fayette wrote the following in a letter to his wife: 'A defender of the freedom I worship, freer than anyone, I have come as a friend to offer my services to this fascinating republic (of the United States) without any personal interest. America's happiness is intimately linked to the happiness of humanity: it will become a worthy and safe asylum for virtue, honesty, tolerance, equality, and peaceful freedom.' May this be true!"
And over, and over and over again she reassured all those present of how much France relies upon and loves the United States. You know why? Sarkozy was about to win the election. Shortly after Lagarde's visit here, I went to Paris and observed the French presidential race coverage. Sarkozy was openly pro-American and he won the presidency quite soundly, and that was a year and a half ago. A mere two weeks ago, Republican presidential candidate John McCain told supporters that the U.S. should emulate France’s pro-nuclear-power approach to energy, adding “France has a pro-American president now, which just goes to show that if you live long enough you’ll see it all.”

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Just in case there was any doubt left after a Nobel Prize official told us last week that American literature as whole is not worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature, it is now abundantly clear that the Swedes and their co-horts intend to use the prize to reward anti-Bush liberals regardless of ability. The Nobel Prize for economics has been awarded to New York Times Op-Ed columnist Paul Krugman who is also an economics professor at Princeton. His grand contribution to rigorous scholarly analysis of the world's markets large and small? As described by the International Herald Tribune: "In his model, many companies sell similar goods with slight variations. These companies get more efficient at producing their goods as they sell more, and so they grow. Consumers like variety, and pick and choose goods from among these producers in different countries, enabling countries to continue exchanging similar products. So some Americans buy Volkswagens and some Germans buy Fords.He developed this work further to explain the effect of transportation costs on why people live where they live. His model explained under what conditions trade would lead people or companies to move to a particular region or to move away."
Daniel Klein, a professor of economics at George Mason University who earlier this year wrote a comprehensive review of Krugman's body of Times columns, told the IHT: "Much of his popular work is disgraceful. He totally omits all these major issues where the economics conclusion goes against the feel-good Democratic Party ethos, which I think he's really tended to pander to especially since writing for The New York Times." (Full article and comments)

National Public Radio recently devoted a segment to the "Great Schlep," an idea put forth by comedienne Sarah Silverman, the entertainer who makes safely racist comments about Asians and puts a lite, fun spin on the Holocaust, that Jewish grandkids should bribe their retiree grandparents in Florida into voting for Obama by making an extra visit to see them. All good so far, except that when NPR did its segment, following one of these Jewish grandkids on his "Great Schlep," they failed to correct, via a simple comment after the piece, the misinformation the kid gave his grandparents. He implied that McCain had obstructed the bailout when, he said, there should have been no argument about the bailout. Well, in fact there was no argument about the bailout. McCain was there front and center begging his fellow Republicans to pass the bailout bill and he and Obama agreed completely that a bailout was needed. I am not accustomed to NPR allowing its interviewees to put out misinformation without bothering to note the problem. A basic cannon of good journalism is not to allow misinformation to stand. Yet, NPR ducked the rules of journalistic integrity for this warm and fuzzy piece on Obama. Their reporters are quite savvy. He had to know the kid was wrong. But he didn't say bubkes to correct the falacy. What gives? (Full article and comments)

Okay people, get a grip. According to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, "At the height of the Depression in 1933, 24.9 percent of the total work force or 11,385,000 people, were unemployed." What's our unemployment rate right now? It's 6.1 percent. Yeah, big difference, right? But you wouldn't know it to read CNN which offers up a load of excrement today in the form of a panic-causing story about people during the Great Depression eating squirrel and having to "catch" their meals. Well, I'd like to clue you in on a couple of things: #1- I know some of the folks who work over at CNN.com and they're very young. I, on the other hand, was born in my parents' 40s and my mom and dad were born in 1924. At the height of the Great Depression, my parents were 9 years old--and my parents (god rest my Dad's soul) wouldn't know how to comment on a blog, they wouldn't even know what a blog was. So, I would suggest to the Honeycomb Hideout Team over at CNN that they check the ages of the people with whom they talk or chat or blog and do the math and see if in FACT that person could actually have parents who were alive during the Great Depression. #2--Hell, there are people in the south who still eat squirrel and they LOVE it. My dad ate it right up until the year he died, 2003. So, while I find the idea repulsive, I keep in mind two things: The folks at CNN very seldom fact check when they pop off with their dire predictions. And, the folks at CNN are fearmongerers of the worst sort. Their ratings rely on panic, as they have shown over and over again. Don't forget that it was the Persian Gulf War and its scud missile threat that actually made CNN a going concern. They know which side their bread is buttered on...or do they? Has it occurred to the ninnies over there that maybe, just maybe, they're also scaring off advertisers with this garbage? May they reap what they sow, and may the rest of us have the good sense not to buy it. (Full article and comments)

Georgia Congressman John Lewis has sent out a statement to clarify an earlier statement that seemed to draw comparisons between GOP presidential candidate John McCain along with vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin and notoriously racist /segregationist Alabama Gov. George Wallace. In his statement today, Lewis says he did not compare the two to Wallace. So, here are both statements for you, the readers, to review in order to draw your own conclusions:

Statement #1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 11, 2008

Rep. John Lewis On Hostility of McCain-Palin Campaign

“As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

“During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

“As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better.”

Statement #2

Rep. John Lewis Clarifies Misinterpretations of his Earlier Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 11, 2008


"A careful review of my earlier statement would reveal that I did not compare Sen. John McCain or Gov. Sarah Palin to George Wallace. It was not my intention or desire to do so. My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior. I am glad that Sen. McCain has taken some steps to correct divisive speech at his rallies. I believe we need to return to civil discourse in this election about the pressing economic issues that are affecting our nation." (Full article and comments)

High five! Borat, Ali G and Sacha Baron Cohen are all 37 on Oct. 13.

What to give a man who has already bought a wife?

 

Singer, husband and father Usher Raymond IV, is 30 on Oct. 14. We have to admit, we liked him better as R&B’s reigning Romeo.

 

Bam! Gourmet chef Emeril Lagasse is 49 on Oct. 15. Think he’ll kick things up a notch on his big day?

 

A heartfelt “happy birthday” goes out to former Atlantan John Mayer (pictured)—except, of course, from all the ladies he’s dated and discarded. The light-rock lothario is 31 on Oct. 16.

 

Newnan, Ga.’s own country music superstar Alan Jackson hits the big 5-0 on Oct. 17, and will doubtless celebrate by writing yet another hit song.

 

Rapper Eminem is 36 on Oct. 17. Any bets on whether the real Slim Shady will continue to age with graceful maturity?

 

“High School Musical” star Zac Efron should officially be growing facial hair, since he turns 21 on Oct. 18. (No, waxing his eyebrows doesn’t count.)

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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If you're heading to Atlantic Station this week for Taste of Atlanta (and why wouldn't you be?), don't forget to stop by The Sunday Paper booth to say hello and perhaps walk away with gift certificates courtesy of Half-Off Depot. See you there! (Full article and comments)

The National Review, which CNN now considers “influential”—now that it’s knocking McCain—has published an editorial that critiques McCain's plan as “creating a level of moral hazard that is unacceptable.” As if Fannie and Freddie's takeover by the government on Sept. 7 hadn't already essentially done this. When the government got Fannie and Freddie, it picked up those bad mortages. This is absolutely hilarious. It’s like watching the local whorehouse (CNN) decorate for Christmas (use conservative sources, for a change)  because whatever Christian values might dictate about prostitution (CNN's biased reporting), it’s a time when men get drunk and generous (when the right wing peanut gallery can be of use to CNN in trashing McCain).

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Obama supporters must have cringed painfully last night when their candidate pointed out that Republican candidate John McCain signed onto a bill to stop the deregulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a year after the bill was introduced. Obama, after all, didn’t support the bill at all, with good reason—Obama financially benefitted hugely from Fannie and Freddie’s deregulation, the root of our financial agony today.

The Democrats keep screaming that it was deregulation that wrecked out economy, but they don’t dare talk about specifics because the thing that specifically wrecked our economy was the massive disaster of failed mortgages under Fannie and Freddie and that was a Democratic hit job that started in the late 1990s and started leaving its bloody traces on the housing market in 2006. Yes, it was deregulation, alright, at the hands of the Democrats. In fact, fact—not some campaign spiel, but in actual fact—it was the Republicans who fought tooth and nail to stop Fannie and Freddie’s deregulation, but they were up against outrageous accusations of racism by

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Here's a link to the bill that John McCain co-sponsored in 2005-2006 to try to prevent the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage debacles that have contributed greatly to our current financial mess. Whatever happened to the bill? It died in committee. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190
And here's an interesting YouTube video. Obviously its maker has an agenda, but as far as the legislation and hearings cited in this particular video, his claims are solid.
As with anything you see on YouTube, always fact check. I did, and this one stands up. If you find otherwise, let me know (as if I even have to say that). What the hell were we all thinking about when Franklin Raines was using our tax dollars as a slush fund?   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5z9lD4C2Io
Incidentally, no, I don't share the vidoemaker's views on everything else Obama-related (I certainly don't think Obama is, or ever was, a communist or was interested in being one, etc.--that's crazy talk). Of course, that's not in the video, that's just a little background for you.

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