Ariane 5 Deploys French Spy Satellite

Rolo Tomasi writes "An Ariane 5 rocket successfully put the French satellite Helios 2A into orbit today. The 4.2 ton spacecraft, which cost about one billion euros, will be used for surveillance by France and other European countries."

Comments

Don't show your ignorance

[mabu]

Quoted from elsewhere but worthy of paraphrasing as a "pre-emptive strike" against the inevitable French-bashing that morons will engage in related to this article:

It is so unbecoming of a country which proclaims itself as the unchallenged leader of contemporary "civilized nations" and so unthankful of a nation that punctiliously celebrates Thanksgiving every year to forget the critical role that France played in the making of the United States of America.

For those Americans who are unaware of their history but have seen the painting of Lord Cornwallis surrendering to Gen. George Washington somewhere, sometime or viewed Mel Gibson's box office hit Patriot, both the painted masterpiece and the climax of the film resurrect the defeat and surrender of the British at the fateful Battle of Yorktown which led to the making of the United States of America.

As it happens, in the months preceding this battle the British under Lord Cornwallis and Gen. Howe with their "death squads" had almost vanquished Gen. Washington and his motley crowd of "patriots" and subdued the two Carolinas and Virginia. Having done that, Lord Cornwallis, camped in the peninsula of Yorktown, and Gen. Howe in New York prepared for the final showdown with Gen. Washington, who was waiting on the banks of Hudson River. Gen. Rochambeau, who was with Gen. Washington, offered to march down to Virginia with his 10,000 French regulars to fight Lord Cornwallis, which they did on foot; a long and hazardous trip, to say the least. Rochambeau also sent an urgent request to the 33-vessel-strong French Fleet in the West Indies under the command of Admiral de Grasse to join the forthcoming battle in Virginia, which he did. Soon the French were blockading the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, preventing the British Fleet sent by Gen. Howe from joining this battle.

Once he saw that defeat was inevitable, Lord Cornwallis sent one of his generals to the French General, Rochambeau, proposing surrender. Not to Gen. Washington, but to the French, because it was the French who had defeated the British. As expected, Rochambeau declined the offer and asked the British to surrender to Gen. Washington. After much negotiation Lord Cornwallis agreed and sent his sword to Washington and surrendered to the Americans.

The Americans had finally won their Independence, but with military assistance from France, without which there would not have been a United States of America. The French did not exact any price from America for this assistance, they did it all on the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. Two centuries later America would repay this historical debt by liberating France from Nazi Germany. In between, there was the French gift to the United States of America of the majestic Statue of Liberty.

Fifty-seven years later Americans are demanding their pound of flesh from the French with the incumbent George Bush's "You are either with us or against us." Other princes of darkness - and there are many in America -- are crediting the President of France with dozens of qualities and the French with more character traits, all negative.

Outside the United States there is a universal cry of vive la France! Stand up for the universal principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. These shall prevail, sooner than later.

Re:Don't show your ignorance

[RandomCoil]

I understand your interest in fighting French bashing, but that particular bit of cut and paste isn't all that great. Of primary importance, France's goals in aiding the colonists in the US's War of Independence was based as much on "good will" as was the US's invasion of Iraq. A better summary of the reasons for the intervention is given here http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/allianc2.htm and goes as follows:

# There was certainly a significant desire for 'revenge' -- to see the British lose in North America, where the largest French real estate had been lost in recent war that ended in 1763.
# There were broader French 'policy goals'. One goal was to improve French world-wide economic advantages. More broadly framed, the goal was to weaken Britain [France's main rival] and redress 'the balance of power' which had shifted in Britain's favor following the Seven Years' War.
# France sought to improve the security of her fishing areas off Newfoundland, and the lucrative trading islands in the West Indies. Both were vulnerable to possible conquest by the North American colonists, assisted by the British navy. Separating the colonists from Britain had a very distinct, defensive advantage for the French. Contrary to American perceptions at the time, and carelessly asserted in many history articles, the French foreign minister was not interested in regaining Canada. This had been 'written off' French objectives when they transferred their Louisiana territory to Spain in 1762. The French did anticipate an opportunity to possibly acquire more islands in the West Indies, at the expense of the British.
# Some sympathy for the American revolt was held by a few of the French intellectual elite [Philosophes] who idealistically favored the principles of democracy, and to a lesser degree of republicanism. Many envisioned a half-measure, with democracy applied under an enlightened monarchy being conceivable. Such feelings were also shared by a small group of English intellectuals. While the words of such intellectuals would often be quoted in association with the Franco-American Alliance, such individuals did not have the power to effect political or military actions.
# There was a growing population of 'unemployed' military officers looking for employment. The French military reforms led to a reduction of active officer positions -- at least in contrast to the prior war years. A 'streamlining' of the army units was concurrent with material improvements ['force modernization'] being undertaken with infantry muskets, artillery pieces, etc., as well as an expanding naval ship inventory.
# There were some cautionary arguments against French involvement in a possible American rebellion. The French Controller General Turgot feared the financial strain of another war with England. Louis XVI was also not enthusiastic about supporting a rebellion against a monarch.

It's also worth noting that "liberty, equality and fraternity" was the motto of the French revolution... in 1789, a few years after the War of Independence. And finally, the US came to the aid of France in WWII _and_ in WWI.

All that said, as an American, I do appreciate that Statue of Liberty, forcing Cornwallis to surrender to Washington, and the really great deal we got on the Louisiana Purchase. The wine's good too.

Re:Don't show your ignorance

[skahshah]

Conservative version: uninformed drivel from Free Republic, a site known to be a reliable, fair and balanced source of news, especially about France.

Liberal version: could eventually be more critical of France, but at least cares about the facts and their chronology.