T1B

France Upholds Law That Smooths History

By NATHALIE SCHUCK, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 29, 4:02 PM ET

PARIS - France's parliament voted Tuesday to uphold a law that puts an upbeat spin on the country's painful colonial past, ignoring complaints from historians and the former French territory of Algeria.
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The law, passed quietly this year, requires school textbooks to address France's "positive role" in its former colonies.

France's lower house, in a 183-94 vote, rejected an effort by the opposition Socialists to kill the law. Passage would have been unusual, since the effort to overturn the law came from the conservative government's political enemies.

The law has embarrassed conservative
President Jacques Chirac and threatens to delay the signing of a friendship treaty between France and the North African nation of Algeria. France's one-time colonial jewel won independence in 1962 after a brutal eight-year conflict France only recently called a war.

Education Minister Gilles de Robien said last month that textbooks would not be changed, despite the law. However, the Socialists said the measure was offensive to former colonies and French citizens with roots there, and should be erased.

The debate comes on the heels of three weeks of unrest by youths in France's poor suburbs — many of them immigrants or of North African origin. The troubles were widely seen as a desperate cry for equality by a population shunted to the margins of mainstream society.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, the lower chamber, said the law was a political and educational aberration.

"Today we can repair this mistake, because it is a mistake," he said on France-Inter radio before the debate.

"Our history, if we want it to be shared by French citizens as a whole, must recognize both glorious achievements, but also the darker moments with lucidity, without there being an official history decided by parliamentarians."

Lawmakers from the governing conservative UMP party passed the law in February when only a handful of deputies were present. It came under full public scrutiny only in recent months with a petition by history teachers. It was denounced at a recent annual meeting of historians.

The language that offends stipulates that "school programs recognize in particular the positive character of the French overseas presence, notably in North Africa."

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has equated the law with "mental blindness," and said it smacks of revisionism. Algeria's Parliament called it a "grave precedent."

The measure threatens to delay the signing of a friendship treaty between France and Algeria, which once was an integral part of France.

Only in 1999 did France finally call the Algerian conflict a "war." Before then, France referred only to operations to "maintain order."

Mister Bushice wrote:WTF? are the frogs learning lessons from Japan?

France Upholds Law That Smooths History

By NATHALIE SCHUCK, Associated Press Writer Tue Nov 29, 4:02 PM ET

PARIS - France's parliament voted Tuesday to uphold a law that puts an upbeat spin on the country's painful colonial past, ignoring complaints from historians and the former French territory of Algeria.
ADVERTISEMENT

The law, passed quietly this year, requires school textbooks to address France's "positive role" in its former colonies.

France's lower house, in a 183-94 vote, rejected an effort by the opposition Socialists to kill the law. Passage would have been unusual, since the effort to overturn the law came from the conservative government's political enemies.

The law has embarrassed conservative
President Jacques Chirac and threatens to delay the signing of a friendship treaty between France and the North African nation of Algeria. France's one-time colonial jewel won independence in 1962 after a brutal eight-year conflict France only recently called a war.

Education Minister Gilles de Robien said last month that textbooks would not be changed, despite the law. However, the Socialists said the measure was offensive to former colonies and French citizens with roots there, and should be erased.

The debate comes on the heels of three weeks of unrest by youths in France's poor suburbs — many of them immigrants or of North African origin. The troubles were widely seen as a desperate cry for equality by a population shunted to the margins of mainstream society.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, the lower chamber, said the law was a political and educational aberration.

"Today we can repair this mistake, because it is a mistake," he said on France-Inter radio before the debate.

"Our history, if we want it to be shared by French citizens as a whole, must recognize both glorious achievements, but also the darker moments with lucidity, without there being an official history decided by parliamentarians."

Lawmakers from the governing conservative UMP party passed the law in February when only a handful of deputies were present. It came under full public scrutiny only in recent months with a petition by history teachers. It was denounced at a recent annual meeting of historians.

The language that offends stipulates that "school programs recognize in particular the positive character of the French overseas presence, notably in North Africa."

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has equated the law with "mental blindness," and said it smacks of revisionism. Algeria's Parliament called it a "grave precedent."

The measure threatens to delay the signing of a friendship treaty between France and Algeria, which once was an integral part of France.

Only in 1999 did France finally call the Algerian conflict a "war." Before then, France referred only to operations to "maintain order."

The problem with the American Press is the good that is happening in Iraq is not getting to the American people. Criticizing our president puts our troops in harms way, just sayin'.

France is a bitch, don't forget to fuck her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point, Mr Makela says: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."

Mister Bushice wrote:Here are the lyrics:

France is a bitch, don't forget to fuck her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point, Mr Makela says: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."

He didn't really call France a slut, he just said you should treat france like one.

And "Her"? France is more of an effeminate boy than a woman.

Mister Bushice wrote:Here are the lyrics:

France is a bitch, don't forget to fuck her till she's exhausted/You have to treat her like a slut, man." At another point, Mr Makela says: "I piss on Napoleon and on General de Gaulle."

Remind me about the part again where rap is supposed to be lyrical poetry about the trials of inner-city life... Please tell me how some dude walked into a record exec's office with that steaming pile and scored himself a record contract. Unbelievable...

Mister Bushice wrote:And "Her"? France is more of an effeminate boy than a woman.

mvscal wrote:

OCmike wrote:You look in any standard grade school-level history book and pretty much the only mention you'll get of indians is how they slaughtered Custer, slaughtered settlers, attacked wagon trains, etc, etc. You'll be lucky if there's even a two-sentence blurb about the trail of tears or any other atrocities that we committed against them.

What alternate plane of reality are you from?

mvscal wrote:

OCmike wrote:Same goes for WWII. You'll have entire chapters on the pacific theater of the war, but you'll be lucky to see more than a paragraph about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

How many paragraphs does it take to say, "Game Over"?

Mace wrote: OC is right about the whitewashing of our treatment of Native Americans...

Mace

Mister Bushice wrote:Is that still going on in todays history books here in the US?

Martyred wrote:

Mister Bushice wrote:Is that still going on in todays history books here in the US?

Educate yourself.

How sad that a Canadian has to drop the knowledge to a bunch of Yanks on their own history.

I'll let you all get back to watching "The Amazing Race" or eating something from a squeeze tube, or whatever the hell it is you do instead of thinking.

Martyred wrote:

Mister Bushice wrote:Is that still going on in todays history books here in the US?

Educate yourself.

How sad that a Canadian has to drop the knowledge to a bunch of Yanks on their own history.

I'll let you all get back to watching "The Amazing Race" or eating something from a squeeze tube, or whatever the hell it is you do instead of thinking.

Nevermind, marty.

Next?

Mace Wrote:
OC is right about the whitewashing of our treatment of Native Americans, not to mention Japanese Americans during WWII.

Mister Bushice wrote:

Martyred wrote:

Mister Bushice wrote:Is that still going on in todays history books here in the US?

Educate yourself.

How sad that a Canadian has to drop the knowledge to a bunch of Yanks on their own history.

I'll let you all get back to watching "The Amazing Race" or eating something from a squeeze tube, or whatever the hell it is you do instead of thinking.

Umm, I was actually hoping someone like MTLR would respond. Not some canuck with a URL and no real idea of what happens here in the US except what he's made up in his own head.

I was talking about the current grade school classroom text books and associated learning from teachers who DO know the truth.

Nevermind, marty.

Next?

mvscal wrote:

BSmack wrote:our nation's xenophobia,

Go ahead and gloss right over the fact that America is the least xenophobic nation in the history of mankind, dickhead.

So how would that differ from Lowen's communist diatribe?

BSmack wrote:

mvscal wrote:

BSmack wrote:our nation's xenophobia,

Go ahead and gloss right over the fact that America is the least xenophobic nation in the history of mankind, dickhead.

So? Does that absolve us from our sins?

So how would that differ from Lowen's communist diatribe?

Lowen is as much a commie as you are.

mvscal wrote:

BSmack wrote:

mvscal wrote: Go ahead and gloss right over the fact that America is the least xenophobic nation in the history of mankind, dickhead.

So? Does that absolve us from our sins?

It puts them in the proper perspective.

mvscal wrote:I never claimed that he did. You were saying something about strawmen?

mvscal wrote:Another strawman?

mvscal wrote:Why would I retract that? Xenophobia is humanity's default setting.

Only in America has it been overcome in any meaningful degree despite the best efforts of shit eating cumstains like Lowen to drive wedges between the different groups in our society.