Of french fries, boycotts and cat bans!
Take that!
We sure showed the French that we Americans were nothing to mess with back in 2003.
When President George Bush was revving up the U.S. war machine and aiming it directly at Saddam Hussein鈥檚 Iraq back then, France demurred.
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin announced that France would not support nor participate in any war effort directed at Iraq.
That didn鈥檛 go over well in the halls of the U.S. Congress.
That鈥檚 a place where petty feuds grow lives of their own.
A well-meaning Republican congressman, Bob Ney of Ohio, decided to take matters into his own hands. Since he was the Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, he could control certain activities in the congressional cafeteria.
Ney鈥檚 response to the reluctance of France to join the United States in battle against Iraq? Freedom Fries.
Yep! Instead of the congressional cafeteria serving french fries, a U.S. congressman officially renamed them 鈥淔reedom Fries.鈥�
It doesn鈥檛 get any stupider than that, does it?
There would be 鈥淔reedom Fries鈥� on the congressional menu from March 11th, 2003, until August 2nd, 2006, just because some overzealous Republican wanted to hold a grudge against the French.
Here鈥檚 the kicker.
French fries didn鈥檛 even originate in France.
They came from Belgium.
Ney was accidentally backhanding Belgium.
It was a waste of a good international insult, if you ask me.
Meanwhile, there are as many as 400 American and multinational companies that have said they鈥檙e scaling back their business ties to Russia since its incursion into Ukraine.
That includes FedEx, McDonald鈥檚, IBM, Apple, and Amazon 鈥� as major companies who feel as though they鈥檇 like to avoid having the blood of Russia鈥檚 attacks on their hands.
Those curtailments are reasonable for the time being.
However, some dizzying restrictions have been enacted.
Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, recently announced the state鈥檚 liquor and wine stores would stop selling Russian-made products.
That would include the vodka brand Stoli. (Short for Stolichnaya)
But Stoli is mostly made in Latvia 鈥� not Russia.
I wonder if anybody has told the good governor that he鈥檚 protesting the fine folks of Latvia.
According to the British 缅北禁地 Minister, Nigel Huddleston, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev needs to provide 鈥渁ssurances鈥� that he doesn鈥檛 support Vladimir Putin before he can play in the upcoming Wimbledon tournament.
First, isn鈥檛 the name 鈥淣igel Huddleston鈥� a perfectly British name? Second, what the heck is a 鈥溍灞苯� Minister鈥�?
Third, isn鈥檛 it a bit ridiculous to demand that sovereign citizens of another country denounce their own country鈥檚 leadership?
Let鈥檚 be honest. If Medvedev denounces Putin, he could pretty much kiss his family members, who might be still living in Russia, goodbye.
There are as many as 40 Russians currently playing in the National Hockey League.
Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins are the two most notable
So far, there hasn鈥檛 been any maverick U.S. congressman, or somebody from some American 鈥渟ports ministry鈥� (we actually don鈥檛 have one of those) who鈥檚 made that kind of demand on any Russian athlete playing in the United States.
That鈥檚 a good thing.
There鈥檚 a split on whether the current situation in Ukraine could have fallout on the International Space Station.
Current NASA administrator and former U.S. senator Bill Nelson says he believes there鈥檚 still cooperation between Russia and the United States as far as the ISS is concerned.
However, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin isn鈥檛 as committed. Rogozin is threatening to have Russia鈥檚 cosmonauts leave the ISS, and allow it to crash back to Earth, because of the continued sanctions.
Nobody says this stuff isn鈥檛 complicated.
Although, there is one situation that鈥檚 kinda silly.
The International Cat Federation (ICF, I guess) is going to great lengths to express its antipathy toward Russia and Putin.
They鈥檝e put out a statement claiming that all cats bred or owned in Russia will be henceforth (my word) banned from international competition until the end of May.
Meow!
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 40-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.