D-Day

A little politicking.

My cable provider is Time Warner. This week, I think Wednesday or Thursday they changed the entire channel line up. Just when I almost mastered the channel numbers I have to memorize it again.

But it has some advantages. Like almost all the news channels are in one group. Meaning I can go from Russian news through European news all the way to Japanese news and, all in English, for a change.

I found a station called France24 that is broadcasting from Paris. Not from Paris, Ohio or Paris, Kentucky but from the real Paris in France. And, miracle of miracles all in English (mostly British English though, but good enough). I find their programs very interesting and educational and, very European.

They have a real European feature. They do not interrupt programs for stupid commercials like here but at the end of the show they announce that now there will be advertising. This is when one gets up and go to the fridge or wherever else. I saw this also on Hungarian television so I guess that's how they do it in Europe because I'm sure the Hungarians didn't invent it.

Anyway, today is June 6 and that is the anniversary of D-Day. And today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day. In remembrance there was a monumental event on Omaha Beach in France and it was broadcast live on C-Span.

Since I had nothing else to do I watched it even though it took several hours but it was worth it. All heads of states were there from countries involved in World War II. They didn't comment on who was who so I had to guess it but I pretty much figured it out. There were kings and queens and presidents and prime ministers and a whole bunch of other people.

It was very interesting for me to see how each arrived. They came to the back of the stand in mostly French limousines (Citroëns mainly) where an honor guard waited. They each walked up on a red carpet where they were greeted by the president of France, they greeted a group of old veterans then took their places on the stand.

President Obama was the one before last to arrive. Queen Elizabeth was the last. Now, while all other heads of states arrived in single cars Obama arrived in a convoy of about six or seven cars, all American cars and he came in a government license plate Chevrolet SUV. Oh, and with all the Secret Service entourage.

I found this very distasteful and the perfect picture of the Ugly American. Why they have to act this way?

I am sure that the president of Serbia is just as important to Serbia as Obama to the US. Or president Putin is just as important to Russia as chancellor Merkel to Germany. But they could all avail themselves to the transportation the French hosts provided. But nooo! Not the Americans! They have to be different from everybody else.

I see absolutely no excuse for acting like this. No wonder nobody like the Americans.

I got news for them, at the end theirs smell just the same as everybody else's.