http://onthesidelines.org/hindsight042803.htm It's near the bottom of the column. To be honest, I never thought much about it, and hadn't even heard Armstrong's comments until now.
Security and France in the same sentence is an oxymoron God we should bring our own security detail and tell the French how we are planning provide it so they won't have to interfere or assist. The French are like Keystone cops would have made great sidekicks for the stooges-Viva la Idiot!
Not to ruin a good France bashing session, but I think I read an article at some point after 911 that said France was well ahead of us in their ability to fight terrorism. I'm too lazy to try to find the article to back this up, but to be honest, I'm more concerned about my safety in NYC than the players safety in France.
Good point. My parents were in France last summer, and walking through the airport in Paris, there were tons of cops w/ machine guns, and german shepards. They said it was the safest they felt throughout their whole trip.
France does not hold itself to the same standard we do when it comes to human rights, so they have a much larger range of options in dealing with those types of people.
Because whole Europe went through the terror of PLA at 1970-1980, so their security is tigher than in USA.
I guess the French had to import german shepherds to provide security. Could you imagine french poodles providing security? On a side not, wouldn't it be great if the US met France in the final? Talk about a grudge match.
I will say this, as one member of a group of U.S. supporters heading over to the tournament, w'ell certainly be on guard and cautious. The Magpie
It will be handled much like it was at the World Cup this past summer, but to a lesser degree. Probably a security detail from the State Dept. as well as a few guys from Chuck Norris' unit that doesn't officially exist.
The key is not to stand out from ordinary Frenchmen. Arena just needs to tell his players not bathe for a week prior to departure and to carry a white flag at all times. No problems .....
I expect Chirac will protest to FIFA that, under present conditions, it is impossible to guarantee the safety of the US team, since the US is virulently despised by the large, Arab population in France, if not by the entire country. Could FIFA please rule the US out of the tournement, and replace them with TFC's 2nd place team? He will, of course, only be thinking of the safety of the US players, and of those forced to share the field with them during the course of the tournement. How do you say "Take that, George," in French?