Chinese sold Iraq 'dual-use' chemical
March 15, 2003 9:23 AM   Subscribe

Chinese sold Iraq 'dual-use' chemical And France helped broker the deal. Now do we boycott not only French bread and wine but all Chinese food too?
posted by Postroad (41 comments total)
 
While we're at it, let's boycott McDonalds. Didn't the Americans sell Saddam nerve gas?
posted by kozad at 9:26 AM on March 15, 2003


I'm boycotting myself. But don't tell me that.
posted by angry modem at 9:28 AM on March 15, 2003


Officials discussed details of the chemical sale after it was first reported by columnist William Safire in Thursday's editions of the New York Times.

Ah, William Safire, the sewage outlet for such wonderful Pentagon leaks as that cast-iron meeting between Mohammed Atta and an Iraqi spy in Prague which never took place.
posted by riviera at 9:37 AM on March 15, 2003


FREEDOM CHICKEN SALAD.
posted by Hackworth at 10:14 AM on March 15, 2003


isn't most Chinese food not the product of inventors living in China?
posted by RobbieFal at 10:16 AM on March 15, 2003


isn't most Chinese food not the product of inventors living in China?

Huh? The only chinese food you've been exposed to is probably the heavily battered meats with flourescent red sauce that are served in pseudo-chinese food catered to westerners, right?

Real chinese food is invented by chinese. Don't expect them to give you fortune cookies though, they probably don't even have a clue what those are.
posted by VeGiTo at 10:26 AM on March 15, 2003


Nations such as China can only view the prospect of an American military consumed for the next generation by the turmoil of the Middle East as a glorious windfall. Indeed, if one gives the Chinese credit for having a long-term strategy -- and those who love to quote Sun Tzu might consider his nationality -- it lends credence to their insistent cultivation of the Muslim world. One should not take lightly the fact that China previously supported Libya, that Pakistan developed its nuclear capability with China's unrelenting assistance and that the Chinese sponsored a coup attempt in Indonesia in 1965. An "American war" with the Muslims, occupying the very seat of their civilization, would allow the Chinese to isolate the United States diplomatically as they furthered their own ambitions in South and Southeast Asia.
posted by homunculus at 10:32 AM on March 15, 2003


Chinese food is probably the only thing that we don't actually ship from China. Boycotting china means tossing most of your clothes and a lot of your home appliances.

Where can I get my Freedom Microwave?

Gah.
posted by kfury at 10:34 AM on March 15, 2003


plep recently linked to Kate Adie's coverage of Tiananmen Square in another thread. It's worth watching and remembering.
posted by homunculus at 10:38 AM on March 15, 2003


that's not chinese food, that's FREEDOM FOOD!
posted by jearbear at 10:48 AM on March 15, 2003


You folks can do what you want. I'm only buying Bulgarian from now on, starting with a pack of these Orwellian bad boys.

It's time to light up... for freedom!
posted by Ljubljana at 10:51 AM on March 15, 2003


Although used mainly for making solid fuel for missiles, HTPB also is used for commerical purposes, such as for space launches.


Okay now, this has gone too far. Why should we care if Iraq has a space program?
posted by bradth27 at 10:57 AM on March 15, 2003


Wait, wait... but there is no proof that Iraq is doing anything to contravene to UN mandates...right? right?

And we KNOW those peace loving French would never sell anything to Iraq that they shouldn't. The also wouldn't help other nations, such as the human-right crusading Chinese, sell illegal items to Iraq.

It's so good to know the pinnacle of peaceful pontification, that being France, is striving so diligently to "disarm" Iraq.
posted by Plunge at 11:02 AM on March 15, 2003


Tonite, it's Wok with Freedom!

Wok right on up!

Oh no, I'm having BC flashbacks! HELP!
posted by shepd at 11:06 AM on March 15, 2003


Hey, dude? Is that ... Freedom Wok? Yeah! Turn it up!
posted by allaboutgeorge at 11:11 AM on March 15, 2003


The following is off-topic, but in the interest of not starting a whole new iraq thread, what do folks here think of the idea of coercive inspections? This idea generated very little discussion when first brought up in September.

last night, i was watching TV (which you need a television to know about), and i saw Jessica Tuchman Matthews on Bill Moyers' show on PBS, re-pitching this idea. I think it is timely, and seems non-political (non-partisan). Why did this not become the model?
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 11:23 AM on March 15, 2003


Get Fuzzy
posted by blue_beetle at 11:24 AM on March 15, 2003


Sometimes I wonder if there's something or some document(s) in Iraq that France really doesn't want the rest of the world to see in the harsh light of day.

Other times I feel we're nuts to trash our relations with them over this.

The first casualty of war...
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:26 AM on March 15, 2003


Dish me out some of that General Schwartzkoff Chicken and some Patriot Rice, please.
posted by ilsa at 11:42 AM on March 15, 2003


mmmm...pass the Condoleezza Rice...( well, someone has to go for the easy ones...)
posted by stifford at 11:56 AM on March 15, 2003


Here's the transcript of the Jessica Tuchman Mathews interview.
posted by homunculus at 11:58 AM on March 15, 2003


Freedom Dressing
Freedom's Mustard
Freedom Toast
Freedom Fries
William Freedom Smith
Mr Freedom and Buffy
Freedom Stewart
posted by thedailygrowl at 12:01 PM on March 15, 2003


Maybe we should boycott ourselves considering the majority of Iraq's weapons were given to them by the United States to fight Iran.
posted by banished at 12:42 PM on March 15, 2003


The reason the FrenchFreedom meme is so damn persistent is because they're alliterative (in fact, sharing their first THREE letters). Makes you think the old WWII "Liberty Cabbage" was something from Libya or Liberia...

So what kind of alliterative All-American word can we substitute for "Chinese"?

Constitutional Chicken Salad?

Congressional Laundry?

Christian Fire Drill?
(ruh roh)
posted by wendell at 12:45 PM on March 15, 2003


As long as we're forcing memes down people's throats, blue_beetle's Get Fuzzy cartoon reminds me of Wendell's Law of Chronography: A stopped clock is right twice a day, one running backwards four times.
posted by wendell at 12:48 PM on March 15, 2003


new tagline: MetaFilter: French of Speech
posted by wendell at 12:50 PM on March 15, 2003


do we boycott not only French bread and wine but all Chinese food too

isn't most Chinese food not the product of inventors living in China?

May be wrong(correct please), for the most part chinese eat a lot of vegetables, with 1/3 pound of meat added for the entire family to share.

Besides French wine(like the average person can afford it, plus the wine you can buy in France is different from the wine on the shelf in the states, no sulfites, what would you rather have a headache). Where is this food manufactured for US consumption? Remembering shipping costs may out weigh why made here.

Where does your local Asian go to buy food; the same stores you do? Plus what we know as chinese food comes from recipes put together for the most part in SanFrancisco after during and after the gold rush. Most Chinese restaurants visited in So.Calif. were owned by Koreans, ask for kimchi & see their reaction.

Please these are words. Not actual products, unless you like stale french bread, give it a break, as this will be the only way you will be passing some french-bread at the table.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:57 PM on March 15, 2003


Mmmm, at this rate they'll finally have to make the the "Good Morning Burger". It's sacrliciously good!
posted by shepd at 1:01 PM on March 15, 2003


Hey, dude? Is that ... Freedom Wok? Yeah! Turn it up!

That's the single funniest thing I've read on MeFi in ages.
posted by machaus at 1:12 PM on March 15, 2003


business is business. they do business thats their business because it's business. business is not war, it is business. because war is war and that may or may not be good for business. my grandmother called me a busy-body as a toddler. meme can be our business. bumperstickers are good for business.
everybody has business.
me, i like the french, and business is business.
vive la france.
posted by clavdivs at 1:32 PM on March 15, 2003


"Merchandise will be burned"
-Censier
posted by clavdivs at 1:33 PM on March 15, 2003




Besides French wine(like the average person can afford it, plus the wine you can buy in France is different from the wine on the shelf in the states, no sulfites, what would you rather have a headache)

really, thom? You can get a decent bottle of wine for ten bucks, give or take $2, at a good wine store. And in this price range you can get French wines, Chilean wines, California wines, German wines, South African wines, et cetera. Just last night I had a really good $10 Alsatian Gewurztraminer with Chinese food. (MeFi imitates life...maybe I should make that "Chinese" food.)

Incidentally, the "red-wine-headache" syndrome isn't caused by sulfites. (Sulfites can cause problems, but usually only in the severely asthmatic.) Besides, white wines have up to twice as many sulfites as reds.

Furthermore, I don't think there's a difference in sulfites based on where the wines are produced; I believe that European labeling standards are less stringent than American ones -- wines sold in the US with sulfite concentrations greater than 10ppm (almost all wines) have to be labeled. I think the EU standard is something like 150ppm.

[/derail]

(Great picture, i_cola)
posted by Vidiot at 1:41 PM on March 15, 2003


a booze quibble?
posted by clavdivs at 1:43 PM on March 15, 2003


Vidiot: Thank you...as purchased from Walgreens, Palo Alto.

BTW, my better half & I are just finishing a rather decent $1.40 bottle of Cotes du Rhone. Grabbed a case on the way back to the UK last week in honour of the freedon fries debacle ;-)
posted by i_cola at 1:50 PM on March 15, 2003


I tried boycotting Chinese food, but an hour later I felt like boycotting something else.

Thank you! I'm here all week! Tip your waitress!
posted by RylandDotNet at 2:21 PM on March 15, 2003


Hey, the Pope of the Catholic church and even the methodists are against the war, does this mean we can boycott God?

Fine by me, fine by me.
posted by CrazyJub at 3:14 PM on March 15, 2003


I am too lazy to check to see if this has been posted, but who cares since it is just a comment. FTR - I have nothing against the French.

http://www.beerlovercam.com/vivalafrance.htm
posted by bargle at 10:21 PM on March 15, 2003


shepd: they do make the good morning burger. In Hawaii, it's called Loco Moco.
posted by Hackworth at 10:23 PM on March 15, 2003


"red-wine-headache" syndrome isn't caused by sulfites

Vidiot: Thank you.

Then that is my experience as never had a headache in France, but one glass here in the States, ouch.
The way it was pointed out, was that the sulfites add to the dehydration that causes the headache. If your on an international flight check out the wine bottle info this is where it was first pointed out to me. Suposely the Europeans are more relaxed than the FDA. But, now know more. Glad to hear you are able to find some great wines at a great deal.
posted by thomcatspike at 3:22 PM on March 17, 2003


...supposedly the Europeans...
posted by thomcatspike at 3:23 PM on March 17, 2003


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