Why we speak English

When in England, at a fairly large conference,

Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury

if our plans for Iraq were just an example

of empire building by George Bush.



He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United

States has sent many of its fine young men and women

into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders.

The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return

is enough to bury those that did not return.'



You could have heard a pin drop.





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There was a conference in France where a number of

international engineers were taking part, including French

and American. During a break, one of the French engineers

came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest

dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft

carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What

does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our

carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several

hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply

emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they

have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000

people three meals a day, they can produce severa l

thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each

day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in

transporting victims and injured t o and from their flight

deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'



You could have heard a pin drop.





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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference

that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian,

Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception,

he found himself standing with a large group of Officers

that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped

their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that,

whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn

only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have

to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking

French?'

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe

it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans

arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'



You could have heard a pin drop.





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AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...



Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in

Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his

passport in his carry on.

'You have been to France before , monsieur?' the customs officer

asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France

previously

Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said, ''The last time I was here, I didn't have to

show it.

'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports

on arrival in France!'

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard

look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore

at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country,

I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'



You could have heard a pin drop.