Me being the habitual  "pot stirrer"  just love to push the  buttons on all you rabid French-Haters out there. Why? Because French- hating is un-American at it's core and it makes us a little people. I really don't understand how anyone can just dismiss a whole culture with a broad stroke. I've always been of the mind that there's many different points of view and all have validity depending on your perspective. Waving the tri-color to some people is the equivalent waving a poster of President Obama at a Klu Klux Klan rally. So why the French? We get along with the Germans (remember the Nazis?) and doesn't matter that the British tried unsuccessfully to  reclaim the colonies through invasion. We don't hate them. And let's not forget the Japanese. After WWII they became one of our biggest allies in Asia. We don't even have a problem buying the majority of our goods from a country like China where it's citizens are forced to work a slave wages and human rights are trampled daily. So why the French? They're arrogant you say? Have you been to New York City, Philadelpia or Boston lately? Afraid to fight, we saved them in the war? Their help both militarily and financially allowed our country to win it's independence from England.  Why do you think Ben Franklin spent so much time there? The way I see it we're even.The press in particular love to bash them. (Bill O 'Reilly and Jay Leno have built careers out of those cliches. )  Could it be that they actually think for themselves on occasion and can't be bullied into going along with something they don't agree with? We can't always have our way in the world.Like it or not those days are over. Is that unpatriotic? I don't think so. My family has been here for over four hundred years and fought and died in every conflict this country has gotten into. That's why I have the right to think freely. So why get mad when someone else does the same. As a retailer and lover of French wine  I find it particularly frustrating. I don't carry French wine because I agree with the French politically. I carry it because it tastes wonderful and it's produced (in most cases) by small family-run businesses who do what they do because it's what they've always done. They don't care about politics, Saddam Hussein, Dick Cheney or globalization. They just want make and sell their wines to people who will appreciate them. I've traveled to France several times and I'm hear to tell you... they're not  so much different than anywhere else in the world. That's true just about everywhere. Anytime I find this spirit of hate-mongering around there's always someone or group that stands to benefit from it. So what I'm saying on this day of French Independence (a day inspired by our own Revolution which was in-turn inspired by the great French thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau. ) don't believe everything you hear or read. That's what we as Americans are famous for... going our own way. Don't be shocked when other cultures decide to follow our example and do the same. That's what we're known for. I as a retailer and soapbox speaker will be doing the same by bringing you some of the world's best wines. Jeanne Courteaud will be pouring a selection French wines tonight at our free Tuesday night tasting in honor of Bastille Day. If my argument is not enough here's an open letter that I found on the Internet that argues in favor of France's great contributions to world culture...