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Home : News : News : Editorial
Editorial
Second Thoughts
By: William W. Lawrence
11/04/2003
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Aage Bjerre, the Danish pizzeria owner who refused to serve French and German tourists because of their governments' opposition to our war against Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime, sent me the following letter.
The envelope also contained a picture of a parchment copy of our Declaration of Independence that I had sent him.
Mr. Bjerre had it framed and had it hanging in what I believe is his pizzeria.
He was fined 5,000 kroner (U.S. $780) for refusing to sell pizzas to German and French tourists, calling them "anti-American."
I made a few minor edits to his letter, but basically it is what he wrote.
He wants to be an American. I hope he comes to Delaware County and opens a Danish bakery. We need Americans like him along with good pastry.
***



Oct. 22, 2003
Dear Mr. Lawrence,
Thank you for your letter with the Declaration of Independence and picture of Abraham Lincoln. I am sorry for the late answer, but I got a lot of e-mails and letters.
I started my boycott because France and Germany were disloyal toward the United States, NATO and UN about the liberation of Iraq and the fight against terrorism. (As your good President George W. Bush said after 9/11 in fight against terrorism: "Either you are with us or you are with them").
Hadn't the United States helped Europe in defeating Germany there would been photos of Adolf Hitler hanging on the walls around here. US soldiers pay with their lives for ours freedom in Europe and your Americans are always ready to risk your lives for other countries' freedom.
Too many countries forget how they got their own freedom and democracy and they do not value it for a moment. Now after the war people blame the United States and your good President George W. Bush because they didn't find WMD (not yet), but what about MASS GRAVES?? . . .
There are many good reasons to remove a tyranny. In 10 years from now I am confident that the entire world will see that the liberation of Iraq was the right thing to do.
Since I started my boycott I have received about 300 positive letters from Ireland, England, New Dehli, Singapore, Dubai, Australia, Italy, Canada, Spain, Germany (3) and near every single state in the United States.
Some letters with souvenirs like flags, peanut butter, smoked salmon, T-shirt from Los Angeles Sheriff Department, CD's, US Army captain bars, unit patch and flag from Eagle base in Bosnia, stickers from FDNY, coffee mugs, tie, some letters with a dollar-bill and an invitation to come to Chicago for 2 weeks.
I have been on a lot of radio stations in USA (20-30), Colombia, Canada, Australia, Holland, BBC Wales, and I had visit from Three German television stations ( ZDF, ARD and NDR ) and BBC World.
You can find more about my boycott on the internet. Search on Google; aage bjerre and aage pi,7~.
I had two great weeks in Chicago from 9/16 to 9/30 I visit Americans friends in Wisconsin ( they visit me on Fan0 in February) and I was on the "Back to the Days" Kosciusko festival in Indiana. At the camp I become to be a citizen of Redbrush with a flag raising and citizen document. As a pro-American Danish citizen it was the greatest honor in my life.
It was the first time I was in the United States and people over here have always said to me: "just wait, after you come home you will see how bad the USA is". But they were wrong, I loved the USA before, I love the USA now and I will always love the USA. I hope some day I will work and live in the United States as a real American.
After my boycott of France and German cowards I was charged for discrimination and lost in both city court and appeal court. I will not pay the fine, so I will have to go to jail for about 8 days.
Several radio stations, 710 KIRO RADIO (Dori Monson) in Seattle and Neal Boortz Radio Show in Atlanta, offered to pay my fine. I told them to give the money to a foundation that will pay money to widows and children of American soldiers who died in war.
I sold my pizzeria because the police said they would take my license if I lost in appeals court and don't stop the boycott.
God bless you and your family, Aage Bjerre,
Hovedgaden 14, D1 Box 12. 6720 Nordby, Fan0 Denmark
Phone: +45 40409855 1
***
A few jokes Off The Internet designed to make a pro-American Dane smile.
A Frenchman was in a Copenhagen pub when a regular customer suggested to him:
"I'll give you $200, if you let me smash 10 beer bottles on your head." The Frenchman thought for a while and finally agreed. The Dane smashed the first bottle on the Frenchman's head, then the second and so on, but he stopped after smashing nine bottles.
"So, when are you going to smash the tenth bottle?" asked the Frenchman.
"I am not a total idiot," the Dane replied, "then I would have to give you that $200."
***
There was a sandwich machine in a German factory. Fritz didn't quite understand what the machine was about, though. He went to the machine and paid his 10 marks and got one sandwich. He was so excited, and paid another 10 to the machine and received another sandwich. Finally he had a huge pile of sandwiches.
Another worker was wondering what Fritz was doing:
"Fritz, don't you think you should stop now?"
"What are you babbling about? I am just starting to win big!"
***
A Frenchman was walking down the street with a duck under his arm.
"Where did you find that monkey?" asked the fellow pedestrian.
"It happens to be a duck." claimed the Frenchman.
"Shut up, Frenchman! I am talking to the duck."


©CountyPressOnline.com 2010

Reader Comments
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Added: Tuesday November 25, 2003 at 03:13 PM EST
Dear Mr. Lawrence,

I am the person who hosted Aage in Chicago. I wanted to have a big reception for him here but guess what? Not only did most people NOT support Mr. Bjerre, but they were downright hostile about his actions. Even though it's true it's a punishable misdemeanor offense to register as a Republican in Chicago, I still thought that Aage's stance was bi-partisan since what he accomplished was bringing attention to anti-Americanism overseas.

I was wrong. Supporting American interests is simply not done in Chicago. I was barely able to get a couple friends out to greet him and the Danish cameraman who accompanied him at O'Hare, among which my own brother. Even the city's only conservative radio voice, a shock jock called "Mancow" (his tag line - "The Free Speech Network"), shunned him.

Aage had a great time here though, mostly because I pulled out all the stops to ensure that he did, with a credit card that won't be paid off until fiscal Q4 of 2012. But what I really hoped for more than entertaining him was to get him over here as a citizen of the country that he wholeheartedly admires and has supported to his detriment. Needless to say I have failed utterly, in spite of all the letters and appeals. I just don't know how to go about getting this man a green card, short of marrying him, which would obviously defeat the purpose of his whole raison d'etre.

I read a lot on the internet about how much people appreciate what he's done. It would be nice if they could all pull together and show him the love that he has shown us. Aage is working as a pizza baker in the Faroe Islands now since he can't get a job in Denmark. He is living in a closet there. He never complains.

Can't someone call a congressman and make this guy a legal resident? Aage is more American than most Americans I know. He has put his money where his mouth is time and again. It's time for us to return the favor.
Durinda Seolo

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