Statue of Liberty “too froggy”: Gill
Statue of Liberty “too froggy”: Gill; Talk show host also targets Lafayette Street
Local radio talk show host Steve Gill, apparently determined to become the Francophobic clown prince of pro-war activism, has decided to take on the Statue of Liberty and the myriad landmarks in the U.S. named for the Marquis de Lafayette.
In the last few weeks, the very busy call-in show host has advocated a boycott of French wine, promoted a “pro-American” rally at a local used car lot featuring the sledgehammering of a Peugeot automobile, and berated local restaurant The Pancake Pantry for serving French toast and Belgian waffles.
And starting last Monday, Gill began calling on his listeners to contribute to a fund designated to bankroll the dismantlement of the Statue of Liberty and its transport back to France.
“I know the French gave us the Statue of Liberty, but I’m not sure they know what liberty is any more,” he says. “The whole thing is just too froggy for me, and the best thing to do would be to send it back to them. That’s what we’re trying to raise the money to do.”
Gill withdrew a suggestion that Americans refrain from wearing or displaying the colors of the French flag when it was pointed out to him that those colors are red, white and blue. A proposed ban on Cajun cooking as “French-derived” also fell by the wayside.
“I really like gumbo,” he explains.
Gill has also turned his sights on the numerous landmarks across the U.S. named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French major-general who persuaded France to support the American revolution and who personally fought beside George Washington for American independence.
Gill has urged that Lafayette Street in Nashville have its named changed to the Avenue of American Patriots, that Lafayette, Tenn., change its name to “Fred Thompsonville” and that other cities and landmarks across the U.S. also abandon the Lafayette name.
“Well, the fact is, the guy was French,” Gill says. “He probably just signed on with us because he wanted to back a winner.”
Gill has urged that Lafayette Street in Nashville have its named changed to the Avenue of American Patriots, that Lafayette, Tenn., change its name to “Fred Thompsonville” and that other cities and landmarks across the U.S. also abandon the Lafayette name.
“Well, the fact is, the guy was French,” Gill says. “He probably just signed on with us because he wanted to back a winner.”
