Open Letter to Jay Leno about “Educating Jay”

“We believe you have quite an impact on the popular perception of French, even more so than Fox News, the New York Post, the Washington Times to name a few. Given the fact that you have had many Americans of French heritage on your show, I find it incredible that you continue to make disrespectful comments about the French. ”

Dear Jay Leno;

For the last three years, Miquelon.org has been the one and only media watchdog in North American dedicated to exposing and documenting French-Bashing and Anti-French activity.

One of our busiest areas is monitoring national (and international) news, radio, print comments, articles; writers, columnists, as well as advertising campaigns, and entertainment programs.

Featured in many media outlets, Miquelon.org has been written about and interviewed for: AFP (Agence France Presse), Libération (www.liberation.fr), TF1 (www.tf1.fr), KTTM Radio, Fox News Radio with Alan Colmes, Der Spiegel, the Utne Web Watch. We were scheduled to appear on Bill O’Reilly, only to be pre-empted by the Scooter Libby Affair. We just finished an interview with the London Sunday Times on the topic of French bashing in the media.

Since 2003, you, Mr. Leno have been at the top of our monitoring list for late night television French-bashing. An example:

“Well, there’s nothing funnier to me than the French. The French Resistance is probably the biggest mythical joke that ever existed. There were four guys in the French Resistance. They couldn’t hand over the Jewish people fast enough. Oh, please, don’t tell me about the French. The French have all sorts of secret deals with Saddam and everybody else for two cents a liter. It’s an easy target.” – James Douglas Muir Leno, Interview with Nikki Finke, LA Weekly.

Hence the initiative here at Miquelon.org what we call: “Educating Jay”. Jay, your continued offensive anti-French remarks, has resulted in our own revolt. Last year, we appealed to our readers to send us funds to buy books about France, the French in World War II and the French Résistance. Donations poured in, and we have put together a selection of books on these topics. Although we had initially planned to send you the books by mail, I personally am driving across the country from Toronto Canada to Los Angeles California to give you these books myself

We believe you have quite an impact on the popular perception of French, even more so than Fox News, the New York Post, the Washington Times to name a few. Given the fact that you have had many Americans of French heritage on your show, I find it incredible that you continue to make disrespectful comments about the French. Therefore, I believe a one-on-one conversation is in order, in a bid to change your perceptions about the French culture and country.

I extend an invite to you to meet with me while I’m in Los Angeles and will check for my name at the gates at NBC Studios in Burbank.

To quote the character Howard Beale from the 1976 film Network: “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

Yours truly,
Marc Saint-Aubin du Cormier