…And you thought I was French!

I actually am a “Savoisien”, better known as “Savoyard”, and was born on the South Shore of Lake Geneva around the middle of the 20th Century.

What is known today as “Savoie”, was annexed by the French in 1860, a mere 30 years after they did the same with Algeria. This annexation was the by-product of a rigged plebiscite in which there was no secret ballots, just “Yes” was available to voters as they couldn't find a single “No” to stuff in the ballot box.

French occupation was going on while voting took place and any one voicing any opposition to the annexation was jailed.

So, if we had the rule of law then, I should have been born “Savoyard” and not French, and today, there's still an independence movement brewing in the Savoies while the rest of the world is rushing full-tilt into globalization.

Well, for the moment, I shall remain a true “Savoyard-American”, but I'll be the only one to know it!