Tony_Tarantula on 9/1/2015 at 04:16
Bingo.
If you are lucky enough to talk to people who work in defense, or even know some reputable news sources(e.g. not U.S. corporate-owned press) you also know that the Saudi oligarchy heavily funded ISIS. You also know that they previously maintained close ties to any number of senior Al-Queada leaders.
Quote:
In a week like this, I expect all media to not self-censor anything.
On the contrary. They should post and show as many satirical, offensive and non-sensical stuff as possible.
Just to show we will not bend.
Wishful thinking.
Quite so. The era of confrontational journalism is long since gone, and most now prefer to "go along to get along". Read Michael Hasting's book "the operators". Some of the most telling sections of his book are where he describes the overtly hostile treatment he got from people in the mainstream press after his article came out. They were literally outraged that he would report negative information on a media darling like McChrystal.
Tony_Tarantula on 9/1/2015 at 04:20
Quote Posted by SD
People are blaming atheism for Stalin and Mao? Simply ridiculous.
Dogmatic belief is the inspiration for such acts, and since atheism is neither dogma nor belief, the argument falls flat.
Y'all can sit around worrying about whether acolytes of Richard Dawkins are going to detonate themselves on your morning commute, or you can pay attention to the real world, where religionists, and only religionists, pose an existential threat of that nature.
A cause? No....but there's ample history out there to indicate that atheism is not an effective cure for governmental excesses traditionally blamed on religion. Besides which very little of "Dogmatic belief" exists in a vacuum. Show me any "religious war" in history and I'll show you secular government or business leaders that actually stood to profit. The recent resurgence of Islamic extremists makes for a very strong case in point.
Edit: perhaps I should clarify. Not only are the Saudis funding ISIS, but the United States was heavily involved too. I have acquaintances who were sent to Syria to train "moderate" rebels. Furthemore the US backing of these extremist groups has some important connections that are an open secret:
Ambassador Stevens was involved in distributing arms to Islamic extremists in Syria and Libya prior to his death.
(
http://armstrongeconomics.com/2013/09/04/syria-benghazi-connection/)
faetal on 9/1/2015 at 09:21
Atheism isn't a cure for anything, but religion and state should be kept separately, that's for damn sure.
nickie on 9/1/2015 at 10:34
Quote Posted by Gryzemuis
Telegraph stuff.
It's not like the Telegraph to get their apostrophes wrong. Tut tut.
I was listening to the obsequious Jeremy Vine on my trip home yesterday. He was talking to someone in Paris who was attempting to explain why the attack affected everyone. The analogy was more or less that the rest of us believe in free speech, the French breathe it. True or not, I'm a John Donne fan so I feel for our friends over the Channel.
Stefan_Key on 9/1/2015 at 14:04
I was shocked about what has happened in our city. Plain horrible.
Those fanatic people are trying to play with our spirits. Their main goal is to divide us from within.
Here is a picture of four of the men who were killed :
(
http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?id=134015wolinskicharbcabuettignous11334635wxzdh1713.jpg)
Inline Image:
http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/134015wolinskicharbcabuettignous11334635wxzdh1713.jpgI feel like I lost my "funny uncles" e.g. I knew Cabu from a TV broadcast for kids in the 80's. He was a funny cartoonist before working at Charlie Hebdo.
In this footage, the kids had to guess expressions through his drawings. At the end, there is a special one : to return to his/her mother's belly. (meaning going back to a safe place)
And Cabu said : "There will be no censorship, you can say whatever you want !"
[video=youtube;ZLkAqimUfmw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLkAqimUfmw[/video]
A part of my childhood is gone !
RIP for the people who died and my condolences for the families.
Thanks for your support.
Renault on 9/1/2015 at 15:47
Sounds like they have the suspects surrounded. They've claimed they want to go out as martyrs - hopefully that means just killing themselves and not others with them.
Apparently, a resident from the town they're in came up to one of the suspects and shook his hand, thinking he was a police officer. The guy eventually told him to move along, saying "we don't kill civilians." Hopefully that mindset will keep any further bloodshed to a minimum.
Azaran on 9/1/2015 at 16:55
And they're dead..I wish they had been caught alive and made an example of
Volitions Advocate on 9/1/2015 at 17:16
I don't suppose there's any chance I have of not getting crucified by bringing up the topic of firearms laws?
The first police that responded were unarmed. Because that makes perfect sense.
Nobody as a citizen was allowed to be armed to defend themselves because it is apparently morally superior to be a victim than to confront your attacker in the act with reciprocal violence. It's much better to let everybody else mourn after the fact and draw some more cartoons in your honour.
You don't need to protect yourself because you can just call the police. Big help that was.
This would have played out far differently if it had been Geneva. Of course I don't think anybody, even terrorist extremists, would be stupid enough to attempt it there. Because we all know you just don't fuck with the Swiss, they're prepared.
Gryzemuis on 9/1/2015 at 17:26
Quote Posted by Volitions Advocate
by bringing up the topic of firearms laws?
Fuck off with your firearms.
Freedom means the right to not be bothered about guns and violence on a daily basis. Suggesting that everybody needs to carry firearms all day, "for protection", is the opposite of freedom. The French understand that.
Besides, Charlie Hebdo had 24/7 police protection. I think they had (at least) 2 policemen in the building at the time of attack. I am sure those were armed. Didn't help them much, did it ?
====
Back on topic.
R.I.P. four innocent hostages.
Total death-count: 17.
