Last night all over the news were headlines of another horrific terrorist attack, this time in Paris.
It was not long ago that we made our first trip to Europe. Even though we planned to meet my wife’s Korean cousin and her husband in The Netherlands, I insisted that we also made a quick trip to Paris—on our own if necessary. Looking back, I’m glad we went when we did, when things seemed normal.
We stayed in the 7th Arr. (arrondissement) district in Paris and took the same Thalys train from Amsterdam that was attacked and subsequently thwarted by, who else, Americans.
On CNN last night they showed President Obama speaking where he condemning the attacks in the strongest language he’s ever used up to this point when he said the attacks were “outrageous.” I hope the French are feeling reassured. Our President gave his remarks in his usual self-righteous demeanor as If to say, “if only Charlie Hebdo didn’t publish that cartoon mocking the Prophet, everything would have been okay.” Do you think Donald Trump’s demeanor would be casual and nonchalant if he were president?
I was on the ground in New York during the attacks on the World Trade Center and there is one thing I can assure you of and that is that you are one your own, baby! Yes, help will arrive, but it may be minutes later at best—too late for most people. According to one account, the terrorists (protestors) were firing for 10 minutes in the concert hall. I wonder if as many people would have been killed (slaughtered) if someone in the crowd were armed.
On CNN, one survivor of the attacks described it as a “bloodbath.”
Maybe the French and the other tolerant, progressive Europeans will come to realize why Americans will never give up their guns. Aren’t there laws in France prohibiting people from purchasing AK47 assault rifles and then using them to attack and kill innocent civilians? Maybe they need more laws prohibiting law abiding citizens from owning and carrying weapons.
I’m sure I will be criticized for politicizing such a tragedy, but isn’t this sort of thing already being politicized when leaders of some of the most powerful nations in the world refuse accept or acknowledge the real nature of the threat which is an ideology derived from a religious belief system?
Let’s have a review for those who can’t see what’s right in front of them or for those who “can’t find their ass with both hands,” IS, ISIS, ISIL are acronyms for Islamic State, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant respectively. The common denominator in all three is “Islamic.” If they identify themselves as Islamic, shouldn’t we?
I’m waiting for all the educated idiots, politicians, and media analysts to start playing the blame game. You know how it goes. HRC will try to tell you it was global warming that drove them (terrorists) to commit such acts of desperation. It was George W. Bush. No…wait, maybe it was income inequality or the minimum wage. Better yet, why not just blame the whole thing on capitalism. But seriously, I’m sure it was really caused by an excess of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions in the atmosphere that drove them crazy. Yea, that’s what it was.
My only hope is that France, as well as the U.S., will wake up and take this threat seriously.
Vive la France! Vive la liberté!