I'd Rather Die Standing Than Live on My Knees - Charlie Hebdo Pays the Price for Free Speech

[Voltrader]

Good thing the Muslim World has made their alliance with Mother Russia. In the end it is the best thing that can happen to the west. U.S. is not in the Jihadist eyesight yet but western Europe is about to get a frontal assault. They know it's time and Russia is saying it is time.

Throw in a week Euro to continue to pressure civil strife. I would say even more like a dissolution of the EU and the Germans demanding payment for the trillions they dumped into it. You are having all the ingredients for a global reset. We are here we are at the crossroads of war. Quantative easing was an experiment to see if we can avoid war being part of the equation in a global reset. Hoping that monetary policy can do the reset. Well I guess if we have learned anything from human existence the only way to reset is to have war.

 

[flenser]

Good thing the Muslim World has made their alliance with Mother Russia. In the end it is the best thing that can happen to the west. U.S. is not in the Jihadist eyesight yet but western Europe is about to get a frontal assault. They know it's time and Russia is saying it is time.

Throw in a week Euro to continue to pressure civil strife. I would say even more like a dissolution of the EU and the Germans demanding payment for the trillions they dumped into it. You are having all the ingredients for a global reset. We are here we are at the crossroads of war. Quantative easing was an experiment to see if we can avoid war being part of the equation in a global reset. Hoping that monetary policy can do the reset. Well I guess if we have learned anything from human existence the only way to reset is to have war.

Heh, I was already thinking, "global war, not reset", when I read your last sentence. Seems like nearly everyone wants one, everyone who knows they won't have to fight anyway.

 

[flenser]

I hadn't seen this. Thanks for posting it. The truth is a bitter pill for many.

Not really a fan of Buchanan, but he does hit the mark sometimes.

 

[kawilt]

Well a few more conspiracy theories:

Britain’s GCHQ Domestic Spying Apparatus to be granted Greater Surveillance Powers after Paris Attacks
By Steven MacMillan



Following the tragic events in Paris, David Cameron is meeting with security heads to potentially grant the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) even greater spying powers. In a disgusting (yet predictable) move by Cameron and fellow Western leaders, these latest attacks are being used as a justification for illegal GCHQ and National Security Agency (NSA) spying, and as a pretext to further expand the surveillance state – which is already at heights never seen before in human history. This is the first time that governments have had the capacity and technological capability to monitor the behaviour, conversations, opinions and habits of the people on such a grand scale, in a quest to predict the behaviour of entire populations.

Tony Porter, the governments own surveillance commissioner, is worried at the level of spying in Britain and the lack of knowledge the public has about the pervasiveness of government snooping. Referring mainly to the ubiquitous CCTV cameras in the UK, Porter recently revealed how he is troubled by the apathy and ignorance of many citizens who don’t understand how the information is used, and he points out that the data obtained from these devices can be used to “predict behaviour”. Along with the sophistication and level of GCHQ spying – which compiles copious amounts of data on the public with http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4_gGY0urp2QodWTHMS6VKVESr_UeOJda_M0j5U50zv3vf3cB6ACU0tZ6llMdPLxeleq2bkDTvSXcBNz6OKYY_9FrRLNo_krRqLm9aVWrQx8LcqueEEneV3W415kxPJ_W9asOsucGf7Neknvyz5Ek7N0_YwtsuLx0dGcnnft2CcJma8pIbsqYXng==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (no warrant), it unveils the surveillance state that Britain has become, even surpassing George Orwell’s dystopian vision of the future in his book 1984. Across the water in the US, high-level NSA whistleblower William Binney has been warning the public about Stasi-style surveillance for years, describing the NSA as “totalitarian” in nature and their practices as “a total destruction of the rights you thought you had under the constitution”. He also states that the objective of the surveillance state is “to set up the way and means to control the population.”

Cameron’s meeting supposedly stems from a desire to prevent terrorist attacks in Britain, yet he does not even pay lip service to a major cause of the attack, namely; the support and creation of rebel armies and terrorists in Syria by NATO powers, in addition to the perennial Western wars in the Middle East. A wonderful article by Tony Cartalucci titled: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4JkhQsn8RzGrWNPRHp5ZqGfmuVGoLwnRpO2fbWqa66J-h3Q-p3E2LA1iTR4U6qUg4j23ubNZFGEt2ll6qqwg062-ULMJZ7ZobCpuUJCD1O_GNGlutzs-a1j1payTR4q_VcMxwEhyVaCsITLKo7i_t3HZxEDTqBgw93wjY1PBBbSDimgf9R_HiTeU7Fm8G3XzOJPTsJURlbSutCJYFPt1Whg==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (Paris shooters just returned from NATO’s proxy war in Syria), documents how the Kouachi brother’s returned home in the summer of last year after fighting alongside the al-Qaeda affiliated Syrian rebels, and this latest attack is partly blowback from NATO policy in Syria. NATO powers (including France) have been arming, funding and training this assortment of rebel bandits for years, but not one leading Western politician has called for an end to the proxy war in Syria to prevent future attacks.

The failure of French intelligence and security services to prevent the attacks also raises serious questions. NATO powers have long been aware that returning fighters from Syria pose a security threat on their return, and the Kouachi brothers were on the radar of both http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4JO6B4en-xku1CmrQ1z3AdJ-K6PNQ6LGnmw2IfdsdOswDmBlTBU_hl7FA3NchpasBkbTP-Du9rxD3Qh3R3QBK89baQN8l5MWIMxe6zZGu8QldsJGKyOMu0lN0TCXCwuD4Y5JRohlRtBxI8mFJqHaXBisv7BZpTy8pEVV9WmuhiI_kbl97c-JkqFlZtbfyVkUj&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (French) and http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4dPGoEhhvbYpFUarZYjlFUwreXOiXpO2rlKUoLj3dVWJtv2DAMOYBKeYcPNSNj4BCGwgfGnxnaHo--6jqz1ywwZj4JA3cvRFTwOLqWtAPi6lidFvNrbBD5usQ_Nn5MpjRHKh_GPSQU3fu7vFA69p5OQ==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (British) intelligence for years. Cherif Kouachi was arrested and jailed for terrorist activities in 2008, with both brothers travelling to Yemen in 2011 for weapons training from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), according to Reuters. If the Kouachi brothers weren’t high level terror threats that required serious attention from intelligence services since their return from Syria, then who is?

Despite the French Prime Minister merely explaining the lapse as “clear failings”, it is a highly suspicious that these individuals weren’t being tracked by the state up until the attacks. The news that Helric Fredou, a police commissioner who was involved in the investigation of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, supposedly committed suicide at around 1am on Thursday is also highly suspicious.

This has led many to believe that these attacks may have been allowed to take place in order to provide the pretext for a further erosion of civil liberties in NATO countries, and in an attempt to pass internet censorship bills under the guise of fighting online terrorism. There is also discussion that France may implement legislation similar to the tyrannical patriot act passed in the US after 9/11. The war on terror has always been a war on the people’s civil liberties, and a justification for a surveillance state that the Stasi would be envious of.

It is difficult to ascertain exactly what happened in Paris last week. It may have simply been blowback from the proxy war in Syria, or it may have been of a more nefarious nature in the form of a stand down by French intelligence, or an attack directly ran by the French state. Whatever the cause of the attacks, it is clear that the leaders of the West will use this tragic incident as a pretext to attempt to further erode the people’s civil liberties in Europe and elsewhere.

Steven MacMillan is an independent writer, researcher and editor of The Analyst Report.

 

[flenser]

I dunno. The victims were essentially asking to be attacked, and made little effort to protect themselves. My understanding is that no one was armed, even though France has reasonably relaxed gun laws. The attackers were seasoned fighters, and very motivated. They didn't exactly need any help.

 

[flenser]

Wow...

Turkish President's Stunning Outburst: The French Are Behind The Charlie Hebdo Massacre; Mossad Blamed
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/13/2015 12:55 -0500

It was less than 48 hours ago when Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, joined millions marching in Paris to pay tribute to the 17 people killed by ISIS-supporting extremists. Then, almost the moment he got back, things changed, and as the FT politely paraphrases what transpired, the "country’s president struck a much more confrontational tone." That's one way of putting it. Another is that the former PM and current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of NATO-member Turkey did the unthinkable: accused the west, and French citizens in particular, of staging the Charlie Hebdo murder in order to blame Muslims, even as the mayor of Ankara said "Mossad is definitely behind such incidents . . . it is boosting enmity towards Islam."

"The duplicity of the west is obvious,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a press conference on Monday evening. “As Muslims we have never sided with terror or massacres: racism, hate speech, Islamophobia are behind these massacres.”

His punchline: "The culprits are clear: French citizens undertook this massacre and Muslims were blamed for it,” he added.

The FT is confused: "Although political leaders in Turkey have repeatedly condemned the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine, a Jewish supermarket and a policewoman, a parallel narrative has emerged in the country, with conspiracy theorists blaming the murders on foreign intelligence agencies rather than radical Islamists."

It's not just the French who were said to be behind the attack: so is Mossad:

Melih Gokcek, mayor of Ankara for the ruling AK party, said on Monday that “Mossad [the Israeli intelligence service] is definitely behind such incidents . . . it is boosting enmity towards Islam.” Mr Gokcek linked the attacks to French moves towards recognising Palestine.​

Ali Sahin, a member of Turkey’s parliament and foreign affairs spokesman for the AK party, last week set out eight reasons why he suspected the killings were staged so that “the attack will be blamed on Muslims and Islam”.

But back to Erdogan:

In his own remarks on Monday, Mr Erdogan added: “Games are being played throughout the Islamic world”. He expressed bewilderment that French intelligence services had not followed the culprits more effectively.​

The FT is further confused that Turkey is not the only place which has dared to offer conspiratorial theories: Russia is too.

In Russia, some pro-Kremlin commentators sought to link the killings to geopolitical machinations by the US.

Komsomolskaya Pravda, one of Russia’s leading tabloids, ran the headline: “Did the Americans stage the terror attack in Paris?” and posted a series of interviews on its website that presented various reasons why Washington might have organised the attack.

In one interview, Alexander Zhilin, head of the pro-Kremlin Moscow Centre for the Study of Applied Problems, claimed the terror attack was US retribution against President François Hollande for a January 6 radio interview in which Mr Hollande urged the EU to lift sanctions against Russia. Washington used the attacks as “a quick fix for consolidating” US and EU geopolitical interests in Ukraine, Mr Zhilin claimed.
​

The FT is most stunned that in Russia the events in Charlie Hebdo are being equated to the 9/11 tragedy:

“For the last 10 years, so-called Islamist terrorism has been under the control of one of the world’s leading intelligence agencies,” Alexei Martynov, director of the International Institute for New States, a think-tank, told pro-Kremlin internet outlet LifeNews. “I am sure that some American supervisors are responsible for the terror attacks in Paris, or in any case the Islamists who carried them out.”

Whatever could have given the Russian this idea...​

 

[heady muscle]

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/1/13/glenn_greenwald_on_how_to_be

 

[kawilt]

It was only a matter of time before someone would blame the Mossad for at least complicity in this. Another conspiracy. There popping up all over the place. ....Well , lets not forget Pearl Harbour, we know now about how secret that was.
Day Of Deceit

 

[heady muscle]

I find it strange that almost daily or at least once a week, some big dramatic thing happens in the world now. Especially all these shootings, either by a "terrorist" in another country or by some random shooting here in the States or aboard.

If it is not shootings, it's dramatic weather or earth movements or Tsunamis. The media controls all our thoughts and energy but constantly putting this stuff out there. Be it real happenings or orchestrated ones.

I think I would like people step back and look at the big picture and see with their own eyes and consciousness what is really happening. Do not listen to any media, be it radio or television. Just look/watch/listen.

 

[Millard]

Charlie Hebdo, Dieudonné and France's restrictive hate speech laws:

France's First Free-Speech Challenge After Charlie Hebdo

Comparing Hate Speech Laws In The U.S. And Abroad

 

[kawilt]

France has some pretty draconian laws concerning "hate speech" and also a law that can land you in prison for just questioning historical interpretations of events in WW11 ( Gayssot Act) David Stein, AKA David Cole, if he were in France, could be serving time in jail for writing his book "Republican Party Animal", along with countries like Austria, Germany, Hungary and others. Where do we draw the line on what we can say or not say? And eventually, perhaps, what we think.

 

[Millard]

Where do we draw the line on what we can say or not say? And eventually, perhaps, what we think.

The US probably has greater protections for the caustic French satire of the Charlie Hebdo variety. But I can't imagine any similar publication existing in the U.S.; American newspapers would avoid. Not so in France.

Some types of speech that Americans are permitted but not the French include the discussion of anabolic steroids; the type of speech that MESO enjoys would likely be illegal under laws related to "l'incitation au dopage".

The French may support the freedom of Charlie Hebdo to publish satire that is misogynistic, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-Islam, anti-Christian, etc.

But no so much the freedom to talk about how to use steroids.

It's always interesting to follow how a society (that ideologically claims to support free speech) arrives at allowing some messages but not others.

 

[Millard]

The good and the bad of Charlie Hebdo.

Je suis Charlie vs. Je ne suis pas Charlie.

What everyone gets wrong about Charlie Hebdo and racism

I am not Charlie Hebdo

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Islamophobia exists in France and the threat of it increasing is real. Just because it is not presently manifested in the same way (hate crimes and terroristic acts) doesn't mean it is not a concern for the French.

I refuse to accept the legitimacy of the term Islamophobia on three grounds:

First, the intended purpose of the term Islamophobia is to silence legitimate criticism of Islam.

Secondly, the most commonly accepted definition of phobia is a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous. By that definition we're all Islamophobes. The fear of Islam is anything but irrational or abnormal. On the contrary, the fear of Islam is rational and normal.

Thirdly, the use of the term Islamophobia implies the fault for the fear of Islam lies with non-Muslims. That is false. The fault lies with Islam and the actions of some of its adherents. Therefore, the solution must come from within Islam.

None of this is to say that Muslims don't face discrimination in the West. However, there is no reason to believe Muslims face any greater discrimination than any other ethnic minority, and they're certainly not facing persecution.

Islamophobia and anti-Semitism both need to be addressed.

Anti-Antisemitism has plagued Europe for centuries, however, the most recent brand of anti-Antisemitism, the anti-Antisemitism that is forcing the largest mass exodus of Jews from Europe since the Second World War, is due to the Muslim persecution of Jews.

The blame for that doesn't lie with with the non-Muslim native European population. Not this time.

Of course, the response to the Charlie Hebdo-related terroristic events should first and foremost address the immediate threats (against free speech, against Jews, against secularism) in France.

Agreed, but the solution to the immediate problems you noted requires a long-term effort. In the short-term, there will be increased calls for self-censorship; there will be more provocative cartoons in protest; there will be more jihadist attacks in response. It's a vicious cycle that will continue for the foreseeable future.

Hate crimes aren't the only expression of prejudice. Few will deny that the rise of anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic sentiments in the French population have helped fuel the rise of the National Front political party.

The blame for the rise of nationalism lies at the feet of the current ruling class.

Europeans are genuinely and *rightfully* concerned with what they see happening. No-go zones, sharia controlled zones, Muslim rape gangs and terror attacks, immigrants that have no respect for the principles of liberté, égalité, fraternité, and massive, unending immigration that is not only changing the very fabric of European society, it's tearing it apart. Europeans want no part of it.

But their concerns are brushed aside by the ruling class and the media as being racist, discriminatory and Islamophobic. The vast majority of Europeans are none of those things. The people at the Pegida rallies aren't Nazi's, they're patriots who are legitimately concerned for their future and the future of their children. The media and ruling class need them to be Nazi's so their concerns can be dismissed.

The rise of nationalism is the natural result of Europeans being disenfranchised by the ruling parties. The majority of Europeans aren't nationalist per se, but they will vote for nationalist parties because the nationalists are the only ones taking their concerns seriously.

France is in turmoil. But secularism is still very important to the French. The next decade will be interesting.

Secularism is still very important to the French but it's not to Islamic immigrants. And the demographics are rapidly shifting. Several European cities are quickly moving towards becoming Islamic majorities and Marseille is almost there. The Muslims now have political power in Europe. That power will continue to grow as the demographics continue to change. A decade from now, the turmoil in France and the rest of Europe will be even greater. As pessimistic as it might sound, unless something changes dramatically, the future of Europe belongs to Islam.

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Well a few more conspiracy theories:

Britain’s GCHQ Domestic Spying Apparatus to be granted Greater Surveillance Powers after Paris Attacks
By Steven MacMillan



Following the tragic events in Paris, David Cameron is meeting with security heads to potentially grant the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) even greater spying powers. In a disgusting (yet predictable) move by Cameron and fellow Western leaders, these latest attacks are being used as a justification for illegal GCHQ and National Security Agency (NSA) spying, and as a pretext to further expand the surveillance state – which is already at heights never seen before in human history. This is the first time that governments have had the capacity and technological capability to monitor the behaviour, conversations, opinions and habits of the people on such a grand scale, in a quest to predict the behaviour of entire populations.

Tony Porter, the governments own surveillance commissioner, is worried at the level of spying in Britain and the lack of knowledge the public has about the pervasiveness of government snooping. Referring mainly to the ubiquitous CCTV cameras in the UK, Porter recently revealed how he is troubled by the apathy and ignorance of many citizens who don’t understand how the information is used, and he points out that the data obtained from these devices can be used to “predict behaviour”. Along with the sophistication and level of GCHQ spying – which compiles copious amounts of data on the public with http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4_gGY0urp2QodWTHMS6VKVESr_UeOJda_M0j5U50zv3vf3cB6ACU0tZ6llMdPLxeleq2bkDTvSXcBNz6OKYY_9FrRLNo_krRqLm9aVWrQx8LcqueEEneV3W415kxPJ_W9asOsucGf7Neknvyz5Ek7N0_YwtsuLx0dGcnnft2CcJma8pIbsqYXng==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (no warrant), it unveils the surveillance state that Britain has become, even surpassing George Orwell’s dystopian vision of the future in his book 1984. Across the water in the US, high-level NSA whistleblower William Binney has been warning the public about Stasi-style surveillance for years, describing the NSA as “totalitarian” in nature and their practices as “a total destruction of the rights you thought you had under the constitution”. He also states that the objective of the surveillance state is “to set up the way and means to control the population.”

Cameron’s meeting supposedly stems from a desire to prevent terrorist attacks in Britain, yet he does not even pay lip service to a major cause of the attack, namely; the support and creation of rebel armies and terrorists in Syria by NATO powers, in addition to the perennial Western wars in the Middle East. A wonderful article by Tony Cartalucci titled: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4JkhQsn8RzGrWNPRHp5ZqGfmuVGoLwnRpO2fbWqa66J-h3Q-p3E2LA1iTR4U6qUg4j23ubNZFGEt2ll6qqwg062-ULMJZ7ZobCpuUJCD1O_GNGlutzs-a1j1payTR4q_VcMxwEhyVaCsITLKo7i_t3HZxEDTqBgw93wjY1PBBbSDimgf9R_HiTeU7Fm8G3XzOJPTsJURlbSutCJYFPt1Whg==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (Paris shooters just returned from NATO’s proxy war in Syria), documents how the Kouachi brother’s returned home in the summer of last year after fighting alongside the al-Qaeda affiliated Syrian rebels, and this latest attack is partly blowback from NATO policy in Syria. NATO powers (including France) have been arming, funding and training this assortment of rebel bandits for years, but not one leading Western politician has called for an end to the proxy war in Syria to prevent future attacks.

The failure of French intelligence and security services to prevent the attacks also raises serious questions. NATO powers have long been aware that returning fighters from Syria pose a security threat on their return, and the Kouachi brothers were on the radar of both http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4JO6B4en-xku1CmrQ1z3AdJ-K6PNQ6LGnmw2IfdsdOswDmBlTBU_hl7FA3NchpasBkbTP-Du9rxD3Qh3R3QBK89baQN8l5MWIMxe6zZGu8QldsJGKyOMu0lN0TCXCwuD4Y5JRohlRtBxI8mFJqHaXBisv7BZpTy8pEVV9WmuhiI_kbl97c-JkqFlZtbfyVkUj&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (French) and http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001K9d6KX92TS72IQfIKpkWcNaDjk_cQpEXPx_Y14SScw_9oQJ7ZzDukkoQay7Oejd4dPGoEhhvbYpFUarZYjlFUwreXOiXpO2rlKUoLj3dVWJtv2DAMOYBKeYcPNSNj4BCGwgfGnxnaHo--6jqz1ywwZj4JA3cvRFTwOLqWtAPi6lidFvNrbBD5usQ_Nn5MpjRHKh_GPSQU3fu7vFA69p5OQ==&c=9eYA43iERhdgHeyE3JulK7RSO__X_E76RoRLk3FZFiXUDr20xB61Xw==&ch=kgmPVoGEmLGskMwZ0oAKISYno4YOpFn0A6f2h_rQUkyw6YiKxheEiQ== (British) intelligence for years. Cherif Kouachi was arrested and jailed for terrorist activities in 2008, with both brothers travelling to Yemen in 2011 for weapons training from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), according to Reuters. If the Kouachi brothers weren’t high level terror threats that required serious attention from intelligence services since their return from Syria, then who is?

Despite the French Prime Minister merely explaining the lapse as “clear failings”, it is a highly suspicious that these individuals weren’t being tracked by the state up until the attacks. The news that Helric Fredou, a police commissioner who was involved in the investigation of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, supposedly committed suicide at around 1am on Thursday is also highly suspicious.

This has led many to believe that these attacks may have been allowed to take place in order to provide the pretext for a further erosion of civil liberties in NATO countries, and in an attempt to pass internet censorship bills under the guise of fighting online terrorism. There is also discussion that France may implement legislation similar to the tyrannical patriot act passed in the US after 9/11. The war on terror has always been a war on the people’s civil liberties, and a justification for a surveillance state that the Stasi would be envious of.

It is difficult to ascertain exactly what happened in Paris last week. It may have simply been blowback from the proxy war in Syria, or it may have been of a more nefarious nature in the form of a stand down by French intelligence, or an attack directly ran by the French state. Whatever the cause of the attacks, it is clear that the leaders of the West will use this tragic incident as a pretext to attempt to further erode the people’s civil liberties in Europe and elsewhere.

Steven MacMillan is an independent writer, researcher and editor of The Analyst Report.

More crap.

 

[Millard]

I refuse to accept the legitimacy of the term Islamophobia

I'm sure there is a more semantically-appropriate term. Quite simply it's discrimination against an entire group based on the actions of a few.

You may think it is rational and normal to discriminate against and fear all Muslims based on the actions of Islamic religious extremists. By that logic we should fear and discriminate against all groups. Those Christian extremists, those black and brown criminals. Let's paint everyone belonging in each group as the same based on the despicable actions of a few who self-identify or belong to those groups. Whether it involves Islam or other religions or ethnic groups, it is still wrong.

As to whether Muslims face more or less discrimination than any other ethnic group, what relevance does that have in diminishing the significance of it?

Anti-Antisemitism has plagued Europe for centuries, however, the most recent brand of anti-Antisemitism, the anti-Antisemitism that is forcing the largest mass exodus of Jews from Europe since the Second World War, is due to the Muslim persecution of Jews.

I agree. This new brand of anti-Semitism is a huge problem in Europe. The old brand of anti-semitism never went away but had been suppressed following WWII. The new brand doesn't appreciate the established cultural sensitivities/taboos and its recent emergence is emboldening the sentiment across the Continent.

The blame for the rise of nationalism lies at the feet of the current ruling class.

Europeans are genuinely and *rightfully* concerned with what they see happening. No-go zones, sharia controlled zones, Muslim rape gangs and terror attacks, immigrants that have no respect for the principles of liberté, égalité, fraternité, and massive, unending immigration that is not only changing the very fabric of European society, it's tearing it apart. Europeans want no part of it.

But their concerns are brushed aside by the ruling class and the media as being racist, discriminatory and Islamophobic.

The rise of nationalism is the natural result of Europeans being disenfranchised by the ruling parties. The majority of Europeans aren't nationalist per se, but they will vote for nationalist parties because the nationalists are the only ones taking their concerns seriously.

Secularism is still very important to the French but it's not to Islamic immigrants. And the demographics are rapidly shifting. Several European cities are quickly moving towards becoming Islamic majorities and Marseille is almost there. The Muslims now have political power in Europe. That power will continue to grow as the demographics continue to change. A decade from now, the turmoil in France and the rest of Europe will be even greater. As pessimistic as it might sound, unless something changes dramatically, the future of Europe belongs to Islam.

There is a lot of turmoil for the reasons you cite. The fabric of French society is under attack and the French will fight to defend the principles of liberté, égalité, fraternité but particularly laïcité.

French secularism is like no other - it makes the U.S. look like a religious state. Can laïcité survive without racism and discrimination coming into play? Sure, it can. But it won't. It still doesn't mean one must necessarily support racism/discrimination to advance laïcité.

No doubt the next decade will be challenging but I'm much more hopeful than you.

 

[Millard]

Several European cities are quickly moving towards becoming Islamic majorities and Marseille is almost there. The Muslims now have political power in Europe.

An interesting note about the political influence of Muslims in Marseille. They are credited for helping elect a National Front candidate as mayor!

 

[Dr JIM]

To late tonight to argue CBS. Think about it! There are a lot of "unintended consequences" for what your government does, and has been doing...for a long long time.

And to that I say, the US has certainly learned to dominate or be dominated! I prefer the former regardless of the "unintended consequences" in the world of sand, or anywhere else for that matter!

 

[kawilt]

And to that I say, the US has certainly learned to dominate or be dominated! I prefer the former regardless of the "unintended consequences" in the world of sand.

The price being paid is not just in the "world of sand".

 

[Millard]

A decade from now, the turmoil in France and the rest of Europe will be even greater. As pessimistic as it might sound, unless something changes dramatically, the future of Europe belongs to Islam.

You've probably heard about the novel Soumission by the French writer Michel Houellebecq. It is about this exact scenario in France. I'm hoping the English translation will be moved up from its scheduled September release.

http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21638092-book-started-it-all-irrepressible

Houellebecq was featured on the cover of Charlie on the day of the massacre:

Title: The Predictions of Wizard Houellebecq - "In 2015, I lose my teeth. In 2022, I do Ramadan."