Thursday, January 8, 2015

Civilization vs the Dark Ages

I was going to write about the single digit cold temperatures which have gripped the mid-Atlantic region of the country, but the executions and assassinations of 12 reporters and police which occurred in Paris, France, yesterday is more important than the weather. 

The attack on the newspaper Charlie Hebdo is an attack on civilization and freedom of expression. A New York Times Editorial piece titled The Charlie Hebdo Massacre in Paris, describes views views of the attack. In the editorial it was reported that, President François Hollande, speaking from outside the magazine’s office a couple of hours after the murder of 12 people, was crystal clear: This was an assault, he said, on “the expression of freedom” that is the “spirit of the republic.”

I saw the video of the cold blooded murder of a police officer on the Paris street. He had his hands in the air apparently asking for mercy as he was hopelessly outgunned. He was brutally killed. An article in this morning's New York Times titled ‘Dangerous Moment’ for Europe, as Fear and Resentment Grow, contains links to the video, should you desire to see it. 

The same forces of chaos and anarchy which brought the Western World the Dark Ages are at work again across the globe trying to isolate societies by attacking the very foundations of of civilization and creating fear among peace loving people everywhere. These forces were fully recognized on 9/11, and despite a declared War on Terror, they remain strong and continue to lash out.

The editorial writes, Just days after the 9/11 attacks, an editorial in the newspaper Le Monde declared: “We are all Americans.” In France, “Je suis Charlie” — “I am Charlie” — has gone viral as the words to show solidarity with the victims at Charlie Hebdo. This attack was an assault on freedom everywhere.

Je suis Charlie!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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