Okay, hold onto your hats for today’s MSM downpour of crap (hope it’s a wide-brimmed waterproofed one!). Now, I know this will chill you to the marrow of your bones but an ISIS supporting cyber group or individual hacked Centcom’s YouTube and Twitter accounts! Like all top secret social media accounts held by military agencies, the data compromised included angry faced cats and tweets about Kim Kardashian’s bicycle seat. Who knows how many undercover, popcorn eating hamsters’ lives are in danger now because of this devastating hack?!
And how could this happen with the military grade security of YouTube and Twitter?! As we all are aware, YouTube and Twitter accounts have never, ever, been hacked before! This unprecedented attack on two social media websites that only displayed public information is terrifying…at least that’s what the MSM news channels told me today. In fact, here is a video approximation of their sober reporting on this critical event:
And of course you know about the horrendous, unconscionable act that happened in France so recently. Yes, President Obama didn’t attend the huge march in France this weekend in response to the terrorist attacks against Charlie Hebdo. As horrible as the act of murdering innocent cartoonists in cold blood to silence free expression is, Obama’s not marching is clearly worse and sends a signal that he supports that terrorist act and more in the future. By his not marching, America has learned that their President is indeed a Muslim Extremist who is working toward the goal of an Islamic Caliphate! His administration may make lame excuses about not having time to prepare the necessary security measures in Paris for such a Presidential visit or how security for the President might have intruded on the freedom of the French to protest in their own country in as unfettered a way as possible but we can all recognize the truth here…as we’re told to by our corporate news channels.
Clearly, anyone who wanted the world to be fooled into thinking he opposes terrorism would of course take the actions he has, he’d try to end Guantanamo, put a stop to state-run torture programs, stand up to Russia after the Ukraine invasion, bomb Gaddafi and ISIS…such a clever ruse but we see right through you Mr. President! You may take actions that hurt terrorists but brief political gestures speak louder than long term and effective actions, you know that Mr. President!
The MSM has rightly concluded two things in the news today. First, the U.S. military and the entire country by extension has suffered a profound attack today by ISIS-aligned terrorists through the hacking of their social media accounts and as was just reported, a variety of crank phone calls to the Pentagon receptionist that ask if “I. P. Nightly” is there. Second, by not joining the anti-terrorism march in France, Obama has made it clear that he hates the French, loves terrorism and wants the world to descend into an Apocalyptic landscape where it’s not only dog eat dog but it’s dog won’t attend other dog’s marches (H/T Woody Allen).
Where would we be without our vigilant Corporate News channels and outlets. Maybe a bit more informed and less fearful but what profit is there in that?
Here’s a thought, on a slightly lighter side. As far as I am aware, there are no paintings or depictions of Mohammed, as it is against Islamic law to depict humans. Which begs the question – does ANYBODY know what Mohammed actually looked like? And, if not, how can someone claim that a cartoon of a vaguely Middle-Eastern-looking person is depicting The Prophet Himself?
I mean, it works in Christianity as well, doesn’t it? I never knew Jesus had blue eyes, Him being Jewish and all. Nor was He black in Africa, Hispanic in South America and Asian-looking in Asia. But there He is, in all shapes and colors. Makes one think that religion can be a right load of old bollocks, sometimes.
PPO, I prefer to think of God as (Mother Nature). All you need to do is look at the splender of nature. When I’m in the woods and see deer, turkeys, squirles,and other critters I know Mother Nature did a wonderful job.
A beautiful concept, Nirek and so true. You only need to see Nature’s wonders to believe there is a something who is bigger than us. I believe in God, but not the way man has deemed it necessary to portray him, nor use the Deity as an excuse to control their fellow mankind.
Not to be a killjoy (no pun intended) here, but Nature can also be ugly and cruel. Babies born with physical mutations and defects, children who get terminal cancers, deadly climate events, earthquakes….etc.
There is duality all through Nature. I DO love the indescribable beauty of Nature though. When we think about it, it’s all we have. We ourselves ARE Nature, at least a part of it. To realize this, in my humble opinion, is the basis of spirituality.
Very interesting, PPO, since portraying the likeness of Mohammed is forbidden, how does anyone know what he looks like?
So instead of outraging Muslims by portraying an image to be Mohammed, what about posting images that could be him and simply titling them as, “Not Mohammed For Certain”?
Excellent article Ad. The marches in France were a powerful image of solidarity. Now if only that can translate into real change for people to live together under true Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. Something has to be done not just in France but globally. Some of these barbaric acts are caused by madmen who are able to garner support from those who are downtrodden by poverty and inequality and in some cases education (although the latter is not the biggest reason). You can have all the education in the world but if you are not treated equally by being employed that’s not much good to you.
But freedom of the press cannot be silenced by madmen. I may not agree or like the publication which satirizes ALL religions and ideologies but I defend their right to say it.
As far as Obama not being at this march……what a non story. I can see the headline now ; ” Obama walks with leaders of countries that jail journalists.”
A few examples:
Prime Minister Davutoglu of Turkey, which imprisons more journalists than any other country in the world.
Foreign Minister Shoukry of Egypt, which as well as Al Jazerra staff has detained journalist Shawkan for around 500 days.
Foreign Minister Lavrov of Russia, which last year jailed a journalist for “insulting a government servant”
President Keita of Mali, where journalists are expelled for covering human rights abuses.
I could go on but that gives the idea.
I also think that the WH apologizing for not sending someone like Biden or Kerry is just something they have to do so the story doesn’t take on a life beyond it’s use by date.
You’ve said it better than I did, Fergie! Good to see you again. Oh, and BTW, the American Ambassador WAS there, representing ALL of the USA.
Oh I don’t know about saying it better than you PPO. Thank you for the compliment but I think you did a fine job yourself of pointing out just exactly how these world leaders were ‘heading the march’. Well done for bringing it to our attention here.
It was the ordinary citizens of France who did march who showed true solidarity and authenticity.
Well said Fergie and satire has been a part of the culture for hundreds of years in Europe. You either like it or you don’t, and if it offends, don’t look at it or listen to it. We have that choice.
No murdering thugs with guns will take away the freedom of the press, we have fought too long for freedom of expression, it is what makes a democracy work, and blaming the victims is as appalling as it is senseless.
No one deserves to die at the hands of some raving lunatic for something they wrote, said or drew. No one.
Three articles I posted on MB yesterday. The first from a prominent, outspoken Muslim woman who recently retired from politics.
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Charlie Hebdo killers offend Islam more than satirical cartoons, Baroness Warsi says
Britain’s first Muslim peer says that while she finds cartoons satirising her religion ‘unsavoury’ and ‘offensive’ they must not be avenged through bloodshed
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11338137/Charlie-Hebdo-killers-offend-Islam-more-than-satirical-cartoons-Baroness-Warsi-says.html
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Far too many Western Muslims speak of freedom as a sin
Muslims who have never known real freedom yearn – and die – for human rights
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/far-too-many-western-muslims-speak-of-freedom-as-a-sin-9971118.html
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Paris attacks: These troubled men who project their self-hatred on others
Murderers, like the Paris terrorists, are drawn to a toxic identity which equates masculinity with violence
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/paris-attacks-these-troubled-men-who-project-their-selfhatred-on-others-9970229.html
Hello and thank you Kalima. I absolutely concur with your comment as well. Also thank you for re-posting the links to the above articles. Sayeeda Warsi’s comment is spot on.
Hello Fergie. The thing I don’t understand when the victims are blamed for their cartoons is, so what did the trainee policewoman, the Muslim police officer pleading for his life on the cold pavement,
and the four Jewish men in the supermarket do to insult their prophet?
Yes, Baroness Warsi’s article was very powerful. Good for her!
Oh, by the way, thank you so much for reading the articles.
Fergie, you’re right on the money, the WH apologized to prevent this BS meme from getting embedded as another long term howl against him by the GOP and MSM.
I mean, Putin marched with them and does anyone think that meant anything? Netanyahu? Even France itself followed up the march with new censorship laws and arrested an anti-semetic jerk who calls himself a comic for tweeting pro-terroist sentiments.
There were few world leaders in that march who aren’t hypocrites, it was all for show so who cares that Obama wasn’t there, he has a better record on protecting free speech than many of them.
These are the times we’re stuck in, a hateful and racist GOP who will spin everything Obama does or doesn’t do as evil and against America and a corporately owned media that markets mainly in yellow journalism and sensationalism, distracting the public from true issues and distracting them with phony “outrages”.
We can’t cooperate with the distractions so I think it’s up to the public to step up and expose the corporate media for their cynical game every time it becomes so apparent like this.
I see the screaming media didn’t report what the Indpendent in UK did – that the leaders didn’t March at all. It was a photo op in a side street blocked off entirely by Security. Check it out and the tweets!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-march-tv-wide-shots-reveal-a-different-perspective-on-world-leaders-at-largest-demonstration-in-frances-history-9972895.html
Nice to know that POTUS wasn’t sucked in to anything. Also, it is laughable that many of the ‘World Leaders” allegedly marching have less-than-stellar records of Press Freedom. From the above report:
“Yesterday it was observed that nine of the countries represented by leaders and dignitaries in the march for press freedom are themselves in the bottom third of the World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders.”
Exactly pinkpantheroz. Let’s not forget that François Hollande is the most unpopular president in recent history, although many would say “ever”, so photo ops are being used as a political boost too. When things calm down or the next attack is foiled, he will still be the most unpopular president on record.
The President of the United States being there might have been the icing on the cake politically for Hollande, but it won’t stop further terrorist attacks in Europe. The GOP jumping on this to disgrace the WH and the President, are actually disgracing America as usual.
PPO, this is very enlightening, thanks for posting it (here’s a photo from it):
[img]http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article9972887.ece/alternates/w620/paris-march-wide-shot.jpg[/img]
It really underlines this point, that the most important part of the march was the 3 million Parisians marching. The symbolism of the world leaders marching was hollow, they were set apart from the real march (understandable as a security measure but even so…) and many of the leaders there are enemies of free expression and would imprison cartoonists in their countries who would dare to satirize them.
So Obama didn’t attend a march for free expression that Vladimir Putin attended? And?
Ad, we all know that the GOPers would have said he should not have marched with the “world leaders” if he had gone to France. PBO can’t do anything right according to the “right”!
Well done, AdLib! And the graphic is one of the best ever.
Isn’t it amazing that Roger Ailes and FOX “News” are so sensitive these days? So exquisitely tuned in to the sensibilities of the citizens of France? One would scarcely believe that a mere 12 years ago, when they were drumming up support for Dubya’s misguided Iraq war, those same citizens were “cheese-eating surrender-monkeys who begged to be driven to the nearest mall so that they could give themselves up to the nearest security guard.” Yes, FOX… you’ve come a long way.
In the wrong direction.
The real offense to the French people comes from hate-mongering people like Ailes and Rupert Murdoch — who had a large hand in propagating the Iraq war in the first place. Talk about an event that radicalized thousands!
Now that’s offensive.
Kes, so true, who hatred the French as much as terrorists under the last US president because then too, they refused to be bullied into doing the wrong thing? Republicans, and as you say, the same ones pounding their chests now.
BTW, doesn’t the Capitol menu still list french fries as Freedom Fries?
We shouldn’t be surprised and in fact, we should always expect anything that happens that could possibly be used or twisted to be used to attack Obama as a failure as President, will be broadcast on the MSM as such and echoed by the GOP. It is all so cynical and a dirty, gutter game that intentionally harms our democracy…not that corporations have the slightest regret about making profits off of it.
The MSM News Networks really need to be relegated to a lower class of “news” that is really just propaganda and profit based.
Profit-based propaganda machines — that’s an accurate description of much of the MSM these days, AdLib. And worse. When it comes to the President and the democratic process they come pretty close to being saboteurs.
The President is in a very unenviable situation. While he’s facing down elements like ISIS and Putin, the MSM and the Koch-fueled GOP are plunging knives in his back.
These people talk about solidarity with France, but they don’t know the meaning of the word solidarity.
Or even decency, for that matter.
Once again, my Homie hits the nail on the head.
Where was all this solidarity when the neo-cons were bashing the hell out of France for not participating in bush/cheney’s illegal invasion of Iraq?
Where are all the “Freedom Fries,” now? Are we safely back to eating “French Fries?” Can couples now safely “French Kiss?” Oh the horror! 😎
Fuck the media! Can any of us really put stock in anything they say these days? This whole bloody incident was NOT a matter of state.
Je Suis New York? Je Juis Boston? Je Suis a hundred other almost nameless horrible events?
What is the message here? Is it Islam be damned? Is it anti-free speech be damned? Just what can we rightly take away from all of this?
Do we have the right to step into the tiger’s cage and dare to be eaten? Of course we do! Is that a smart thing to do? No, absolutely not!
I cannot find any justification for the crying and wailing that is directed toward or in support of either party. Not the terrorists, for sure, but not the cartoonists either. The cartoonists and the publication they worked for knew. They knew the possible ramifications
of what they were doing.
Yes, it’s great that millions of people are coming out against murder and terrorism. But, ask yourself, is that anything new in a moral spectrum? Do any of us think this will stop the fanatics from killing more and more people? Really?
Taunting the “enemy,” will do nothing to lessen their desire to kill us. I don’t know if there is any strategy to stop violent extremism. These terrorists are losers! They are unhappy in their own lives, and pissed off at the world in general.
Should the president of the United States of America bend and stoop to every act by these idiots? No, hell no! That would only legitimize the acts of these LOSERS!
KT, you make a very good point about Obama not needing to set his hair on fire every time there’s a terrorist act…that’s the MSM’s and Republicans’ job.
As for what the protests represent and the impact they have, if the aim of terrorists is to terrorize the public into being weakened by fear, these protests negate that. Terrorism as a tactic fails if those being terrorized refuse to be fearful. Yes, lives may be successfully taken and people may be shocked at first but when they turn around and stand up and say, “This changes nothing!”, the terrorists lose.
There will be more terrorists acts in the countries of our allies and probably in the US again. As long as we don’t allow them to instill fear in us, we keep writing articles, drawing cartoons and making fools of them, not allowing them to corrupt our freedoms out of fear, they can never win.
For me, that’s what there protests are all about. A very powerful message to ISIS, Al Qaeda and all the terrorists who dream of terrifying the rest of the world into allowing them to have power over them…that it ain’t ever gonna happen.
Ad, I agree with what you wrote. My point is actually more about those who were killed and their families. Those family members and friends have suffered terrible losses, and for what?
As you said yourself, the terrorism will continue. I really feel that those at Hebdo lost their lives in vein. Surely we must not give in to terrorism, but why invite it? Wouldn’t rational and intelligent debate go much further in proving such tactics and those that perpetrate them, wrong?
Those that died can never be replaced. How many had sons? Daughters? Grandchildren? Wives? Friends? Was all this loss really worth it? I just don’t think so.
It’s natural for the GOP top criticize our POTUS for missing out on the French photo-op, since meaningless posing is the only thing the GOP has any talent for. Old Dubya was always out of town posing for this or that, while our economy crashed and government debt skyrocketed to record levels, thanks to the two wars he started based on extremely sketchy information.
Well put, jj!
I wonder if Obama was instead hanging up a “Mission Accomplished” sign instead of attending the march, if Repubs would have nodded understandably.
Actually, Adlib, the GOP automatically reacts negatively to anything Obama does or doesn’t do, even when he matches the record of previous GOP presidents or governors (Obamacare was modeled after Romneycare yet the GOP still completely rejects it). Obama to the GOP is like Pavlov’s dog in reverse. Anything our president does makes the GOP squeal with horror.
This event reminds me of an old word that used to be applied to the conservatives: “reactionaries.” The GOP is all about the big reaction to whatever, but has no useful ideas of their own.
Yup, he should have had Holder march with all those world leaders. The WH even said they missed the chance to do so. Big deal. We did send help in the way of information. What more is needed?
On a slightly different subject; Mitt Romney wanted to get the GDP growth to 5% by 2016, Obama beat that by two years!
Paul Ryan wanted to get unemployement down under 6% by 2016, it is now, two years sooner!
Newt said he would get gas prices down below $2.50…
Since Obama has achieved all the republican goals, does he get credit? Not from the GOP, he should have been at a march in France instead of taking care of business!
Nirek, exactly, this is not a big deal. The march was a success and Obama’s support of France is a halle of a lot stronger than the France haters in the GOP stuffing their faces with Freedom Fries.
Romney is talking about running again and these Obama economic results would sure be a great way of saying, “Who needs Romney?”
Kudos Ad! Your wit and timing, not to mention sweat, never disappoints. Congrats my friend! 😉
Thanks much, KT! Really appreciate it (and great to have you back!).
The White House made a big mistake. Kerry should have been there. Holder was already there. I agree that sending Obama or Biden requires too much leg work in ordinary circumstances and in this case it would have been even more onerous for an already besieged Secret Service. Still Kerry and Holder would have been a no brainer. Yes, he would still have been criticized but his defense would have been easy to make and sell.
This does happen with the Obama WH and it plays to Barack’s core- he is a person whose focus is on the business of doing government. In this he is adept. But he too often misunderstands the importance of optics (not a lot, but enough in the hyper-hating Obama world of DC). Why does he do that. I think the French understood and did not make a lot of it given U.S. support and assistance in their intelligence efforts and in personal contact with Obama and his principal deputies.
BUT….how could he or his staff have missed that this was putting his chin out and begging the right to slug away.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/12/376673566/kerry-announces-paris-trip-brushes-off-criticism-on-missing-march
Murph, I completely disagree. Nobody deserves to be murdered for creating and publishing any words, cartoons or “works of art.” I mean nobody.
But what happened here did nothing to promote peace or democracy between nations or ideologies.
This whole nasty business reminds me of children on a playground. The bullies and those who taunt them. How long before mankind wakes up and starts using his/her brains and not their over-excited hearts? Attacking the religion, any religion, accomplishes nothing. And doing so in such a provocative way does not work.
Did the world not realize that these extremists were fucking crazy to begin with? Yeah, it’s fantastic that several million people have said ENOUGH! But, I ask, what will change? Will the families of the slain be comforted in the long run? Will they still be able to speak with, dine with, plan for the future with their slain loved ones.
What price glory?
Just to add, none of these recent events measures up to any democratic or progressive ideal!
Progress does not favor the taunters or their executioners!
Actually my post was far narrower- should the WH have sent an official emissary to the march that had almost every major government represented by one of their big names. I have not read anything to indicate that the U.S. government had any hesitation in supporting the march and rally- our ambasador was there. So this was a slip up and an unforced error.
Now, as to the cause….I agree with your assessment but…
I stand with Voltaire who said that he could disagree wholeheartedly with what a person has to say while fighting to the death for his/her right to say it.
I stand with Robert Bolt’s Man for All Seasons that provides some more context:
At one point Thomas More’s future son-in-law, Roper, urges him to arrest Richard Rich, whose perjury will eventually lead to More’s execution. More answers that Rich has broken no law. Roper wants him arrested anyway and the following dialogue ensues:
Roper: So now you’d give the Devil benefit of law!
More: Yes. What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper: I’d cut down every law in England to do that!
More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you — where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country’s planted thick with laws from coast to coast — man’s laws, not God’s — and if you cut them down — and you’re just the man to do it — d’you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety’s sake.
My point was that god and the devil be damned! You can quote Voltaire and several others and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to the reality at hand!
We don’t live in the 1800s or the 1700s. People who ask for retaliation and those who readily give it are equally WRONG!
If you want to dredge up old, dead philosophers, I’ll take Nietzsche, every time! He looked down on master and slave alike! I look down on provocateur and avenging angels!
The issue for me is who decides what is provocation. The efforts of the Civil Right Press in the 1950’s and 60′ in the South was condemned as race-baiting, insurrectionist, and purposely provocative…..the force of Southern law and order sought to silence those voices. Among the persist in doing this was a set of DA’s in Alabama who particularly did not care for this Dr. King (who was, they said, a communist). It was a superior court judge in that state who ended their efforts saying that the suppression of free expression was fundamentally unamercan and that how much one hates the message does not factor in. He then said that he regarding the entire civil rights movement as so much horseshit.
I really don’t think these two situations are even remotely the same.
I am all for free speech and someone’s right to free expression.
What do we deem as provocative? Have you seen the cartoons that Charlie Hebdo published, on a consistent basis? Of course that publication had and still has a right to publish such nonsense, but what good does it accomplish?
Is such mischief going to change the extremists outlook in any way? Don’t the people who understand how wrong the extremists actions are already know that such actions are wrong?
I still think that both parties involved in this senseless event were wrong. Surely, we mustn’t be kow towed by these extremists and fear their wrath, but do we really have to deliberately provoke such violence? In the name of what, exactly?
Growing up in the south the idea of the Negro being a fully human and certainly did not deserve to be treated as such. Both sides were provoked by words and images that each found immensely disturbing and, indeed, horrifying….the decision by that judge, in my mind, and from my experience, is germane to the situation in France.
Well Murph, we’ll just have to disagree on this one.
This was not about racism.
Murph, part of my point in this post is that we really need to put MSM “news” stories into perspective and IMO, not attending a march against terrorism just isn’t a big deal. The only ones who have a legit reason to be upset about this would be those whose march it was, the French people and the French government. And by and large, they aren’t.
Who is upset and who (as always) has elevated a missed symbolic gesture into being something of enormous import and another reflection of a President who has damaged America? The MSM and Repubs. Frankly, by now we should expect this and not buy into their cynical hysteria.
Does anyone in the world really question Obama’s commitment to fight terrorism? Did this change anyone’s mind? Today, after the successful march has done its job and the French people continue forwards, does this ridiculous gotcha stuff matter? Will it stop a single act of terrorism?
To all in the last paragraph, my answer is “No.”
When someone walks the walk day in and day out but doesn’t attend a march, which I do agree would have been good if he could have, I think it should eclipse any hand wringing over that lack of attendance.
We’ve had more than enough of this petty game playing by the Repubs and MSM, trying to howl about anything that happens under Obama they can and calling it an outrage. Yeah, we get it, Obama is evil and incompetent and hates America…now Repubs, go shine some shoes.
Content removed by author….misposted.
Trying again….
[img]http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article9972887.ece/alternates/w620/paris-march-wide-shot.jpg[/img]
My comment was about self inflicted injuries and my thinking at that point that the Obama admin had dropped a heavy weight on its own foot….but then that photo started making the rounds.
The discussion around this has gotten very interesting. Watching Al Jazeera on Monday morning a large panel of European “pundits” offered a number of insights about the photo.
The photo was two blocks away from the actual rally and march, surrounded by security, and almost all of them left when the photo was done. Tokenism at best, opportunism at worst.
a bunch of the folk on that front line have horrid “free expression” records. 9 of them among in the bottom third.
Various publications have edited the photo to cut out women, or opposing leaders.
Things are never simple.
I wonder how much the Obama admin anticipated this. The ambassador was sufficient and the French have backed them up. Add in that Obama will host a February Global Summit on Extremism and the whole thing snaps into focus.