Je ne suis pas Charlie

This has saddened me!

I have never read seen or looked at Charlie Hebdo, then again that’s not surprising because I’d never heard of it until the murderous assault on its offices and the slaughter of 12 of its staff, including its editor on the 7th January; and like many others I’ve had to go on-line and find out who they are and what they are and what makes them tick.

It seems that I have somethings in common with this weekly newspaper; I too am left-wing, I too am an atheist, I too have a sense of humour, what Englishman doesn’t? But I cannot agree with what it does in the name of humour. I do not agree with it but I agree that it is it’s right  to express its humour whichever way it likes, but likewise it has to accept the responsibility for what it says and does. I don’t think any right thinking person can argue with that, it should not however be subjected to the incomprehensible mass slaughter that it has suffered, and the all the  perpetrators of this most heinous of crimes must be brought to account.

I find it hard to believe that the two that did the actual killings were alone in the planning and execution of this act and that their deaths finalizes the matter. Somewhere there are the puppet masters who pull the strings and set these maniacs on the road to destruction pain and suffering and now they are plotting more acts of horror and destruction.

The Hysteria and the Aftermath!

Suddenly Charlie Hebdo an obscure French publication is the darling of the free world free speech advocats, a publication which has/had a normal run/ following /circulation of 45000 and for a few weeks will be held up as a token of free speech and the right to free speech, and then memories will fade and it will perhaps  go back to being what it always has been, that’s if it survives.

Hundreds, thousands have turned out on the streets of Paris and I wonder how many really know why they are there or really care,  or had even heard of  Charlie Hebdo a month ago, and then there are the politicians right up front. The very same people that those slaughtered in all probability detested and why are they there? Your guess is as good as mine. All crying out for free speech freedom of the press. and no doubt a few death to the Muslims thrown in for good measure. I doubt not that those killed would turn in their graves if that were at all possible.

The Hypocrisy and the Grandstanding.

Can anybody explain why the Prime Minister of Great Britain is there? A right-wing conservative the very people who Charlie Hebdo despised, Netanyahu the Israeli Prime Minister who should be facing war crimes charges, what were they doing there? Where was The Russian Putin, he may have been a welcome guest, but he too was a no-show as was President Obama of the USA who might just have received the approbation of those slain. But as for all the rest of the so-called VIP’s and heads of governments or states it is just so much hypocrisy and grandstanding  and that was what Charlie Hebdo was against.

So what has saddened me?

I made some comments on a blog which was condemning the President of the United States of America for NOT attending this supposed show of solidarity in Paris, in supporting President Obama, it is my belief that he did what was right in not going and joining the hysteria, hypocrisy and the grandstanding of other so called leaders. I believe he did what is right by Charlie Hebdo and the people of America, and now  he is being castigated for doing what was right and is accused of dereliction of duty. Where may I ask is he derelict? His duty is to the people of the USA, not to some writers and publishers and artist of some obscure magazine/weekly in some far off  country. And he owes no apology for doing what he considered the right thing by his fellow countrymen.

 You can bet your bottom dollar that Mr Putin of Russia is not subjected to this type of assault!

My comments brought forth the comment that France is the oldest ally of the United States of America and this is true, on paper, and as such POTUS should have gone to France to show solidarity with the publishers of  a left-wing satirical magazines, I’m sorry the  French people.

I then had the temerity to ask what I thought was a reasonable question, which went somewhere along these lines, “If France is your oldest ally where was the United States in 1940, and 42 when it was being overrun and occupied by the Nazis, when the Nazis were slaughtering the French freedom fighters without compunction?” I thought that this, under the circumstances, was a fair and reasonable question, however it did not receive a fair and reasonable answer, and what the US did for France during WWII was kind of left in the air; and I was told that a polite reply was unthinkable.

On pressing the matter further I found that my comments had suddenly become subject to mediation (censorship) and they were not published and a comment that I had made had also been removed.

Is this not the very thing that Charlie Hebdo were fighting?

I made a pledge when I first embarked on this website to never censor or ban anything except expletives, I made that very clear in the introduction which can still be read, I have on occasion been subjected to some abuse and have allowed the content to be published because it was written within the excepted guidelines, but it seems that not everybody works along these or similar guidelines and that makes me sad, and I’m sure it would make the people who were slaughtered sad too.

As an after thought.

Had this have happened whilst President Geo. W. Bush was in office, would he have gone to France? I believe he would have, even though he and his administration would have despised Charlie Hebdo and all they stood/stand for; President Bush would never have missed out on a good photo opportunity, no matter how many lives he would have put at risk exposing himself in such a way.