Je Suis Paris‬!

[Happypaphy7]

I'm not blaming Islam, and I find it highly irritating when people talk bad about them without knowing any basic facts about what they believe.
Then, again, I understand when people make that mistake, they are referring to the worst forms of that religion, which is still stupid to do so.
Just like there are different levels of craziness in Christian denominations. lol

By the way, from what I read, the suicide bombers, jihadists, are promised to enter the heaven for the "great cause" they participate in.

Christians did the same back in the day. Crusade.
I don't want to get to much into this as it's a topic that gets dragged on and on, but it's 21st century and I wish more people woke up. Sad.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Love this song!!!

So simple but beautiful melody, and great message to match!

I'm with you on that.

On the other hand, I think we are wrong to blame the koran, or the bible, or any "holy" writing, as these writings have been interpreted for good and for evil, depending on who is doing the interpreting.

Tonight on the news, the reporter showed a man playing a piano he pulled on his bicycle to just outside the theatre where one of the massacres occurred. He was playing Lenin's "Imagine:"

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one​

Vive La France!

 

[cnycharles]

I was very sorry to hear of this Saturday night. I pray for all of our French members and countrymen and everyone else. Blaming religion is pointless. There are billions who have never had a thought to anything like this. Through countless times in history, manipulative and power hungry persons look for any crack or crevice to instill fear and hatred. By twisting resolved people into division they slip and descend into power and then use the same to prevent any others from repairing what has been done. With media this is now the age of smoke and mirrors, mind and heart control. Only people who refuse to fear or be polarized can resist these actions.
The human heart is cracked and broken. Anyone who tries to say there is no evil has already slipped possibly beyond hope or has an agenda. There is a reason the founders made a motto 'united we stand, divided we fall'.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Heart out to Paris. The definition of Freedom is having the right to practice whichever religion one chooses.

Really hate to talk more on religion, but I couldn't pass it up.
I don't think to say "the definition of freedom is...." like you say is correct, and I find it even dangerous.

Freedom is much much bigger than that.
I guess you meant to say freedom includes religious freedom.

 

[abax]

Those of us who are looking for blame, please blame the
stupidity of the Bush Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority for the invasion of Iraq. Blame
Cheney and Rumsfeld. Nobody regrets the fall of Saddam, but the CPA alienated the Sunni and these attacks are the result of that alienation. Now countries
that had very little to do with the Iraqi invasion and the
general **** up are paying the price. The U.S. owes an
apology to France.

 

[Stone]

Those of us who are looking for blame, please blame the
stupidity of the Bush Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority for the invasion of Iraq. Blame
Cheney and Rumsfeld. Nobody regrets the fall of Saddam, but the CPA alienated the Sunni and these attacks are the result of that alienation. Now countries
that had very little to do with the Iraqi invasion and the
general **** up are paying the price. The U.S. owes an
apology to France.

Agreed. Not just the U.S. but all the others including Oz/UK etc who joined them. However, if it wasn't the US/Iraq war it probably would have been some other rediculous political maneuver. These people will be at war for the next thousand years. I also believe Israel has something to offer as well........

 

[Fabrice]

Very tired too. And I think to the future of my daughter. That's all...

 

[Hamlet]

This forum is hardly the right place for a debate on religion, but I just wanted to comment on this briefly.

It should be clear that by talking about the religious component of this, one is not criticizing all religion and all muslims. Islam is not Islamism. The moderate believers of the religion have nothing to do with the actions of an extremist minority and cannot be blamed for them. It is very important to understand this. Unfortunately, many cannot make that distinction, thousands of disgusting comments on social media prove that.

Of course, the blame cannot be put solely on religion. It is much more complex than that. There are many factors at play here, social, political, economical, but religion is one of them and these attacks were carried out by a group that identifies as highly religious. People who identify as highly religious murdered what they call infidels. It is disingenuous to deny the role religion is playing here. It is not the sole reason but it is one reason, and not a minor one.

Those of us who are looking for blame, please blame the
stupidity of the Bush Administration and the Coalition Provisional Authority for the invasion of Iraq. Blame
Cheney and Rumsfeld. Nobody regrets the fall of Saddam, but the CPA alienated the Sunni and these attacks are the result of that alienation. Now countries
that had very little to do with the Iraqi invasion and the
general **** up are paying the price. The U.S. owes an
apology to France.

This is true as well.

 

[John M]

Now countries
that had very little to do with the Iraqi invasion and the
general **** up are paying the price. The U.S. owes an
apology to France.

In fact, I remember that it was France that was very vocally against the invasion of Iraq and they blocked the U.N. resolutions; so, the US along with some of it's allies went rogue and invaded anyway, without U.N. approval. Now, as an indirect consequence, France is attacked. It doesn't make sense.

 

[tomkalina]

I agree with Angela. There are a lot of reasons for blaming Bush, Jr for the current state of affairs; the major one being the senseless, unfunded invasion of Iraq. It's a tribute to our Constitution that we have endured almost 16 years of bad presidents (Bush + Obama) without falling into chaos. But our Constitution and democratic way of life can not survive much more.......

We have a great opportunity to effect meaningful change in 2016. Republican or Democrat, it doesn't matter which - vote your favorite party if you must - but not for those of either party already in office. Absent term limits (which no sitting politician would ever support) it's the only way we have to clean house.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm embarrassed our leaders are either too inept to lead or too corrupt to lead effectively in a world that begs for leadership.

 

[NYEric]

It's a tribute to our Constitution that we have endured almost 16 years of bad presidents (Bush + Obama) without falling into chaos.
Sorry for the rant, but I'm embarrassed our leaders are either too inept to lead or too corrupt to lead effectively in a world that begs for leadership.

Don't want to get into it here but that comparison, really!?

 

[abax]

What comparison do you mean, Eric? I think this is an
important international discussion we have going here and
if you have an observation, I'd very much like to hear it.

Three books I'd like to recommend for understanding the
current situation in the Middle East are as follows: THE
END OF IRAQ and UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES by Peter W. Galbraith along with IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE
EMERALD CITY by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a Washington
Post reporter.

Just as an aside, I think President Obama has been thoughtful and
restrained despite the obvious contempt he has received from Congress. He was elected into a horrible situation and he's dealt
with it as much as he can. He ain't a King, you know.

 

[troy]

Read up on past history, the russians were bashing afghanistan, with their helicopters n such, so 1 guy backed by fbi brought them weapons to defend themselves, then taught them how to attack as our allies, in ways they are now doing worldwide, possibly because who really knows, can only speculate, but at that time bush sr. Backed them up built training camps for them I think in hopes of having a stronghold close to russia that would be beneficial to u.s. backfired. I was wrong by persecuting a whole religion for the deeds of a few thousand bad seeds, KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE, WOMEN AND CHILDEREN, MAKES ME MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Clark]

Troy, it was the CIA.

 

[troy]

It was the cia, my bad. I remember back in the 80's hearing about that, my guess is not a lot of people know, it was covered up pretty quick

 

[Clark]

I know. I did a paper on it.

 

[troy]

Actually, this subject came up in a conversation I had with somebody last year, I was highly critisized saying I beleive in conspiracy theries lol.. I'm glad to know that other people know of this!!! Although it kind of sucks, there is no undoing what bush sr. Did

 

[abax]

Want to know a bit more about CIA shenanigans? Read
LEGACY OF ASHES by Tim Weiner. You might also like
to read a bit more of the background of the Iraq war called
BLACKWATER by Jeremy Scahill. The name of the contractor has been changed, but the same people are
still involved and still getting paid HUGE amounts of
our taxpayer dollars. I think it terribly important that
we know about these things before the election 2016.

The Taliban are the fighters whom we armed and trained to fight
the Russians...BIG BACKFIRE.

 

[SlipperFan]

We have a history of backing the wrong side.

 

[abax]

Amen, sister, amen.