Unless you are living in a cave and completely cut off from civilization, then I assume you have heard about the heinous killings in Paris. Extremist muslim fundamentalists broke into the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo (a magazine known for its satire on religious and right-wing extremism), and killed 12 people (including two French policemen in their getaway effort) and wounding 11. Although the gunmen were quickly identified by French authorities, as of this writing, they have not yet been apprehended. Here are a few thoughts I have about this:
* Je Suis Charlie. Translated that means "I am Charlie", and it is the cry of thousands of French citizens in response to the attack. I believe it should be the cry today of all freedom-loving people across the world. This was not just an attack on a French magazine. It was an attack on free speech throughout the world -- an attempt to suppress free speech by violence. And no democracy can exist without the guarantee of free speech (which necessarily includes offensive speech).
* I commend the French authorities for their quick identification of these criminals (and that's exactly what they are). And when they are apprehended, as they surely will be, I hope a French court makes sure these criminals can never walk the streets freely among decent people ever again -- anywhere in the world. They deserve to spend the rest of their lives in a cage (i.e., a prison).
* I sincerely hope there will be no backlash of violence committed against innocent muslims, either in France or anywhere else. This was committed by religious extremists, and is not the view shared by most muslims -- as indicated by the many imams and other muslim leaders who have condemned the action. Many muslims also joined in tens of thousands of French who gathered in the streets to protest the despicable killings by displaying pens and holding "Je Suis Charlie" signs. Remember, there are violent extremists in almost (maybe all) religions. And for those of you who doubt that, I provide this link to the violent extremism of some christians.
* This is a perfect example of my belief that terrorism (which is just criminal behavior) is not a problem that can be solved by the military. It is a criminal justice problem that can only be solved by apprehending and convicting the criminals who engage in it.
* The killing of any human to promote or defend your religious views is always wrong. And it demonstrates either a weakness in that religion or in your belief in that religion. If there is a god, he/she would certainly not need or want humans to kill on their behalf -- and if he/she did, then that would not be a religion worth believing in.
And finally, in my own small show of solidarity with the free speech heroes of Charlie Hebdo, I present the following images which appeared in their magazine.
