Why no US Leader at Paris gathering of world leaders?

[willie metcaffe]

It's not the end of the world that Obama wasn't there. It would have been better if he was, but I felt he communicated his support effectively.

Jay, however, you certain try to turn this thread into an eye-burning spectacle. If you'll recall, Obama attended the memorial of the Connecticut school shooting where the victims were majority Caucasian. Yes, he speaks his mind on race relations. If any President should, should it not be this one especially? Part of me wonders when you'll show up on other threads once more playing the victim. It is a part of your cycle.

 

[Benvolio]

I think the administration deliberately stayed away because they feared that it would become a rally against Muslims and Islam in general and not merely the terrorist groups. In most European countries there is no a lot of hostility against the Muslims. Obama and liberals in general have tried to disassociate the terrorists from Muslims and Islam in general, as though terrorists are just bad guys who only coincidentally are Muslim. Obama has usually avoided using terrorist in the same sentence as Muslim or Islamist.
An argument could be made, that if the rally turns against Islam, and American leaders are present, it would make it seem the American government is anti-Islam, which would add fuel to the fire. That may be Obamas thinking.
But, as I have said before, Muslims live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism, so of course, they believe it is absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. The west has been intimidated from criticism out of fear of violence. We need to be more critical of Islam and stop pretending that it is a religion of peace and that the terrorist violence is not inherent in the religion.

 

[Zu-Mendel]

^ It is hard to care what Fox News has to say on this (or any other) subject, since Fox doesn't really have an opinion on this (or any other) subject. That organization has one and only one position on everything: Whatever Obama does (or wants to do) is wrong (and worthy of impeachment).

If Obama had gone, they would have attacked him viciously for interfering in European affairs, tying up the French security apparatus, and grandstanding on French misery.

Now that Obama has not gone, they will attack him viciously for slighting America's oldest ally, ignoring the threat of "Islamic terrorism," and golfing while Paris burned.

They are already attacking him viciously for not using the phrase "Islamic terrorism." Apparently, we need to turn this into a war on Islam if we are going to make any progress in discouraging these incidents.

I saw a Fox segment blaming Obama for the French attacks. Yes. It seems the release of some prisoners from Guantanamo somehow encouraged the French terrorists to carry out their plan. But for that, they would have been so intimidated by the long reach of American injustice that they would not have dared try anything. So, really, these attacks in Paris are all Obama's fault.

It's so tiresome.

You made my post for me.

"When faced with a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation, then DON'T! Inaction takes far less effort, and you'll probably cock it up somehow anyway."

 

[T-Rexx]

View attachment 1086812

French President Francois Hollande is surrounded by world leaders and millions of supporters in Paris, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, at a rally against terrorist violence in Europe. AP photo

Interesting trivia.

Apparently, the world leaders didn't actually march in the parade. They just gathered for a photo op that made them appear to be marching.

Presumably, actually marching would have been too much of a security risk.

 

[kallipolis]

Apparently the gathering of world leaders walked through the streets of Paris, stopping for photo ops....that's what the captioned video indicates....I doubt whether the esteemed leaders were intent on completing a marathon...

 

[T-Rexx]

More trivia: The Israeli newspaper, HaMevaser (The Announcer) photoshopped all of the women out of the picture:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/wo...en-Photoshopped-from-Paris-rally-picture.html

 

[kallipolis]

More trivia: The Israeli newspaper, HaMevaser (The Announcer) photoshopped all of the women out of the picture:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/wo...en-Photoshopped-from-Paris-rally-picture.html

We can always blame such stupidities on the magazine owner's god......leaving the publisher guiltless for having exercised their right to freedom of expression....a right to die for...

 

[Stardreamer]

Interesting trivia.

Apparently, the world leaders didn't actually march in the parade. They just gathered for a photo op that made them appear to be marching.


Presumably, actually marching would have been too much of a security risk.

I had wondered about that, it certainly makes sense considering the security nightmare this must have been for the various security details. If I were the administration, I would downplay the suggestion that security concerns were the reasons for not showing. Even if true, it would be insulting both ways one to suggest that our allies leaders need any less protection or that they are somehow braver than our president.

 

[cocksucker4use]

I think the administration deliberately stayed away because they feared that it would become a rally against Muslims and Islam in general and not merely the terrorist groups. In most European countries there is no a lot of hostility against the Muslims. Obama and liberals in general have tried to disassociate the terrorists from Muslims and Islam in general, as though terrorists are just bad guys who only coincidentally are Muslim. Obama has usually avoided using terrorist in the same sentence as Muslim or Islamist.
An argument could be made, that if the rally turns against Islam, and American leaders are present, it would make it seem the American government is anti-Islam, which would add fuel to the fire. That may be Obamas thinking.
But, as I have said before, Muslims live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism, so of course, they believe it is absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. The west has been intimidated from criticism out of fear of violence. We need to be more critical of Islam and stop pretending that it is a religion of peace and that the terrorist violence is not inherent in the religion.

Gee, we shouldn't see the problem of Jihadist Terrorism as being Islam. No more than the ongoing terrorism in Northern Ireland as being Catholic or Protestant. Right thinking people -- religious people -- of any of the major religious traditions, be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, are not promoting or committing terrorist acts against innocent people. The terrorists are extremists with more of a political agenda, than a religious one. Dubya said, "They hate our freedoms." Not so. They hate US for fucking with their culture and trying to place them in a Western mold. And, of course, fucking over the Palestinians by supporting the Jewish land grab in the Middle East, at the expense, suffering, disenfranchisement and deaths of the Palestinian people. Moreover, Washington SHOULD have sent Kerry or Biden or the fucking Post Master General to Paris. That Obama didn't is on him.

 

[bankside]

The real question is:

Where was Dilma Rousseff????!!!!!!!!!!!????!!!!1!!!!

 

[Benvolio]

Gee, we shouldn't see the problem of Jihadist Terrorism as being Islam. No more than the ongoing terrorism in Northern Ireland as being Catholic or Protestant. Right thinking people -- religious people -- of any of the major religious traditions, be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, are not promoting or committing terrorist acts against innocent people. The terrorists are extremists with more of a political agenda, than a religious one. Dubya said, "They hate our freedoms." Not so. They hate US for fucking with their culture and trying to place them in a Western mold. And, of course, fucking over the Palestinians by supporting the Jewish land grab in the Middle East, at the expense, suffering, disenfranchisement and deaths of the Palestinian people. Moreover, Washington SHOULD have sent Kerry or Biden or the fucking Post Master General to Paris. That Obama didn't is on him.

That is wrong. Islamists believe they are conducting a Jihad or holy war, and they are fighting, in part at least, because of and pursuant to Islam. The existence of Israel in former Muslim land is part of the problem to be sure. But it is because it was Muslim land, not Arab or Palestinian. Thus Iran is as strident as any,but Iran is not Arab.
Violence in the name of and in furtherance of Islam is not new or separate from the religion. From the beginning Islam has been spread by armies invading for that purpose. Mohammed himself led armies to force acceptance, including the slaughter of 600 Jews of Medina. The Middle East is Muslim today because they were forced to convert in ancient times.
Critically the Irish Catholics are not fighting because they are such, but because they are Irish and want the north to be part iof Ireland. It is fallacious to minimize Islamic violence by some equivalency in Western history. In any event, two wrongs do not make a right and that is doubly true when one wrong was long ago and the other is now.

 

[T-Rexx]

[strike]Muslims[/strike] Fundamentalists live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism, so of course, they believe it is absolutely right and everyone else is wrong.

Fixed that for you. Because exactly the same is true of Christian fundamentalists.

The west has been intimidated from criticism out of fear of violence. We need to be more critical of Islam and stop pretending that it is a religion of peace and that the terrorist violence is not inherent in the religion.

So, all we need to do is tell Muslims their religion sucks, and the terrorists will stop attacking people.

 

[evanrick]

Thanks George.

 

[chrisrobin]

Why no US Legislators at Paris gathering?

More neofascist hypocracy. The time they have spent pissing, moaning and dissing Pres. Obama, they could have "made their mark" on the Paris gathering. A golden opportunity to show the free world their allegiance.

 

[Benvolio]

K

Fixed that for you. Because exactly the same is true of Christian fundamentalists.




So, all we need to do is tell Muslims their religion sucks, and the terrorists will stop attacking people.

Neither is true. Christians are continually exposed to criticism and hostility from other religions and denomination in the media, schools, etc. And, of course, the terrorists will not quickly become nice guys, but eventually Muslims will realize that their religion cannot be proven or shown to be referable to others. Until that happens, their fanaticism and violence will continue.

 

[evanrick]

France has already surredered to fear and greed. America is still gripped by it and the political and tax expediency it allows, everything warmongering conservatives want to distract from their agenda.

 

[T-Rexx]

Neither is true. Christians are continually exposed to criticism and hostility from other religions and denomination in the media, schools, etc. And, of course, the terrorists will not quickly become nice guys, but eventually Muslims will realize that their religion cannot be proven or shown to be referable to others. Until that happens, their fanaticism and violence will continue.

I don't have data to prove it, but I suspect that more people die every year due to Christian terrorism than die every year due to "Islamic terrorism."

The Christians are less overtly violent, but possibly more lethal than the Muslims. In my own community recently, they killed Leelah Alcorn, using their signature brand of hatred, rejection, and intolerance in the name of God. It is estimated that 4 LGBT youth die every day in the USA, due to suicide. It's impossible to know how many of these result directly fron Christian terrorism, but no doubt a fair percentage of these deaths have that as a major causative factor.

A striking feature of these Christian terrorists is that they live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism. So, of course, they believe they are absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. Alternative views are not permissable for discussion. Unlike Muslims, who have no sacred scripture to justify harming others, Christians have their Bible, which tells them when they may sell people into slavery and when to reject people for the sin of love.

I don't know why the White House refuses to use the term "Christian terrorism." If they would only use that term, Christians would realize how wrong their religion is, and change their ways. Maybe they would stop killing so many people, and demanding that love be made illegal. Eventually, Christians will realize that their religion cannot be proven or shown to be referable to others. Until that happens, no doubt their fanaticism and hatred will continue.

 

[Benvolio]

Nonsense.

I don't have data to prove it, but I suspect that more people die every year due to Christian terrorism than die every year due to "Islamic terrorism."

The Christians are less overtly violent, but possibly more lethal than the Muslims. In my own community recently, they killed Leelah Alcorn, using their signature brand of hatred, rejection, and intolerance in the name of God. It is estimated that 4 LGBT youth die every day in the USA, due to suicide. It's impossible to know how many of these result directly fron Christian terrorism, but no doubt a fair percentage of these deaths have that as a major causative factor.

A striking feature of these Christian terrorists is that they live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism. So, of course, they believe they are absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. Alternative views are not permissable for discussion. Unlike Muslims, who have no sacred scripture to justify harming others, Christians have their Bible, which tells them when they may sell people into slavery and when to reject people for the sin of love.

I don't know why the White House refuses to use the term "Christian terrorism." If they would only use that term, Christians would realize how wrong their religion is, and change their ways. Maybe they would stop killing so many people, and demanding that love be made illegal. Eventually, Christians will realize that their religion cannot be proven or shown to be referable to others. Until that happens, no doubt their fanaticism and hatred will continue.

Nonsense

 

[nafhoosier]

I don't have data to prove it, but I suspect that more people die every year due to Christian terrorism than die every year due to "Islamic terrorism."

The Christians are less overtly violent, but possibly more lethal than the Muslims. In my own community recently, they killed Leelah Alcorn, using their signature brand of hatred, rejection, and intolerance in the name of God. It is estimated that 4 LGBT youth die every day in the USA, due to suicide. It's impossible to know how many of these result directly fron Christian terrorism, but no doubt a fair percentage of these deaths have that as a major causative factor.

A striking feature of these Christian terrorists is that they live their entire lives among people who believe as they do and never hear a word of doubt or skepticism. So, of course, they believe they are absolutely right and everyone else is wrong. Alternative views are not permissable for discussion. Unlike Muslims, who have no sacred scripture to justify harming others, Christians have their Bible, which tells them when they may sell people into slavery and when to reject people for the sin of love.

I don't know why the White House refuses to use the term "Christian terrorism." If they would only use that term, Christians would realize how wrong their religion is, and change their ways. Maybe they would stop killing so many people, and demanding that love be made illegal. Eventually, Christians will realize that their religion cannot be proven or shown to be referable to others. Until that happens, no doubt their fanaticism and hatred will continue.

Why don't you just convert to Islam and move to Syria? Will you please?

Don't worry, I know you're not a terrorist, or a terrorist sympathizer. Well, maybe you're a terrorist sympathizer and don't even know it (it's more common than you think).

It's erroneous to use the term "terrorism" to describe the homophobia of religious Christians in this country against gays, especially when comparing it to the Islamic terrorism overseas. Being a homophobe and a contributor to depression in LGBT youth does NOT make you a terrorist, it's impossible to know how many suicides result directly from Christian terrorism because that word shouldn't even be used in that sort of situation. Muslims have no sacred scripture to justify harming others? Oh lord. I can't take it anymore.

I don't know whether to be upset about your post because it's so incredibly ignorant or because SO many gays living under Islamic rule would die to be exactly in your spot, RIGHT NOW.

You have so much to be grateful for being a gay American. A few homophobic Christian "terrorists" are nothing compared to the beheadings all the gays in Syria face under ISIS.

 

[chrisrobin]

Nonsense.
Nonsense

............
Nonsense