Why no US Leader at Paris gathering of world leaders?

[arpeggi]

There's a fucking genocide happening in Nigeria and I haven't heard a single US leader, or any other for that matter, say or do anything about it. #JeSuisCharlie and supporting freedom of speech is nice and everything. But these areas of Nigeria don't even have a press, much less the ability to tweet.

What happened in Paris is obviously a tragedy. But let's get real: France can take care of itself and has the European Union to back it up. Let's spend our time helping those who actually need it instead of rabbling about who didn't show up for a parade.

 

[T-Rexx]

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

I'm not a fan of religious fundamentalism, of any stripe.

They all delight in killing/oppressing/harming innocent people in the name of God.

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.

So, what would you call what the oppression and deaths that Christian fundamentalists cause to LGBTs? Christian compassion?

Terrorism is, by definition, the use of violence and intimidation to achieve an end. As I have pointed out, Christian terrorists tend to be less overtly violent, preferring intimidation as their weapon. But that does not mean they are any less lethal, or any less terroristic.

Muslims have no sacred scripture to justify harming others? Oh lord. I can't take it anymore.

I meant to say "no sacred scripture to jusfify killing others." There's nothing in the Quran that says it is acceptable to kill people for poking fun at your religion. But, the Charlie Hebdo terrorists have probably never read the Quran.

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.

Who says it's better for gays to live under Islamic rule?

I said it may be no less lethal for gays to be living under Islam, than Christianity. Suicide rates in Islamic countries tend to be lower than those in the west. It is possible that the survival rate of LGBTs in Islamic countries is actually better than in the USA! I won't make this claim, however, as I have no data on this specific issue.

During WWII, your chances of surviving as a Jew in continental Europe were better in Italy than in any other country except Denmark. Yes, you were more likely to survive the war as a Jew is Axis Italy (a country which was officially anti-Semitic), than you were in France, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands or a dozen other countries with "enlightened" citizenry. But that does not mean it was good to be a Jew in Italy, during the war.

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.

I am grateful that many Americans are not impressed by the Christian fundie terrorists (or, for that matter, the Islamic fundie terrorists). That is what makes life better for LGBTs here - not some greater tolerance by Christian terrorists than by Muslim terrorists.

 

[kallipolis]

During WWII, your chances of surviving as a Jew in continental Europe were better in Italy than in any other country except Denmark. Yes, you were more likely to survive the war as a Jew is Axis Italy (a country which was officially anti-Semitic), than you were in France, Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands or a dozen other countries with "enlightened" citizenry. But that does not mean it was good to be a Jew in Italy, during the war.

An accurate observation.

Italy enacted legislation against their Jewish community in 1938 to satisfy the "request" of their German friends after Mussolini, and Hitler had signed The Pact of Steel (1938)....however, no sooner had the new law been enacted, when The Vatican intervened encouraging more zealous Fascist officials to desist...immediately...it was not until after The Italian Armistice in 1943, immediately triggering an invasion of Italy by German forces that a round up of Italian Jews took place by German military police, and Italian ultra Fascists working for the newly established Italian Social Republic...whilst the Kingdom of Italy administering southern Italy fought German forces alongside Allied forces.

After the German invasion of Italy, The Vatican continued to intervene by declaring all church property in Italy, Vatican City State diplomatically protected.... enabling monasteries, and convents to conceal thousands of Italian Jews. Surprisingly the Germans respected the diplomatic status of the religious houses...as they also did in other Eastern European Catholic countries, such as Hungary where Vatican diplomats issued Jews with Vatican travel documents enabling them to escape arrest....and flee to freedom.

Interviews of many German military, police, and Gestapo officials at the end of the war it is clear that there was a growing awareness that Germany had lost the war...and cooperating with The Vatican might well incur some benefit for those German officials who were cooperative with Vatican officials.

It should also be noted that the Italian occupation zone in France, headquartered in Lyons not only rejected German attempts to round up, and deport Jews but also intervened with force to ensure that The Gestapo, and SS/SD were physically removed from the Italian occupation zone....this, of course prior to September, 1943 when the Kingdom of Italy negotiated an armistice with the Allies.

In 1943 after Hitler appointed Mussolini leader of the newly established German puppet state, The Italian Social Republic, Benito Mussolini wrote in his memoirs that he deeply regretted sponsoring the race laws enacted against Jews...and, it should also be said that most of Mussolini's closest colleagues at the top of Italian Fascist Party were happy that The Vatican got them off the hook when ensuring that the race laws were never implemented by Italians...until the collapse of the Fascist government.

When living in Italy I had the pleasure of knowing a former high ranking member of the Italian Resistance whose family hid downed Allied air crews, ferrying them tto Switzerland, or Spain, Portugal, or unoccupied France....The Vatican was the nerve centre of that escape organisation with a Monsignor Flaherty, a genial Irishman its operations director who worked from within The Vatican City....Flaherty used an Irish Passport to move around Italy...ensuring he was not bothered by Italian ultra-Fascists, or German security....Flaherty was also an agent of MI6...

This article expands handsomely on Fr. Flaherty's amazing work assisting Allied POWs, and Italian Jews.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_O'Flaherty

 

[bankside]

I'm still waiting to hear why Dilma skipped out.

 

[ballcaphair]

Fundamentally apples are not oranges and terrorists are neither. I think it is safe to assume any of us, and by us I mean EVERY ONE, will get more respect from apples or oranges than from terrorists.