Terror Attack at Charlie Hebdo: the lie of Je Suis Charlie

Newspaper headlines across the world repeat the motto: Je Suis Charlie, or I am Charlie, in an apparent show of solidarity with those lost during the terror attack at the publication, Charlie Hebdo. 

But is this really true?

I vaguely knew of the paper, because they were the subject of a bomb attack back in 2011. I tend to stay on top of terror related activities, an old occupational hazard that I haven't been able to shake. 

I have to admit that Charlie Hebdo is not my cup of tea, so I can't really offer much in terms of in-depth commentary on their content. From what I have heard / read it was pretty much a left-leaning and anti-religious satirical publication, which seemed to enjoy poking fun at just about everyone, from pope to prophet. 

I don't enjoy this type of boorish behavior. I've seen it too often in the form of pseudo-intellectuals who like to attack others simply because they choose to have a belief system. I tend to look at it this way: if they are right, and there is nothing after we die, then I don't lose anything. However, if I'm right,..... Well, that's not a very pleasant thought.

Don't get me wrong, as an American; I am a firm believer in the 1st Amendment. I don't have to like what you are saying, but I respect and will protect that right. It's why I wore a uniform for over two decades and allowed folks, who probably liked the type of satire found in Charlie Hebdo, to call me vile and disgusting names. I just wish those same folks would realize that it is a two-way street and accord me the same respect.

The bottom line is that I am not one of those people who get their kicks from picking on others, hiding behind the guise of satirical humor. It's not hard to tell what you are going to get from a paper whose official slogan was that they were 'dumb and nasty'. 

Some like that, which is why I guess Charlie Hebdo, had a modest circulation. I will say that the paper did one thing that the majority will not, and that was that they chose to mock everyone. The mistake they made, which cost several of them their lives, was that they didn't realize the principal of Newton's third law which states: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

I don't say this trivially, but as a matter of fact. The left seems to believe that the war on terror is a joke. That somehow the real issue at the core of the unrest in the Middle East is about oil or 'nation building'. They have no clue as to the underlying politics or religious issues, and that is extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, for them, the folks at Charlie Hebdo found that out. 

To be sure, what happened in Paris was a tragedy, but one that was preventable. Even in the old world, the Court Jester sometimes paid with his life, for satire that failed to amuse the king.

Now, as I watch the aftermath, it appears to be Avant Garde to hold up a sign that reads Je Suis Charlie, as if the world is really one with them. 

That's naive. 

If you really wanted to be like Charlie Hebdo, then you would hold up signs mocking Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. That would show real solidarity, not some kitschy phrase that someone is probably looking to trademark and profit off of, even as I type this. 

That won't happen though. People like solidarity, when they can do it from relative safety. It reminds me of the recent police protests across the US. They act like fools, espousing criminals and calling for the retaliatory deaths of cops, because they know that they are relatively safe from harm. Yet, I never see them marching in places like Brownsville or Englewood because they know they'd get beaten or worse. It is something they do to make themselves feel good, but at the end of the day it is a contrived response. 

As for me, I'd rather show my solidarity with the men and women of the French Police Nationale who lost three of their brothers and sisters, allowing those at Charlie Hebdo to engage in their sophomoric behavior. 

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