#Paris - Initial thoughts on the latest example of #ISIS pathology on display on the streets of Paris, a city that stands in stark contrast to everything repressive Islamic fundamentalism rejects: Liberté, égalité, fraternité; @France24_en
— ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) November 14, 2015
Nous sommes debout, nous sommes unis. J'en appelle à l'unité de toutes et tous.
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) November 14, 2015
When #Paris turned out its lights, the rest of the world turned them on. pic.twitter.com/WJzHLrPS15
— Jeff Lewis (@ChicagoPhotoSho) November 14, 2015
#ParisAttacks: by hitting #Paris, terrorists want to diminish everything #France represents https://t.co/gZjWYdCBCd pic.twitter.com/XgshDyui81
— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) November 14, 2015
Being driven through central #Paris on eerily empty roads after the most shocking day of my career. 120 dead. #ParisAttacks
— Tom Burges Watson (@Tburgeswatson) November 14, 2015
Tom Burges Watson of France24
Per continuing developments in #Paris, you probably still have it from previous emails of mine but just in case... link for France24's English language channel in Paris, which I previously mentioned back in January during Charlie Hebdo massacres. http://www.france24.com/en/
Follow the latest top stories and breaking news #LIVE on @FRANCE24 https://t.co/WyRTK4cp7t
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 13, 2015
I also watched both the English and French-language channels during the last French presidential elections, where Hollande defeated Sarkozy. A well-known international media organoization even contacted me about appearing on-air to discuss the election, if you can believe it.
I said no thanks, foolishly.
As it happens, I took French for many years at North Miami Beach High School in late '70's and even received an award for being the 2nd-best non-native speaker of French at the 1979 Dade County Youth Fair Oral competition down at FIU, open to all French high school students in greater Miami.
Of course, I lost to a ringer from Quebec. :-(
In case you forgot what some people in Great Britain were thinking back in January, since we are rarely reminded of it in the U.S.:
Quarter of British Muslims sympathise with Charlie Hebdo terrorists http://t.co/EGCc4aA7Lz
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 25, 2015
The Telegraph
Quarter of British Muslims sympathise with Charlie Hebdo terrorists
Some 27 per cent of British Muslims sympathise with Paris gunmen,
while more than one in ten say satirical cartoons "deserve" to be attacked
Am sure we will see similar polls done in U.K. and other European countries within the next few days, with results that both surprise and frustrate.
VIDEO - Paris attacks: identified gunman arrived in France through Greece with refugee… https://t.co/nVuEhYhxPl pic.twitter.com/urAQVywepF
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) November 14, 2015
You may be wondering why certain groups engage in indiscriminate violence. This study answers that https://t.co/pQjEqwjjQP. #FranceAttacks
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
Wondering how exactly the perpetrators chose their targets? It was driven by one main factor -- opportunism. These aren't philosophers here.
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
With #SinaiCrash & #ParisAttack Egypt will be seen even more as an internationally relevant conflict zone. Of course Zawahiri is from there.
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
That's because #ParisAttacks reinforce strategic logic of regime change in Syria...as well as the exact opposite:
https://t.co/mo5i8niat1
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
Ann Coulter's thought about Donald Trump, on the other hand, seems reflected in both the words, action and human behavior of Americans I see and speak with everyday, not mystical elite salons that believe that their own unpopularity is, itself, a reflection of something positive. She's right, they're wrong.
Coulter after Paris attacks: 'Trump was elected president tonight' https://t.co/H2FJKxaerp pic.twitter.com/eKQX3jOQAU
— The Hill (@thehill) November 14, 2015
Here's a good example of the correspondent inference bias: https://t.co/4B5Ka3lRba.
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
Empirical support for widespread impression that terrorism attracts disproportionate media attention https://t.co/feIgVD5A7n.
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) November 14, 2015
Follow @MaxAbrahms for the most up-to-date analysis on #ParisAttacks
— Karolina L. Abrahms (@karlula) November 14, 2015
— Fauxct Check (@FauxctCheck) November 14, 2015
@tweetsintheME @gassee Not unlike unfounded, much-repeated media reports on 9/11 that there was an explosion at U.S. State Dept. @hillhulse
— HallandaleBeachBlog (@hbbtruth) November 14, 2015
This news just in from #Sweden, per #Stockholm Mayor Lars Rådh: #Globen lyser för #Paris https://t.co/Mbs4DHIrRG #Sweden
— HallandaleBeachBlog (@hbbtruth) November 14, 2015
Fransmän i Sverige söker stöd hos varandra.
https://t.co/eyAQLFx4vW pic.twitter.com/NZUpjzuoP0
— Svenska Dagbladet (@SvD) November 14, 2015
Ambassador Lapouge sings with the people at manifestation in #Stockholm. #paris #prayforparis #sergelstorg ... https://t.co/cBdtivEMHX
— Solveig Rundquist (@RundquistS) November 14, 2015
Somber mood at Sergels torg. Gustav Fridolin and Ambassador Lapouge are here, speaking with the people #Paris pic.twitter.com/AfFyoCVEfl
— Solveig Rundquist (@RundquistS) November 14, 2015
Mange vil vise sorg og støtte etter terroren i #Paris. Her kan du tenne et lys for ofrene: https://t.co/eipiyvnu9e pic.twitter.com/SIhFyhbiuC
— NRK (@NRKno) November 14, 2015
Medierna och terrorattacken – jag bloggar om nyhetsförmedlingen hittills på https://t.co/570CYvOiNK
— Thomas Mattsson (@ThomasMattsson) November 14, 2015
I don't think I have ever seen that: French soldiers in full combat gear in the streets of #Paris pic.twitter.com/vyadVvnPAn
— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) November 14, 2015
Hollande has invoked Article 5. #ParisAttacks
https://t.co/FFUtH9cxYm
https://t.co/tHXcO2RQto pic.twitter.com/70G2Q4hixm
— Ariana Gic Perry (@ArianaGicPerry) November 14, 2015
Deadliest attacks in Europe since 1980 pic.twitter.com/pOqdMq7NUj
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 14, 2015
"This is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share." —@POTUS on the attacks in Paris https://t.co/K95vgVSpF3
— US Embassy in Sweden (@usembassysweden) November 14, 2015
This blog post is based in part to my not only looking at themany emails I received from friends and contacts in Europe, but also watching and monitoring France24 all morning, including seeing the Interior Minister's speech outlawing public demonstrations until at least next Thursday (?), for fear, clearly, of creating so many new and completely undefensible targets for so-called '"one wolves."
That being a favorite topic of some U.S. TV reporters, even when there isn't as much empirical evidence of them as often suggested in their reports.
But it only takes one, right?
Or, two in Boston.
Also, since it was reported last night per French President Hollandes's speech to the nation, I've learned that there are 61 official "border' entrances and exits in France, which will be more closely monitored than ever before, even while plane flights into France continue.
Press reports I've seen in various places keep hinting at more than passing concern with the
French-Belgium border for some reason, but yet the media seems reluctant to say just why that would be so compared to France's borders with Spain, Germany or via boat in #Calais, scene of so much craziness and heartbreak because of the surge of immigrants there and theri attempst to get into Great Britain via the Eurotunnel or any other means available to them, a topic which I've written emails about to friends bot not posted about on the blog this summer.
French-Belgium border for some reason, but yet the media seems reluctant to say just why that would be so compared to France's borders with Spain, Germany or via boat in #Calais, scene of so much craziness and heartbreak because of the surge of immigrants there and theri attempst to get into Great Britain via the Eurotunnel or any other means available to them, a topic which I've written emails about to friends bot not posted about on the blog this summer.
I wonder whether this info I have heard about Belgium is being mentioned specifically because of an errant police leak or it's merely a trial ballon? Sheer supposition? Intuition?
Hard to say, which also makes it frustrating given how much mis-information has already gotten out and with MUCH more sure to come in the days ahead..
As of 9 am Eastern this morning, two Syrian passports and 1 French passport were found so far on the 7 dead terrorists who killed themselves.
Numbers show that French police did not actually kill any terrorists, leading to a growing if still somewhat under-the-radar for now criticism that French SWAT teams simply waited too long to go in, given history and pathology of hostage takers -i.e. they were selected for the assignment
precisely because they are prepared (and happy) to kill themselves AFTER killing as many hostages as possible, for a radical ideology where #numbers DO matter.
(That "strain" of Islam that to the regret of this country, President Obama refuses to say aloud for fear of causing offense - Islamic fundamentalism.)
Which means that in these types of situations, law enforcement simply has no time to pretend they are military units with overwhelming numbers and have the freedom to mass, coordinate with everyone and then enter and attack on THEIR own timetable.
New reality is that in this type of terror hostage situation, the clock is ticking... and a real bomb WILL definitely go off.
Similar public criticism of Littleton police by parents during and after the Columbine High
School massacre proved to be more than justified, as there's still extant video of assembled, frantic parents and public near school asking why police were waiting SO LONG back then,
given that the Littleton area SWAT teams were armored, armed and trained.
Los Angeles Times
Police Under Fire in Quest to Study Columbine
Emergencies: Public lacks understanding, officials say. They defend actions of Littleton officers.
April 27, 1999
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and MATT LAIT | TIMES STAFF WRITERS
(N.B.: Eric Lichtblau is now at NY Times and an excellent reporter.)
Too much police concern for SWAT team members and not enough for kid hostages?
Which is precisely what I was thinking even as I watched the LIVE coverage of that on CNN
back in 1999, when I was still living/working in Washington DC and that day, doing some consulting work for a well-known U.S.law firm... until the news hit and everyone raced into the giant conference room to watch the TV and see what was happening.
And not quite believing the 'rescue operation' seemed to be going in slow-motion...
I had a similar sinking feeling and thought last night, and I suspect that many of you did as well
-the Police are simply waiting TOO LONG...
:-( Anguish and exasperation in equal measure.
Dave
The Tweet below from this morning is my clear reference to George Stephanopoulos' frequent
absence from his own Sunday morning public affairs show, This Week, NOT the amount of time per show he's actually visible on it, which may be the impression I mistakenly conveyed when I did it.
This fact is self-evident, esp. to someone like me who's tracked it all year, since I believe that as of July, he was barely on 55% of 2015's This Week shows.
I've mentioned to many of you in person and probably even tweeted it a few times, and mentioned in emails, that as far as I'm concerned, ABC News should have never allowed Jake Tapper to get away to CNN, however it happened.
He was the best host for that show since its creator and first host, David Brinkley.
He was the best host for that show since its creator and first host, David Brinkley.
@IngrahamAngle Cld only have been better if Obama asked George S. why he's barely on 60% of the Sunday show HE is HOST of. @davidzurawik
— HallandaleBeachBlog (@hbbtruth) November 14, 2015
Obama w/ @ThisWeekABC's Geo S, talked abt how ISIS is being contained. https://t.co/PwdGarfQXB
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 14, 2015