Charlie Hebdo Attacks

[KeithE]

Do any of you disagree with ... this article?

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

I find the kind of humor expressed by the cartoonists of Charlie Hebdo, as far as religious beliefs go, to be distasteful and to a certain degree, expressing intolerance in their own way. However, there was nothing in France to prohibit Muslims from voicing their disapproval, or from attempting to set the record straight. That's a stark difference from the way that the Islamic extremists chose to handle it.

Murdering journalists and attacking newspaper offices certainly will have a chilling effect on what journalists choose to write or express. I think the kind of support shown in the Paris rally says pretty clearly to the terrorists, "You're not going to win this."

[David Flick]

[Tim Bonney]

While I also find some of the cartoons offensive, free speech means that they have the right to draw something I find offensive. One of the sure ways for despots and terrorists to win is for us to lose our free press and our freedom of expression. The next thing to go would be freedom of religion. After all, extremist could easily find someone else's faith offensive as well using that as an excuse for attacking persons of other faiths.

I've been glad to see Muslims stand up in opposition to the attacks too. They are in some ways at greater risk by doing so than others might be.

[Ed Pettibone]

[Tim Bonney]

Ed, so where do you draw the line on freedom then? There was a time in Europe if I'd said that Mary didn't stay a virgin after the birth of Jesus the Catholic Church could have slapped me into irons. There was a time when Baptists were thrown in jail for child abuse for not baptizing their children.

Freedom is only freedom when I am free to disagree with you even if that disagreement hurts your feelings.

[Tim Bonney]

The next big argument is going to be over privacy.

Big Brother Prime Minister in the UK wants to ban all encryption for messaging or have a back door for the government to read all of our private communications.

The way to protect freedom is not by giving the government the right to violate our privacy. Can you say, "1984?"

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Bonney]

[Dave Roberts]

[KeithE]

While I’m opposed political/religious censorship, it does not mean I approve of making fun (biting satire) of political/religious viewpoints.

Thus I find Charlie Hebdo’s original cartoons and especially the double down they have done in their new edition as not in good taste.