A Consequential Terror Attack in Paris — #CharlieHebdo

From Max Boot, at Commentary:

The U.S. has 9/11. Spain has 11-M (the March 11, 2004, bombings of the Madrid commuter trains which killed 191). Britain has 7/7 (a reference to the July 7, 2005 bombings which killed 52 people taking public transportation in London). And now, on a slightly smaller but still horrific scale, France has 1/7: the assault by three masked gunmen on the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, which left 12 people dead.

What all of these events have in common is, of course, the Islamist ideology which animated the killers–a ruthless willingness to kill the innocent in pursuit of far-fetched religious and political objectives. In all three cases jihadist fanatics saw Western nations, whether the U.S., Britain, or France, as obstacles to their designs–and understandably so, because all three back moderate regimes in the Middle East and have intervened with their own armed forces to fight the forces of terrorism, whether in Mali, Iraq, or Afghanistan.

Of these attacks, only one–9/11–so far has been proven to have been directed by a terrorist organization based abroad: al-Qaeda, which at the time enjoyed sanctuary in Afghanistan...

More.

How to Answer the Paris Terror Attack — #CharlieHebdo

From Ayaan Hirsi Ali, at the Wall Street Journal, "The West must stand up for freedom—and acknowledge the link between Islamists’ political ideology and their religious beliefs":

After the horrific massacre Wednesday at the French weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, perhaps the West will finally put away its legion of useless tropes trying to deny the relationship between violence and radical Islam.

This was not an attack by a mentally deranged, lone-wolf gunman. This was not an “un-Islamic” attack by a bunch of thugs—the perpetrators could be heard shouting that they were avenging the Prophet Muhammad. Nor was it spontaneous. It was planned to inflict maximum damage, during a staff meeting, with automatic weapons and a getaway plan. It was designed to sow terror, and in that it has worked.

The West is duly terrified. But it should not be surprised.

If there is a lesson to be drawn from such a grisly episode, it is that what we believe about Islam truly doesn’t matter. This type of violence, jihad, is what they, the Islamists, believe.

There are numerous calls to violent jihad in the Quran. But the Quran is hardly alone. In too much of Islam, jihad is a thoroughly modern concept. The 20th-century jihad “bible,” and an animating work for many Islamist groups today, is “The Quranic Concept of War,” a book written in the mid-1970s by Pakistani Gen. S.K. Malik. He argues that because God, Allah, himself authored every word of the Quran, the rules of war contained in the Quran are of a higher caliber than the rules developed by mere mortals....

How we respond to this attack is of great consequence. If we take the position that we are dealing with a handful of murderous thugs with no connection to what they so vocally claim, then we are not answering them. We have to acknowledge that today’s Islamists are driven by a political ideology, an ideology embedded in the foundational texts of Islam. We can no longer pretend that it is possible to divorce actions from the ideals that inspire them.

This would be a departure for the West, which too often has responded to jihadist violence with appeasement. We appease the Muslim heads of government who lobby us to censor our press, our universities, our history books, our school curricula. They appeal and we oblige. We appease leaders of Muslim organizations in our societies. They ask us not to link acts of violence to the religion of Islam because they tell us that theirs is a religion of peace, and we oblige.

What do we get in return? Kalashnikovs in the heart of Paris. The more we oblige, the more we self-censor, the more we appease, the bolder the enemy gets.

There can only be one answer to this hideous act of jihad against the staff of Charlie Hebdo. It is the obligation of the Western media and Western leaders, religious and lay, to protect the most basic rights of freedom of expression, whether in satire on any other form. The West must not appease, it must not be silenced. We must send a united message to the terrorists: Your violence cannot destroy our soul.

Nigel Farage Slams Multiculturalism for Creating 'Fifth Column' in West

He's right, of course.

But just saying so inflames the terror-enabling left --- and even the sadly accommodating David Cameron.

See Blazing Cat Fur, "How dare David Cameron attack Nigel Farage for telling the truth about multiculturalism."

And watch: "UKIP's Farage: Multiculturalism Creating 'Fifth Column' in West."

First Photo from Inside #CharlieHebdo Massacre

From London's Daily Mail, "First picture inside the blood-stained Charlie Hebdo newsroom: Chilling image reveals aftermath of massacre that left 12 dead."

Plus lots more photos. Great coverage.

Chilling photo of #CharlieHebdo newsroom reveals aftermath of massacre http://t.co/stad9oY4Xz pic.twitter.com/sK5ffMfBAG
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 8, 2015

Al-Qaeda is Plotting Paris-Style Attack Against Britain

Well, of course.

Who would think otherwise?

At Telegraph UK, "Al-Qaeda plotting attack on Britain":

After the Charlie Hebdo attack, the head of MI5 warns of a Paris-style atrocity on UK soil.

Al-Qaeda is planning a Paris-style terrorist atrocity against Britain, according to the head of MI5.

Andrew Parker, the Director General of the Security Service, warned that the threat of a “mass casualty attack” was growing and that intelligence pointed to the existence of specific plots.

Security was stepped up on Wednesday at British ports, and armed police were put on patrol at the Eurostar terminal at London’s St Pancras station.

Mr Parker warned that although three terrorist plots had been foiled in recent months, it was almost inevitable that one would eventually succeed.

MI5 officers have increased surveillance of British fanatics who they fear may launch copycat attacks, after 12 people were slaughtered by al-Qaeda gunmen at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris.

Intelligence has shown that the Syrian arm of a resurgent al-Qaeda is planning similar outrages against the UK, possibly by British jihadists who have already returned from fighting in Syria or Iraq.

They include plans to blow up a passenger jet; Mumbai-style shootings in crowded places; or even hit-and-run attacks using vehicles.

Mr Parker said the number of random “crude and potentially deadly” plots from “lone wolf” extremists was increasing.

In a stark warning, he said: “Although we and our partners try our utmost, we know we cannot hope to stop everything.”

It is feared that a lack of cooperation from internet companies means that there is a risk of terrorists slipping through the net because MI5 cannot track them.

Mr Parker warned that terrorists may soon be able “to operate beyond our reach” as he renewed calls for enhanced access to digital communications...

Craven Capitulation to Islamic Jihad: 'It Never Ends...'

Via the incomparable Michelle Malkin:

#tbt The brilliant Cox & Forkum on Cartoon Jihad cowards in 2006. It never ends==> http://t.co/ED68kvbr3b pic.twitter.com/5oVjjMc6Sw

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) January 8, 2015

Claire Berlinski on #CharlieHebdo in Time

This is just her initial take, "The Irreplaceable Staff of Charlie Hebdo."

Interesting that Time won Ms. Berlinski's initial publishing sweepstakes. She's very clear that her reporting commands top dollar. Here: "A First-Hand Account of Terrorist Attack in Paris — #CharlieHebdo."

Jessica Chastain 'simply doesn't get enough mention among the gentleman ogling set...'

I've seen Ms. Chastain in advertisements for "A Most Dangerous Year," and she looks absolutely fabulous.

She might be an award winner as well (or at least the movie might be).

At Egotastic!, "Jessica Chastain Cleavetastic Hotness as Awards Season Opens Up."

BONUS: "Jessica Chastain Covered Topless Shoot in Extraordinarily Hot Interview Magazine October."

Plus, a video, "A Conversation with Jessica Chastain & Oscar Isaac."

French Police Close In on #CharlieHebdo Suspects

At Telegraph UK, "Paris Charlie Hebdo attack: Police appear to be closing in on Said and Cherif Kouachi":

Several hundred heavily armed riot officers and special forces circling a large forest where the two brothers are believed to be.

Police appeared to be closing on Thursday night on the French brothers responsible for Wednesday’s terrorist attack, as several hundred heavily armed riot officers and special forces began circling a large forest in the east of the country.

A helicopter was flying over the Forêt de Retz, an ancient woodland that covers an area greater than Paris.

A convoy of police had pulled up at a large farmhouse outside the village of Longpont, near Reims, and were seen preparing to scour the area. Local residents were warned to stay indoors.

Thursday's operation appeared to be the beginning of the end of the massive manhunt, which has seen 88,000 police deployed to find the culprits behind the worst terrorist attack in France in 50 years.

The lights of the Eiffel Tower were turned off on Thursday night, in memory of the victims, and candles continued to blaze at a series of spontaneous shrines across the French capital, as the country struggled to come to terms with what some commentators described as “France’s September 11”.

The fugitives, Said Kouachi, 34, and his 32-year-old brother Chérif, were wanted for the murder of 12 people at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine known for its provocative cartoons.

They fled by car and were last seen on Wednesday night in Pantin, a suburb in the north-east of Paris, where they abandoned their getaway vehicle and hijacked another.

The brothers were identified thanks to an identity card left in their getaway car, and their names were widely spread in the media, alongside that of Hamyd Mourad, Said’s 18-year-old brother-in-law.

Jihadi flags and petrol bombs were said to have been found in the car. On Thursday night it was becoming apparent that Chérif had extensive contacts with known jihadis, and had himself been in prison on terrorism charges.

Among those in his circle were members of the notorious Buttes-Chaumont network, which was based in Paris’s 19th arrondissement and saw dozens of young men recruited in the early 2000s to fight in Iraq.

One of the network’s masterminds, Salim Benghalem, has been named by the US state department as among its 10 most wanted terrorists, and is described as currently acting as an “executioner” for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Chérif had been living for several years in Gennevilliers, a suburb to the north-west of Paris, and on Wednesday evening police raided his flat, with forensic detectives combing the site...

More.

Sen. Barbara Boxer Won't Seek Reelection in 2016

Good riddance.

At LAT, "Sen. Boxer, liberal lion from California, to retire after 2016," and "Congressional colleagues, others heap praise on Barbara Boxer."

Despite her seniority, Boxer's an also-ran blowhard who pushed Utopian far-left projects. Her main legacy after 30 in Congress is the dubious distinction of having floated more bogus checks than almost all others in the House banking scandal in the early 1990s. That corruption brought some change, if the rest of her career didn't. Here's the story from Flap's Blog, "CA-Sen: Barbara Boxer – THE BOUNCER."
DLTDHYOTWO!

Measles, One of Most Contagious Diseases Known, Had Big 2014 in California

A number of people who visited Disneyland in December were exposed. And the measles can be deadly, especially for small children who're not fully inoculated.

An interesting piece, at LAT, "Latest measles outbreak highlights a growing problem in California."

California Bullet Train Groundbreaking in Fresno

At the Los Angeles Times, "Gov. Brown lauds bullet train project at groundbreaking ceremony."

It's a boondoggle.

From the Letters to the Editor, "Why high-speed rail in California will fail":

To the editor: As an old, long retired railroad executive in the U.S. and Canada, I can predict that Gov. Jerry Brown's high-speed rail line will fail and cost taxpayers plenty for years. ("After two-year delay, construction on California's bullet train is set to start," Jan. 4)

My company participated in planning several similar projects in different counties. We always concluded that rail was only ideal for passengers when there were plenty of freight trains to help pay for it.

Since there's very little freight between Los Angeles and San Francisco, you can bet your boots that taxpayers will have to cover the costs for years and years. Busses and planes are far more economical. The only self-supporting rail line in the U.S. is the busy commuter line between Boston, New York and Washington.

If Brown is looking for a legacy, the money for high-speed rail would be far more useful if spent on water for Southern California.

Dick Ettington
Palos Verdes Peninsula

And be sure to watch the video. KCBS Los Angeles sounds almost like Fox News, heh.

Federal Judge Strikes Down California's Ban on Foie Gras

Well, for once a bit of decent political news out of California.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Foie gras can go back on California menus, judge rules":

Foie gras can go back on the menu.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson issued a ruling Wednesday overturning California’s law banning the sale of the fatty goose liver.

“I’ve been jumping up and down for about 90 minutes,” said Napa Valley chef Ken Frank, who was not a party to the suit, but has been active in the pro-foie-gras movement.

Foie gras was outlawed in California by a bill that passed the state Legislature in 2004 and went into effect in 2012.

The ban had been challenged by the Hot’s Restaurant Group in California (which includes Hot’s Cantina in Northridge, Four Daughters in Manhattan Beach and Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach); Hudson Valley Foie Gras, a producer in New York; and a group of Canadian foie gras farmers called Association des Eleveurs de Canards et d’Oies du Quebec.

The judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional because it interferes with an existing federal law that regulates poultry products.

Last year, the courts rejected a different argument against the state ban -- that it improperly tried to regulate interstate commerce. But the new argument -- referred to by lawyers as “preemption” -- succeeded. The state could appeal Wilson’s ruling, but, for now, foie gras devotees can celebrate.

“Foie gras is legal in California and will be on my menu tonight,” said Frank, chef at La Toque restaurant. “I haven’t been without foie gras a single day since the ban went into effect, but tonight is the first time I’ve been able to charge for it.”

Frank had been sending diners complimentary servings of foie gras along with a glass of wine and a card explaining that “this is a gift and an act of political protest against a law we think is unwise."

“Tonight we’re going to tear the cards up and have a hell of a party.”

A coalition of animal rights groups, including the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Humane Society, released a joint statement vowing to appeal. “The state clearly has the right to ban the sale of the products of animal cruelty, and we expect the 9th Circuit will uphold this law, as it did in the previous round of litigation. We are asking the California attorney general to file an immediate appeal."...

Yes, because no one hates a good, righteous food-loving party as much as tantrum-throwing leftists.

Still more.

Sean Hannity Battles Islamic Hate-Preacher Anjem Choudary (VIDEO)

Following-up to my earlier entry, "Anjem Choudary: Whoever Insults Muhammed 'Kill Him'."

Watch the debate from last night's "Hannity," at the link.

Paris Attacks Weren't 'Senseless Violence'

I saw the president's comments yesterday and once again recoiled at his remarks about the "senseless violence of the few."

It's simply not "senseless violence." Indeed, the attacks were extremely methodical and drove home the message that Islam is intent to destroy the West's most important foundations. The terrorists will stop at nothing and they'll kill fellow Muslims who stand in their way, those who --- despite their faith --- stand for the rule of law against militant Islamic jihad.

So I'm glad Jonathan Tobin picked up on precisely this yesterday, at Commentar, "Paris Attack Wasn’t “Senseless Violence”":

President Obama’s condemnation of the attack on the Charlie Hebdo office today in Paris rightly referred to the perpetrators as “terrorists” and expressed solidarity with France even if it did come in a tone expressed with his usual lack of emotion. The official statement issued later also properly labeled it an act of terrorism. But the problem isn’t whether the administration is ready, as it was initially reluctant to do after Benghazi, to speak of terrorism, as it is the president’s refusal to discuss the motivation of the attackers and readiness to speak of it as the “senseless violence of the few.” This wasn’t senseless, Mr. President. Indeed, based on the administration’s past lukewarm defense of freedom of speech against Islamist attacks, it made a great deal of sense for terrorists to think they could get away with this atrocity.

Throughout the last two decades during which Islamist terrorists have been waging a war against the West, the United States government has always been properly reluctant to speak of the conflict as one between the American people and the religion of Islam. The U.S. has no argument with its millions of loyal Muslim citizens or with any faith per se. Nor does it have a brief for conflict with the many Muslim countries with which it enjoys warm relations. The arguments of both al-Qaeda and ISIS and their sympathizers, which speak of American wars “against Muslims,” are vicious libels. The wars, in which the U.S. has engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention in Bosnia before that, were waged to free Muslims. It is the terrorists who wish to silence and enslave Muslims in their nightmare vision of a new caliphate, not the Americans.

But that sensible reluctance to grant the terrorists their wish by allowing them to make this a war of Muslim versus non-Muslim should not extend to blindness about what is motivating the terrorists. As much as we may hope that Islamists don’t represent the views of most Muslims, it is ridiculous for the president or any other American official to be issuing statements (as they have at times) in which Washington pretends to be the authority on what is or is not authentic Islam. Suffice it to say that Islamists appear to have the support of tens of millions of Muslims in the Middle East as well as elsewhere and it is futile for any American president to be declaring them mistaken about their faith...

Amazing how that happens ever time as well, heh.

Continue reading.

A First-Hand Account of Terrorist Attack in Paris — #CharlieHebdo

From Claire Berlinski, at Ricochet, "First-Hand Account From The Terrorist Attack on Charlie-Hebdo":

Let me use the words I am not allowed to use on Ricochet. You motherfuckers. We will kill you. Every one of you. Believe it. #JeSuisCharlie

— Claire Berlinski (@ClaireBerlinski) January 7, 2015

I'm sorry to respond to so many messages so impersonally. I'll answer by tomorrow. For now this sums it up. https://t.co/rOkgSpZLSe

— Claire Berlinski (@ClaireBerlinski) January 7, 2015

If you've been trying to reach me, you should have a response by now. If I missed you, my apologies: Summary here. https://t.co/47zAIBxHIP.

— Claire Berlinski (@ClaireBerlinski) January 8, 2015

If I sound incoherent, it’s because I am shaken. The reasons will be obvious.

I had no intention of reporting on this from the scene of the Charlie-Hebdo massacre. I was walking up Boulevard Richard Lenoir to meet a friend who lives in the neighborhood. But the moment I saw what I did, I knew for sure what had happened. A decade in Turkey teaches you that. That many ambulances, that many cops, that many journalists, and those kinds of faces can mean only one thing: a massive terrorist attack.

I also knew from the location just who’d been attacked: Charlie-Hebdo, the magazine known for many things, but, above all, for its fearlessness in publishing caricatures of Mohamed. They’d been firebombed for this in 2011, but their response — in effect — was the only one free men would ever consider: “As long as we’re alive, you’ll never shut us up.”

They are no longer alive. They managed to shut them up.

The only thing I didn’t immediately know was how many of them had died...

Don't miss the remainder. Claire's a good woman. Really, really good.

And check the links at the Twitter embeds.

Mark Steyn: 'We will be retreating into a lot more self-censorship...' (VIDEO)

...if the rest of the Western media 'doesn't man and decide to disperse the risk' of mocking the fuck out of Muhammad.

Watch: "Mark Steyn Blasts NY Times for Not Showing Muhammad Cartoon. Mark Steyn Kelly File."

Stéphane Charbonnier Stood Up to Terror

From Pamela Geller, at Atlas Shrugs, "Charb is a War Hero."

And at Telegraph UK, "How Charlie Hebdo editor Stéphane Charbonnier stood up to terror":

Charlie Hebdo's editor Stéphane Charbonnier was among the 10 journalists killed today during an attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris. Two police officers were also killed in the attack.

Charlie Hebdo's staple is provocation – and it pokes fun at popes, presidents as well as the Prophet Mohammed.

The satirical weekly has a history of drawing outrage across the Muslim world with crude cartoons of Islam's holiest figure.

The magazine's offices were firebombed in November 2011 after it published a spoof issue that "invited" Mohammed to be its guest editor and put his caricature on the cover.

A year later, the magazine published more Mohammed drawings amid an uproar over an anti-Muslim film.

The cartoons depicted Mohammed naked and in demeaning or pornographic poses. As passions raged, the French government defended free speech even as it rebuked Charlie Hebdo for fanning tensions.

The small-circulation weekly leans toward the left and takes pride in making acerbic commentary on world affairs through cartoons and spoof reports.

Charbonnier defended the Muhammad cartoons in 2012. "Mohammed isn't sacred to me," said Charbonnier, who used the pen name Charb. "I don't blame Muslims for not laughing at our drawings. I live under French law. I don't live under Quranic law."

Islam is not alone in being singled out by Charlie Hebdo's satire. Past covers include retired Pope Benedict XVI in amorous embrace with a Vatican guard; former French President Nicolas Sarkozy looking like a sick vampire; and an Orthodox Jew kissing a Nazi soldier.

The magazine occasionally publishes investigative journalism, taking aim at France's high and mighty.

Charlie Hebdo has come under pressure ever since its 2011 Mohammed issue. Its website has been hacked. It faced a lawsuit over the prophet cartoons. Riot police once guarded its offices. Charb lived under police protection – and his bodyguard was killed Wednesday along with another officer.

Charb told Le Monde newspaper two years ago: "I'd rather die standing than live on my knees."

'Hands Up, Don't Shoot' for Real — #CharlieHebdo

Oh man, too true.

On Twitter:

THIS is what "Hands Up Don't Shoot" looks like @KurtSchlichter @GARock945 @Rene_gadeCowboy @GayPatriot @chadfelixg pic.twitter.com/rpUrMbeutk

— Appelez-moi Charlie (@WarrenPeas64) January 7, 2015

Emily Ratajkowski Tweets #JeSuisCharlie

She's really, really cool.

#JeSuisCharlie pic.twitter.com/z8kE9lkhEa

— Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) January 8, 2015