Ed. note: Please help – see the note below and pass this along so that we make the kind of difference that needs to be made. America thanks you.
Reading time – 47 seconds . . .
The irreverent Charlie Hebdo satirists, both cartoonists and journalists, have, in the face of profound, bottomless grief led the way for the rest of the world in a breathtaking way. Their new magazine cover shows the Prophet Muhammad weeping as he holds a sign that reads, “Je Suis Charlie”. What makes the cover breathtaking is that above the Prophet they have written, “TOUT EST PARDONNE”. Roughly translated, they are telling their attackers, the murderers of their colleagues, the violent, religion despoiling Islamist terrorists, “We forgive you.”
Could you possibly do that were you in their place? Can you do it from your place now?
There is an odd twist to this, courtesy of Anonymous, the worldwide hacker group that has hacked into nearly everything, including the NSA. This band of iconoclasts, this buster of world order has now pledged to hunt down Islamist radicals. In a stunning video they tell the extremists, “We are tracking you down. We will find you and not leave you any rest.” They vow to shut down every violent extremist Twitter feed, propaganda video and more. They announce boldly, “We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
Unlike Anonymous, Charlie Hebdo forgives. My guess, though, is that the staff members won’t forget, and that’s as it should be.
And here is the irony: How pleasingly odd it is that the members of this hacker organization Anonymous, who have compromised our National Security Agency, are now on our side in the hunt for Islamist terrorists. Their agenda is their own and this portion of their agenda is in pitch perfect concert with freedom loving people everywhere, even those running the NSA. Perhaps now “Nous Sommes Anonymous.”
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Ed. note: There is much in America that needs fixing and we are on a path to continually fail to make things better. It is my goal to make a difference – perhaps to be a catalyst for things to get better. That is the reason for these posts. To accomplish the goal requires reaching many thousands of people and a robust dialogue. Please help by offering your comments, as well as by passing this along and encouraging others to subscribe and do the same. Thanks. JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
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3 Responses to Je Suis . . . Ironic
Jim Altschuler January 14, 2015
May God bless those in the world who have been devastated by this week’s stupidity. Especially those who work with and for Charlie Hebdo who have a lot more humanity and kindness than I do. I cannot find it in MY heart to forgive them, and I sure as Hell won’t forget.
Frank Levy January 14, 2015
I would like to think that Anonymous would hunt down and harass ALL violent extremists – white supremists, the KKK, Tea Partiers, Jewish haradim, violent anti-abortionist and anti-gay groups – not just Islamic extremists – otherwise it is just Islamaphobia and bigotry.
Ed January 14, 2015
Your best column ever!