11/13 Paris Terror Attacks

At least 18 are dead after a series of explosions and shootings. There have been at least 4 separate, but coordinated incidents.

CNN live stream:
http://go.cnn.com/?stream=cnn

CNN also just announced that there are also 60 hostages being held in a theater.

Update: More than 128 dead. We got a new rating. Basically, everything went fucky.

 

[Functional Animal]

Ok, what the fuck is going on at Mizzou that is so damned important? Is it literally the shit swastika in the other thread? If that is what's going on and people are hiding in their dorms over it then they need to grow the fuck up, at least to the level of maturity I had when I was like 15. These are grown ass adults pretending a shit swastika in bathroom stall is "totes more important than the 150+ dead in Paris". You gotta be fucking joking with that shit. You know how you respond to shit swatika? You call the damn janitor to bring proper cleaning supplies and then laugh at the moron who used their own feces to write on a bathroom wall.

God fucking damn people. And these jackasses are older than me and going to supposedly more prestigious universities than mine.

 

[Sanshain]

Another war in Syria would accomplish the same thing the last god knows how many wars in that hellhole region have accomplished. We knock over the dictator/militant group of the week in short order, spend 5-10 years trying to stamp out insurgents too no success, either grow bored or bankrupt and leave, and someone new comes out of the power vacuum.

If I had the choice, I'd try to speed up the Russian intervention that's been brewing since the airliner, let them get involved in the quagmire, both occupying ISIS and the Russians in one swoop would be a realpoltik victory I'd imagine.

There's a reason that area of the world has traditionally been referred to as 'The Breaker of Empires'. The last western force to successfully conquer and impose lasting order there was lead by Alexander the Great.

 

[Sweet and Savoury]

I think its super shitty that the children at Mizzou are crying that the world is no longer watching them while over 150 people lie dead in Paris.

Really beginning to hate these little shitheads. Entitlement doesn't even begin to cover it.

 

[Strelok]

There's a reason that area of the world has traditionally been referred to as 'The Breaker of Empires'. The last western force to successfully conquer and impose lasting order there was lead by Alexander the Great.

I'm not sure I'd call the Diadochi Wars "lasting order" but I see the crux of the point there at least.

 

[Subconcious Offense]

Ok, what the fuck is going on at Mizzou that is so damned important? Is it literally the shit swastika in the other thread? If that is what's going on and people are hiding in their dorms over it then they need to grow the fuck up, at least to the level of maturity I had when I was like 15. These are grown ass adults pretending a shit swastika in bathroom stall is "totes more important than the 150+ dead in Paris". You gotta be fucking joking with that shit. You know how you respond to shit swatika? You call the damn janitor to bring proper cleaning supplies and then laugh at the moron who used their own feces to write on a bathroom wall.

God fucking damn people. And these jackasses are older than me and going to supposedly more prestigious universities than mine.

Basically some people got offended by possible Halloween costumes. It escalated to protest. Meanwhile a journalism professor got caught on video preventing journalists from reporting the protest even though it was in public grounds, gave out threats of physical violence against the journalists by calling for muscles, and then gave an "I'm sorry you made me act that way" apology, which the reporter accepted because he was the only sane person.

Spoiler

So no, nothing nearly as important as what happened in Paris.

 

[Sweet and Savoury]

I honestly wonder if there even is a possibility of peace in the middle east. So much hatred and intolerance though out the region.

Generations have tried but still the killings continue.

 

[Justlurkin]

God, I just realized.
Since this will be trending everywhere and every news, how long do you think we'll have before Chris makes a comment about it on Facebook?
I mean he didn't do anything for Charlie but that was during his Mall incident, he's much more open now.
Who wants to bet it'll have a drawing of Sonichu with a Beret and a Baguette on it?

Stuff about Mizzou

Jesus, it's even more useless than I thought. Why do WE still get the surrender stereotype?

 

[4Macie]

These terrorist groups say they do what they do to get attention, get their words out there, and to hurt/kill people who aren't of their religion.

I have to wonder how mentally challenged some of these extremists are. Someone blowing shit up and killing people isn't going to get others to listen/believe anything they're saying any faster. How can you insist that your religion is the right one when you claim that killing/hurting people is the answer to any kind of problem?

As a side note: to any French Kiwi out there, please please please stay safe. I have family that lives just outside of Paris and they've been told to stay inside or be put at risk of being considered a threat. If you are safe where you are, stay there.

 

[fishercat]

Christ, this is so fucked up. I can only hope that this gets under control soon and that the sick fucks responsible get stopped.

 

[Strelok]

I honestly wonder if there even is a possibility of peace in the middle east. So much hatred and intolerance though out the region.

Generations have tried but still the killings continue.

A lot of it is geography and infrastructure, the difficulty of first and lack of the second make it extraordinarily easy for extremist groups to establish and entrench themselves, and for authorities to have massive problems actually asserting governmental control over the territory they supposedly occupy. And there's no easy solution to that. This isn't postwar Japan where you can throw money and political power at the problem till a functioning economy emerges and becomes your new ally. The easier solution for western powers is to deal with things on the home front instead. It's not a good solution, but it's the only one.

 

[Gothicserpent]

I think its super shitty that the children at Mizzou are crying that the world is no longer watching them while over 150 people lie dead in Paris.

Really beginning to hate these little shitheads. Entitlement doesn't even begin to cover it.

You can care about two tragedies at the same time. Its not that hard.

Edit: I'm not referring to Sweet and Savory. I'm referring to the tweets.

 

[He Sets Me On Fire]

Update:I managed to get home safely.
There's a lot of sirens and vehicles speeding down the streets, mostly ambulances; everything is stilll pretty chaotic.



Les Halles is probably mostly closed at this hour.Except maybe for the cinemas, so hopefully there won't be too much of a carnage.
The Bataclan theatre seems to have been evacuated, and they might apparently have killed some assailants?
The most worrying situation right now is the gunmen possibly still roaming the streets.

The nationwide state of emergency means they will be closing the borders. No one knows for how long, but there is going to be a locdown at leat for the next few days.


I'd prepared a long rebuttal to this, but it probably wouldnt do any good, so all I can say is this:
Glad to see you're already exploiting these events to bolster your rhetoric when we aren't even done counting the goddamned bodies .

I'm late with this, but nonetheless: Bless you, sir/ma'am. Glad you're safe.

 

[Sanshain]

These terrorist groups say they do what they do to get attention, get their words out there, and to hurt/kill people who aren't of their religion.

I have to wonder how mentally challenged some of these extremists are. Someone blowing shit up and killing people isn't going to get others to listen/believe anything they're saying any faster. How can you insist that your religion is the right one when you claim that killing/hurting people is the answer to any kind of problem?

We're the infidels. They aren't trying to convince us their religion is right; they consider that such a self-evident truth that they're unable to even comprehend the idea that anybody who doesn't immediately grasp that is worthy of negotiating with, or even acknowledging as a potential equal. The only reason they attack us is to cause destruction and spread terror.

 

[Subconcious Offense]

These terrorist groups say they do what they do to get attention, get their words out there, and to hurt/kill people who aren't of their religion.

I have to wonder how mentally challenged some of these extremists are. Someone blowing shit up and killing people isn't going to get others to listen/believe anything they're saying any faster. How can you insist that your religion is the right one when you claim that killing/hurting people is the answer to any kind of problem?

As a side note: to any French Kiwi out there, please please please stay safe. I have family that lives just outside of Paris and they've been told to stay inside or be put at risk of being considered a threat. If you are safe where you are, stay there.

If only every autist is merely brave enough to use pepper spray.

 

[Justlurkin]

You can care about two tragedies at the same time. Its not that hard.

Edit: I'm not referring to Sweet and Savory. I'm referring to the tweets.

I know, I disliked you for calling the Mizzou thing a "tragedy".

 

[Jaimas]

I honestly wonder if there even is a possibility of peace in the middle east. So much hatred and intolerance though out the region.

Generations have tried but still the killings continue.

There is.

It's not untenable, but there's a ton that has to happen before it can happen. Most people I've talked to from this region don't want this fighting to continue, but they don't have a fucking choice. Listen to @Strelok on this, because he's right. Many of these areas barely have a functioning infrastructure - shit like power, clean water, and edible food - and a lot of the governments in the region have a vested interest in keeping them fighting one another.

 

[Florence]

I have no words.

 

[Ian Brandon Anderson]

This is genuinely horrible. I'm so sorry for anyone related to this.

 

[BOLDYSPICY!]

Jesus, I saw this while I was at work. Soyez en sécurité, mes Kiwis français, et bonne chance.

ETA: The horrible part is that the worst is far from over, & it's only a matter of time before the witch hunts start. If I remember correctly, the ghettos outside of Paris are home to a significant Arab population. I have a bad feeling.

 

[Strelok]

We're the infidels. They aren't trying to convince us their religion is right; they consider that such a self-evident truth that they're unable to even comprehend the idea that anybody who doesn't immediately grasp that is worthy of negotiating with, or even acknowledging as a potential equal. The only reason they attack us is to cause destruction and spread terror.

It helps, for the sake of discussion if nothing else, to seperate the dogma that is fed to the rank and file terrorists, with the actual goals of those in power. The dogma is simplistic, easy to consume propaganda that merely paints everything as them vs us, and us as the source of all ill in their society. It's crude, simple, and effective, and we've seen it used in countless governments, including our own during the Red Scare, for centuries. Add in a bit of religious devotion and fanaticism, and it becomes child's play to convince an angry young man to strap a bomb to himself to kill the devils in men's clothing. They are no longer innocent civilians, they themselves are the evil that must be punished.

The actual ringleaders however, are more nuanced than that. While I won't speculate on the exact goals of the leaders of ISIS, they generally can be boiled down to control. They want control and autonomy of the territory they occupy. They want power and control over those under them. So on and so on. Failings on the home front can easily be spun into morale successes by "striking back" against the enemy on their home turf. It's not random senseless violence to them, it's a sort of cold calculation. Every attack they perpetrate strengths their power base, and buys them political power inside the organization's structure.

In both cases however, it is the core of their beliefs that allow them to mentally and emotionally carry out such acts. In this case it's religion, in some cases nationalism such as the basques and IRA, eco terrorism in the case of that group I can never rememebr the name of, etc.