C'est une journée triste pour la presse et pour la liberté

                                                      It is a sad day for the press and liberty

No doubt you have read the news - another terrorist attack. 

The offices of the satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo were stormed by three heavily armed men, clad in black from head to foot. They killed 12 people and wounded 11.  Most of the major media outlets are side-stepping who may be responsible with statements such as "no groups have claimed responsibility."

However, there are videos all over the Internet that clearly record the terrorists shouting "Allahu Akbar," and there are several websites and Twitter accounts allied with extremist Islamist terrorist that have posted support for the attacks.

So, draw your own conclusions Mr. Affleck.  

Four cartoonists were killed in the attack. Cartoonists. Possibly the most harmless people on the face of the planet. A cartoonist was what I wanted to grow up to be, a person who entertains, provokes, amuses, confounds, etc. with simple drawings and a few words.

Sure, cartoonists can be offensive, but part of growing up, of maturing as a human being, is being able to ignore whatever you find offensive in words and pictures. If you or your belief system is so fragile, so weak, that a mere picture or a few words can be a threat, maybe it's time you found a way to toughen up, or found a stronger ideology.

Two of the people who were killed - on the left, Jean Cabut who used the nom de plume "Cabu," and on the right, Stephane Charbonneir, who used the nom de plume "Charb." 

A cover of the French publication Charlie Hebdo that featured a cartoon of Muhammad saying "A thousand lashes if you're not dying of laughter"

I grieve for the fallen cartoonists, the other members of the staff of Charlie Hebdo, and the fallen French policemen. if I could have any wish fulfilled it would be that every single newspaper, magazine or whatever publication on the face of this planet would publish their cartoons, especially the ones deemed offensive by the terrorist, on their respective front pages today.

*The images used for this post were appropriated by me from the internet. If any of the material is protected by copyright, please notify me and I will either secure permission for use or replace it with a non-copyrighted image.