By now most people the world over have heard about the horrific acts perpetrated by cowardly thugs in Paris. There are few facts as of right now. Most responsible news agencies are reporting a death count greater than 100. They are all saying that that number will continue to grow as all of the facts are collated and numbers are tallied.
If I were to take my own advice right now, I should keep my mouth shut. Facts are in short supply, and the 24 hour news cycle is filling the airwaves with rampant speculation. I don't want to add to that with any missive of mine. Some news outlets are trying to stick to the facts. And I want to applaud that without calling any out by name.
I am however compelled to express a few thoughts. I will try to be brief.
My heart breaks for the citizens of France and of Paris in particular tonight. It appears that lives were cut short in the midst of various celebrations at the end of a work week. People out eating a meal, taking a concert, sharing drinks with friends, or enjoying a soccer match across the city came to a horrific ending tonight. It was awful, and to use French President Hollande's word 'horrific'.
The citizens of Paris did not deserve this. The French people did not deserve this. The world as a whole did not deserve this. There is no cause under the sun in the community of man that justifies these actions. There is slight, no wound, no injustice that makes this course of action acceptable.
This coordinated and calculated assault on the people of the world cannot be allowed to stand! Innocent blood has been spilled this night. Innocent lives wantonly slaughtered. We as a species must unite as a single entity in order to hunt down those that perpetrated this act. More than that we must find those that planned it, those that funded it, and those that gave the operational approval for it, and hold them accountable.
The temptation to devolve into vengeance here will be strong. We must resist that temptation with every fiber of our being. It is not enough to end those responsible, though that is important. It is important to show these barbarians how a civilized world responds to barbarism. We need to bring justice to them, wherever they may be! We must be swift and sure, but we must be as just as we are civilized or at least we are supposed to be.
The ends will not ever justify the means here. It is not enough to put the skulls of the criminals responsible on a pike. It is important to ensure that we uphold all of our traditions in the process. That means fully investigating this crime. That means an orderly trial and appellate process. And only after all of that is complete, then delivering the last full measure of justice to the guilty!
To all the victims of this senseless act of criminality, you are in my prayers. I weep for the dead and their friends and families. My heart breaks for all of you. I don't know what I can do to help other than pray right now. If it occurs to me, I will do it, and encourage others to do likewise.
That is all for now.
If I were to take my own advice right now, I should keep my mouth shut. Facts are in short supply, and the 24 hour news cycle is filling the airwaves with rampant speculation. I don't want to add to that with any missive of mine. Some news outlets are trying to stick to the facts. And I want to applaud that without calling any out by name.
I am however compelled to express a few thoughts. I will try to be brief.
My heart breaks for the citizens of France and of Paris in particular tonight. It appears that lives were cut short in the midst of various celebrations at the end of a work week. People out eating a meal, taking a concert, sharing drinks with friends, or enjoying a soccer match across the city came to a horrific ending tonight. It was awful, and to use French President Hollande's word 'horrific'.
The citizens of Paris did not deserve this. The French people did not deserve this. The world as a whole did not deserve this. There is no cause under the sun in the community of man that justifies these actions. There is slight, no wound, no injustice that makes this course of action acceptable.
This coordinated and calculated assault on the people of the world cannot be allowed to stand! Innocent blood has been spilled this night. Innocent lives wantonly slaughtered. We as a species must unite as a single entity in order to hunt down those that perpetrated this act. More than that we must find those that planned it, those that funded it, and those that gave the operational approval for it, and hold them accountable.
The temptation to devolve into vengeance here will be strong. We must resist that temptation with every fiber of our being. It is not enough to end those responsible, though that is important. It is important to show these barbarians how a civilized world responds to barbarism. We need to bring justice to them, wherever they may be! We must be swift and sure, but we must be as just as we are civilized or at least we are supposed to be.
The ends will not ever justify the means here. It is not enough to put the skulls of the criminals responsible on a pike. It is important to ensure that we uphold all of our traditions in the process. That means fully investigating this crime. That means an orderly trial and appellate process. And only after all of that is complete, then delivering the last full measure of justice to the guilty!
To all the victims of this senseless act of criminality, you are in my prayers. I weep for the dead and their friends and families. My heart breaks for all of you. I don't know what I can do to help other than pray right now. If it occurs to me, I will do it, and encourage others to do likewise.
That is all for now.
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