We are all France. Apparently. Though we are never all Lebanon or Syria or Iraq for some reason. Or a long, long list of additional places.
We are led to believe that U.S. wars are not tolerated and cheered because of the color or culture of the people being bombed and occupied. But let a relatively tiny number of people be murdered in a white, Christian, Western-European land, with a pro-war government, and suddenly sympathy is the order of the day.
“This is not just an attack on the French people, it is an attack on human decency and all things that we hold dear,” says U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. I’m not sure I hold ALL the same things dear as the senator, but for the most part I think he’s exactly right and that sympathy damn well ought to be the order of the day following a horrific mass killing in France.
I just think the same should apply to everywhere else on earth as well. The majority of deaths in all recent wars are civilian. The majority of civilians are not hard to sympathize with once superficial barriers are overcome. Yet, the U.S. media never seems to declare deaths in Yemen or Pakistan or Palestine to be attacks on our common humanity.
I included “pro-war government” as a qualification above, because I can recall a time, way back in 2003, when I was the one shouting “We are all France,” and pro-war advocates in the United States were demonizing France for its refusal to support a looming and guaranteed to be catastrophic and counterproductive U.S. war. France sympathized with U.S. deaths on 911, but counseled sanity, decency, and honesty in response. The U.S. told France to go to hell and renamed french fries in Congressional office buildings.
Now, 14 years into a global war on terror that reliably produces more terror, France is an enthusiastic invader, plunderer, bomber, and propagator of hateful bigotry. France also sells billions of dollars of weaponry to lovely little bastions of equality and liberty like Saudi Arabia, carefully ignoring Saudis’ funding of anti-Western terrorist groups.
When U.S. militarism failed to prevent 911, I actually thought that would mean reduced militarism. When a Russian plane was recently blown up, I think I imagined for a split second that Russia would learn its lesson and stop repeating U.S. mistakes. When people were just killed in France, I didn’t have any time to fantasize about France coming to its senses, because a “socialist” president was already doing his Dubya-on-the-rubble imitation:
“To all those who have seen these awful things,” said François Hollande, “I want to say we are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow.”
The video doesn’t look like Bush, and the French word combat does not necessarily mean war just because the Washington Post says it does. It can mean fight in some other sense. But what other sense exactly, I’m not sure. Prosecuting anyone responsible would of course make perfect sense, but a criminal justice system ought not to be pitiless. It’s a war that ought to be pitiless. And it’s a war that will guarantee more attacks. And it’s a war that France has begun.
“It is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the executioners,” said Albert Camus.
Please go back to thinking, France.
We do love you and wish you well and are deeply sorry for U.S. influence against your better tendencies.
One Response
Previous US House of Represenative Green Candidate, Susan Hall, says to Michael Ray’s comment the following:
Michael Ray I wonder if these were real terrorists or fake. Maybe Hollande pissed of the US recently.
Unlike · Reply · 1 · November 13 at 4:24pm
Susan Hall
Susan Hall I agree it could be CIA or Israel military, as we saw the Israeli’s disguissed and going into a Palistine hospital to execute a patient this week.
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Susan Hall
Susan Hall It could be someone hired by any corproate supported country to continue the now World War III, to support the need for chaos in order for the powers that be to keep the resources flowing in their direction. The dictionary says a World War is a war involving many large nations in all different parts of the world. Acording to Amy Goodman ‘s knowledge of Nick Turses’s book, Africa’s New Battlefield, the US has Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now, “Although 50 (U.S. Troops might seem like a small number being sent to fight n Syria) the deployment adds Syria to a global U.S. backed battlefield that is at historic size. This year the U.S. Has sent a record of 147 countries, which is 75% of of the countries in the world, which is a 145% increase from Pres. Bush and on any given day there are US soldiers in 70 to 90 nations in the world. Since 2007 Africacom has been established, which is the distribution of US soldiers in 90% of Africas 54 countries in the continent. The U.S. Soldiers have carried out an average of 674 missions or two a day in Africa. There are at least 16 drones leaving and returning in a day, with attacks mainly in Yemen and Somalia. There are two drone bases in Jabodie, Chad, Ethopia, Nomie, Acadiese, Camarone, Niger, and across the continent. General Rodriquez talked about the training of African troops and suggests that they have been trained to fight al Shabob, but Turse says looking at the effects we see Mali had one of those military men over throw the government and also in another country. He says in reality the militaries being trained by US are kniwn to be repressive by Human Rights organizations. When Turse was asked about what he was most surprised was and he said how far the drones have become part of the warfare in the African continent and Pres. obama is leaning on the drones and special operations. He further stated that Libiya was seen in the US as a success, but the Libyian people have been living in chaos and a nightmare after the US invasion. US and French went into Mali and arrested the Islamists and Mali is now worse off than they began. Democracy Now’ Nov 13th news video then goes to the Democrat presidential candidate H. Clinton as she states her support for the Libian invasion and the US has expanded with USL bases across the European content, including in Spain. -I would not be surprised if the US’s invasion of cou tries incorporates more nations in the world thandid WWI and II. The terrorists in France also could be people that have banned together to say they are tired of the rich corporate supported countries killing their children with drones and bombs in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanist, and Iraq,- kidnapping their fathers and holding them after beating their sons to death, cutting their privates, poking out their eyes and keeping them from keeping their children from starving to death as in Guantánamo, Black secret sites around the world and Bagram; not to mention 2 million people killed and 10’s of 1,000s now immigrants floating on the seas of nothing but absolute desperation.