The Paris Attack Debate Thread

[Maladict]

Maybe just lucky, but maybe they were clever--perhaps the order was to wait until some setbacks in the Middle East then execute the attacks as quickly as possible (but they'd obviously be predicated on a concert being at the Bataclan and a soccer match going on at the same time, but I suspect that's not a super rare occurrence.)

Maybe they just looked at what was happening in town that day? I mean there would be several viable targets every day.

It just doesn't look that well planned to me. Three suicide bombers at the stadium managed to kill one civilian?
I know one of them was caught and had his hand forced, but not the others.

[PDH]

I don't see Wahhabism as a reformation, instead it lies firmly in the long tradition of textual purity that Islam has had since very early days.  There have been many series of "back to the book" movements in Islam, and it often has focused, like Wahhabism, on removal of non-pure outside thought.

In my opinion, a reformation in Islamic terms would be rooted in a movement to syncretise the thoughts of the West with "pure" Islam.  Much like what the Scholastics did, the ability to incorporate obvious pre-canon thought into the overall processes of religious thought would be one of the first steps.  Then, later back to basics movements would not take place in a vacuum missing the tradition of rationalist/naturalist thought.

Just my 2 cents.

[Warspite]

What are the chances of the British government doing something about it, seeing how it has been probably most shameless in palling around with the Saudis?

There's more to the Western relationship with Saudi Arabia than a few Guardian headlines, you know.

[Martinus]

I am so angry with the response to this from most of those on the liberal left. The right wingers are proposing solutions that are illiberal, sometimes borderline racist, discriminatory, true.

But the left is not doing anything constructive other than contesting these. Sure the solutions proposed by the right are wrong, fine - but the left is not proposing anything instead of it. It's all in your head, Islam is a religion of peace, these attacks have nothing to do with Islam. Or better yet, it gets into pointless discussions why we care for France but not for Syria and Iraq. The public sees this for the bullshit it is and goes to vote for the right.

It is so fucking frustrating.

[garbon]

Guys while I agree that Islamic-inspired terrorists are the #1 suspect, we don't actually know who has done this terrible attack, or why.  Let's wait for facts before we start debating what to do next.

Okay, so now it does look like Islamic, probably even IS-inspired terrorists are responsible.  Would it really have been that terrible to wait until Sunday to start discussing what France/the West's response should be?

I mean, different people process and react to events in different ways. For some, that means leaping immediately into policy decisions/political implications.

[Martinus]

Now, apparently there are some cretins complaining that some story from April about an attack on a Kenyan university (which actually was reported) did not get as much coverage as the Paris attacks.

I am beginning to see why so many people in Scandinavia became so ambiguous on immigration and race issues - if the left behaves so retardedly, no wonder there is a backlash.

[DGuller]

Yes, the biggest check on success of liberal thought is success of liberal thought.

[Grey Fox]

Guys while I agree that Islamic-inspired terrorists are the #1 suspect, we don't actually know who has done this terrible attack, or why.  Let's wait for facts before we start debating what to do next.

Okay, so now it does look like Islamic, probably even IS-inspired terrorists are responsible.  Would it really have been that terrible to wait until Sunday to start discussing what France/the West's response should be?

Yes.

And no, it served no purpose to wait except being politically correct. Languish has a whole does not care.


Raqqa is still not a smoldering ruin   

[Martinus]

A Democratic Party candidate for the Minnesota House is quitting the race over comments he posted on social media about ISIS.
Dan Kimmel of Burnsville tweeted and posted on Facebook Saturday night, "ISIS isn't necessarily evil. It is made up of people doing what they think is best for their community. Violence is not the answer, though."
This morning, Kimmel issued a statement saying he is folding up his campaign tent.

Oh ffs.

[Jaron]

That's obviously a one off remark. There is nothing to conclude from this except he made a very dumb statement. He wouldn't be folding up his tent if what he said wasn't insane even by liberal standards.

[Martinus]

That's obviously a one off remark. There is nothing to conclude from this except he made a very dumb statement. He wouldn't be folding up his tent if what he said wasn't insane even by liberal standards.

I know, but how fucking out of touch do you have to be to make a statement like this.

[Jaron]

That's obviously a one off remark. There is nothing to conclude from this except he made a very dumb statement. He wouldn't be folding up his tent if what he said wasn't insane even by liberal standards.

I know, but how fucking out of touch do you have to be to make a statement like this.

Pretty out of touch. I'm not sure what was going through his mind.

[Warspite]

That's obviously a one off remark. There is nothing to conclude from this except he made a very dumb statement. He wouldn't be folding up his tent if what he said wasn't insane even by liberal standards.

I know, but how fucking out of touch do you have to be to make a statement like this.

There have been four years of out of touch nonsense spewed on Syria, some of which even became policy. Why get angry over this particular remark?

[viper37]

It just doesn't look that well planned to me. Three suicide bombers at the stadium managed to kill one civilian?
I know one of them was caught and had his hand forced, but not the others.

they were likely told to explode themselves at a specific hour and they acted at the specific hour, even if they had not reached their intended target.
I read that one of them detonated himself in a small street near the stadium, away from everything.

[mongers]

Obama and Putin filmed talking closely* aided by just two interpreters/aids in the open plan cafe/bar at the G20 meeting.

Is this the nearest the two have seen face to face with each other in several years?

* both on edges of green low cut armchairs with a small coffee table in between so about 3-4ft separating their heads.

edit:
image here: