Yes, the attack on the Charlie Hebdo office that resulted in 12 dead Europeans was a tragedy. But it was no more of a tragedy than the recent U.S. airstrikes in Syria, which our own government has admitted kills innocent civilians. It’s no more of a tragedy than civilians being killed by U.S. drone strikes, which have killed 2,400 people since 2010 and claimed the lives of 168 to 200 children in Pakistan alone. It’s no more of a tragedy than the 85 Americans who die every day as a result of gun violence. And it’s no more of a tragedy than the 22 U.S. veterans who kill themselves every day because of the scars that perpetrating violent U.S. foreign policy leaves on their bodies, minds, and hearts. We should question why there’s such inconsistency between how American media saturates us with coverage of the deaths of 12 French satirists, yet relegates innocent victims of imperialist foreign policy to obscurity. The men who killed the Charlie Hebdo writers over satirical cartoons are suspected to be radical Muslims and are widely renounced as terrorists. Yet, President Obama has bombed seven predominantly Muslim nations – Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Syria, and Iraq – in his six years as president, and he was given a Nobel Peace Prize. Just like the Charlie Hebdo attackers, President Obama kills extrajudicially, administering collective punishment for the actions of a few. And just like the radical jihadis who carried out the attack in France, President Obama has legions of delusional followers who back him every step of the way, despite the senseless violence of his actions. Let’s face it: The only reason Obama is so loved by so many despite his policies and the Charlie Hebdo attackers are so vilified is because of the color of their victims. readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/27953-what-presidents-obama-and-bush-have-in-common-with-the-charlie-hebdo-shooters
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 18:10:27 +0000