Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie went after Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday for suggesting there was a “rationale” for the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris earlier this year. The caption below translates to, “They have weapons. F– them. We have the champagne!”
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At least 129 people were killed in a series of attacks across the French capital on Friday night. “Saying there was a rationale for the Charlie hebdo massacre is inexcusable”, he tweeted.
He noted that if a few people do not like their featured covers, they can sue and the publication will defend itself.
Kerry said what he meant, but then realized how bad it sounded and backed off. But conceding the “legitimacy” of the Charlie Hebdo murders was central to his point, that last Friday’s attacks were materially different. “They have arms. Fuck them”. And if a few people are not happy with this, they can sue us and we can defend ourselves.
The illustration, created by cartoonist Coco, mixes poignancy with defiance, sending a message that the French are proud of their liberal culture, and will never be cowed by terrorists. For the Paris attacks, Islamic State claimed responsibility.
“Blood and tears, prophesied Churchill”.
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“Avoiding the pitfall of division should not make us renounce the right to criticize religion on the pretext that its exercise is sometimes irritating”, he wrote. Two Muslim brothers part of al-Qaida burst into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine, and opened fire in retribution for an apparently offensive rendition of the prophet Muhammad. “This time, I feel that I am really part of the group that was targeted during these attacks”. Their party’s leadership is so inept – so utterly detached from the reality of the situation we’re facing – that even the braindead sheep who elected Obama twice have to notice it. “I just felt the hashtag “pray” was highly inappropriate”.
