Shootings and explosions in Paris.

[Dennisch]

Maybe they should pass a little bit less information to the media. As it seems it was the media who made the story of the ambulance filled with explosives.

 

[ECGadget]

Maybe they should pass a little bit less information to the media. As it seems it was the media who made the story of the ambulance filled with explosives.

Couldn't agree with this more. A lot of our problems stem from the media, from intolerance to fear to paranoia. Without that, maybe we'd all have a clearer perspective on reality, get to the root of all the problems and deal with them together, instead of somewhat splintered.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Couldn't agree with this more. A lot of our problems stem from the media, from intolerance to fear to paranoia. Without that, maybe we'd all have a clearer perspective on reality, get to the root of all the problems and deal with them together, instead of somewhat splintered.

This is why I do not watch the news. But it's hard to escape it on the internet, especially when friends & family pick up on it and I have to correct them all the time.

 

[Joey D]

Got to argue with that stat. According to Police statistics, if you throw out just four cities (using 2015 data as of August) in the entire United States, Baltimore with 215 murders (a 56% increase from August of 2014), Chicago with 294 Murders (a 20% increase), New York City with 208 murders (9%), and Philadelphia with 171 murders (4%), we would actually have one of the lower homicide rates per 100,000 in the world. The common denominator in those four cities is that they have some form of "May Permit" form of Gun control when carrying a weapon in those cities. Just so we're clear, a May Permit adds another layer to the process of procuring a gun in any city that has one (another city that should be mentioned in this conversation, Washington DC, also has a May Permit system after the US Supreme Court struck down their Gun Control law a few years back.) Meaning that in addition to your standard background checks, you have to get final approval from your city's Chief of Police before even allowed to buy a gun.

How would you explain Detroit, Saginaw, and Flint, Michigan? Three of the most dangerous cities in America and they don't have a ban on guns. I know St. Louis is on the list too, but I'm not sure of the gun laws there.

 

[FoRiZon]

I don't think ANYONE that's sane would think that would ever be a good idea.

Well ISIS isnt exactly what you call "sane" either.

 

[x3ra]

The focus may be greater but the nature and ideology of the attacks hasn't changed.

I agree, partly. We are now more aware. Anyone over the age of 35 had something of a shift in awareness. Not necessarily, an awareness of the threats in everyday life, in that sense, yes, business as usual. Terrorist attacks only ever benefit politicians, military industrial and security businesses (there may be others). They never benefit the common man, probably never benefit the terrorists [citation needed ;-)]. So the ideology must be fully understood. I don't think most people have even considered that the ideologies, it can only be done theoretically. Unless you know exactly who perpetrated it. Only when you know who has ordered the act, can you even consider the why's. So I can't consider the why, because I don't know. If we assume it was Isis, then what is there motive, "to kill the infidels" in order to reduce the number? To instill fear into the population? Why would they want to do this?

 

[Johnnypenso]

Couldn't agree with this more. A lot of our problems stem from the media, from intolerance to fear to paranoia. Without that, maybe we'd all have a clearer perspective on reality, get to the root of all the problems and deal with them together, instead of somewhat splintered.

A free press is essential for liberty and democracy, you just have to deal with it as it comes. Officials prematurely releasing information is something you can control but on the other hand, if 99 ambulances filled with explosives turn out to be false and one turns out to be true, I'd rather know about all 100 of them than keep them all a secret until 100% confirmed just because they will probably turn out to be false.

How would you explain Detroit, Saginaw, and Flint, Michigan? Three of the most dangerous cities in America and they don't have a ban on guns. I know St. Louis is on the list too, but I'm not sure of the gun laws there.

Gun laws are for people who buy guns legally. Criminals don't care about bans on guns, they don't apply to them.

 

[TenEightyOne]

They never benefit the common man, probably never benefit the terrorists [citation needed ;-)]. So the ideology must be fully understood. I don't think most people have even considered that the ideologies, it can only be done theoretically. Unless you know exactly who perpetrated it. Only when you know who has ordered the act, can you even consider the why's. So I can't consider the why, because I don't know. If we assume it was Isis, then what is there motive, "to kill the infidels" in order to reduce the number? To instill fear into the population? Why would they want to do this?

Isn't it fair to say though that Bin Laden was the suspect in most peoples' minds as they watched the horrible sights of 11/9 unfold? He'd hardly been the shy, retiring type up until then, and he'd been implicated in several attacks on American targets already.

I agree with what you say overall though,

 

[Joey D]

Gun laws are for people who buy guns legally. Criminals don't care about bans on guns, they don't apply to them.

Right, but how I read Sanji's post was that cities with additional gun laws are more dangerous. I don't agree with because three of the most dangerous cities in the nation are in Michigan where we don't have very strict gun laws.

 

[Lizard]

Gun laws are for people who buy guns legally. Criminals don't care about bans on guns, they don't apply to them.

Yes yes we have heard this before.

Except in the US you can walk into the supermarket and buy a gun for about $1000. Here you are looking more $50,000 plus you need connections.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Yes yes we have heard this before.

Except in the US you can walk into the supermarket and buy a gun for about $1000. Here you are looking more $50,000 plus you need connections.

Point being what? To get that supermarket gun you need a background check if I'm not mistaken, and you are then a legal gun owner. You don't think the murder rate among legal gun owners is the same as it is from criminals with illegal firearms do you? Is the murder rate in England the same among kitchen knife owners as it is among criminals with knives?

 

[McLaren]

Current shootout reported in Paris between police & possibly, 9th assailant.

Heavy shooting has been heard in the northern Paris suburb of Saint Denis and reports say a police operation linked to last Friday's attacks is under way there. Some police have been wounded, French TV station BFMTV reported. Earlier, security sources said surveillance video showed a possible ninth assailant during Friday's attacks in which 129 people died.

The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has said it carried out the attacks. One report said roads had been blocked off around Place Jean Jaures in Saint Denis. The Stade de France, where suicide attackers detonated bombs on Friday, is in the same district.

Amateur video aired by TV stations BFMTV and iTele cited witnesses saying sporadic gunfire had rung out since around 04:30 local time (03:30 GMT).

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34853657

 

[Sanji Himura]

Obama, who is at the G20, intentionally skipped out on the moment of silence for the Paris attacks:

Right, but how I read Sanji's post was that cities with additional gun laws are more dangerous. I don't agree with because three of the most dangerous cities in the nation are in Michigan where we don't have very strict gun laws.

Just to throw my source under the bus, it is the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/us/murder-rates-rising-sharply-in-many-us-cities.html

One interesting thing to note is that even though the four cities that I cited the last time I skirted this subject are scattered throughout the chart (the chart is ranked by percentage increase year over year), part of the misnomer is that what is being reported here is homicide crimes, not number of deaths. To explain, for a span of three or four years, Dallas used to be one of the worst murder cities in the USA, but then FBI guidelines changed to where we were reporting homicides in error (we were counting the number of deaths, not the number of crimes).

 

[McLaren]

Sanji, where exactly did Obama skip out? If anything he appeared to have stepped away before the video even began whilst Turkey's leader spoke, & returned just after they rose. He's there at 2:03. Moment of silence ends at 2:43.

 

[Denur]

Unfortunately, we do not live in the same place that we lived in pre-911

I have to agree with @TenEightyOne that where it concerns terrorist attacks, not much has changed since the Seventies. I remember many of the attacks by the IRA, the Red Brigades, Rote Armee Fraktion, South Moluccans, the PLO, Greek Marxists, the Italian mafia, the ETA, Abu Nidal, Libyan agents. Just to name a handful. Many of their attacks were aimed at specific targets like politicians, Jews, the police, the military and the rich. But also in those days the general public was attacked with guns, bombs and hijackings. What has changed most in my opinion, is the exposure the recent attacks get, due to advancements in technology (read: the Internet).

 

[Brend]

It was mighty impressive how fast the German forces rolled out, if anything can be taken from this 'scare' its that the forces seem to be well on point.

 

[Touring Mars]

@Sanji Himura You need to pay closer attention to your own sources before making false comments like that.

-

Police in France are currently raiding premises near St. Denis and one woman is dead after detonating a suicide vest...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/li...rmany-on-alert-after-hanover-bomb-threat-live

 

[Hun200kmh]

Amazing parenting ...

 

[ECGadget]

Amazing parenting ...

I am not an emotional person, and that brought a tear to my eye. That is parenting done right, right there.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Maybe they should pass a little bit less information to the media.

Such is the problem with the twenty-four hour news cycle - the facts are the first casualty in the race to get an exclusive. But harnessing the media can be pretty potent; the French raided an apartment overnight that they believe was used as a staging area for the attacks. Some of the footage showed what appeared to be drug paraphernalia on a table, and of course the authorities were quick to point out that the syringes and the tubing could have been used to build the bombs - but it also implies that the attackers were supplying their own with drugs, and from that it can be inferred that the attackers weren't true believers, but addicts.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Such is the problem with the twenty-four hour news cycle - the facts are the first casualty in the race to get an exclusive. But harnessing the media can be pretty potent; the French raided an apartment overnight that they believe was used as a staging area for the attacks. Some of the footage showed what appeared to be drug paraphernalia on a table, and of course the authorities were quick to point out that the syringes and the tubing could have been used to build the bombs - but it also implies that the attackers were supplying their own with drugs, and from that it can be inferred that the attackers weren't true believers, but addicts.

I thought the argument all along was, "they aren't real followers of Islam, Islam doesn't condone this...". We need drug paraphernalia to confirm their true status? Does that mean that any Christian terrorist that ever smoked a joint is also off the Chrisitian terrorist hook?

 

[Tornado]

Couldn't they have also been trafficking drugs as well as other more typical slimy terrorist things?

 

[Mr. S]

So, today RAID and other special forces, plus the police, managed to capture a few terrorists and kill a few more of them in Saint Denis. Sadly, before they were blown to bits / got their tiny brains splattered they shot a police dog. She was called Diesel and probably saved the lives of the police officers right behind her.

Obviously, this means war. So we sent this to Syria.

(http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/18/diesel-french-police-dog-dies-st-denis-siege & http://www.colsbleus.fr/articles/7674)

 

[Hun200kmh]

Interesting that among the "support fleet" of the Charles de Gaulle there is a british ship (HMS Defender). THis not being NATO I have no idea what kind of agreements or protocols are in place to make this happen.

 

[x3ra]

Just to throw my source under the bus, it is the New York Times:

👍

 

[wareric11]

I don't get why this became a gun control topic. Also I hope for the best of recoveries for all those still in the hospital after the attacks and RIP Diesel.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Interesting that among the "support fleet" of the Charles de Gaulle there is a british ship (HMS Defender). THis not being NATO I have no idea what kind of agreements or protocols are in place to make this happen.

We share some operation of CdG I think, once our Joint Strike Fighters arrive they'll be based there. As a wit better than I pointed out that could be dangerous as the French drive on the other side.

I don't get why this became a gun control topic.

Something to do with the shootings in Paris, I think.

 

[Hun200kmh]

As a wit better than I pointed out that could be dangerous as the French drive on the other side.

No, no, it's the brits that drive on the other side

 

[wareric11]

Interesting that among the "support fleet" of the Charles de Gaulle there is a british ship (HMS Defender). THis not being NATO I have no idea what kind of agreements or protocols are in place to make this happen.

I heard that France used an EU defense article instead of a NATO one.

 

[A2K78]

Its amazing how the west is continuing to play into the hands of terrorist with these knee-jerk reactions, in this case responding with bombs rather than reason. It makes you wonder why despite being outgunned militarily, groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda are winning the ideological war. That said, with every bomb dropped the terrorist can make the argument that indeed there is a war on Islam thus making it easy for them to radicalize individuals.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Its amazing how the west is continuing to play into the hands of terrorist with these knee-jerk reactions, in this case responding with bombs rather than reason. It makes you wonder why despite being outgunned militarily, groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda are winning the ideological war. That said, with every bomb dropped the terrorist can make the argument that indeed there is a war on Islam thus making it easy for them to radicalize individuals.

How do you reason with ISIS?