ONCE AGAIN, THE WORLD AT LARGE AND OUR WORLD OF CV

     The world is aghast at the Paris attack and the Times is following it closely on its front page. At the time I am writing, there appears to be something going on in a suburb of Paris and there seems to be a hostage situation - not good. And yet, I continue to think and to wonder if we have learned anything at all from this attack.
     As a member of a nation of people who have suffered attacks for thousands of years right up thru yesterday, when a man was stabbed with a screwdriver in Jerusalem, and as a NYer who saw the smoke, who smelled the smoke, who saw the ashes and bits of burned and singed papers float down over the outer boroughs, who tried to explain the unexplainable to middle schoolers, and who consoled some kids until we were finally able to account for their parents and as one who has been in Israel during times of terrorist attacks and times of war - I know about terror. I know the horror. I know the anguish and have been touched by it, even if peripherally by knowing the victim or the exact place of the incident.
     So what does the world do with these violent creatures? We wimp out, plain and simple. We call them "militants" instead of the truth - terrorists. We still refuse to publish the cartoons that were used as an excuse for this awful event. The NY Times, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. all refuse them in the name of "protecting" their people. So does the Washington Post not care about their people or was it that they were doing what journalists are supposed to do - present the truth and prove by doing so that indeed, the pen IS mightier than the sword.
     We have returned to the days of Chamberlain and appeasement. The world learned that the Nazis did not go away and appeasement only whetted their thirst and hunger for more and more and more and these terrorists have learned that we will wring our hands and moan and cry, but they are still "militants" and they are still not condemned by the majority of their own imams and representatives. Instead, many dance in the streets, particularly when it is a loss of Jewish lives.
     So what are we to do? I don't know. We are so deep into denial and used to a reaction of the moment and then things slide back the way it was before - appeasement, fear, and lies to ourselves and each other. Denying the truth never works. Facing up to it is the only way to go and exposing all the ties of supposed allies in our "war on terrorism" and acting on that would be the way, I believe, but who am I - only a person who sees all the naked emperors in their "new clothes". But the only power I have is to write and talk, vote and speak out. That is what we all must do and perhaps, just maybe, our voices will be heard.
     So here we are back in CV, back where people want the same tactics used. They censor the newspaper and other arenas of communication. They threaten the use of force to shut down opposition. And I quote Peter Cruz, who frankly, is a fascist from the  getgo and should be shut down. He said, " a paid sheriff deputy or two would at least shut up the shouting at meetings if we keep this current system." Lovely, just lovely. Lanny Howe waxes poetic about UCO and rails against wasteful points of order but conveniently forgets that most of them are brought up, shouted out by Gorodetzer!!!!! Lanny, we now have a parliamentarian - Randall - who served in this position before and is ready again to stand up for the proper way to run a meeting, but your Poohbah doesn't like that, does he? Tantrum time.
     Thank G-d we do not have terrorism here in the Village, at least not the violent kind. But we do have attempts to shut down our freedom of the press, and successfully too, I might add. We do have attempts to strike fear into our hearts by advocating use of force to quiet people and their voices down, even though that whole thing is illegal and would backfire on them. So what do we do? The same thing in both worlds - speak up, have courage to do the right thing, do not let violence or the threat of it scare you away and I quote a former Federal judge, a commentator, who wrote an op-ed piece about the Paris terrorist incident. "To those who would respond to my op-ed with violence, I say:  Come get me, you bastards.
     Truth, justice, the American Way. My little grandson loves his "superhewoes" and even he knows they fight against the "bad guys" and eventually do win. Out of the mouths of others, out of the mouths of babes, we, in the world at large and in our smaller world of CV must stand up to bullying, threatening tactics, and shut down the fascists and wanna be terrorists.

Below you will find the original op-ed piece written for the Jewish Journal by Bruce Einhorn.
It behooves one to read it. He says it so well, much better than I.
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Speaking truth to terror

To the cowards who won't reprint Charlie Hebdo cartoons

by Bruce J. Einhorn

 

In the wake of the acts of assassination and terror directed by Islamic extremists against the editor and cartoonists at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, a number of media news outlets, including CNN, Fox Cable, the Associated Press, MSNBC, ABC, the British-based Jewish Chronicle, and The New York Times, have elected not to show or republish the satirical images of Mohammed and other Muslims that appear to have prompted the violence.  Many of the overlords of these outlets have based their decisions on the need to protect their news personnel from retaliation on the part of extremists.  There is another way to describe these decisions:  appeasement. 

 

When reporters, editors, and media bosses praise the courage of those who were killed for drawing and printing the cartoons in Charlie Hebdo but simultaneously buckle under to the terrorism that prompted the Paris massacre, they are hedging their bets, sacrificing solidarity with the principle of freedom of expression for their sake of their own safety.  They have not hesitated – and rightly so – to broadcast and print the recent spate of cartoons drawn in tribute to the murdered staff of Charlie Hebdo, etchings that movingly attest to the motto of free people that, “the pen is mightier than the sword.”  At the same time, however, the appeasers in charge of many of the major media outlets have chosen to fear the sword more than stand by the pen in their going dark regarding the satirical cartoons published in Charlie Hebdo.  I am not an artist, but if I were, I would immediately draw a cartoon that illustrates the hypocrisy of much of media.

That the satire of Islam, and indeed other religions, depicted in the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo are offensive to some people of faith is frankly beside the point.  What is on point is the principle that terrorism and all forms of violent intimidation of the press are never justified, regardless of the content of what is printed or broadcast by the news media.  Like many Zionists and Jews, I am offended on an almost daily basis by what I consider biased reporting on Israel.  I apply my anger to the writing of op-eds, letters to the editor, Facebook and Twitter posts, and speeches to protest what I believe are bad journalism and stupid commentary.  I also take a lot of antacids.  What I never do, what I would never do, is use or advocate violence as a means of chilling free expression.  In a democracy built and defended by brave men and women committed to unfettered freedom, there is no excuse for appeasing those who espouse limited liberty and censorship of the press.  Being offended is part of being alive.  What matters is how, once offended, a person responds.  For those who are very well paid to report and comment on the news, cowardice is not a justifiable option.  Such cowardice dishonors the memory of those murdered in Paris.
The Anti-Defamation league, with which I have been proudly affiliated for over 20 years, routinely publishes a collection of the vilest anti-Semitic cartoons that appear in the media, especially in Europe and the Middle East.  These cartoons, which tend to justify terrorism against Jews, Israel and its supporters, are hurtful to me, ADL, many other Jews, and decent people of all faiths.  Nevertheless, ADL reprints these cartoons in an effort to educate the public about the evils of anti-Semitism and religious bigotry.  ADL understands that publishing truth to terror, however painful, is the best way to accurately depict those whose intolerance often breeds violence.  ADL’s wisdom and courage should serve to shame those media sources that have chosen to appease those who react to freedom of expression with homicidal rage.  (These views are mine.  I do not write on behalf of ADL or any other group.)

Some news outlets, like the Huffington Post, the Washington Post, and the Daily Beast, have reprinted the relevant, satirical cartoons from Charlie Hebdo.  They deserve high praise for their courage.  As for myself, I am proud to have written this piece and have my name affixed to it.  I am an American, a Jew, a Zionist, and a resident of Los Angeles.  To those who would respond to my op-ed with violence, I say:  Come get me, you bastards.
(Bruce J. Einhorn is a former federal judge, an adjunct professor of law at Pepperdine University, and a Jewish communal and human rights activist.)