LGBTQ news and entertainment
President Obama is calling the attacks on Paris “outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians” and is vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice.
French President Francois Hollande has declared a national state of emergency and has ordered all of France’s borders closed for an indefinite period.
Here is the latest report by the AP on the attacks:
BREAKING NEWS: Up to 2.5 million march across France against terrorism: organizers. Reuters pic.twitter.com/IsYnSwzEmp— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) January 11, 2015
Erick Erickson of RedState, writing on his personal blog, compared LGBT activists in Atlanta who brought attention to a fire chief who distributed his anti-gay book to employees to the terrorists who killed 12 in Paris today.
From Media Matters:
On January 6, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed dismantled conservatives’ claims that Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired over a book that he wrote which contains anti-gay remarks, explaining that Cochran’s lack of judgment in distributing the book to his employees, and not following instructions regarding his month-long suspension over publishing the book without notice to the city, is what led to his termination.
On January 7, hours after a horrific terrorist attack against staffers of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris that left 12 people dead, Erickson wrote a blog post that likened the LGBT community to terrorists for objecting to the former Atlanta fire chief’s book, and stated that “the terrorists won.”
Erick Erickson wrote this on his site:
A publisher published something that offended. It mocked, it offended, and it showed the fallacy of a religion. It angered.
So the terrorists decided they needed to publicly destroy and ruin the publisher in a way that would not only make that destruction a public spectacle, but do it so spectacularly that others would think twice before publishing or saying anything similar.
The terrorist wants to sow fear. The destruction of an individual is not just meant to be a tool of vengeance, but a tool of instruction. It shows others what will happen to them if they dare do the same. It is generates self-regulating peer pressure. Others, fearing the fall out, will being to self-police and self-regulate. They will silence others on behalf of the terrorists. Out of fear, they will drive the ideas from the public square and society will make them off limits.
[snip]
So when a publisher published something that mocked and offended a group prone to offense at such things, something had to happen.
The terrorists did what had to be done to publicly destroy and ruin the offender.
So they demanded the Mayor of Atlanta fire the Chief of the Fire Department for daring to write that his first duty was to “glory God” and that any sex outside of heterosexual marriage was a sin.
And the terrorists won in Atlanta.
UPDATE: Erickson read his “op-ed” on his radio show today. You can him read the piece at the 3:00 mark below. He prefaces the reading saying he knows he’ll offend people. At least he got that part right.
BREAKING: One suspect in Paris terror attack killed, two in custody, U.S. officials say http://t.co/tOJVZu0Wwp
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 7, 2015
In what has been described as a terrorist act, 12 people are confirmed dead plus five more injured after three gunmen attacked the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Four of the magazine’s well-known cartoonists, including its editor-in-chief, were among those killed, as well as two police officers.
A major police operation is under way to find three gunmen who fled by car.
President Francois Hollande said there was no doubt it had been a terrorist attack “of exceptional barbarity”.
The masked attackers opened fire with assault rifles in the office and exchanged shots with police in the street outside before escaping by car.
They later abandoned the car in Rue de Meaux, northern Paris. Witnesses said they heard the gunmen shouting “we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad”.
President Obama issued this statement:
I strongly condemn the horrific shooting at the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that has reportedly killed 12 people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this terrorist attack and the people of France at this difficult time.
France is America’s oldest ally, and has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the fight against terrorists who threaten our shared security and the world.
Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended. France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers.
We are in touch with French officials and I have directed my Administration to provide any assistance needed to help bring these terrorists to justice.
After the five largest movie theater chains decided to NOT show the upcoming Seth Rogen/James Franco film The Interview, Sony Pictures has now decided to not release the film.
No release of the film could result in tens of millions in losses for Sony.
From Sony Pictures:
In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.
Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like.
We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.
There are rumors of a possible On Demand release at some point in the future, but nothing has been announced.
The decision comes after a cyber hack against Sony Pictures which threatened the theaters that showed the film. A note made public on Tuesday read, “We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places ‘The Interview’ be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.”
Video released by ISIS shows apparent execution of British aid worker Alan Henning. http://t.co/GR1dlWidIu pic.twitter.com/3g4CGrKdLs— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 3, 2014
In the same video, ISIS threatens the life of an American aid worker. http://t.co/GR1dlWidIu— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 3, 2014
The State Department issued a global travel alert to warn Americans abroad of a potential terrorist attack before the end of August.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia tells NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “there’s an awful lot of chatter out there” and he says it’s “very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11.”
Sen. Chambliss is describing “the chatter” detected by U.S. intelligence agencies that led the Obama administration to order the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world, and issue a global travel warning to Americans.
(via PBS)