The terrorist attacks in Paris and the rising tide of Islamist fascism have had dire consequences here in America. Erick Erickson is afraid to go to the movies.
I’m really glad I didn’t get tickets on opening day to see Star Wars. Seriously.
I have no confidence in this Administration to keep us all safe, particularly in light of President Obama’s statement today that there’s really no way to stop this stuff.
There are no metal detectors at American theaters.
I think I’ll wait till Star Wars is less a threat scenario.
I weep for you, Erick. The terrorists have won.
But surely if there were metal detectors on the way into the cinema, then that would mean nobody would be able to take guns in? What if somebody managed to get a gun into the place somehow anyway, and nobody else had a gun in order to be able to stop them?
So I assume Erikson will be advocating for more scrutiny of white males going into movie theaters.
I’ve got to admit that I’m a bit scared to go to the theater in the US. Not because of “terrorists” but because of white “good guy” men with guns who might decide to shoot me for talking on my cell phone during the previews or maybe for no reason at all. Terrorists? Feh, they’re hardly worth worrying about. Random white male idiots with guns? That’s a real threat.
What do the Paris terrorist attacks have to do with American white men shooting people in theaters?
The terrorists win if you change your behavior because you are scared of shadows.
The President of France has the right idea:
I’ll give the terrorists no satisfaction by being scared.
OTOH not going opening day is probably a good idea to avoid the crowds and find out if this is another “Episode 1”.
So…I suppose it’s actually not as tacky as I thought that the partner and I were discussing going to Paris over the winter holidays? It can be justified under “not letting the terrorists win” and isn’t just exploiting the fact that many people are likely to be too scared to go and so it’ll be cheaper than usual?
Uhm, aren’t about as many ‘Muricans killed by guns about in a week as terrorists killed in France this year?
And no, you cannot stop terrorism with lots of guns on the street. Look at the history of terrorism. The IRA wasn’t stopped by massive police and military presence in Northern Ireland. ETA wasn’t stopped by the Guardia Civil.
Sometimes intelligence may allow you to stop an attack before it happens, as it probably happened in Germany last night, but you simply can’t stop it alltogether with force.
Even if you cancel al sports events, public celebrations, close all museums, people still have to work, people still have to eat. You can’t check everybody who enters the underground like you check people who board a plane. THat’S a sad truth, but a truth nevertheless.
Yes. Think about it. The goal of Terrorism is terror, not body count. To be filled with perpetual terror is what the terrorists are trying to achieve. so, yes, they have won. Best way to fight them is not with fists, nor bullets, but by refusing to be afraid, carry on as before the incident(s). I said this before (around 9/12/01 or shortly thereafter). I know it’s easier said than done, yet we could at least try.
I kept going to movie theaters after the Dark Knight Rises shooting in Aurora. I’m far more afraid of crazy white people assaulting my local theater than I am an attack by ISIS or whatnot – why would they bother to attack any of my local movie theaters? It literally does not make any sense at all.
I’d accuse Erickson of acting like a 4 year old afraid of the monster in his closet, except that does a disservice to 4 year olds.
As a good Christian he should not be surprised by this turn of events. God himself promised his followers that if they don’t live up to expectations: I will bring on you sudden terror … you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. (Leviticus 26:16-17)
Why not? He’s kept us safer than the previous administration, which contrary to popular rightwing lore, did not begin on 9/12/01.
“I weep for you, Erick. The terrorists have won.”
The terrorists had Erick and all the other rightwing bed-wetters beaten on 9-11.
It gets worse. At least one Republican wants to round up Syrians already in the USA and ship them to an immigration detention center:
Talking Points Memo link
This is a followup to Nerd’s comment #5.
The rightwing in the USA is demanding that the U.S. refuse all Syrian refugees, that the country take in none, zero.
France was just attacked, but President Hollande confirmed that France will take in 30,000 refugees:
When will the French start calling Republican governors cowards?
Cross-posted from Moments of Political Madness
Part of President Obama’s recent speech is worth repeating:
Trevor Noah analyzed the stages of political grief.
One of the stages is “just say something batshit crazy.”
This is laughable, coming from someone on Team “Gunz Gunz Everywhere, Not A Drop of Logic To Drink”.
Oh my, is Son of Erick unhappy because the mommy party hasn’t enacted big government regulation — forcing business owners to payfor security theatre?
Huh.
More details regarding France’s commitment to take in Syrian refugees:
Think Progress link
Are you ashamed, Erick Erickson?
You’re wrong: not as many ‘Muricans are killed by guns in a week as terrorists killed in France this year: it’s nearly Twice as many ‘Muricans who are murdered with guns in a week as terrorists killed in France this year and Four Times As Many once you count the suicides and accidental deaths.
I often go to the US, I lived there for a while and my parents used to work there. I’ve never felt paranoid about crossing path with an entitled white manchild with a gun when I was in the US so I’m most certainly not going to start hiding under the blanket like a coward.
Good. But we’ll see if he really means it in a few weeks, when I’m due to be in Paris, with thousands of others, to demonstrate against the inadequate agreement, or no agreement, at the climate change talks (or, of course, dance in the streets and watch the massed porcine aerobatics after serious measures to reduce emissions are agreed). There have been hints that a “march through the streets of Paris” will not be allowed.
There’s been a feckloads of people out in the cafes, restaurants, bars, etc. Tomorrow is Beaujolais Nouveau, and I am suspecting it will be busier than usual… There was an article in the International New York Times about people in Paris making a deliberate point to go out and be, well, French… I suspect Mr Hollande is slightly behind the curve here, but people do seem to be doing what he suggests.
Over 30,000 Americans are killed by guns every year. Over 1,000 of them at the hands of the police.
Am I afraid that I’ll be a victim of ISIS? Not in the least. It’s all my fellow citizens with borderline personality disorder that have me worried.
“An armed society is a polite society . . .” Robert Heinlein.
I wonder what he’d say now?
It’s all my fellow citizens with borderline personality disorder that have me worried.
Don’t do that. Most people who kill people are NOT, in fact, mentally ill, and the mentally ill are more likely to suffer violence than to cause it. It’s unnecessary to the point you are making.
Sorry, that was for Bob Foster at 24.
Bob Foster @ 24:
That not enough of the ‘right people’ had guns.
Some of the rightwing politicians and pundits are so extreme in their anti-refugee statements that major christian organizations are appalled. Christian organizations have started to publicly disagree.
Politico link
And there’s this statement from the National Association of Evangelicals:
NAE link
And there’s this response from World Relief:
Politico link
Donald Trump has gone from saying that he would “strongly consider” closing mosques in the USA (yesterday), to saying that he definitely would close mosques (today). His reasoning? “We’re going to have no choice, absolutely no choice.”
Link
Bill O’Reilly lectured Muslims on overcoming bad PR:
Link
Crippling RW cowardice seems to have become the latest disease to strike the US. Hopefully, the medical community can band together and devise a cure that will allow these poor, unfortunate souls to grow a pair, put on their big boy pants, and emerge back into the sunshine from beneath their beds.
Nick Gotts
And boom, the large marches at the beginning and the end of the climate conference have been banned. Don’t you hate being right all the time?
Obama was prez in ’77?
I can only assume Erick Erickson also keep a good distance from American schools.
Personality disorders are not mental illnesses. Though I suspect Bob Foster is thinking of ASPD, not BPD.
Well, I will be in Paris next week, doing plenty of touristy things. My wife and I are taking our 17 year old niece to Europe as an end of school trip. Of course we have been planning this for a while (you don’t just pop over to Europe from Australia) but we didn’t seriously consider cancelling the trip either.
And there is a bit of “not letting the terrorists win” vibe about it now. Vive Le France! Allez!
I don’t know I’d go to a flick in the States either.
2 dead in LA
1 in TN
Okay no-one killed in MN
1 killed in FL
0 killed in PA
12 dead in CO
0 killed in TX
2 dead in MI
Okay, maybe there are billions of theatre visits each year in the US and these statistics are entirely negligible in those terms, but I’m just sayin’ … it’s a scary endeavour if you think too hard about it.
*facepalm*
Anyone who is afraid of dying from terrorism or crazy white people committing mass murder in the U.S. is ignoring reality – understandable perhaps but nevertheless irrational. Statistically either of those things is a microscopic fraction of the overall causes of death that they should be near the bottom of our priority lists in staying alive. Of course as soon as the attacks in Paris occurred there were people all over the mass media pontificating on how this shows why we must live in a police state in order to be “safe”. Terrorists win whenever there is any overreaction to their evil deeds. The biggest fuck you one can issue is simply to ignore them. The worst thing we can do is to freak out and and start dropping bombs or flying drones – that is exactly what they want.
But don’t you understand, we got to abolish democracy for your own good! We can’t let the terrorists win!
Now, if your attention span is slightly longer than that of a goldfish, you may remember the huge demonstration after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo. Apparently, when you’re demonstration for a government approved cause they can provide security. When they don’t agree with you you must stay at home…
BTW can I have a near fatal eyeroll at this wonderful commitment of France to accept 30.000 refugees over two years?
That’s a country of 50 something million people. Just to give a comparisson: my German state, one of the smallest, 1 million people, accepted 2000 refugees in July.
Steak-Eating Surrender Monkey.
Yeah you do. Just the elation of leaving central Queensland’s internet speeds behind when taking off is worth the money.
PZ:
I don’t think they’re fascists in any useful meaning of the word. Disenfranchised culturally isolated frustrated youth manipulated by talented soulcatchers, more like it. Even the leaders and handlers of those suicide bombers and attackers are fragmented, hiding in basements, caves and tents and using the internet to coordinate their lone wolfs. That’s not fascism. It’s terrorism a la 2015.
Also, I’m sick and tired of the way terrorist attacks are reported with a heavy bias on white people victims. There are hundreds blown up or abducted in Nigeria, Kenya, wherever, every day of the week, but we don’t hold candle light vigils or light the opera house for them brown terror victims ever.
Terror doesn’t discriminate between white or brown or black victims. Neither should we.
Cancer – 584,881 dead
When I worry about dying it isn’t from crazy people with guns not even terrorists with machine guns. Speaking of the theater I have to drive or ride in an automobile to get there where I live.
Auto – 30,822 dead
It’s not the crazy gun guy I should be worried about. I’m also pretty sure I’m more likely to be killed by a crazy in my home than in the theater.
I guess the point is that regardless of the tragedy and senselessness of all of this violence one should act like the French and go about their lives without fearing these people. Life poses a lot more serious dangers than gun toting idiots in public places. And yes when you dwell on any of it it can be scary. That’s the way the human brain works especially when the media fills your mind with the actual horror of it.
In this case, the term is used accurately (for once): in Syria and Iraq, Daesh has similar goals and methods than the european fascist states of yesteryears: territorial expansion, bloody extermination of dissenters, compliance obtained through the threat of harsh and painful punishment, monopolizing of the ruled territories resources and revenues by an aristocratic state, conquered population being used as slaves and rape-toys, children indoctrination that drive wedges between the kids and their own families, etc, etc, etc… while in Europe, it’s recruitment drive: the revanchist rhetoric targeting disenfranchised and/or alienated youths, the promise that once Daesh has destroyed the “decadent” and hypocritical western order They will belong to the elite of the new “virtuous” empire is similar to the demagoguery used by fascists before they conquered power.
Excuse me? Since when? I mean, I see it’s apparently cool these days to shit on people with Bordeline Personality Disorder, but to claim it’s not a mental illness seems really… shortsighted, and like, a justification for stigmatization.
Metal detectors at movie theaters? Isn’t Erickson one of those assholes always howling any time someone CAN’T take zir precious gun everywhere? OUR terrorists here in USA are overwhelmingly pro-racist and/or pro-(hetero/cis)sexist White men. Was Erickson making a veiled threat of violence?
first: advocate universal gun ownership to make the world safe.
2nd: refuse to go anywhere arguing that the world is too dangerous with everybody with guns.
3rd: blame the contradiction on liberals.
I think I got a bingo ;-(
Nick Gotts #22
You must be kidding. The message is to go have a drink in bars or go the theater, not to agitate for action against climate change. They don’t want you to ask for a change and will use the event to prevent people from demonstrating.
This is just the basic decency way to have fewer voices up for actual environmental actions.
Lynna #15
Well, don’t you begin cowardice olympics once you need a gun anyway?
.
Mom told me she’s about to house Syrian refugees the time they need to make their way in their new country. Go Mom!
Gen beat me to it. I know it is kind of a tangent, but still the claim personality disorders aren’t mental illness when personality disorders are explicitly a type of mental disorder is just utterly baffling.
The coverage of the Paris attack has been extremely myopic, even in Europe.
People in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan have to endure recurring attacks that claim more lives than the Paris attack, and western media hardly mention it. Brown-skinned and distant, those victims do not quite count…
“Terror suspect ‘planned attack in Stockholm’ http://www.thelocal.se/20151119/sweden-terror-suspect-held-after-police-raid
Boliden -where he and others were arrested- is a small town not far from the village where my mom grew up. Not smart to hide in a place with only 1600 inhabitants where you inevitably will be spotted by someone watching TV.
The media coverage here has been a bit overwhelming, to put it politely.
But I assume we are all a bit parochial in how we react to news.
“Islamo-Nazis detonate atom bomb, flatten Gothenburg”. Meh, it is south of the Dala River so no skin off my nose. Besides those odd southerners just dance around palm trees and eat missionaries all day long, good riddance.
“Global warming makes sea flood Stockholm!” –Schadenfreude time! The post-glacial recoil will raise the land here in the north faster than the seas can rise, besides, the Stockholm-based lumber companies scammed all the people in the north of their timber in the 19th century, so f*ck them!
“Asteroid injures reindeer”. Now it is time for headlines! That Erickson feller would be right, provided he had been talking about asteroids instead of terrorists, and been concerned about Arctic mammals instead of movies.