There are plenty of things that I find puzzling about the French people. There are aspects of the culture that strike me as self-destructive. When it comes to freedom of speech, when it comes to resisting religious fundamentalism, when it comes to refusing to be cowed by those who use terror as a weapon, I stand with France. I am French.
I am not a soldier. I am not a police officer. I hold no office. I meet no traditional definition of a "combatant" but I will not be an innocent bystander. Anyone who is or would use violence to compel their religious scruples is my enemy. If I ever become a victim of religious terrorism, I will have been involved in the resistance.
If you want to die for your god, I will be happy to arm the men and women who will help you accomplish your goal. Are the Kurds selling "War Bonds"? If they become available to the retail investor, I'll be the first in line but that is the least we in the west will do.
In this day and age there is more to war than kinetic force. The Soviet Union fell without firing a shot. The Chinese Communists became capitalists, crony, totalitarian capitalists but capitalists. I am not talking about occupying nations and supporting local regimes. I am talking about cultural assimilation. You want to pit your medieval ideas against the west in a war of ideas?
Bring it.
We will not stop until your children growing up wishing they were my children.
I will skewer your little god with my wit. I will denounce your sharia with my pen. I will go about living a fully human life and it will be a life beautifully lived. You'll wish you'd lived 1/10th as much. If you want to kill others for the honor of your deity, I will do my part to see that the orphaned children will grow up listening to rock music, watching movies staring Will Smith, dreaming of playing for Manchester United, and reading Voltaire.
Long live the Republic.
Long live France.
I am not a soldier. I am not a police officer. I hold no office. I meet no traditional definition of a "combatant" but I will not be an innocent bystander. Anyone who is or would use violence to compel their religious scruples is my enemy. If I ever become a victim of religious terrorism, I will have been involved in the resistance.
If you want to die for your god, I will be happy to arm the men and women who will help you accomplish your goal. Are the Kurds selling "War Bonds"? If they become available to the retail investor, I'll be the first in line but that is the least we in the west will do.
In this day and age there is more to war than kinetic force. The Soviet Union fell without firing a shot. The Chinese Communists became capitalists, crony, totalitarian capitalists but capitalists. I am not talking about occupying nations and supporting local regimes. I am talking about cultural assimilation. You want to pit your medieval ideas against the west in a war of ideas?
Bring it.
We will not stop until your children growing up wishing they were my children.
I will skewer your little god with my wit. I will denounce your sharia with my pen. I will go about living a fully human life and it will be a life beautifully lived. You'll wish you'd lived 1/10th as much. If you want to kill others for the honor of your deity, I will do my part to see that the orphaned children will grow up listening to rock music, watching movies staring Will Smith, dreaming of playing for Manchester United, and reading Voltaire.
Long live the Republic.
Long live France.
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