February 3, 2017

"Machete-wielding man slumps to the ground after being shot in the stomach at the Louvre museum as he attacked French soldiers while screaming 'Allahu Akbar.'"

"After being refused entry, he pulled out the weapon and was shot by a soldier, officials have confirmed. A soldier is believed to have suffered a head injury."

He didn't get into the museum. So Drudge's image of the Mona Lisa is a bit hysterical.



It's not as if the man were slashing masterpieces (or tourists). Still, of course, it's bad. It was utterly squelched by soldiers (why were there soldiers at the museum?). Over a thousand people were inside and (if I'm reading this article correctly) aware that there was a terrorist attack in progress.

Donald Trump was immediately on it, Twitterwise:
'A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.'

125 comments:

Larry J said...

Why were soldiers outside of the museum? Because of people like Mr. Machete-Swinging-Allahu-Akbar-Shouter might want to harm people at one of France's greatest tourist attractions, that's why. Of course, his motive is unclear.

MadisonMan said...

why were there soldiers at the museum?

Soldiers are all over Paris.

cubanbob said...

I voted for Trump and am glad on balance he won but he has got to stop this knee-jerk Twitter reactions.

As for Allah Ackbar, what happened to good shot placement? Back for more training.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

They have guns in France? How did that happen?

Original Mike said...

"why were there soldiers at the museum?"

Because Muslim terrorists have been killing Europeans? Just spit-balling.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Mona Lisa was not amused.

CJinPA said...

why were there soldiers at the museum?

"Soldiers at the Museum" could be the title of a book about the downside of mass Muslim immigration.

Martha said...

why were there soldiers at the Louvre?

why are there soldiers at Rockefeller Center armed with what appears to be AK-47s —even when there is no Christmas tree on display?





lemondog said...

I voted for Trump and am glad on balance he won but he has got to stop this knee-jerk Twitter reactions.

Diarrhea of the twitter......

Gusty Winds said...

why were there soldiers at the museum?

My cousin went to Paris last summer and posted pictures of soldiers downtown Paris.

I'm heading downtown Milwaukee tonight for a nice night out. Glad there aren't soldiers.

This is the reason Red State Trump voters want to be careful about immigration from the Middle East. We don't want to be Paris. And every time the liberal fuckers say "bring em all in", they want to settle them in small town America.

I say bring in all 1250 stuck in Australia and settle them on the west side of Madison.

MayBee said...

French police and soldiers walk the streets of Paris with these huge rifles. They carry them in front, just like they are on patrol. Because I guess they are.

Original Mike said...

"I say bring in all 1250 stuck in Australia and settle them on the west side of Madison."

I say no.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Trump and "the real people" of this nation demand a stop to the Islamization into our sovereign nation.

Oh well. With the Modern progressive, we have our own ISIS to deal with.

Someone should write a book. "Rage and religion, from the American progressive left to ISIS."

Gusty Winds said...

We have small divisions of our company set up in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Qatar. When you talk to the people who work with/for us, they are all pro-Trump. They hate ISIS and want something done.

The guys I know that travel over there, say at the airports the Americans and Europeans go right through the they profile they're own Muslims. They are smart enough to know who to look for and aren't kidding themselves.

Europe was idiotic in the last five years. America may have just saved itself.

David Begley said...

Gusty winds is correct. We don't want to become Europe. Ever.

Alexander said...

As other have said, there are soldiers - and gendarmes - all over Paris.

Though to be completely fair, this is not a post-9/11 sequence of events; my mother studied in Lyon and talked about the gendarmes coming in and demanding to see papers in cafes and train stations long before the current wave of Islamic expansion. Of course, France has had a sizable Muslim population since the Algerian war, so it could still be related.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

why were there soldiers at the museum?

Because in France, Liberals have been spectacularly successful at importing foreign terrorists. If US progressives have their way, the same show is coming soon to a society near you.

MAJMike said...

Will we ever know his motives?

Aloha Snackbar!!

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

When radical Muslims killed Christians and Jews, so called "moderate" Muslims looked the other way. Now that radical Muslims (or ISIS) are killing other Muslims, they are starting to wake up.

Good.

Curious George said...

"David Begley said...
Gusty winds is correct. We don't want to become Europe. Ever."

Europe is now Eurabia. They are committing slow motion suicide.

Fernandinande said...

A museum for sets of angled slats or flat strips fixed or hung at regular intervals in a door, shutter, or screen to allow air or light to pass through sounds pretty cool. Especially in the summer.

Fernandinande said...

Larry J said...
Why were soldiers outside of the museum?


In the mid-80's my first thought at landing in Paris was "Holy shit, guys with machine guns." Didn't see them further south, though.

Mexico seems to keep their guys-with-machine-guns in roving stake-bed trucks or standing in front of ATMs.

jacksonjay said...

But of course, Trump only Tweets because the media is so dishonest. He really doesn't want to Tweet. He has to Tweet to keep the media honest. So what did they lie about in Paris.

He also only counterpunches. Like ysesterday when he asked the self-righteous to pray for The Apprentice and Arnold.

David said...

He brought a knife to a gun fight.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

I'll pile on: Soldiers are at the museum because they're needed there. They're needed at the museum and at many other places in civilized France because the smart people of France and the EU decided they should import large numbers of people who very much dislike France (as it was) and the (traditional) French people.

MaxedOutMama said...

Ann, I am literally amazed, given all the reading you do, that you don't know that all of France has been under a special legal regime for over a year due to terrorism, with some suspension of normal civil rights protections. It's a kind of semi-martial law.

They are trying to build up a home guard to take the pressure off the military, because at one point last year, about half their soldiers were deployed on the streets of France. France is effectively in a civil war, and it is clear that nothing will change for at least a decade.

There are soldiers deployed all over France, actively patrolling and guarding streets, government buildings, and anything considered a sensitive target, such schools. In Paris the concentration is particularly high.

You also will see soldiers in Brussels!

Here is what you may expect to see in Paris and France. Every day looks like this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=France+soldiers+in+streets&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwju-83tlPTRAhUD2oMKHUHZCFQQsAQIIw&biw=1163&bih=539

For Christmas, the patrols were beefed up even more:
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/12/31/100000-soldiers-police-streets-state-emergency-france-tonight/

mockturtle said...

There are soldiers deployed all over France, actively patrolling and guarding streets, government buildings, and anything considered a sensitive target, such schools. In Paris the concentration is particularly high.

This is true in Italy, as well, at least in the largest cities.

MaxedOutMama said...

PS: My previous comment was in no way critical of you. I think you and Meade are two of the most curious, open-minded and interested individuals I have encountered.

It's just amazing what you don't know about the world if you read WaPo and the NY Times. Amazing.

Surely this is one of the biggest stories of our lifetime (and it accounts for Brexit). A country which is a symbol of the Enlightenment and rebellion against repression, a country that really believed in Equality, Liberty and Fraternity, is reduced to being all Ferguson after the National Guard was moved in, all the time, with an effective suspension of civil protections related to our Bill of Rights.

And it's clear they can't get out of this state.

Alexander said...

I hope Trump never stops tweeting. And I hope he still finds time to do a rally every now and then.

The left hates it. Hates, hates, hates. They hate it because it energizes Trump's base. They hate it because Trump's base loves it. Alinksy rules - a good tactic is one that your people love doing. So no surprise, the left wants Trump to not do the things that his base enjoys and is motivated by.

But - the thing they hate the most about the tweets - is just how effective they are. Trump can get something out to hundreds of thousands - and then hundreds of millions when it takes over the media cycle and word-of-mouth. From Trump's lips to your ears, without a single liberal able to quash it, or filter it, or distort it, or counter it, or act as gatekeeper and shut it down completely.

The tweets are absolutely golden. They are the modern day fireside chats (that curiously, I've never heard a leftist claim were too populist or too breaking with precedent). They are democracy.

mockturtle said...

In the article my daughter forwarded, the man was told he couldn't bring the two backpacks into the Mall. But he was also carrying two machetes. Of course, we know how unreliable these news reports are but I can't believe the machetes were OK to bring in.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

why were there soldiers at the museum

Was there just before Christmas in 2015, there are soldiers everywhere around the tourist attractions, because France is still in a "state of emergency."

You may remember, they had a bit of a terrorism problem.

jacksonjay said...

It does seem to be very important to the faithful to hear from Dear Leader. Only from Dear Leader. "This is what democracy looks like." Sounds familiar.

Meade said...

@Once written, twice
Please email me if you wish to continue posting comments here.

Birkel said...

jacksonjay:

Vague is not your friend. Be direct.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

They carry them in front, just like they are on patrol. Because I guess they are.

As someone who was in the army and actually did patrols I can assure you, that is exactly what they are doing. I was somewhat shocked when I saw it while being a tourist there. The weapons at the ready, the spacing of the people in the patrol so that they aren't to close together (so one explosive devise can't take them all out,) the situational awareness. Definitely soldiers on patrol in hostile territory.

Think about that, the French military is conducting patrols in the nation's capitol (and elsewhere), attempting to interdict violence against civilians.



Fernandinande said...

Alexander said...
I hope Trump never stops tweeting.


I'm concerned about the "dog-whistle" aspect; if Trump becomes a super-tweeter he'll start putting out sounds that nobody except dogs can hear.

John Nowak said...

There are soldiers all over Europe. There have always been soldiers all over Europe. Mark Twain joked about this in Innocents Abroad.

"Gendarme" means "Military unit tasked with maintaining civil order."

The question is why are so many Americans surprised to hear this?

Paul Snively said...

And in case people have forgotten, this is how it went in London in 2013.

DrMaturin said...

Why were soldiers outside of the museum?

When I visited Paris in July, 2015 I spent most of a day in the city's largest Jewish neighborhood. It was patrolled by heavily armed squads of French soldiers. They weren't there to protect the people from Marine Le Pen

Anonymous said...

OK, OK, calm down...

why were there soldiers at the museum?

To a Brit paper, or to the NYT, those look like soldiers. They are not IMHO. They are the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS). The general reserve of the French National Police. I say they are CRS because of the silver piping on their hats, which distinguish them from the Mobile Gendarmerie (yellow piping) and other (too many to name) para-military police outfits.

They however are heavily armed cops, not lightly armed soldiers. They have police powers. Walk through the Paris airport, train station or the major monuments and you see pairs of these guys, with submachine guns, and an "Alsatian Shepard (e.g. German). They don't smile a lot...

Expat(ish) said...

@Martha - The guards at the Rock are almost certainly not carrying AK-47's.

This is an AK-47 (good wikipedia article).

Possibly you saw a HK 26 but they are super rare.

Most likely it is just furniture to make a regular sporting rifle look cool.

-XC

PS - Unless it is NY cops in which case it is certainly a select-fire (what people call "automatic") M15 or M16.

Anonymous said...

PS: about 13,000 CRS, 140,000 National Police overall. plus 12,000 GM, etc, etc

PPS: 5 rounds in the gut has got to sting...

Ron Winkleheimer said...

The square in front of Notre Dame was surrounded by soldiers. We didn't go to the Louvre, we went to the Musee d'Orsay, and there were plenty of soldiers there too.

Anonymous said...

I was at 30 Rock, and Saks on Dec 20th. The NYPD were carrying H&K's. I did not note the model, but they were short barrels

Birkel said...

The Drill SGT:
Thank you for providing a viewpoint that I otherwise would not have.

That goes for all of you with particular skills, training and knowledge that I do not personally have. One thing about which I am constantly impressed is the broad wealth of information that can come in these comments.

mccullough said...

This is the first confirmed kill by a French soldier since the Battle of Waterloo

Ron Winkleheimer said...

@The Drill SGT

The people I saw on patrol and guarding tourist attractions were soldiers, unless French cops wear camouflage BDU's.

Original Mike said...

"Dow is temporarily up based on President Obama's final jobs report."

Oh, right. I forgot your "jobs report" caveat.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Saw plenty of cops too. But I've been to plenty of countries were cops carry automatic weapons routinely, so that isn't a big deal to me. However, I do know people who found it disconcerting when they first encountered it.

Weirdest experience relating to automatic weapons was when I was in Egypt. On the tourist bus there were a couple of large gentlemen who were obviously not from the cruise ship. They wore suits and were always the first to get off the bus and last to get on. They had some sort of short barreled automatic weapon concealed under their jackets. I saw this when one of them stood up and his jacket fell open. I didn't get a good enough look to identify the make or model.

mockturtle said...

The Drill SGT:
Thank you for providing a viewpoint that I otherwise would not have.

That goes for all of you with particular skills, training and knowledge that I do not personally have. One thing about which I am constantly impressed is the broad wealth of information that can come in these comments.


I will second that sentiment, Birkel.

bgates said...

Still, of course, it's bad.

If you have written a sentence regarding a fanatic's attempt to hack a bunch of people to death and you feel you need to write the above sentence to clarify your position, delete both sentences and start over.

Anonymous said...

Ron,

I have never seen CRS in camo, and it ought to be CRS in a Paris monument. Maybe they were real soldiers then. Here is the basic wiki explanation about the 2 major para-military para-police outfits:

The National Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie nationale [ʒɑ̃daʁməʁi nasjɔnal]) is one of two national police forces of France. It is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior - with additional duties to the Ministry of Defense. Its area of responsibility includes smaller towns and rural areas, while the Police Nationale - a civilian force - is in charge of cities and large towns. Due to its military status, the Gendarmerie also fulfills a range of military and defense missions.

PS: all these outfits have more and heavier equipment than our FBI or state police. Armored cars, armed helo's and machineguns are common. Hell, the National Gendarmerie, has paratroops

bgates said...

For Christmas, the patrols were beefed up even more

In Paris and Brussels, sure; they're the enlightened parts of Europe.
Have you seen what it was like in the deplorable parts?

Larry J said...

Gusty Winds said...

I say bring in all 1250 stuck in Australia and settle them on the west side of Madison.


No, put them in the neighborhoods where State Department employees and members of Congress live instead of pushing them to Podunk, Iowa and other small towns. Let those who favor large scale refugee resettlement have to live with the consequences for a change.

As for armed police in European cities, this is nothing new. When I was stationed in Germany from 1978-80, I saw police officers with submachine guns at the ready in airports and around tourist attractions in several countries. Back then, in addition to the occasional Muslim-related terrorism, there were attacks by groups like Bader-Meinholf killing people. It was especially bad around US military bases after the Iranians seized the US Embassy in 1979.

Unknown said...

There are Soldiers and Gendarmes all over Paris; at least there were last summer.

DrMaturin said...

mccullough said...
This is the first confirmed kill by a French soldier since the Battle of Waterloo


This is OT but I absolutely hate that meme. First of all the French fought with ferocity in WWI. They also fought fiercely and bravely in 1940 and had the casualties to prove it. The reason France was overrun so quickly in 1940 was that Anglo-French forces were disposed to counter Schlieffen 2.0 and the Germans didn't co-operate. Also the French senior military and political leadership was terrible. But French soldiers fought bravely.

Anonymous said...

Larry J said...
As for armed police in European cities, this is nothing new. When I was stationed in Germany from 1978-80, I saw police officers with submachine guns at the ready in airports and around tourist attractions in several countries. Back then, in addition to the occasional Muslim-related terrorism, there were attacks by groups like Bader-Meinholf killing people. It was especially bad around US military bases after the Iranians seized the US Embassy in 1979.


I remember after at least one BM attack, the Police and the BGS (para-military border police, like threse French) through up roadblocks across the Autobahn with Armored cars and 20mm cannon and proceeded to search every car in detail, and when the BGS says "Stehen Sie Auf!" you had better exit the car with your hands visible :)

jacksonjay said...

Birkel,

Followers need constant reassurance. The Trump faithful remind me more and more of Obamaians. They want big, racous, cheering rallies to keep themselves involved and energized. Obama rallied until the very end with more to come! Obama loved sending a Tweet to commemorate every historic event. These Tweet always included a pic of guess who, Obama. Trump Tweets and fans adore.

FDR reassured his faithful with that beloved fireside chat, while continuing to hold the country down during the Depression.

So keep Tweeting Donald, it is more democracy than republic.

Comanche Voter said...

Don't bring a machete to a gun fight.

Birkel said...

jacksonjay:
Nothing you wrote is either meant to influence or educate. That was mediocre rhetoric. Certainly you can do better.

Leviathan must be challenged, rebuked and reduced. The state (Deep and otherwise) is self-aware and is acting in its own interests. It appears not to want to follow the direction of elected officials. The growth of the powers and scope of the federal government from FDR through Obama has led to negative outcomes.

It is my specific hope that Leviathan is thwarted in its attempt to exercise dominion over me. You are free to swear fealty to those who believe themselves your betters.

Curious George said...

Let's have massive Muslim immigration and refugees. I want paramilitary types everywhere here, too.

traditionalguy said...

The Islamic Cult of Murder and thievery lusts after Mona Lisa smiling western women, and they have been invited in by Merkel and Friends. They wanted and they got a Tsunami of Immigration from everywhere. But it is an act of love. What could go wrong.

Lyle said...

Looks like he was in the museum to me. He was shot surrounded by antiquities in the underground part where the old city walls are exposed.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I have never seen CRS in camo, and it ought to be CRS in a Paris monument.

When I saw them it was only a month after the November 2015 terrorist attacks, so they were probably deployed as a special measure.

I did my overseas time in Japan and Korea. You jumped when those cops told you to also. The sentiment was that there was no such thing as police brutality in Japan. Because if the cops did it, it was not brutal.

Expat(ish) said...

@DrillSGT: "Free" mil/surp M16's versus HK's. I wish I had that budget.

-XC

PS - Who am I kidding, I'd just want to covert my 1946 M1 Carbine back to full rock and roll. Bring back the 30!

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Regarding the Egyptian experience, the bus also had a police escort, a motorcycle cop, to get it through Cairo traffic as quickly as possible. After noticing the security I started wondering if that was just about convenience, or if the thought of not letting a bus load of terrorists be a sitting target was a consideration.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

bus load of tourists.

Moar coffee!

Drago said...

DrMaturin: "This is OT but I absolutely hate that meme. First of all the French fought with ferocity in WWI. They also fought fiercely and bravely in 1940 and had the casualties to prove it. The reason France was overrun so quickly in 1940 was that Anglo-French forces were disposed to counter Schlieffen 2.0 and the Germans didn't co-operate. Also the French senior military and political leadership was terrible. But French soldiers fought bravely."

There are those who still assert that the spirit of Charles Martel and Charlemagne are lying dormant within the soul of the French and that when the French have finally had enough, this spirit will re-emerge and teach us all a lesson about ferocity.

One prays that it never reaches that point, and that if it does the spirit still exists.

Else Europe is gone.

Gospace said...

I'll note one thing you've seen in the comments and probably not really noticed. The French "National Police". There are also the German National Police, and when I was in New Zealand, the New Zealand Police. I suspect we may be the only nation in the world without a national police force. The FBI doesn't truly qualify as one. They don't engage in routing day to day patrols as a police department does.

That was something Obama wanted to do. Nationalize the police. IMHO, bad idea. In most states, the county sheriff is an elected position, and directly answerable to the people. I don't think having a police force that's accountable only to the politicians is a particularly good idea.

Roughcoat said...

This is OT but I absolutely hate that meme.

So do I, glad you said it.

Anonymous said...

DrMaturin: This is OT but I absolutely hate that meme.

Second (or third or fourth that). Thank you.

Matt said...

Did Donny tweet about the attack in Quebec or did that not fit into his narrative?

mockturtle said...

The French have had their eras of greatness, as have Britain and Germany. The US could even, arguably, have had one or two. But look at us for the past thirty or so years! Are we not Vichy? Do we [as a nation] not knuckle under to every demand by the left and Muslim sensitivities? Europe has--obviously--a much longer history and a much more complex and interesting one, at that. One that has become tradition-bound. We have the advantage of brash novelty if we employ it. As Trump seems to want to do.

MadisonMan said...

"I say bring in all 1250 stuck in Australia and settle them on the west side of Madison."

East side is the Liberal(er) Side.

Fred Drinkwater said...

Summer 2015 i was minding my own business in Charles deGaulle when i saw a trio of well armed men moving toward me. One in front with a light mg / fusil d'assaut, two others about 4 yards behind, spread wide, porting some long gun.
They were SO obvious that I thought they might be bait, and looked around for suspicious men in civvies and concealing jackets. Didn't see any,which proves exactly nothing.
The trio looked like they were capable enough on their own...
The contrast with lack of visible security at the main train station in Lyon was striking.

Fred Drinkwater said...

Summer 2015 i was minding my own business in Charles deGaulle when i saw a trio of well armed men moving toward me. One in front with a light mg / fusil d'assaut, two others about 4 yards behind, spread wide, porting some long gun.
They were SO obvious that I thought they might be bait, and looked around for suspicious men in civvies and concealing jackets. Didn't see any,which proves exactly nothing.
The trio looked like they were capable enough on their own...
The contrast with lack of visible security at the main train station in Lyon was striking.

LYNNDH said...

Fred, have seen the same thing myself. Very sobering isn't it.

walter said...

So..why was he turned away? The open carry machete?
Looks like this one was thwarted.
No need to send James Taylor's replacement, The Nuge.

walter said...

Similar airport presence as well as the occasional grease gun toting gendarme on the subways. goes back at least to 1999.

LYNNDH said...

I just read some more comments and note the ones about the French army. Having just visited France and the WWI battlefields and cemeteries it is most evident that the French and British and Germans and the Americans fighting in WWI were very brave, being lead by extremely stupid higher officers for the most part.

JPS said...

To DrMaturin's fine defense of the French soldier I would add the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. It's hard to make jokes about French rifles only dropped once, or French tanks with three or four reverse gears, once you've read about it.

OK, I can make those jokes, but my heart's not in it.

walter said...

I'm not sure if they've armed the majority of beat cops though..as what might have helped at Hebdo.

Yancey Ward said...

No doubt the soldiers were there because the museum is one of the highest profile target in the city- maybe the second highest next to the Eiffel Tower.

mockturtle said...

I have to admit that, when I see men in uniform holding submachine guns, I think 'soldiers', even if they are actually carabinieri, or national police.

Yancey Ward said...

Well, maybe if we can get Trump to call them soldiers, Chuck can write today's dissertation educating us on why it is stupid to call them soldiers.

Expat(ish) said...

@JPS - I recently read "The Last Battle" by Windrow (buy it through the Althouse Amazon Portal!) and there is a lot to reccy it.

I had not known that the French used paratroops more in Vietnam than all armies in WWII combined, for example.

-XC

PS - I would not mark Black Jack Pershing as a bad leader in WWI. Stronly reccy Gilbert's "WWI A Complete History" for your reading pleasure.

-XC

Yancey Ward said...

Ex-Pat,

I think it is titled "The Last Valley".

mockturtle said...

According to the biography of Pershing I read last year, he put up with a lot of crap from Washington.

Earnest Prole said...

I see your commenters have filled you in on the ubiquitous presence of armed soldiers in France these days, so I will simply add that they wear full combat gear including flak jackets and helmets, and the machine guns are carried in front, ready for action.

Unknown said...

Ann, the bullets are real for a reason.

I can not wait for Marine Le Pen to be elected to the Presidency of France. Finally a decisive leader. The men in Paris are neutered. Its time for a french Lady Thatcher- type to lead.

Drive every islam follower from France. As France goes so does Europe.

Earnest Prole said...

And they were all around the country this time, not just in Paris. At the World War 2 memorial museum in Caen you may reflect on our defeat of the Nazis under the watchful eye of soldiers.

Unknown said...

Since the seventh century the religion of Peace has declared war on all who oppose it or offend it. Its time to cleanse this planet of this misbegotten spawn of Satan.

Anonymous said...

JPS said...
To DrMaturin's fine defense of the French soldier I would add the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. It's hard to make jokes about French rifles only dropped once, or French tanks with three or four reverse gears, once you've read about it.


FWIW

The three French Foreign Legion Parachute Regt's bore the brunt of the fighting and dying. They were at this time, very German, filled with ex-SS men on a no questions asked basis. As well as some French citizens who had chosen the wrong team in WWII (e.g. one of the Foreign SS units)

mockturtle said...

Eric Landgraf said Since the seventh century the religion of Peace has declared war on all who oppose it or offend it. Its time to cleanse this planet of this misbegotten spawn of Satan.

I suspect your last two posts might be trolling. 'Cleansing the planet' of Muslims sounds genocidal, to say the least. What we DO need to to, though, is to quit knuckling under to their ridiculous demands and do our best to preserve our laws and our culture. Something the EU has failed to do for decades.

mockturtle said...

And, yeah, I'm all for keeping more of them out of our country.

Ron said...

How do they know he's an Islamic terrorist and not just another nutcase who happens to be Muslim, like about 10% of the French population? Oh, and yelling "allahu akbar" indicates nothing, because it is what excited Muslims are likely to say any time.

Jupiter said...

Althouse asks;

"why were there soldiers at the museum?"

Do you actually imagine that a country which allows massive immigration from Muslim countries can have museums open to the public that are not constantly guarded by armed men?

mockturtle said...

Ron says: because it is what excited Muslims are likely to say any time.

Especially if they are mentally ill.

Jupiter said...

The question is, did asshole go there to attack Frenchmen who enjoy art, or to attack Frenchmen who wear uniforms? Because he could reasonably have expected to find both at the Louvre.

mockturtle said...

If one has never been to Europe in the past---wow, 20 years or so--they are insulated to the reality of what it has become. And why do the younger folk seem to accept it? Because they have grown up with it. They are the frogs in the slowly simmering pot.

mockturtle said...

Jupiter asks: The question is, did asshole go there to attack Frenchmen who enjoy art, or to attack Frenchmen who wear uniforms? Because he could reasonably have expected to find both at the Louvre.


To ...cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. [Surah 8:12, Qur'an]. Why else?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"Did Donny tweet about the attack in Quebec or did that not fit into his narrative?"

Not a word from Trump about the attack on Muslims in their Mosque in Canada, by a white supremacist. Telling.

tcrosse said...

Not a word from Trump about the attack on Muslims in their Mosque in Canada, by a white supremacist. Telling.

What's he gonna say, "Keep those crazy white Canadians out of Canada" ?

Michael said...

There are soldiers everywhere in Paris. Especially around major tourist attractions. Wonder why?

SukieTawdry said...

I had planned to conclude a fall trip to Europe in Paris because none of my fellow travelers has been there. But I'm not sure I want to replace my memories of that lovely city with what we will encounter these days. The most I had to contend with 20 years ago was the dearth of trash receptacles since most had been removed because Moroccans were so fond of blowing them up.

Ron said...

"What's he gonna say, "Keep those crazy white Canadians out of Canada" ?"

He could say keep them out of the US

SukieTawdry said...

Mona Lisa was not amused.

Mona is well-protected; you can't get near her.

JPS said...

Expat(ish) and Yancey Ward: Thanks - I'll want to check that one out.

The Drill SGT: I should have known that, but I didn't - was remembering the role of the French regular Army paratroopers, and of leaders like Marcel Bigeard.

Jupiter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Martin said...

There were soldiers at the museum b/c France has been in a very high state of alert for over a year, since Bataclan. And there aren't enough local police and national gendarmes to cover everything, so the Army is being used.

Anonymous said...

"What's he gonna say, "Keep those crazy white Canadians out of Canada" ?"

"He could say keep them out of the US"

Trump could have acknowledged it was a terrorist attack. As for keeping white supremacists out of the US, too late.

Meade said...

"Trump could have acknowledged it was a terrorist attack."

But didn't Trump say the attacks were caused by a YouTube video? Innocence of Women Marching in Pussyhats or something like that?

Bad Lieutenant said...

Trump responded to the attack in Canada. I don't remember the details. If you do know that, then I suppose you'll say that his response didn't satisfy you, but then again, we all know that nothing will.

And, they use the picture of Mona Lisa, Ann, because that's how you know it happened at the Louvre. It's called a symbol.

Bad Lieutenant said...

The NYPD Hercules and Atlas teams are carrying M4s or M4 type carbines. I haven't gotten up close enough in their faces to see if they're Colts or Bushmasters but I would presume they are military surplus. They are also carrying at the ready.

It will be a better world when, to paraphrase Bull Halsey, the Arabic language is spoken only in Hell, and peaceable people can go about their business.

Anonymous said...

"Trump responded to the attack in Canada. I don't remember the details."

Link please. I don't recall him responding, but I could be mistaken.

Gospace said...

WillySunday said...
"Did Donny tweet about the attack in Quebec or did that not fit into his narrative?"

Not a word from Trump about the attack on Muslims in their Mosque in Canada, by a white supremacist. Telling.


You have noticed that that has completely disappeared from the news? White supremacist fits the narrative. Trouble is, the complete description of the shooter appears to be GAY White Supremacist. That doesn't fit the narrative. And since every conservative commenter on a website that allows comments would point that out, it's news that can't be covered.

I wonder.... Was it payback for Orlando?

Anonymous said...

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/quebec-mosque-shooting-trump-response-234370

OK, he did respond, that's good to know. No tweet though it seems.

Anonymous said...

"White supremacist fits the narrative. Trouble is, the complete description of the shooter appears to be GAY White Supremacist."

Like Milo.

mockturtle said...

You have noticed that that has completely disappeared from the news? White supremacist fits the narrative. Trouble is, the complete description of the shooter appears to be GAY White Supremacist. That doesn't fit the narrative. And since every conservative commenter on a website that allows comments would point that out, it's news that can't be covered.

It could fit the narrative if they wanted to acknowledge the number of homosexuals in Hitler's organization.

Jane the Actuary said...

So here's a little anecdote from our trip over the summer. We had a quick stopover in Strasbourg on our way from the Moselle to Augsburg, and, on our way from the cathedral to the train station (well, the parking garage adjacent to the train station) we saw a group of half a dozen (armed) soldiers walking along the street and then taking up positions at what seemed to be a nondescript parish church. Was there some kind of threat? Was this a training exercise? Or was this just everyday life?

Jupiter said...

"After being refused entry to the Louvre, he pulled out the weapon and was shot by a soldier, officials have confirmed."

Well, see, he was a frustrated art lover. They wouldn't let him in, so he went all Islamic on them.

"He was shouting 'Allahu Akbar' - Arabic for 'God is the greatest' - according to the Paris chief of police, and reportedly had paint bombs in his backpack."

Ah. Paint bombs. The better to love art with.

Jupiter said...

WillySunday said...

"Not a word from Trump about the attack on Muslims in their Mosque in Canada, by a white supremacist. Telling."

Why would a white supremacist attack people in a mosque? And what do you think a "white supremacist" is, anyway?

mockturtle said...

Jupiter reflects: Ah. Paint bombs. The better to love art with.

Indeed. He probably hoped to improve upon da Vinci.

Fred Drinkwater said...

Just to remind that the police patrol situation I mentioned was before the Bataclan massacre and JUST before the defeated on-train attack north of Paris.
This is not a new thing in France.