UPDATED: Greta Van Susteren’s Apology to French People for Obama’s Shameful Paris Absence Goes Viral

Rich Terrell

As published on Ms. Van Susteren's Facebook page via The Reagan Coalition

Dear French Citizens,

This is a personal note from me but I suspect it represents the sentiments of many Americans.

I am sorry that our President didn’t go to France today and stand with your President and other world leaders against terrorism. It was an important statement to send to France, to the world and to terrorists and frankly he blew it. It was a big missed opportunity for my President and thus for all Americans. He should have gone. It was a mistake that he did not. Sometimes mistakes like that are made.

I stand with you and I think all Americans do stand with you. I had wanted the President to go to Paris today to represent how I feel and how most Americans feel after Paris was terrorized but that did not happen. President Obama didn’t just disappoint you — he disappointed many Americans today. Maybe there is a reason for his absence that I just don’t know but right now the White House has released no explanation.

Despite today’s absence, I know our President wants to stop world terrorism but his bad manners today – or maybe just dropping the ball – is not something we should harbor but rather drop and move on. It may be easier for you to drop than many Americans. As already noted, I am not happy with him tonight, but I will get over it. But, in the mean time, I do want the citizens of France to know we Americans stand with you and that we need each other to fight terrorism.

I also want everyone in France to know – and this is very important 0 that we have not forgotten that it was the French President who was the first national leader to show up at the White House after 9/11. You don’t forget things like that. (Nor have we forgotten LaFayette who fought for us in the Revolutionary War but that’s a bit farther back!)

I love your nation and have spent a lot of time there over the years – from college onward. Your citizens have been friendly to Americans and to me (although many have looked askance at me when I speak my very fractured French. You could be a tad bit nicer about my French.) Our nations have had their difference over the years but always I know fundamentally we are friends even when we might have some disagreements. We have the same goals and the same dreams.

So….I apologize for my President’s absence. Tonight I am mad at him but I will get over it and I hope you do, too. We have a bigger fight to fight than bad manners. We need to fight terrorism.

Greta Van Susteren

 

Hat tip to I did NOT vote for Obama.

Where you least expect it: a world leader with class and courage. UPDATE: A counterpoint on Al-Sisi

From Egypt, land of President Anwar Sadat comes a man of bravery. Sadly, we recall what happened to President Sadat 

EGYPTIAN President Abdel Al-Fattah Al-Sisi is a better friend to Christians than the American president is
"President al-Sisi, wildly popular for his ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood government of Mohamed Morsi, paid a visit to a Coptic Christmas mass making him the first Egyptian leader to do so since Nasser.
"In case you didn’t know, Barack Hussein Obama loathes al-Sisi and is doing everything he can to undermine his presidency."  (Emphasis in the original)

"Egyptian President Al-Sisi at Coptic Christmas Mass: We Are All Egyptians"

Egyptian President el-Sisi’s Incredible Speech   "A Clip(sp) from Egyptian President el-Sisi’s remarkable and courageous speech can be heard below. It’s the speech President Obama should have given but never will.

"President el-Sisi called for a revolutionary change in his religion to save the Islamic nation from “being torn apart and destroyed”. He called it by name – radical Islam. President Obama shrinks from using the words “radical Islam” and cowers in the corners of the NY Times and other state-sponsored media, behind the skirts of Marie Harf and Jen Psaki and under the table of his Attorney General Eric Holder.

"El-Sisi spoke at Al-Azhar on the need to “revolutionize” their religion to combat extremism in ideology. His words put his life in the crosshairs of the radical Islamists. He spoke from his heart and the leadership he exhibited is not like anything we are seeing in the United States. Quite the opposite in fact.

"He didn’t stop there. He visited the Coptic Pope and he went to mass at a Coptic church on Christmas Eve.

"This is a man who can be looked up to. We used to have such men in the United States."
Video:   http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/4704.htm

UPDATE:  El-Sisi’s Jihad Against Freedom of Conscience   "The Egyptian president's much-heralded speech bears no resemblance to his life's work."

"A recent PJ Media blog chastises mainstream (essentially Left) media for largely ignoring Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s 1/1/15 speech, an address much ballyhooed by conservatives (see for example, here, here, and here). This criticism of the Left-dominated media is warranted.

"But. . ."

As in the 1930s: only one place in the world is a safe haven for Jews

Even America is not seen as a long-term refuge it would seem.  Jews in Colonial America: Why They Were tolerated, Even Welcomed.

Why Help Build America When We Can Help Build the Land of the Jews?

 

... "Now, in our time, when God has returned the Land of Israel to the Jews, the situation is even worse, for it seems, in the eyes of the gentiles, that in clinging to our Diaspora communities, we prefer foreign lands to His."

The Death of the Jews of France   "In the wake of the slaughter of four Jews in a Paris kosher supermarket by an Islamic jihadist, a Parisian Jew said: “In the past year, 7,000 Jews have already left France and after this there will be many thousands more. We are not safe in France any more. There is no future for Jews here in France. We are finished in France.” 

Israel encourages frightened French Jews to make a move  " Nine government representatives flew in from Israel, set up a public expo and tried to encourage Jews to move to the Jewish state. One of the representatives took out her cell phone and crunched the numbers for an elderly couple: How much money would Israel give them if they made the move? About $7,545 for the first year. "

Jews scrutinize future in Europe against emigration to Israel after Paris market attack

... "In the wake of the attacks, which follow deadly strikes on a Belgian Jewish Museum and a Jewish school in southwestern France, Israeli leaders have called on European Jews to immigrate to the Jewish state. But European Jews are deeply ambivalent about leaving, and their community leaders, along with top politicians, have urged people to stay in their homelands.

" 'The European Jewry is the oldest European minority and we have our experience of surviving under all possible circumstances," Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, told The Associated Press. "We will not give up our motherland, which is called Europe. We will not stop the history of European Jewry, that is for sure." ...

Thorny Past, Present of Jews in France     ..."The Vichy government beat even the Germans to the punch in enacting anti-Semitic laws. We see French police arresting Jews and turning them over to the Nazis, photos of a radiant bride with a large yellow star pinned on her white wedding gown, and a popular exhibit demonstrating how to distinguish Frenchmen from Jews.
"After the war, a blanket of silence stifled any discussion of French collaboration, while one Jewish leader wondered how you can live in a land whose police arrested your parents." ...

Can anybody figure out this President's values?

Thomas Sowell: The “leader” of the free world’s absence from the Charlie Hebdo march in Paris is telling. 
"President Barack Obama’s absence from the great gathering in Paris of national leaders from other countries, to show their solidarity with France in its opposition to Islamic terrorists, was another sign of the Obama administration’s continuing irresolution in the face of terror." ...

 ... " It is doubtful if anyone in the Obama administration would have dared to leak Israel’s military secrets without knowing that it was all right with the president." ...

Analyst Ralph Peters: Obama a coward who chose the side of the terrorists
... "According to reports, Obama chose to spend Sunday afternoon watching a football game.

"The president's a coward," Peters said. "The president is a physical coward, he is a moral coward, he is an intellectual coward." That cowardice, Peters added, is the reason Obama refuses to admit that he was wrong about Islam. Peters, however, wasn't finished.

"Make no mistake," he added. "Passivity in the face of terror is complicity. And yesterday, President Obama chose the side of the terrorists." . . .

Earnest then spun the decision, claiming issues with security. But other reports said the White House never contacted the Secret Service for a potential trip to Paris.

Politico

 Below: Pakistanis rally with banners in solidarity for the two Charlie Hebdo killers in Peshawar

But guess where Mr. Obama does plan to go: Obama’s Cuba Trip Talks Anger Cuban Exile Community  Probably any time after the Super Bowl, I suppose.

Glorified Bastards  "For Western elites, Ahmadinejad is preferable to Hirsi Ali, the Castros to Cuban dissidents." 

. . . "The murderous thug Che Guevara is still iconic on college campuses, more than 40 years after his death; the names of democratic dissidents rotting in Cuban prisons are unknown. Apparently the romance of Che dovetails with popular academic anti-Western narratives. In these circles, the jailed enemies of Castro do nothing to refute the suppositions that put Che’s face on college-dorm walls." . . .

Connecting a couple of dots:

         
Left: Palestinian protestor

Right: 2008 Obama campaign office in Houston

Why the White House’s Security Excuse in Paris Doesn’t Add Up 

Obama Loves Islam More Than He Hates Terrorism

 

"In the wake of President Obama’s pathetic disengagement over the Islamic jihadist attacks on Paris, people are once again decrying his lack of leadership, but the problem is something more fundamental than leadership.

"From the beginning of his term in office, Obama has evidenced a deep moral confusion, a distorted worldview perhaps based on a bizarre upbringing. It’s not that he doesn’t distinguish between good and evil; it’s that he often doesn’t clearly recognize which is which.
...
"Obama spends more time downplaying and denying Islamic terrorism and releasing dangerous terrorists from Guantanamo Bay than he does leading this nation in a war against it. That’s because he is not committed to a war against it — and for another two years, he will be our commander in chief. God help us all. "
 David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel. Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at

Montreal Paper Includes "Draw Mohammed" Connect-The-Dots Picture. But let's consider another point: Counterpoint update

Townhall  "In response to the massacre of the staff of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, the French-language Canadian newspaper Le Journal Montréal included a connect-the-dot picture of "Mohammed" in today's issue so that its readers can "draw" their very own Mohammed cartoon."


" 'Mohammad cartoons in the next Charlie Hebdo." "Print out the sheet and connect the dots. Will join your pencil with theirs.' "

UPDATE: Ann Althouse is not impressed with the "Let's draw Mohammad" gig    There are other points to consider besides spiting the radicals. Somewhat chastened, I give you an excerpt of Ms. Althouse's post:

"'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' is not a good idea."

I have endless contempt for the threats/warnings against various cartoonists who draw Muhammad (or a man in a bear suit who might be Muhammad, but is actually Santa Claus). But depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats. In pushing back some people, you also hurt a lot of people who aren't doing anything (other than protecting their own interests by declining to pressure the extremists who are hurting the reputation of their religion).

He's back! Jimmy Carter Blames The Paris Terror Attacks On Israel

First Official Meeting of Habitat for Hamas

Sweetness & Light  From the Daily Caller:

Jimmy Carter Blames Recent Terror Attacks On ‘Palestinian Problem’

By Jamie Weinstein | January 13, 2015
… In the wake of the Islamist terror attacks in France against cartoonists and Jews, former President Jimmy Carter’s first reaction was to pin the motivation for such terrorism on Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Appearing on “The Daily Show” Monday, Carter was asked by host Jon Stewart whether the violence the world saw on the streets of Paris was actually fueled by something else other than Islamic extremism.
“Well, one of the origins for it is the Palestinian problem,” Carter replied. “And this aggravates people who are affiliated in any way with the Arab people who live in the West Bank and Gaza, what they are doing now — what’s being done to them. So I think that’s part of it.”

"What is being done to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza? They can vote. Even their women can vote, drive and even go out in public without a male member of the family. In reality, the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza enjoy a lot more freedom than most of the people who are living in the Middle East under Sharia Law." . . .   Daily Caller: 

Radical Islamic terrorism creates some irony

Embarrassing: Josh Earnest Says WH Summit Will Include All Types of Terrorism… Not Just Islamic Extremism "This presidential sideshow has gone from humorous, to concerning, to downright embarrassing.

"White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters today the Terrorism Summit next month will focus on “all types of extremism” not just Islamic extremism.
(What other types of terrorism threatens Western civilization?)
"They still don’t even understand who we are at war with.
"Just pathetic.
"Earnest would also not say what the president was doing on Sunday.
"He had no idea."

Conspicuous by his absence   "But I've come up with a new parlor game, which would be even more amusing if it weren't so tragic.  The game is to come up with analogies for Mahmoud Abbas marching to condemn terrorism.  My first three suggestions are as follows:

1) Mahmoud Abbas marching to condemn terrorism is like Larry Flynt marching to condemn pornography.
2) Mahmoud Abbas marching to condemn terrorism is like Jack the Ripper marching to condemn violence against women.
3) Mahmoud Abbas marching to condemn terrorism is like Colonel Sanders  marching to condemn fried chicken.

alltherightsnark

(MSNBC'S) Al Sharpton: “Peddlers of Islamophobia” Use The Same “Twisted Logic” As The People Who Criticize My Race Baiting After Ferguson And Garner…

"Sharpton never fails to work himself into a story that has nothing to do with him." Via Al Sharpton (HuffPo):

No matter how many battles Canada wins on Keystone, Obama has the last shot

Canada.com

... "The Alberta pipeline company keeps winning battles, but gets farther away from winning the war. That’s because, no matter how many victories it racks up, President Barack Obama has the last shot. All he has to do is avoid saying yes, and the answer is no. And avoidance is something he’s proven good at.
...
" Mr. Obama had repeatedly cited the need to wait for a decision from Nebraska before making a final ruling on it. There is little doubt he will ultimately reject approval – just this week the White House said he would veto a bill approving Keystone if the new Republican-dominated Congress sends him one – but rather than admit his bias he has preferred to hide behind protestations that each new delaying tactic must be allowed to play itself out."

 

It is truly hard to find an unbiased source, but we will try here: Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Pros, Cons, and Other Facts

"The Keystone XL project is a proposed plan to construct a 1,179 mile-long crude oil pipeline across the US-Canada international border. The northern leg of the 36-inch wide pipeline plans to connect Hardisty in Alberta to Steele City in Nebraska. The Southern Leg connects Steele City with Port Arthur in Texas. Since the northern leg passes through the international border, it is pending approval from the Department of State of the US Federal Government, since 2008, when TransCanada first proposed it. The Southern Leg of the pipeline became operational in 2014. The Keystone XL project is expected to cost around US $7 billion."

 

A negative issue that I feel is overemphasized: the tar sands

The pollution caused by extraction of tar oils is thrice that which is caused by conventional oils. Tar oils have routinely been described as the 'dirtiest fuel' that can be used. Also, there are fears that by approving this project, US technology will become almost completely dependent on such polluting energy sources.

The tar sands have and will continue to have been extracted no matter if Keystone is built or not. 

"If the project is not approved, then US will still be dependent on its oil sources in the Middle East. Such transport of oil over long distances will definitely increase carbon footprint, compared to direct piping of oil from Canada.

"It is much safer to transport crude oil by pipelines than by railroads or tankers, where the chances of explosions is higher. The chances of spillage is lesser in pipelines. In more than 80% spills from pipelines, less than 5 barrels of oil were wasted. The Keystone XL project would have one of the safest pipelines equipped with sensors that send data to monitoring satellites every 5 seconds. "

Why is Hillary Clinton Silent on Paris Attacks?

Frontpage Mag

 

"Hillary Clinton is largely running based on her, failed, time as Secretary of State. Not long ago her people were promising a more vigorous foreign policy. But after all this time, she hasn’t even bothered to make the most basic statement about the Paris terror attacks.

"In the original primaries, Hillary boasted that she would be there to take 3 AM phone calls. Meanwhile days later, she still can’t even comment on the attack.

"We’ve slammed Obama before for his inattention and laziness, but Hillary Clinton seems to be even worse. And Benghazi is a reminder of how her sloppiness and inattention to important details already cost lives." ...

"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand" Mark Twain

Sultan Knish tells us to laugh at Islam.  "The true war against Islam is not a military war, it is a cultural war. For Islam it is a religious conflict by an empire intent on transforming every aspect of life into one defined by Islam. For us it is about preserving our way of life. The cartoon controversy woke many Europeans to the fact that free speech and many of the other attributes of democracy that they take for granted are incompatible with Islam. Under the relentless pressure of multi-culturalism, they and we are increasingly deciding that our way of life has to bow to theirs.

. . .
"Our culture is being invaded. Our nations are being overrun. In England some government offices  banned mugs featuring Piglet on them. In Israel a woman was sentenced to jail for drawing a cartoon of Mohammed as a pig. In America defaced Korans are being investigated as hate crimes. This is the power of the law backing up the power of the cultural consensus of our politicians and press which prevents any criticism or mockery of Islam as if this were Saudi Arabia.

 

. . .
"Battling Islam with humor quickly clarifies the stakes for the west in an undeniable way showing that our choice is between maintaining our freedoms or losing them forever. Islam's apologists, our press, our politicians, our academics have been cooking us like lobsters in a pot, slowly raising the temperature until we're broiling and barely notice it. Muslim rage raises the temperature a lot. It wakes up some of those in the lobster pot as the murders of Theo VanGogh and the Cartoon controversy did." ...

Here's a good place to start: Top Saudi Cleric Issues Fatwa Banning Snowmen For Being “Anti-Islamic”…

... " Quoting from Muslim scholars, Sheikh Munajjid argued that to build a snowman was to create an image of a human being, an action considered sinful under the kingdom’s strict interpretation of Sunni Islam." ...

More picture commentary on the Charlie Hebdo massacre

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Cartoonist Solidarity slide show

http://www.demilked.com/charlie-hebdo-shooting-tribute-cartoons-cartoonists/

 

The ridiculous reason why Islamic terrorists murdered journalists at Charlie Hebdo

UPDATED: So our president skipped the march by world leaders; what's the big deal?

Confirmed: Obama watched NFL playoffs instead of going to Paris  ... "If Kerry actually had the guts his Vietnam War decorations normally signify, he would have resigned in protest over the president’s absence, and earned an honored place in history." ...Mr. Kerry calls all this "quibbling".

President Obama Watches Football As World Leaders Rally Against Terrorism

 

Conservative Lady

Où Est Le Président?  ... "The world noticed that President Obama was not there. This is a man who ran for the Presidency claiming he would rebuild relationships abroad, restore our image with the world, and act as a citizen of the world instead of as an “ugly American.”

"Yesterday, that campaign promise officially expired. The President, again, behaved as if he wanted the title and perks, but not the actual job."

So our president skipped out; what's the big deal?... " From Obama’s point of view, since no American was attacked, no American was killed, and no American was involved he clearly thinks that our involvement in this matter is thus unnecessary."

"I don't mean this as a criticism of the Obama administration, but as an American, I do wish that we were better represented in this beautiful procession of world leaders,"

Too little too late? Kerry says he WILL go to Paris but only after U.S. was shamed for snubbing historic weekend rally of world leaders

 Is the Obama White House Crazy or Cowardly? "When, following the Benghazi attack, the Obama Administration apologized for a movie insulting Islam, it encouraged the intolerant and the killers. President Obama and Secretary Clinton were so desperate to appease these haters that they paid for TV commercials in Pakistan apologizing for any offense people might have taken to free speech the U.S. government had nothing to do with.

"When the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, printed cartoons about Islam two years ago, the Obama White House said, "We are aware that a French magazine published cartoons featuring a figure resembling the prophet Muhammad, and obviously we have questions about the judgment of publishing something like this.' "...

Obama's statement: 'The Future Must Not Belong To Those Who Slander The Prophet Of Islam' seen in its context.The speech traveled a long road so those exact words could be used. 

 From PJ Media:

Update from HopeN'Change  ... "Barack Obama wasn't there. Of course he wasn't there! Just because a couple of days ago he declared that he would "stand with France" doesn't mean that he should actually have to, you know, stand with France. Especially on the weekend."