The Subject for Today is this past weekend's March by Neo Nazis and various other White Supremacist Groups where one person was killed (3 if you count the 2 police officers killed when their helicopter crashed) and many others injured.
The media coverage has taken on a hysterical tone because they believe President Trump was not forceful enough when he first commented on the March.
In particular, Trump talked about bad actors on "many sides" when he should have used the occasion to specifically condemned Neo Nazis, Skin Heads and their Ilk in no uncertain terms. As an aside though, I do not recall former President Obama condemning Black Lives Matter Marches where numerous placards called for Death To PIGS (aka police).
But the Day's events were not caused by President Trump...indeed in these Blogs, I have said that the rise of right-wing-nuts in the United States and throughout Europe, that we have been witnessing over the last couple of years, is the result of Left-wing, Politically Correct Leadership.
In truth, Extremism of any kind needs not only to be condemned but eliminated.
So don't get caught up in this nonsensical claim that Trump's Presidency represents a green light for Right Wing Racists...this is merely another attempt by Progressives to destroy him through lies, distortion and manipulation of the media and the public at large.
But that is not to say they will be unsuccessful in their vendetta against Trump but I can tell you, if they do succeed in bringing him down, we are going to see an out and out fight between both sides of the political spectrum which will make the events of today look tame.
But there is an important issue that is at the forefront in Charlottesville and that is Freedom of Speech. All advanced Democracies guarantee this basic freedom in their Rules of Law / Constitutions. It is the fundamental right without which all others are doomed to fail and yet, under modern day governments, this Freedom is consistently being eroded.
In our own country for example, Canada's highest court has ruled that a person can be held to account even if what he or she says is the truth. For example, if one says most Terrorist Attacks in the world are carried out by Muslims ...which they are, simply stating that fact may get you into trouble with the State.
Here too, we have numerous Kangaroo Courts also known as Human Rights Tribunals which delight in censuring citizens for the crime of simply stating their opinions that might hurt the feelings of others...for example, A Roman Catholic Priest in Alberta was banned from Preaching Against Homosexual Marriage.
I support unrestricted freedom of speech with a few exceptions such as the classic one 'don't cry "fire" in a crowded theatre'. And I often quote late author, Evelyn Beatrice Hall, who is known for coining the phrase "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
So although I do not like Neo Nazis nor do I agree with anything they espouse, I do respect their right to think and say it. As long as they are not directly inciting violence as was the case of the Black Lives Matter Placards requesting that Cops by killed.
Unless we keep this in perspective, the best days may well be behind us.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher' See List directly below
| Turkey | January 1 | An Islamic State gunman opened fire on a crowd of people in the Reina Nightclub in Istanbul.[271] | 39(killed) | 70(wounded) |
| Iraq | January 2 | A suicide bomber with a truck full of explosives attacked a predominantly Shia market in Baghdad. The Islamic State took responcibility for the attack, claiming to target a "gathering of Shia".[272][273] | 36 | 52 |
| France | February 3 | A machete attack at the Louvre injured one soldier as well as the attacker, who has posted support for the Islamic State just before his attack.[274] | 0 | 2 |
| Afghanistan | February 8 | Islamic State militants attack a convoy of aid workers of the Red Cross in Northern Afghanistan. Killing 6 and taking 2 prisoner.[275] | 6 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | February 11 | Taliban suicide car bomber killed seven people outside a bank in Lashkargah.[276] | 7 | 21 |
| Pakistan | February 16 | During the 2017 Sehwan suicide bombing a suicide bomber entered the main hall of the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan and detonated his payload amid dozens of worshippers.[277] | 88 | 100+ |
| Iraq | February 19 | Five people were killed in two suicide bombings that hit districts recently retaken from Islamic State in eastern Mosul. The first attack targeted an army checkpoint, killing three soldiers, and the second a gathering of civilians in the commercial district known as "My Fair Lady," killing two.[278] | 5 | 0 |
| Pakistan | February 21 | Three militants threw hand grenades and opened fire as they launched an assault in Tangi, near the border with Afghanistan. Two of the men blew themselves up during the 20-minute gun battle with security forces at the gate, while the third was shot dead by police before he could detonate his explosive vest.[279] | 7 | 22 |
| Egypt | February 22 | Two Coptic citizens were found killed on Wednesday inside the North Sinai city of Al-Arish. The two are believed to have been kidnapped by anonymous militants who are suspected to be members of the IS-affiliated group of “Sinai Province.”[280] | 2 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | February 28 | Twelve policemen were killed in an "insider attack" in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. An infiltrator from the Taliban had allowed militants into the outpost in the regional capital, Lashkar Gah.[281] | 12 | 0 |
| Afghanistan | March 8 | Gunmen dressed as medics attacked a military hospital in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing more than 40 people, in an assault claimed by Islamic State.[282][283] | 40+ | 50+ |
| Iraq | March 8 | Two suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing 26 people at a wedding party in a village near the Iraqi city of Tikrit. Islamic State said two of its fighters had carried out the attack in the village of Hajaj.[284] | 26 | 67 |
| Russia | April 3 | A suicide bomber blew himself up on the St. Petersburg metro. The bomber was born in Kyrgyzstan and had ties to radical Islamists. [285] | 5 | 15 |
| Egypt | April 9 | Palm Sunday church bombings on Christian churches in Tanta and Alexandria kill at least 36 people and injure more than 100[286] | 47 | 100+ |
| France | April 20 | Three police officers and a bystander were shot by an attacker wielding an AK-47 rifle on the Champs-Élysées, a shopping boulevard in Paris. The attacker was shot dead during the incident. He had a note defending the Islamic State, and had previously attempted to communicate with Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.[287] | 2 | 3 |
| United Kingdom | May 22 | Manchester Arena bombing – A suicide bomber attacks Ariana Grande's pop concert with audience of up to 20,000. Authorities promptly raise the terror threat level to "Critical" fearing another attack.[288][289][290] Twenty-two people were arrested in connection with the attack, all of whom had been released without charge by 11 June.[291] | 22 | 129 |
| Egypt | May 26 | A gunman opened fire on a convoy carrying Coptic Christians traveling from Maghagha in Egypt's Minya Governorate.[292] | 28 | 22 |
| France | June 6 | 2017 Notre Dame attack A lone wolf who was carrying knives in his rucksack attacked an officer guarding Notre Dame de Paris with a hammer. A video pledging allegiance to ISIS was later found.[293] | 0 | 2 |
| Iran | June 7 | 2017 Tehran attacks Iran parliament and the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini. In the first attacks orchestrated by ISIS in Iran, Tehran was targeted by suicide bombers and teams of gunmen when they stormed Iran's parliament and the nearby shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini. All 4 attackers at the parliament were killed.[294][295] | 22 | 43 |
| Iraq | June 9 | At least 30 people were killed in a suicide bombing in Karbala, Iraqi officials said. The attack was claimed by ISIL.[296] | 30 | 36 |
| Totals: | 424+ | 734+ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
