# Worst responses to Paris Terrorist Attacks **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 14, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597 "2015-11-14T23:46:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/21 "2015-11-15T11:44:00Z")
> [@](#): > > France could build a larger military, of course. I doubt they will, though. At the moment, President Hollande is talking tough about war “without pity”. But France for decades has maintained only a small military, capable of minor roles in Yugoslavia and Iraq and Afghanistan, but never of being a world power. The French voters have gotten used to spending government money on their own luxurious living rather than national defense, always assuming that if the worst happened, the USA would do the biggest share of the fighting. Today’s events may rouse the French to an effort for national defense, but my money is not on that outcome. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18858044&postcount=5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18858044&postcount=5) ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/22 "2015-11-15T11:49:58Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > Who are you kidding? The Middle East has been a “hotbed of instability, terrorism, and general extremism” since Cain slew Abel, perhaps before. … False history lessons. > [@jz78817](#): > > [Supposedly things were OK for about 500 years or so.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age) and there is what is called the [Pax Ottomanica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Ottomana). The false wisdom offered up as the history lesson that the region of the Middle East has always been at war is not history. ---
**Author:** ![Donald\_Rump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/23 "2015-11-15T11:56:56Z")
> [@DoggyDunnit](#): > > (snip mine) > > Said liberal is correct. It ain’t something Westerners like to admit, but the Middle East wouldn’t be the hotbed of instability, terrorism, and general extremism it is today if it wasn’t for Western powers jacking around with the region. See, I’m willing to accept the argument that our Middle East policies, and indeed the whole history of Western involvement in the internal affairs of the ME, are all in a broad sense “worth it” even if there is some measure of blowback. What I cannot accept is the refusal of politicians and pundits to grapple honestly with the fact that such a tradeoff exists. The latest example of such dishonesty was in the last GOP debate, when Marco Rubio recycled W.'s old canard about the terrorists attacking us because they hate our values. Sure, they hate some of our values. But mostly they hate us because they perceive us to be standing in the way of a return to true Islam in Muslim lands; because they perceive us to be enabling repressive policies (in their eyes) on the part of Israel; and because they are incensed by the sight of Westerners killing Muslims. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/24 "2015-11-15T11:59:21Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18858044&postcount=5](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18858044&postcount=5) Ironical. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/25 "2015-11-15T13:28:44Z")
To be a true world power, you’d need an ability to project conventional forces along with a sizable nuclear arsenal. ITR is such a thorough researcher that he is undoubtedly aware of their complete failure in these categories. I mean, during the Cold War, France relied on America to both fight its colonial battles for them, and also shield them with American forces in west Germany. If France had been serious about their defense, they would not have totally relied on America and Germany to shield them from the Russians, but would have created a “strike force” of several hundred nuclear warheads to be used if they were in danger of being invaded. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/26 "2015-11-15T13:33:16Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > All of a sudden we’re studying for the SAT’s. > > So, who is France going to surrender to? I don’t know. To whom is France going to surrender? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/27 "2015-11-15T13:35:33Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > No one likes Grammar Guy… How do folks feel about all-or-nothing guy? mmm ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/28 "2015-11-15T13:39:36Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > France could build a larger military, of course. I doubt they will, though. At the moment, President Hollande is talking tough about war “without pity”. But France for decades has maintained only a small military, capable of minor roles in Yugoslavia and Iraq and Afghanistan, but never of being a world power. The French voters have gotten used to spending government money on their own luxurious living rather than national defense, always assuming that if the worst happened, the USA would do the biggest share of the fighting. Today’s events may rouse the French to an effort for national defense, but my money is not on that outcome. UGH. Yeah, this asshole wins. Who the fuck is that much of an insensitive bag of dirt? Some xenophobic psycho from FreeRepublic, no doubt, huh? How on earth did the OP miss _this_ atrocious shitheel? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/29 "2015-11-15T15:41:00Z")
Was thinking on putting this in the climate change thread, but it looks better here. The big conference on climate change will **still** take place in Paris. [http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/11/14/3722291/paris-climate-talks-security/](http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/11/14/3722291/paris-climate-talks-security/) The human induced climate change deniers like Anthony Watts and Roy Spenser did not waste time to remind all about how much idiots, cowards and hate mongers they are. > **[Laid bare: the sociopathology of climate science denial](https://blog.hotwhopper.com/2015/11/laid-bare-sociopathology-of-climate.html)** > > Global warming & climate change. Eavesdropping on climate science deniers, their weird pseudo-science and crazy conspiracy theories. > [@](#): > > Within minutes of the terrorist killings in Paris last night, there was a WUWT blog article, plus numerous tweets and retweets. Anthony Watts milked the horror of the terrorist attacks in Paris for all he could get out of it (archived here and here). Several hours later he added a French flag and the word “solidarité” to his blog header (archived here), perhaps in an attempt to soften his crass opportunism, or perhaps make more mileage. > > This episode demonstrates again what Anthony and his followers at [wattsupwiththat.com](http://wattsupwiththat.com) (WUWT) are really like underneath their charade of climate science denial. It’s not the first time Anthony Watts has shown he has no class and is incapable of empathy. In the past he has seized on a disastrous tragedy, Haiyan, and used it as an opportunity for another attack on science. And if you decide to read the WUWT comments, you’ll see that denial goes hand in hand with the bigotry of some deniers. > **[Roy Spencer Is The Worst Person In The World | ScienceBlogs](https://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2015/11/14/roy-spencer-is-the-worst-person-in-the-world)** > > Dr. Roy W. Spencer has a blog and a facebook page, is a famous climate science denier, and, it turns out, an unmitigated ass. > [@](#): > > The twisted logic of this screed speaks accurately of how Dr. Spencer’s mind works. What is most astonishing here is equating a global effort to save the planet and at the same time make the energy we need from cleaner and more sustainable sources to a terroristic mass killing in Paris. > > Look especially at the last two paragraphs. He is suggesting sarcastically that those concerned about climate change should join with Isis to create a world without droughts. Never mind the absurdity and misrepresentation. Spencer is trying to swing part of the climate change narrative around from one of its more serious conclusions, that one outcome of change may be failed states, unsettled populations, and heightened danger in parts of the world. He is, essentially, making fun of the refugees streaming across Europe. Could a person be more thoughtless and callous? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/30 "2015-11-15T16:11:20Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > No one likes Grammar Guy. > > I’m loathe to agree with anything Ann Coulter says but I do agree these attacks help Donald Trumps campaign. I, also, am won’t to be loathe to agree with her, but I think she makes a valid, if not quite accurate, point. This sort of shit does help someone like Trump, but I’m not so sure it help him enough to get elected. ---
**Author:** ![UberArchetype](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/2bfe46/32.png) [@UberArchetype](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UberArchetype)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/31 "2015-11-15T16:31:59Z")
> [@DoggyDunnit](#): > > These terrorists are by no means justified in what they’re doing, but one also cannot ignore what created most of the terrorism problem in the first place. Suggesting anybody is “ignoring it,” seems a bit disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/32 "2015-11-15T18:15:35Z")
No mention of [Rob Lowe?](http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/11/14/rob-lowe-defends-paris-attack-tweets-supporting-france/) ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/33 "2015-11-15T19:22:38Z")
> [@DoggyDunnit](#): > > (snip mine) > > Said liberal is correct. It ain’t something Westerners like to admit, but the Middle East wouldn’t be the hotbed of instability, terrorism, and general extremism it is today if it wasn’t for Western powers jacking around with the region. No. Just to give one example of Norton’s twisted reasoning: The disastrous U.S.-led NATO intervention in Libya destroyed the government, turning the country into a hotbed for extremism and allowing militant groups like ISIS to spread west into North Africa. Thousands of Libyans have been killed, and hundreds of thousands made refugees. The truth is that the civil war in Libya broke out during the “Arab Spring”, one of several uprisings inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia. War began when Qaddafi’s forces tried to crush rebel forces. After that, NATO began limited aerial support of the anti-Qaddafi movements. The cause of the war was entirely an uprising by the Libyans, not NATO intervention, and no sane person thinks that Libya would be a much better place if the USA had just left poor little Qaddafi alone. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/34 "2015-11-15T19:40:29Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > No. Just to give one example of Norton’s twisted reasoning: > > The disastrous U.S.-led NATO intervention in Libya destroyed the government, turning the country into a hotbed for extremism and allowing militant groups like ISIS to spread west into North Africa. Thousands of Libyans have been killed, and hundreds of thousands made refugees. > The truth is that the civil war in Libya broke out during the “Arab Spring”, one of several uprisings inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia. War began when Qaddafi’s forces tried to crush rebel forces. After that, NATO began limited aerial support of the anti-Qaddafi movements. The cause of the war was entirely an uprising by the Libyans, not NATO intervention, and no sane person thinks that Libya would be a much better place if the USA had just left poor little Qaddafi alone. Actually, you know what? Not one word you posted contradicted anything you quoted. Are you denying that there was a U.S.-led NATO intervention in the Libyan civil war? Are you denying that ISIS has spread west into Africa? Are you denying that thousands of Libyans have been killed, and hundreds of thousands made refugees? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/35 "2015-11-15T19:42:06Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > _shrug_ Diplomatic boilerplate. I assume similar messages were sent from the Hittites to the Egyptians when the Pharaoh drowned in _Exodus._ It’s how the diplomacy game is played. Er, not how _Diplomacy,_ the game, is played. The rules in real life are much less complicated. Fr A PIC - PAR Fr A BRE S (A PIC - PAR) Ot A SMY - SYR US F S (A SMY - SYR) No bounces likely. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/36 "2015-11-15T20:57:37Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Actually, you know what? Not one word you posted contradicted anything you quoted. > > Are you denying that there was a U.S.-led NATO intervention in the Libyan civil war? Are you denying that ISIS has spread west into Africa? Are you denying that thousands of Libyans have been killed, and hundreds of thousands made refugees? But I don’t think it’s fair to say the US-NATO intervention caused the current situation. It’s likely it would have turned out this way with or without intervention by the US and NATO. Iraq and Afghanistan, and by extension Syria, yes. But not Libya. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/37 "2015-11-15T21:05:48Z")
My point exactly, while diplomacy is more like _Mad Libs_: > [@](#): > > All our prayers are with the people of [_country_] tonight. We must stand side-by-side every step of the way with [_country_] and our allies around the world to wage and win the struggle [_against/for_] [_bad thing/good thing_] and [_different bad thing/good thing_]. Even in this darkest night, [_capitol_] remains the [_complimentary nickname_]. No terrorist attack will ever dim the spirit of the [_nationality_] people or our common commitment to the [_positive adjective_] values we share. After looking at how the original works with balancing darkness and light in the short format used for such documents, it was a pretty deft bit of Diplo-Speak. Kudos to Hillary and her staff. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/38 "2015-11-15T21:24:38Z")
I’d say the OP should have simply stopped at item #1. Item #2 was clearly thrown in there to create sense of being “fair and balanced”. Item #3 was a gratuitous dig at HRC, and item #4 is some bizarre way for the OP fold one of his pet topics into the discussion, even though it had nothing to do with the main issue. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/39 "2015-11-15T23:47:26Z")
The award for dumbest public response goes to… The tool in Peterborough Ontario, who thought this was [a great time to firebomb a mosque.](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-only-mosque-in-peterborough-ont-was-deliberately-set-on-fire-police-say) I hope when they catch him, he is charged with terrorism, and it is made very plain to him as he spends the next 40 years in prison, that he is guilty of aiding and abetting ISIS, and he actually did their work for them. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597/40 "2015-11-16T00:04:21Z")
Uh oh, not linking to it but looking for videos of the incident I noticed some links in Liveleak and other sites are pointing to several conspiracy theorists going gaga for idiotic “false flag operations” videos as an explanation for the attacks. Shit, as if the 9/11 loose nuts and school shooting deniers were not evil enough… :mad::mad: Will have to prepare for the yahoos that will come eventually into the message board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-responses-to-paris-terrorist-attacks/737597.md?page=3)