President Obama should have been at the Paris rally with the other world leaders last week. There is no good excuse for his absence, and there is no other elected official who should have been there in his place.
I do not pretend to know why he did not go, and I do not expect to get an honest answer as to why he was absent from anyone. There are extremists who would exploit (watch FOX News) this and I am not interested in anything they have to say either.
The events in France were horrific. They were not more horrific than the beheadings and civilian slaughters we are seeing and hearing about around the globe at the hands of Muslim extremists. There are no world leaders gathering together to protest those events. Perhaps there should be.
The show of support in Paris was necessary. It was not mere political stagecraft. When something horrific happens to someone you know, you show up to offer support. People need to know they are not alone in dire circumstances. Equally bad are those people who wish to use events such as this to spew hatred toward Muslims in general. I do not know a great many Muslims personally, but those I do know are as offended as I am about what is going on. I would not wish to be judged by the acts of a white supremacist who commits an horrific act.
I am neither a hawk nor a pacifist. I believe we went to war in Iraq without just cause, and I believe the world is paying the price for that. On the other hand, I believe you have a responsibility to take action when you are able to in the face of human atrocity. I believe the world waited far too long before dealing with Hitler. War is one of the worst alternatives, but it is not the worst alternative. War is also not the only alternative. Watching millions of people being slaughtered is inexcusable.
The United States is not solely responsible for policing the world, but we are in a unique position to provide leadership in international affairs.
That leadership is most valuable when it is not simply tied to our interests in oil and other natural resources. Sometimes we need to advocate simply because someone has to. There are things that are morally wrong.
To the extent that partisan politics and political jockeying affect what we do, we all need to take responsibility for allowing our elected leaders to act the way they do. We all need to take responsibility for allowing ourselves to be uninformed. Information is available now more than ever before. There is no excuse for ignorance and stupidity. Hatred is a manifestation of stupidity. Hatred toward an entire race or religious group is extreme stupidity.
Brendan Buschi
Milton
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