OPINION:
The U.S. response to the Paris terrorist attacks is a farce. American leaders are using the atrocities as an opportunity to bamboozle the gullible masses by displaying phony outrage and self-righteous indignation. Publicity-addicted celebrities are willing participants in the sham.
For the politically ambitious and business hustler, human suffering is an opportunity to appropriate more tax dollars and increase sales. Greedy politicians, defense contractors and Hollywood stars are lining their pockets. More than 100 people were murdered in these terrorist attacks, and there is a big, star-studded show of concern. Yet in 2014 there were over 14,000 murders committed in the United States, and that number will be surpassed in 2015. Where is the outrage there. It’s nonexistant because it is not about murder or terrorism.
Americans are experts in terrorizing each other. Compared to the number of murders, rapes and assaults committed in the United States, the Islamic State looks like a civic organization. Moreover, the body count in the Paris attacks is a typical day in the United States. In order to equal 14,000 murders, terrorists would need to attack Paris each day for five consecutive months and kill at least 100 people a day. Compared to the rate at which Americans kill Americans, the terrorists look benign.
If the United States wants to play world physician, the physician must first heal itself.
KEVIN PALMER
Martinez, Ga.
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