Notations On Our World: On #ParisAttacks, #NotinMyName & Other Thoughts...

Our team has been on the prowl throughout the night as we are seeing reports of Terrorists being apparently cornered in a suburb of Paris, St. Denis as we are seeing reports of police being injured.   There have been deaths and the man coordianting the Paris raids is the direct target.   This is as earlier today a number of venues in Germany were evaucated due to bomb scares and two Air France fights were diverted due to apparent bomb scares as they took off from the United States.

What was gratifying to note was the movement #NotinMyName initially launched in the aftermath of Charlie Hebdo was resurrected again:



We picked this up courtesy of our founder on his personal twitter feed as #NotinMyName gathers steam:  

On the prowl 4 the night as I saw this....as powerful as it gets...#NotInMyName ...plz take note @JohnKasich ,@GOP https://t.co/J1yiTiZv6x

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 18, 2015

This is as GOP Governors have begun a campaign to bar Syrian Refugees that drew a sharp rebuke from President Obama who is at the APEC summit and noted by the +Huffington Post Politics and received by our offices in an email dispatch within the past hour as reported by the +Associated Press : 

SAUL LOEB via Getty Images

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — President Barack Obama is accusingRepublicans who oppose allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S. of being scared of widows and orphans. He says the political posturing "needs to stop."

Obama is addressing calls from GOP leaders for an immediate, temporary closure of America's borders to Syria refugees. He says those Republicans "think they're so tough."

"At first, they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three year old orphans. That doesn't seem so tough to me," Obama said, referring to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's assertion that not even refugee children should be allowed into the United States.

It is also of note, though, the hoaxes that was at hand as noted by the Sydney Morning Herald:



Internet's 10 biggest Paris hoaxes
Social media is the perfect space for lies to propagate. Here are 10 false facts about Paris you may have shared.

Notations On Our World: The latest on #ParisAttacks & The Continued Challenge of #Daesh

Our team has been on the continued assessment on the aftermath of #Daesh attacks throughout the day.   The first decision we've made is not to mention the name IS/ISIL/etc. in our daily "notations".   It has also been quite a busy 24 hours in the aftermath of the Paris Attacks.

Some in the Middle East have been profoundly concerned that the events in Beirut were not as "covered' and outrage was not as evident.      As our team here at #Outsiders assessed the Middle East impact, we hope and urge Lebanon leaders to have this as a wakeup call to unite, fix the fundemental problems and be ever so enlightened.   We will continue to assess it.   Beyond the reactions and the commentaries,  there are some very interesting developments.

There was a meeting of the Russian Security Officials chaired by President Putin.   The head of the Russian Security Service, FSB, said that they have definitely determined that it was a bomb that brought down the MetroJet that killed everyone on board.    The FSB has announced a $ 50 Million Dollar reward for information that will lead to the capture of the culprtis.    President Putin was adamant that they would be found as Russians attacked Raqqa over the past 24 hours.    US Secretary of State John Kerry was also in Paris meeting with President Hollande:

Beyond the meetings, there has been political reaction in the United States.   The Speaker of the US House, came out this morning asking for a "Pause" in the intake of Syrian Refugees:



He framed it as a US National Security Concern and noted that the National Defense Act he's signing requires the President to have a plan to defeat Daesh.  US States have also objected to White House plans to settle Syrian Refugees.--even though the passport found is a Fake as the backlash is ever so evident.  The question that leaders are not asking is what then as the Middle East continues to be grappled with problems of food insecurity, water insecurity and broader economic insecurity.     It was an interesting indictment of the present discourse that Mehdi Hassan noted in his +The Guardian column published earlier today: 

Yet we avert our gaze from the “glaringly evident” and pretend that “they” – the Russians, the Iranians, the Chinese – are attacked for their policies while “we” –Europe, the west, the liberal democracies – are attacked only for our principles. This is the simplistic fantasy, the geopolitical fairytale, that we tell ourselves. It gives us solace and strength in the wake of terrorist atrocities. But it does nothing to stop the next attack.

It appears based on reports that French Intelligence was aware of a major attack coming--but got the timing wrong with devastating consequences.   As we finished off the latest, we have also been following reports that French Police are pursuing a second fugitive based on the latest received here.    It was also quite moving to see this as we were on the "Grid" yesterday:

	The Independent (@Independent)
Watch French-Muslim students condemn the Paris attacks in a powerful and moving videoind.pn/1WVGJzF

We close this edition with this simple request to all: 

Notations On Our World: On the Cont'd aftermath of #ParisAttacks & Other Thoughts......

[REPORTAGE] Les principales annonces du... by elysee

As the attackers in Paris are identified, Francois Holland went before a joint session of the French  Parliament to note "France is at War".      The mastermind of the attacks has also been identified.   We here @ #Outsiders have decided not to name him because we would give credence to him.   

There have been 168 Police raids in France and Belgium as every effort is being made to break the network which has been activated.    It was shocking as a rocket launcher was seized in one of the raids in Lyon as France launched attacks on the Daesh Stronghold of Raqqa.  France will also extend the state of Emergency For Three Months as a minute   The Bill will be presented to Parliament Wednesday as the period of mourning continues in France.

Our founder released this on his personal twitter feed earlier this morning:

Working away on bus issues & wanted 2share this from someone who was a victim of these lowlifes--we will defeat them https://t.co/JyplTnEgmx

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 16, 2015

What is critical to observe is that he was a victim of their madness and he should be one of the voices that must be listened to.   As we went dark in honor of all the victims, our founder took to his personal page at Founder's Corner to reflect upon this by sharing a very perceptive article on the true reality before us.    It was also telling how Haaretz reported on how Belgium seems to be the center of it all.   

 US Presidential Candidates have been weighing in--a sampling of their view is noted below: 

This morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, I spoke about the horrific terrorist attacks that shook the heart of Paris and called for a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIS and other radical Islamic terrorists. I wanted to make sure you saw it:

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These attacks are a stark reminder of the serious threat we face. The Obama Administration’s approach has been weak and incremental, too often viewing terrorism as a law enforcement problem. We need to treat it as a war — to take the fight to the enemy

Like you, I've been deeply disturbed and saddened by the horrific attacks that ISIS carried out last night in Paris. I hope you'll join me in praying for the victims and for the people of France.  We need to stand with our allies in France during this difficult time. These horrors should be a reminder of the conflict we're engaged in. This is not about mere geopolitical grievances -- ISIS and al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups want to destroy our civilization, and they won't be stopped until we deprive them of their safe havens and destroy them. Watch this video for more of my reaction to these horrifying attacks - and the real reasons why radical Islamists seek to kill us: As we mourn, we can't lose sight of how important it is for us to take this radical Islamist threat seriously, and do all we can to eradicate it. Sincerely, Marco Rubio

What must be avoided is simplistic solutions and the blame game as epitomized by some in the US Conservative Movement as noted by the conservative commentator Erick Erickson and with the reaction by The UK Independence party's Nigel Farage accusing British Muslims of disloyalty as the British Prime Minister is speaking right now at London's Guild Hall on the UK response on the security strategy: 

We Must Rethink The Syrian Refugee Problem

“[L]et me not now use Paris to justify what I believed about politics the day before Paris.” It is looking more and more likely that the men who perpetrated the attacks on Paris, at least some of them, came into the country as Syrian refugees. In fact, as more and more news reports are finally...  Read in browser »

Islam is a religion of violence

That’s the theological reality of the religion. Yes, the actual theology does matter and that is why this piece by Joel J. Miller matters. Please go read the whole thing.  Read in browser »

What was also quite welcoming is that the group Anonymous declared war on the Islamic State.  As we here @ #outsiders remember the fallen in Paris and all the conflicts around the World, we here @ #Outsiders affirm what our founder reminded us all of:   We Shall Overcome as we also note the Jewish Prayer For Peace as noted by the Scholar Corey Robin:

May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease,

when a great peace will embrace the whole world.

Then nation will not threaten nation,

and mankind will not again know war.

For all who live on earth shall realize

we have not come into being to hate or to destroy.

We have come into being

to praise, to labor and to love.