The decision by PEN American Center -- the literary organization -- to give its annual Freedom of Expression Courage award to Charlie Hebdo has prompted six writers to withdraw from the event. According to The New York Times, one of the writers cited the magazine's alleged ...read more
On Friday, the news was rightly dominated by the dual standoffs between French police and terrorists involved in the murders of 13 people earlier in the week, standoffs which ended in violent death for three of the suspects, while one remains at large. Two of the suspects, ...read more
UPDATE BELOW. I'm old enough to remember when any American leader who stood in solidarity with France and other (socialist, commie, effete, gibberish-talking) European leaders was relentlessly hectored by the American right. Remember when Secretary of State John Kerry ran for ...read more
It is tragic and sickening, yet in a way, fitting that the name "Charlie Hebdo" has been made world-famous by terrorist murderers who sought to silence the satirical magazine, whose headquarters was the site of an attack that claimed 12 lives. In "avenging" the offense committed ...read more
"Je suis Charlie," their website says, a message of solidarity that sprang up in the hours after the attack that claimed so many of their lives. On Wednesday morning, the headquarters of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo was attacked by three gunmen who killed 12 people, ...read more