Je Suis Charlie -- Afterthought

JE SUIS CHARLIE — Afterthought The shock of this most frightening tragedy is practically beyond the pale of any reasonable or adequate attempt or effort to explain it or to rationalize the horrible circumstances surrounding it. Let me just say that all of us who are writers and poets ply our poetry, “our intellectual wares,” if you will, in a common written medium that expects the same unrestricted level of freedom of speech and expression exercised by those extraordinarily brave artists at “Charlie Hebdo” who were recently murdered in cold blood by self-styled Islamic extremists in Paris. It is also equally saddening and deplorable that some courageous police officers died in the line of duty defending these freedoms as well as some other security people and hostages caught up in the midst of these most terrifying circumstances. The heinous actions perpetrated by these armed extremists destroyed innocent lives and affected the lives of a number of loved ones whose burden of sadness and tragedy is unimaginable. Their actions also were an attempt to strike at the very heart of those sacred freedoms that all of us who live in open societies and democracies cherish as part of our everyday lives. The armed extremists, by their actions, also personified and demonstrated an obvious affectation for barbarity, stupidity, ignorance, and cowardice that were all on ample display as a result of what they did. Freedom of speech and expression are among those certain historic inalienable rights given to all of us by the divine hand of God himself, and certainly not by the generosity of any government or religious group (regardless of faith). The brave souls who died at Charlie Hebdo, died exercising this most sacred franchise. The point I’m driving at is this: Those extremists who committed these most reprehensible actions of recent against their fellow man did not win in spite of their collective efforts to destroy lives and to sully these precious freedoms that all of us as writers and artists hold so very dear. The outpouring of emotion and sadness in support of these slain heroes in the face of this most despicable crime is quite compelling, and underlies the continuing determination of all of us who love and cherish the freedoms of speech and expression to continue to speak out and to exercise these sacred rights without reservation. With all of this in mind, I humbly and proudly conclude my narrative to all of you here by saying and echoing as loudly as possible: “Je Suis Charlie” . . . “I am Charlie.” Gary Bateman, Copyright © All Rights Reserved (January 10, 2015) (Narrative)