The story around Paris unfolds as I type this. Police just raided two sites and killed Islamic terrorists who have been holding hostages. This was connected to a horrific massacre a few days earlier of twelve people working at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. This bloody assault on free speech is a clear and present danger to every freedom-loving citizen. Just weeks ago, a satirical movie about North Korea's leader was prevented from mass distribution in theatres on Christmas Day with a hack on Sony Pictures and violent threats orchestrated by a government that terrorizes its own people. I was recently talking about the role of media in the Ferguson and Queens shooting controversies and was told there was too much freedom of the press. That attitude is scary. It's bad enough how much of the U.S. media is owned by a few giant corporations not necessarily committed to journalistic integrity.. Why would anyone want government to further limit news coverage? The Charlie Hebdo killings serve as a reminder that there are many threats to getting both the objectivity and multiple perspectives we all need to make the right decisions. We need a truly free press let us know what we're up against. The French and people around the world are defying the intimidation of violent radicals with the phrase "Je Suis Charlie"... "I Am Charlie."
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