No one can take away the love of freedom of the French - Viva La France

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France was the first ally of the American colonists who sent advisers and resources to help General Washington win the American Revolution.

The gift by France to the United States of the Statue of Liberty remains one of the most iconic symbols of the USA to this day.

Among our greatest allies in Europe including England, Germany, Spain, and Italy, France is our only major European ally who never fought a war against the USA.

Yesterday France came under terrorist attack because a French magazine made fun of Mohammed and Allah in cartoons just as the French have been doing since the days of Napoleon.  Napoleon once said a cartoonist in Paris did more damage to his reputation than all the armies he fought.

Ten French journalists and two French police were dead in the carnage while 11 more suffered injuries in this brazen assault by the radicalized terrorists in the heart of Paris.  It was the worst terrorist action in France since the Algerian war ended in the 1960's when the entire world seemed to be at war.

While newspapers like The New York Times declared, "The mood of failure and paralysis is widespread in France," the French people were far from intimated, far from intent on punishing all followers of Islam for the actions of radical extremists, and the people showed it.

Rather than cower in their homes and offices after the brutal attack thousands in France took to the streets to declare WE ARE NOT AFRAID and I AM CHARLIE in massive demonstrations that quickly spread throughout France, Europe and the rest of the world.

The Paris based magazine or newspaper, Charlie Hebdo published the cartoons and had already survived a firebombing that destroyed their headquarters in 2011 in retaliation for satirical cartoons they published.

No radical terrorist in this day and age will ever silence or intimidate the French people because freedom, liberty, equality, and brotherhood flows in their blood and molds their character.

Thank you the people of France for continuing to put democratic principles, freedom, and equality above all other secular concerns.

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