Bon Voyage!

I leave imminently for the airport to fly to Paris, a city ensconced in terror after a series of attacks starting Wednesday with Charlie Hebdo. I am excited, and have been looking forward to this for some time, but the regards I have received from friends and family are phrased differently than I would have expected: instead of "have fun", I have been hearing "be safe".

I listened to President François Hollande's address this evening (Paris time), and have read the articles flushing in from all corners of the Web. Statistically, I am confident in my safety in Paris, and have been reassuring all who express concern. Still, it is a shame it must be so. It is a shame that such fear now surrounds a city that was, until quite recently, considered amongst the safest by most people. It is a shame that in an era of free speech in the nation I will soon depart to, that even a satirist, people whose job it is to make fun of things nobody else dares to discuss, was attacked, that 12 people were killed that day, that the hostage situations have arisen.

I originally intended my initial, farewell post to be one focused on excitement, tacky phrases, and maybe something remotely touristy for good measure. While this is a short condemnation (I still haven't finished packing!), I feel it is my duty to condemn these attacks, to condemn those who are so close-minded and set in their beliefs that they cannot even laugh at themselves, to condemn those who see the Jewish people as instigators or objects of hate or people whose grocery stores serve especially well as hostage locations.

When I am in Paris, I will exercise due caution. I will be safe, but somebody, somebody else (preferably someone with three body guards, a Rottweiler or two, and Chuck Norris on call) should speak up, and should write about this, and follow up. In a couple weeks, long before I leave Paris, this event will have blown over, but the underlying issues will not. Thank you, and au revoir!