Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say • Hacker News Board

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#91

Post by iMark » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:15 AM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #45

iMark wrote: post #41

I'm not entirely sure how I would define my guiding motivation in life, but I swear "do no harm" would be part of it. I despair at those who believe otherwise.

I'm not sure if I could keep a motivation like that if, for example, my family was killed by a drone strike.

I'd try - seriously.

I don't know who came up with "an eye-for-eye and tooth-for-tooth would lead to a world of the blind and toothless" but I believe it.

I'm sure it's something I'd struggle with when the hard choice arises, but I honestly believe I'd try to keep to it.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#92

Post by slantedview » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:15 AM UTC

asasasasasas wrote: post #80

user_0001 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What should be done? Bomb the hell out of the Syrians? Surely they have suffered enough. Iraq III? Maybe this time.... maybe.... Send the ground troops into Saudi? Quatar? Acknowledging that some of ISIS / Al-Qaeda gripes do have some merit, stop interfering in other countries affairs, stop propping up dictators because they are "our" dictator. Something else? Unfortunately for the Syrians, my money is on bomb the he…

What if we were to remove our dependence on foreign oil? Though fusion is a long way out, hypothetically, if we didn't have any reason to interfere and could just leave the Middle East to figure out its own problems, they wouldn't have a reason to see us as the enemy.

Shifting the mind-blowingly insane amount of money we spend on defense over to fusion could help move things along pretty quickly.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#93

Post by clock_tower » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:15 AM UTC

I'm very curious about where the attackers got those firearms. France isn't as heavily disarmed as England, but it isn't exactly the United States for firearms availability; if any of the offenders' weapons can be recovered, I'm sure there will be interesting things to learn from their serial numbers.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#94

Post by stefantalpalaru » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:16 AM UTC

rezashirazian wrote: post #77

This is scary. This was a well coordinated attack that usually create a lot of chatter before hand. Unlike lone wolf attacks these are somewhat easier to detect. The French intelligence and counter terrorism units are either not doing their best or these terrorist are getting much better at covering their tracks.

They probably have more data than what they can process. The best they can do so far, in terms of prevention, is stopping the incredibly dumb: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/france-says-tou...

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#95

Post by iMark » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:16 AM UTC

user_0001 wrote: post #50

iMark wrote: post #41

I'm not entirely sure how I would define my guiding motivation in life, but I swear "do no harm" would be part of it. I despair at those who believe otherwise.

What about those who do harm in your name?

That's their choice not mine.

As much as I'm able to claim, I'd never advocate such.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#96

Post by slantedview » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:16 AM UTC

espadrine wrote: post #44

toyg wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reworded to avoid offence (hopefully): deaths are not irrelevant, but their exact precise number is irrelevant. What matters is the scale of the security failure, compounded by the fact that they suffered a similar one less than a year ago and they were currently on high-alert (because they've only just started bombing Syria). The knowledge that a network could carry out such a widespread and well-coordinated attack…

> Basically, the French security system has been revealed as completely ineffective. As an aside, strong suveillance laws were voted earlier this year. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&pr...

If you see and hear everything, you will know nothing.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#97

Post by S4M » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:17 AM UTC

toyg wrote: post #43

sosborn wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Basically, the French security system has been revealed as completely ineffective. How can a country possibly prevent these things while still maintaining a free society?

By making the secret services work for their money on real problems, instead of fretting about tapping media pirates and suchlike. By having a foreign policy that does not rely on military intervention at the drop of a hat. By not starting fires all over the place. The list is long and well-known.

I don't think any secret service could prevent any isolated individual to make at home, say, Molotov cocktails, and throw them by car in a crowd.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#98

Post by fein » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:17 AM UTC

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #90

fein wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arm your citizens. Edit: Seems HN would rather die on their knees. Shame.

This is not such a bad idea. Unfortunately, it won't help in controlled places like a concert hall (as tonight) where patrons will be scanned at the door. If not today, undoubtedly they'll start doing a lot more of this. On the street and in restaurants, that's another story.

Or carrying concealed could be allowed there too. Scanners didn't stop this.

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#99

Post by ThomPete » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:17 AM UTC

rezashirazian wrote: post #77

This is scary. This was a well coordinated attack that usually create a lot of chatter before hand. Unlike lone wolf attacks these are somewhat easier to detect. The French intelligence and counter terrorism units are either not doing their best or these terrorist are getting much better at covering their tracks.

They knew something was up they just didn't know what.

http://sofrep.com/44480/french-and-german-police-knew-paris-...

Re: Paris Shootings and Explosions Kill Over 100, Police Say

#100

Post by livatlantis » Sat, Nov 14, 2015, 1:17 AM UTC

In Paris right now. We are in shock. At both the scale and the extremely coordinated nature of the attacks on civilians at multiple locations.

I work near rue Bichat and Le Petit Cambodge, a warm little restaurant in the 10e that my colleagues and I frequent, where people were tonight killed. The Bataclan is a well-known concert venue for metal bands, where I've seen several bands play live. Les Halles is at the center of Paris. Everyone who lives here has close connections to these areas; they took place very close to our everyday lives. Even those of us fortunate enough to know that our friends are safe are reeling from what has happened.

This is the first time since the Second World War that France has declared a state of emergency.

It's too early to come to any conclusions. It's too early to talk about immediate and long-term ramifications, about connections to the refugees, how these events will make France more 'communautariste'. That time will come, but it's too early right now.

It's 2am right now, Paris is mostly awake. We mourn those who lost their lives.