January 19th, Martin Luther King Day.

I am Charlie!!. Well, no I’m not. Is there a connection between MLK and the satirical magazine of cartoons that attacks all religions? MLK was a deeply religious man. Yes I know about his transgressions but they apparently did not involve hate. Indeed given that the NRA was pushing the availability of hand guns and second amendment rights the assassination of King could easily have led to a bloodbath far beyond the riots that did occur.

So Charlie attacks all religions; really? There are lots of religions that are unconnected to formal churches. What about super-patriots? The jingoists who make a religion of their patriotism? Or perhaps the gun huggers for whom a cross will be a pair of cocked pistols? The point is that religions come in many forms. Charlie satirizes only traditional organized religions. Well, good for them; keeps them out of serious trouble. Imagine if they satirized the Marseillaise, I wonder if the French would be so accepting of that satirizing. I doubt it.