I think this may be a turning point too. But not so much because the media has been attacked, but because this is a significant emotional event, and not only for the French. The people seem to realize that their freedoms are under attack, and part of their frustration is that they know their governments aren't going to do anything. It's the people who must react.
The gatherings last night of tens of thousands in countries throughout Europe indicate that at the very least a catharsis has occurred, whether action will follow is the question.
What is a moderate Muslim? Can we afford to continue to attempt to make a distinction? Of course not. This is the conclusion the people have come to, it has become now a matter of the preservation of civilization.
“What is a moderate Muslim?”
A former Muslim.
Europeans are much more liberal than Americans, and much more skeptical of government and other institutions; these guys who were killed had more guts than all of our media combined (continuing with their work even after a bombing of their offices a few years back). For all of the anti-French sentiment here, France is a country that strictly forbids the wearing of veils by Muslim girls in public schools; they know the threat they face, and don’t try to lull their people into a false sense of security. They demand assimilation of their immigrants, while we pretend our immigrants are here to “fix” the WASP culture that made this country a superpower.