Paris Terror Avenges No One; No Lessons Learned from Earlier Missteps

Paris is on high alert this morning after 12 people were killed
at a magazine office. The terrorists were heard to cry out,
"The Prophet has been avenged." How do they know what
anyone is thinking, much less a long-dead religious figure?
Mind reading is a seldom-accurate endeavor at best. Killing
a few innocent people is a terrible tragedy, but not any
kind of major game-changer, so exactly what revenge do
these murderous idiots feel has been exacted?

The magazine, Charlie Hebdo, didn't particularly help
itself by spoofing the Prophet; the editors, artists and/or
writers apparently paid precious little heed to the similar
newspaper cartoon episode in Denmark a few years
back. Free speech and freedom of the press should
always include a healthy dollop of considered
circumspection--because one is able to do a thing,
is it wise in fact to do it? 

Somewhere, George Santayana is tsk-tsking.