“This was an act of Terrorism”
President Barack Obama on Sunday, December 6, issued his most passionate address to the nation yet on the topic of ISIS, specifically the San Bernardino shooting.
A survey conducted by CNN before the San Bernardino shootings showed that 60% of Americans disapproved of Obama’s handling of terrorism in general. 53% are for the first time saying the U.S. should send ground troops to fight ISIS, and 68% said the American response to the group’s rise had not been aggressive enough.
Obama warned that the kind of anti-Muslim talk that has erupted in the Republican candidates is damaging. “Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values or giving into fear. That’s what groups like ISIS are hoping for. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless. And by drawing upon every aspect of American power,” Obama said.
Trump’s approval ratings went up as expected because of his radical plans to defeat ISIS. “My numbers go way up after tragedies,” Trump said. He also live tweeted during Obama’s address to the nation speech saying, “We need a new President – FAST!” and asked, “Is that all there is?”
In the investigations following the gruesome massacre which left hundreds dead and injured, officials have confirmed that Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple that opened fire on a holiday party, were radicalized before they met, but it’s not clear who they were radicalized by. Malik’s previous home, owned by her father in Multan, Pakistan, was padlocked and chained shut while a raid was carried out recently. Police seized religious instruction books, audio CDs with Quran readings and various documents, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.
ISIS hailed the couple as “supporters” of the terror group, but while claiming responsibility for other attacks in the past, terrorists with direct connections to the radical group have been described as “knights” or “soldiers,” not supporters. When interviewed about how Malik entered the U.S., a senior State Department official told CNN that Malik was not asked about jihadist when a U.S. consular official interviewed her in Pakistan for her fiancee visa application last year. That’s because no red flags were found in the Department of Homeland Security application that was submitted and checked before the interview, the official said.
After the Paris attacks, North Harford french students decided to show their support for Paris by decorating the hallway outside of their classroom. They made signs that were red white and blue that said “Prier pour Paris” (Pray for Paris). French teacher Madame Arist was asked about her reaction when hearing about the attacks for the first time, she responded by saying, “Naturally I was sad to hear that kind of situation occurred there and it reminded me of when we were attacked on 9/11 many years ago because you’re not expecting it. It’s just so incredibly sad when people are just innocently living their lives and something bad happens.” She mentioned that she did not know anyone involved in the attacks directly, but she said, “ I do have friends that live in Paris so after, I reached out through social media to see if they’re okay, and they were, they were fine. So no one was directly affected but just by being there and living in the city, there’s a sense of sadness and uncertainty and fear but also resolve at the same time.”
