Making new friends and a sad anniversary

Thanks to Graham Roberts for buying the defiance edition of Charlie Hebdo for me. I contacted him a year ago from Adelaide and he went out and found a copy, despite its scarcity.

I took delivery of it when we visited Graham and Kerrie yesterday. They’re an Australian couple living in a lovely townhouse at St Foy la Grande, an hour’s drive north of Castelmoron, on the Dordogne River.

l to r: Cliona, Graham and Kerrie Roberts outside their house

Seeing the now famous cover brought back the horror of that cowardly attack.

But reading the articles and cartoons reassured me that CH’s smart-arsery had not diminished. They were not cowed by violence, nor silenced by slaughter. Their contempt for bullshit burned brighter than ever, their ridicule of medieval dogma shone through.

Hilarious was their cartoon showing the two befuddled jihadists looking around “heaven” and asking "Where are the 70 virgins?". Well, they were on another cloud gleefully bonking the C.H. mob!

One of the highlights of the edition was an interview with Charb from the afterlife. He was asked how he felt. 

“Not too bad, considering,” he said. 

“Where are you?” 

“Everywhere and nowhere,” replied Charb, “but I don’t want to sound like some kind of mystical turkey.”