TERRORIST ATTACKS: PARIS, MALI, AND MORE

[HairOfTheDog]

Non-action on the part of Westerners:

1. Allowing entire communities of Muslims, particularly in Europe, to live in their own sheltered world, while radicalization takes place.

I agree that lack of Muslim immigrant assimilation in European society is a big contributor to their problem with Islamic terrorism. With an increasing number of Muslims being uneducated and unable to find jobs and thus living in Muslim ghettos, it's not a surprise when they join criminal networks/gangs (religious or otherwise). Nor is it an excuse.

But, I'm not sure if Europe "allowed" the segregation to happen or actually "forced/encouraged" it to happen. I've read differing views from European leaders.

On the whole, the U.S. does a much better job with immigrant assimilation/integration than Europe, which is something Angela Merkel is evaluating now.

2. Here in the U.S., not being able to express viewpoints that suggest deportation of Muslims, or expressing doubt as to allowing thousands of Syrian refugees to enter the country, without being labelled a xenophobe or racist.

I've never heard anyone suggest deporting Muslims. I've heard Trump (and later Cruz) suggest deporting Mexicans, denying Constitutional citizenship rights to children born to non-citizen immigrants of any faith/nationality on American soil, and putting a freeze on Muslim immigration.

I don't consider the freeze suggestion to be xenophobic or racist on its own.

3. Inaction allows the cancerous cells to grow. Don't think for a moment that there aren't cells here just waiting for the right moment to strike.

I don't believe the U.S. government and intelligence agencies have been inactive. They've made many arrests and, in the last couple of years, been largely condemned for broad anti-terror surveillance which included sampling the records of everyone in this country.

But, aside from the wife of the San Bernadino radicalized Islamic terrorist, the ones I've read about being arrested for plotting attacks in the U.S. and/or planning to physically join the Islamic State have been Americans; Americans, who after viewing internet propaganda, converted to radical Islam. Fortunately, they make up a very small portion of our population to date.

Anyway, I agree that there's good reason to be concerned about both immigrant and domestic terrorism (Islamic and otherwise), and I support government and LE efforts to quash and contain it. I think that should be done with effort to avoid punishing everyone of any particular faith or nationality for the actions of the few.