There is a class of political and journalistic "Chickens Little" scurrying about, spreading the myth of a fallen Parisian sky. Our government and news media have been remiss in not making it clear that we are not subject to the same type of internal, coordinated terrorist attacks that plague France. Our country is more in danger from the local types of multi-murder terror with which we have lived these many decades. The venues are various: university bell towers and a variety of other educational institutions, of all levels; fast-food outlets; movie theaters; private homes; etc. Surely, by now, we should be inoculated against the idea of mass, human slaughter. If the spattered blood, brains and broken limbs of elementary school children do not enrage us enough to lift a finger against the cause thereof, then, why should we be concerned that an urban bloodbath, an ocean away, might be duplicated here?
The fact is that Paris and next-door, French-speaking Brussels, Belgium are a special case. As was recently pointed out in this space, they both have teeming ghettoes of pissed-off, Arabic Muslims who have been at war with their governments for decades. They are European-born, -bred and –educated. They have not overcome France's century and a half, racist conversion of Algiers to French culture and language. Despite being European citizens from birth, they are discriminated against and held to the margins of society, as a race and religion. They are unable to progress in business, politics or the professions. In other words, they are a tinder box. The Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL/ DAISH) is well aware of this, it has a lot of matches.
That is the big difference. Over there, there is a ready-made population of disenchanted people, sitting right in the middle of the general population, with all of the civil, language and mobility skills necessary to manage the type of coordinated mayhem we have witnessed. They are super-motivated to accept and act upon any destructive initiatives emanating from the likes of DAIDSH.
As a matter of fact, they have been waiting decades for this opportunity. While they have been steaming under the inequalities of their own society, there has been little outlet, except for occasional car-burnings and such. But, now, with a well-heeled and talented sponsor such as DAISH, they are able and willing to rock and roll against their tormentors. With the added qualifier of willing self-sacrifice, they are a formidable foe for the French and Belgian governments.
That is there and this is here -- not that our own house is all that clean! But we were smart enough to get it in order before it became that disorderly. On these shores, DAISH can only hope to encourage individual, unconnected disciples to take mainly single and unskilled action. As Boston showed us, that too can be quite deadly. Over all, that type of isolated action is a lot easier to deal with than a roiling Trojan Horse in the front yard.
So, America, let's count our blessings. We are still buffered by two oceans, and we are non-violently taking care of our internal disputes. We have only one problem in attempting to control the regular public bloodbaths on our shores – The NRA!!!
***** ***** *****
The fires from distant shores burned bright.
We trembled at the awful sight.
Someone said. "Relax,
"Grab yourself an axe –
"Look behind you; they're here to fight!"
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