By Tim Baldwin
Paris suffered a major atrocity on Nov. 13. French President Hollande blamed ISIS for these attacks and called them an act of war. ISIS claimed accountability. News reported that one day before, President Barack Obama claimed ISIS was contained. He was wrong. Now Obama has vowed to help France hunt down the terrorists responsible.
Our kinship with France has deep roots. America and France were co-leaders during the Enlightenment Period: We advanced natural law principles that political power rests in the people, not elites. Liberty flourished because of this. We should help France, but below are two ways to help ourselves.
Be armed. Police tried to rescue the innocent and brought guns to do so. Great, but citizens should not have to wait for police to rescue them from barbarians. Life-and-death circumstances require immediate response. The deadliest site in Paris was a concert where three terrorists killed at least 89 people. Not one citizen was armed and ready to defend innocent lives. People should be able to protect themselves in public. The spread of terrorism to the West demonstrates this need.
Be border smart. Reports say that some of the attackers may have entered France as refugees. Since the attacks, however, France sealed its borders to prevent more would-be attackers from entering. Obviously self-preservation trumps open borders to unknown people from unknown places with unknown purposes.
We mourn for France. Now, let experience teach us to protect ourselves better.
By Joe Carbonari
The Paris attacks are a game changer. ISIS has brought the war to us. It will doom them. It is unacceptable in a civilized world. We must root out the murderers and discredit their ideology.
This will take boots on the ground. Some are, and more will have to be, ours. We have the skills and resources required. If we do not lead, Iran and Russia will. Neither’s ascendency would lead to a better or safer world. Their leadership is irresponsible. They are poor world citizens.
Paris drives home the reality that terrorism can happen here, or anywhere. ISIS really has both the ability and the desire to kill us, at home, where we live. They have declared war on western civilization, our basic values and beliefs. They are not all or most of Islam; they are the worst. Islam must cleanse itself. We cannot do it.
What we can do is to lead the effort to restore order. ISIS is embedded in local populations. They are essentially a functioning state. They provide order and services to the existing populations. ISIS leadership and resources are shielded by those people who have remained in the areas taken over. We cannot simply bomb them to death. We must be civilized. Boots will be needed.
Ideally, the boots would be Sunni Arab, the prevailing population. This will take diplomacy, patience, and restraint. We need to lead.