Why aren't the smart people talking?

It was a surprise. Not that it happened, but that it happened so soon.

France attacked ISIS.

Less than forty-eight hours after the terrorist attacks in Paris, France bombed civilians.

I doubt they scared ISIS, but they definitely scared me.

Did France take time to learn whether the big-shots were there? Most likely, the leaders were gone and mostly civilians were killed. "Merciless," indeed.

George Bush took four weeks to declare war after 9/11. France gave it less thought than George Bush and his advisors.

I guess I figured that I'd have a couple of weeks to sort out my thoughts on the responses (or non-responses) of the various asshats. I thought there would be discussions and some brilliant person would propose a good plan.

So far, nothing helpful.

"The Jews did it."

Of course I knew that was coming, but within an hour of the attacks?

If you need me to tell you that's horseshit, you shouldn't be reading my blog-- or maybe you should be.

ISIS claimed responsibility. Blaming the Jews isn't going to help anyone but the terrorists. Let's take a look at reality and base our actions on that.

"They only do these things because their lives are hopeless and that's our fault."

This terrorist act was not a response to being disenfranchised. No terrorist act is. Islamic terrorists attack because they've been taught radical interpretations of the Koran.

I once heard Irshad Manji assert that radical Islam isn't an expression of the Muslim religion, but of Arab culture. Whatever its source, it's a culture that teaches children to hate and kill. (I promise that you do not want the YouTube link to the toddler beheading his teddy bear.)

One of the more creative versions of the disenfranchisement excuse can be found in an article on GodsAndRadicals, "The US government, taking the symbolic place of Grendel’s Mother, is the womb from which they all spring."

That is an example of what my mother would have called a one-track mind. In this case, his view of capitalism is the only thing on his mind.

Radical Islam was terrorizing and murdering and beheading before the war in Syria, before the Iraq War, before the Shah, before the United States existed, before capitalism, and even before the Crusades.

Why are self-proclaimed radicals eager to excuse rape and torture and beheadings? Why doesn't it matter that Muslim Extremists throw gay people off the roofs of buildings, silence and brutalize women, terrorize innocent strangers on the other side of the world, or murder and maim their own neighbors? Have they heard about the ongoing genocide of the Yazidis and other non-Muslim minorities?

Don't they know that, in the last few decades, more Arabs have been killed by other Arabs than by the West?

First Nations actually have endured "unimaginable cruelty" at the hands of white people and capitalism, but they have not become terrorists. To quote that article again, Indians are not "vicious dogs" and the U.S. government is not their "owner."

"There are bigger problems."

I only half agree with Bernie Sanders; we can not wait to address climate change. But get your head out of your-- out of the sand, Bernie. Islamic terror must be addressed immediately, too. (Preferably with good sense, good intelligence, conviction, and firmness.)

"All religions are about love. Terrorists aren't real Muslims."

Have you been awake? They've told us who they are and what motivates them. It's past time to figure out how to respond.

"Islam is evil."

Nearly a quarter of the word's people are Muslim, so obviously, the majority of Muslims are not psychopaths. If they were, most of the rest of us would be dead already. The problem is not the words in the Koran; it's how people interpret the Koran. The problem is allowing teachers of radicalism and hate to have so much influence.

We might have seen this coming forty years ago, after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. We certainly could have helped four years ago, when moderate Syrians took a rare and courageous stand against ISIS; instead we abandoned people who really expected our support. Moderate Muslims are usually too scared to fight; we owe it to everyone, including ourselves, to help them.

We'll never save the kid who eviscerated his teddy bear, but we should ask ourselves how we can help moderate Muslims take control of their societies.

"We can't let refugees into our country."

We need to help them return to their homes and stand up to the bad guys, but in the meantime-- with caution-- we must be compassionate. Perhaps Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations could be compassionate, too.

Right now, we need to be worrying about the people we know are bad guys and if civilians have nowhere to go, there only options are join or die.

"There will be a backlash against Muslims in the West."

For the most part, we're better than that. (I can only speak for the U.S.)

A day or two after 9/11, a Muslim woman had a cameraman follow her around New York so she could show that people would take out their frustrations on all Muslims. Several people went up to her, asking if she was okay, concerned for her well being. The young woman seemed annoyed at these expressions of solidarity.

If we see a backlash against Muslims, we can fight it and I know that many of us would.

* * I want to hear people asking, "What is the sane response to this?" * *

A successful response to ISIS will probably include bombing, but we should have a plan first. It will also require sending "our boys" in, so we should definitely have a good plan. (What about Saudi Arabia-- when will we insist they stop pretending to be on the fence?) This war is going to last for many years, and longer than that if we don't have a plan.

It wouldn't be okay for Israel to respond the way France has. We know the French can say "disproportionate" because they use the word all the time, criticizing Israel for anything it does in defense of its civilians and ignoring the fact that terrorists use their own civilians as human shields.

Hollande laughed when Netenyahu said that ISIS is a threat to everyone. For years, France has ignored attacks on French Jews. Willfully blind.

Is France going to get a grip on reality or just drop bombs indiscriminantly?

We need a plan, so I'd like the asshats to shut up now and the smart people to step forward and lead. Without further delay.

Nothing to Hide – Airport Security

The last time I left Israel, guards at Ben Gurion Airport stopped me. Familiar with U.S. airport security, my heart instantly started racing.

I had waited in line to check in for my flight while young women, looking delicate and harmless despite their military uniforms, politely questioned passengers with almost Japanese sweetness. When I had reached the front of the line, I put my suitcase in a large, inelegant machine that looked like it belonged in a 1950s movie. As luggage moved along the short conveyor belt, it was scanned for explosives.

When my suitcase came out of the machine, a security guard claimed it and directed me to follow him to a nearby table. I was very nervous, but another young woman in an IDF uniform quickly put me at ease. She asked me if I spoke English and joked with me when I answered in Hebrew. Then she asked, “Do you have honey in your suitcase?” I did. She watched my face carefully when I told her where I purchased the honey and that I had packed my suitcase myself. Then she simply handed me my suitcase and I walked to the ticket booth to check in for my flight.

It had never happened before, but on this occasion, a woman, not in uniform, stopped me just before I boarded the plane. She was matter-of-fact when she stated that she needed to pat me down. It was quick and inoffensive, unlike the pat downs I've received from Homeland Security officers.

After I arrived in the U.S. and was waiting in the “Holders of U.S. Passports” line, I could see a Homeland Security official opening his booth for the “holders of foreign passports.” A young woman, perhaps of Indian descent, approached the booth. The official was immediately aggressive. He took her passport and she nervously answered the questions he barked.

Hoping not to gain the attention of anyone in Homeland Security, I cautiously looked at another American in line next to me. I caught her eye and then moved my chin slightly to indicate the scene.

“She looks really nervous,” the woman whispered.

“I would be, too,” I murmured, trying not to move my lips.

“Well, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about,” she replied sanctimoniously.

The official continued his interrogation. Then he had the young woman put her eyes up to an impressively modern machine so her irises could be scanned. I could see her legs trembling. The official returned her passport and she walked into the baggage claim area.

After my passport had been stamped, I hurried on, hoping for a chance to speak with the young visitor to my country. She was just picking up her bag. I apologized for what had happened. She was still upset and we spoke for a little while. She was meeting a college friend for dinner in the airport before catching a connecting flight to visit some of her relatives.

I claimed my bag and then waited in another security line. The sanctimonious woman I’d spoken with earlier was ahead of me in the line. When her bags went through the x-ray machine, they attracted the attention of security. She was pulled aside and a guard began unwrapping all the gifts that had been in her suitcase. She was shaking.

Our eyes met and I hoped she could read my mind, “If you’ve got nothing to hide...”

* * *

I was unhappy with U.S. airport security, its tone and its effectiveness.

At Ben Gurion, the young, female guards had obviously been trained in “good manners” and in searching facial expressions for lies. They didn’t resort to intimidation. (Two Europeans who were in line near me at Ben Gurion had acted suspiciously. Red flags were raised even for me, but the IDF girls never raised their voices. Eventually, the two passengers admitted to being a couple and to speaking one of the languages that the guards spoke. I was curious about why they had behaved so strangely, but when Israeli security let them on the plane, I wasn’t worried.) The guards had been polite but persistent.

U.S. Security is harsh and, I worry, less effective. Once years ago, after being pulled aside, searched, frightened, and then released, I realized that that the U.S. security guards had not confiscated my bottle of water. Despite their show of testosterone, they’d let me pick up and openly carry a potentially lethal weapon.

I have less experience with Israeli airport security guards, but they seem more interested in catching terrorists than in bullying innocent travelers.