Pope Francis stated we may already be in a “piecemeal World War III” after last Friday’s synchronized attacks in Paris. Certainly, ISIS and its spiritual confederates have declared war on all infidels in their sights – their own neighbors, both Muslim and not, as well as the the entire West. One commentator after another has emphasized that there’s no foolproof way to prevent these attacks – not when a person is willing to strap on a suicide vest for the Cause.
As initial shock and awe over last week’s barbaric and soulless killing spree melts into fear and anger, we want to do something to make it stop. Bomb the snot out of ISIS strongholds. Get some boots on the ground. Refuse entry to all Syrian refugees until our government can offer an iron-clad guarantee that no ISIS operatives are in the bunch. Or do the opposite, and welcome most all, because the nice verdigris lady standing in New York Harbor repeats Emma Lazarus’s words to those seeking refuge from around the world: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
I don’t have a ready answer. [Read more]
