San Bernardino is not the California dream. Per capita income is among the lowest of urban areas in the state, and air quality is 3rd worst in the nation. But what can we learn from the San Bernardino nightmare?
As with Paris, the danger is home grown terrorists. Syed Farook was born in Illinois. Evidence is mounting that he was radicalized before contacting and marrying Tashfeen Malik. He sought a kindred spirit. But for his extremism, she would not have entered the country.
Some casualties may be inevitable in a war of ideas, but incendiary language by Republican presidential candidates can only add to the toll. Trump could well be terrorist recruiter in chief. Moreover, to the extent Trump, Cruz and others alienate the Muslim community, cooperation with authorities lessens. We could be flooded with threats with a mere trickle of information.
Second we need to ban military grade weapons. Maybe guns don't kill people, and it is people who kill people. But clearly people with automatic and semi-automatic weapons kill more people. True, some terrorists might illegally obtain such weapons. But, law enforcement is trained to track illegal weapons. Terrorists may be spotted because they seek illegal weapons.
Other steps may need to be taken such as tighter Visa background checks. But the key is welcoming Muslim citizens into the flow of American life, and denying armament to those who seek to dam and damn that flow.
No comments:
Post a Comment