An intelligent response to the events in Paris [View all]

[philosslayer]

The kneejerk reaction is to retaliate. More bombs, more war.... vengeance. This is not the intelligent response. If ISIS is in fact behind these attacks (and just claiming to be doesn't make it so), then retaliation is EXACTLY what they want. Retaliation is a recruiting tool they will use to convince the dispossessed and forgot among the Muslim population that "see? the West really DOES hate us. Come to us. Fight back." Retaliation plays right into their hands.

The intelligent response is the counterintuitive response. It involves the following:

-- Find and prosecute those responsible. Legally prosecute. Not with drones and violence. This was a criminal act. Treat it as such.
-- Stop persecuting the Muslim populations in Europe. Stop trying to ban Burkas, and other such nonsense. Let them practice their religion freely.
-- Embrace, support, and assimilate the refugees. They are the ones fleeing this madness. Show love and compassion, and stop putting up walls or setting up barriers to keep them from entering.
-- Begin a more constructive dialogue with Muslims in Europe (and elsewhere). Understand them. Understand their culture. Don't belittle it, don't denigrate it, don't legislate against it. 99.99% of them want to live peacefully among us. Let them.

Wars, guns, and violence won't solve this problem. Understanding and dialogue will. How about, for once, an open hand instead of a fist?