RUTHLESS

The Paris terrorism reminded me of 9-11. My daughter called me then and said, "Dad, are you watching TV?" Afterwards, I was glued to it for days. Now, with the terrorist attacks on Paris, the same emotions have evolved. Just so happens that I was on a pheasant hunting trip with a few of my buddies, mostly vets. 

We have talked, postulated from the very beginning of news of the attack: what to do? In a sense we admitted that there is nothing to do unless we are willing to be ruthless. One of my buddies called to mind the Clint Eadteood movie, "Unforgiven." Clint has killed the corrupt Sheriff and he gets on his horse and looks at his good buddy, Ned, in a casket on display for all to see. (Morgan Freeman.) Clint stops and says something like, "You better give Ned a proper burial or I am coming back and will kill you and then I will hunt down your families and kill them." This is what we call "ruthless." It is the only way to confront ISSI. 

One of the aspects of what we are seeing is that ISSI doesn't mind showing us and telling us who they are because they are counting on our value system to keep us from being "ruthless." We will do limited retaliation but not much. We don't have the heart for "ruthless". 

In other words all we can do is react and not much of that. Do we have it in us for "ruthless." I don't think so. Are we ready to deport/blame families for their terrorist children. What about torture, water boarding. This is the way you get information, water boarding, profiling, listening in on conversations. What about it? Can we be "ruthless?" I DON'T THINK SO.