I just read that Patrick Dempsey and his wife were just in Paris about 10 days ago. It's such a fantastic city and I, too, am sending up prayers for the people there. It's interesting to me how easy it is to take these places for granted.

Another thing - in our local fish wrap - I love newspapers, but this one is sinking fast... Front page was about Paris and the front page of the Insight, was an article written for the LA Times by a gal and the by-line read..."I always say, instead of bombs, throw books at Isis." Someone should have stopped the article...

They've been making shrewd use of the social networks, substantially for recruitment.

It seems to me that we need to do some serious thinking, to out-smart them.

Bombing may slow them, but it seems to me that they want to lure us into sending more boots over on the ground, to confront them directly, as much of their propaganda says that every time the westerners have interfered in their area in the last hundred years or more it has caused more trouble for the locals ... which will help to unify many who don't care for us much, and give the radicals more support ... including more bodies not only in the local area, but in our bailiwick as well, to carry their guns and bombs.

When we get blustery, as we have for the last couple of days ... it makes them look good in the eyes of many who are feeling dispossessed and hopeless ... thus to feel that maybe it would be a good idea to help them in their troublemaking.

It seems to me that we need to play the situation in a much cooler fashion - it seems to me that when we get all hot and bothered ... it helps their cause.

Which is the last thing that we want to do, right?

ole joyful

People living in despair can be unduly influenced by extreme religious and political views. That phenomenon is seen worldwide. Even in the US as well as in Europe. It appears that several of the perpetrators of these heinous acts were European born but obviously developed extreme views from the institutions and people they associated with.

The long term solution has to include improvements in education and economic opportunities for people who are impressionable today because of the hopelessness of their lives. If the battlefield is active, the acts of the civilized world are defensive and in reaction to attacks from the extremists. I don't think that should stop and politically, no leader can afford to be seen as taking a passive or conciliatory view so long as these senseless acts and battlefield activities (as in Syria and Iraq) continue. .

"European born" doesn't really mean all that much, considering a substantial portion of the population in France now live in separate communities, a so-called "parallel society", so much removed from mainstream French culture, language, and values. This is a very touchy social issue in France right now. Many local areas in France could easily be mistaken for a Middle Eastern country. France isn't the same place it was in the 70's.