The Republican candidates for president are doing their best to frighten Americans about the efforts of jihadist terrorists. This is a problem that needs to be addressed (even though home-drown right-wing terrorism is a bigger problem in the United States). But the "solutions" offered by those Republicans make no sense.
Trump wants to register all muslims in this country, and ban muslims from entering the country. Cruz wants to carpet bomb areas held by ISIS in the Middle East (killing many innocents). And all of them want to send thousands more American troops to Iraq/Syria to fight an ever-increasing war in that area (even though it has already been shown in Afghanistan and Iraq that this policy doesn't work).
The truth is that bigoted policies and more war won't stop jihadist terrorism. It will probably just increase it by creating more terrorists.
Fortunately, there is a candidate that knows this -- and has offered a sensible plan to stop foreign-inspired terrorism. It is Hillary Clinton. Her plan is not an easy one, and won't fit nicely in a sound bite or on a bumper sticker, but the solution to jihadist terrorism is not easy. Her plan will work though -- if our nation is brave enough and smart enough to do it.
Here is her five-point plan:
1. Shut down ISIS recruitment in the United States, especially online.
Washington and Silicon Valley need to work together to defeat jihadists in cyberspace. That means identifying and removing the extremist content that terrorists use to recruit online.
2. Stop would-be jihadists from getting training overseas, and stop foreign terrorists from coming here.
We need to know the identity of jihadists and stop them before they cross our border. The United States and its allies need to vigilantly screen visa applicants, share information, and alert each other to potential threats.
3. Discover and disrupt plots before they are carried out.
Better intelligence is key to intercepting terror plots—but we also have to stop terrorists from carrying them out. That means restoring the assault weapons ban and closing the loopholes that let suspected terrorists buy guns.
4. Support law enforcement officers who risk their lives to prevent and respond to attacks.
We need to make sure our law enforcement officials have the training and resources they need to keep us safe from terrorism. And we can never turn our backs on the heroes who risk their health and their lives for our country.
5. Empower Muslim American communities on the front lines of the fight against radicalization.
Demonizing Muslims doesn't just go against everything we stand for as Americans—it also threatens our national security. We need to stand up to disgraceful anti-Muslim rhetoric and build trust so that our communities can work hand in hand with law enforcement to stop terrorism.
She forgot the most important one.
ReplyDelete6. Stop doing things that allow ISIS to recruit.
Until we stop acting like idiots in the Middle East her 5 points won't help. Welcome to the War on Drugs II. Same stupid thinking.