Common Sense: Lone wolves

The new horror in France was orchestrated by a French citizen not claimed initially by any particular terrorist group. And in that the dangers of the world have been magnified many fold.

This act of terrorism was by what is often called a lone wolf, an individual just as extreme, no less insane then those who are part of the many international terrorist groups, but in a sense more dangerous because such people are much more difficult to identify before they act.

The open border policies of the European Union combined with historic ties with former colonial possessions are really coming back to make Europe, and in particular France and Belgium, very dangerous places. Frankly, I do not think either country can guarantee the safety of any one within its borders.

The British who supported BREXIT saw the need to have better control over their national borders. And Nice is very sad reminder that they were right.

Americans have made border security an important issue in the 2016 presidential election. Going way back to the late 18th century and early 19th century disputes with Great Britain, France and Spain, Americans have always recognized that a sovereign nation must have absolute control of its borders. The famous Monroe Doctrine was implicit in its attention to this point.

This year, we are really being put to the test by what are two very different policies by the two leading candidates for president. Events of recent months I believe would cause most Americans, even very liberal ones, to feel that Donald Trump, despite some inappropriate rhetoric, to represent views that are more closely in line with them. At the heart of his often loudly and emotionally expressed view on border security is a concern for the physical safety of Americans.

I do not doubt that Mrs. Clinton is also very much concerned with public safety. Unfortunately for her, she has a record in this area: A poor record as Secretary of State both in the carrying out of her official duties and in keeping top secret communications secure as proven in the FBI e-mail investigation.

And as one would expect, as President Obama’s former Secretary of State, she has during this campaign cycle shown that on foreign policy issues she will be four more years of him. Among Obama’s many weaknesses as president, foreign policy has topped the list. The world for Americans is far more dangerous today than it was eight years ago. Mrs. Clinton does not have the answers or even the ideas to make things better in this area.

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Trump has officially chosen former Congressmember and current Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his candidate for vice president. Pence in his many years in Congress developed an expertise on international issues. He will be an excellent sounding board for a President Trump who knows what he wants but will likely need help in communicating his polices to Congress and the international community.

I might add that I have had the opportunity to hear Pence speak many times and have met him a couple of times. He is easily approachable, willing to engage you in a conversation, and really comes across as a nice guy. In fact, Conservative Party Chair Mike Long knows him well and has often spoken of him as one of the nation’s true conservative leaders.

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