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Attack reminder we must be alert

It was a year ago to the day that the attacks by terrorists in Belgium were followed upon by an attack on tourists and the Parliament in London.

The attacks have become decidedly low-tech. The terrorist in the United Kingdom used a truck and a knife, mowing down pedestrians and stabbing an unarmed police officer.

That Great Britain still posts unarmed police officers outside Parliament is an anachronism in a civilized world seemingly filled with those bent on undoing civilization.

We will repeat the lesson we offered after the Belgian attacks: Americans have a duty to protect themselves, not by simply becoming menacing and arming ourselves to the hilt.

People need to watch out for, not just watch, one another. It means recognizing suspicious behavior, not turning any suspicion into paranoia.

It also means, sadly, that diligence must be exercised anywhere there is any kind of a crowd. As the European attacks in recent years have shown, it’s not just bombs and assault rifles that must be feared. The seemingly harmless box truck can be as dangerous, on a smaller scale, as an airliner flown with harmful intent.

As we live our lives, we must be constantly aware that someone can attack us personally, at any time, to make a political statement or because of hatred. It means we should start living our lives always in a way that shows other people matter to us. It means we should be kind, living our lives as if their numbered days could be shorter than expected, but diligent enough to prevent that from happening.

The London attack shows that even the best of intentions cannot overcome the worst of intentions. The attacker was on the police radar and still managed to carry out his extremism and end lives.

There is a war going on, between the sane and the insane, between the civilized and the uncivilized, between those courageous enough to face their daily lives and those who are simply cowards.

The enemy is in plain sight.

Where are we, as individuals, while the plots are hatched?

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