Whatever a person’s criticisms of the United States may be, it is sickening to imagine that someone would plot the violent murders of potentially thousands of innocent American men, women and children to express that opposition.
We’re referring to what authorities say was a foiled plot to blow up a van packed full of explosives during a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony in Portland, Ore.
If he is in fact guilty, what could suspect Mohamed Osman Mohamud possibly have hoped to gain if he had succeeded in aiding the slaughter and maiming of untold numbers of people whose only “crime” was going to a festive holiday event? Surely no one thinks that the young children eagerly attending the ceremony could have any say over U.S. policies for which they should pay with their lives. They can’t even vote!
Yet the FBI says an undercover agent and Mohamud drove to downtown Portland in a van full of big drums with detonation cords and plastic caps. Unknown to Mohamud was the fact that the materials could not actually explode. But what if this had not been part of a sting and the explosives had been real?
Tragically, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks taught us that concern for the welfare of children does not move terrorists to compassion. If anything, terrorists gladly slaughter children along with adults in their goal of striking fear into the hearts of the American people and sapping our will to fight back.