Terror is cheap

. . . which is a big part of the problem.

Following the Charlie Hebdo massacre and during the manhunt that followed, a number of analysts talked about how well-trained and sophisticated the attackers were.

I’m sorry, but no.

Think about it. The ring leader was a failed pizza delivery guy. They began their attack by going to the wrong door.

No, the terrorists “succeeded” because they attacked unarmed, innocent civilians. It doesn’t take much to kill innocent people. Three or four abject failures at life upended a whole nation with a few magazines of bullets and surplus rifles.

That’s why terrorism is so difficult to deal with: it’s cheap to do. Easy. That’s why striking at its sources of funding, of training, of alleged planning is so important. That’s why aggressive intelligence efforts are critical. Even then, terrorism is so easy, so cheap, some terrorist somewhere will "succeed" - and others will keep trying until their sick movement against peace and the future of mankind shrivels up of its own weight.

Building is hard. But it’s the surest way to leave the savages behind. Attacks like the Charlie Hebdo Massacre should remind us not only of the need for free speech, not merely of the urgency of fighting terrorism, but of the importance of doing the hard work that creates the future.