Fight Islamic extremism at home, abroad: #tellusatoday

We asked what our followers thought could be done to prevent terror strikes like the Brussels attacks. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

We can’t have guards and checkpoints everywhere. The best defense is a watchful public and a good offense.

— @wdillon

Get smarter and more creative in anticipating attacks. ISIS constantly probes for vulnerabilities. Tighten up.

— @TexMex817

Terrorists know they can get away with these acts. Leaders, especially USA, need to stop talking and start doing.

— @words_numbers

No more immigrants from countries that have terrorists.

— @mrhman69

America taking a back seat is not working. Obama’s weakness is shown, and they are capitalizing.

— @spinninggorilla

Terrorism is organized crime. How did we beat the Mafia? The Medellin cartel? FBI Violent Gang Task Force model.

— @tyleegib

How about some good old-fashioned borders? And take the fight to them.

— @ann_boger

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Letter to the editor:

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the tragic attacks in Brussels.

How pathetically sad that one of the suspects in the Paris attacks, who was captured in Brussels days ago, is Salah Abdeslam. His last name means “servant of the peaceful.” Acquaintances described him as a low-level drug dealer, and he also used to run a bar. Now he’s an alleged religious extremist. He along with others who perpetrate violence in the name of Islam are imposters who don’t even know the basics of Islam.

Madeel Abdullah; Newtown Square, Pa.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Islamic extremism needs to be eradicated. ISIS is not contained, and it clearly is not the JV team.

— Jim Scalet

Apologies mean nothing to ISIS. All they respect is a show of force and not backing down!

— Dale Yancy

These attacks give more fuel for Donald Trump and the extreme right wing in America and Europe, which exactly plays into these terrorists’ plans for a war between Islam and Western culture.

— Drew Marriage

Religious extremism needs to be eradicated. The issue is not that the attackers might claim to be Muslim, but rather that they are violent extremists. That they may be using religion to justify their violence is irrelevant; Islam is far from the only religion that suffers from such extremism.

— John Thompson

The people who do these acts are already in the U.S. They will attack soft targets with the most innocents in one place. A prime target is a business center, transportation center, educational institution and commerce.

— Rob Stelzer

It appears to me that many people think a president should talk tough, call names and rattle the sabers. Do you really think talking tough is going to make these terrorists run and hide? It’s easy to talk tough; it appeases simple minds.

— Rich Cenci