Yesterday’s tragic and cowardly attack by Islamic terrorists on innocent citizens in London is proof positive, as if any were needed, of the urgency with which we must take the war to the terrorists. Free and open societies, such as exist in the U.S. and U.K. cannot survive the intrusive security measures that would be necessary to play defense against this threat. Check points, identity cards, heavier police presence, and other intrusive law enforcement methods would surely reduce the risk of attack (although not to zero) but would also prove corrosive to our freedoms, changing the very fabric of our societies.

No, instead of us loosing our freedoms we should concentrate on making sure that those who engage in, promote and sponsor terrorism lose their freedoms and, if necessary, their lives. We should take the war to them even more aggressively and cast our net wider including places known to harbor terrorists like Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia. This is not a time to retrench or shrink from waging war on offense, it is a time to double our efforts.