Paris Terror Tests Values
In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack in Paris at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists, our values and policies related to free speech and security are once again being challenged. Will the United States and the world stand up against violent extremism?

Unfortunately the horror continues for those in Paris as the identified gunmen continued to terrorize the city for a second day. The two brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi are now suspected of robbing a gas station and killing a female police officer.
According to reports, "Chérif Kouachi was part of a network of militants from Paris's 19th district, a relatively poor area with a high number of immigrants on the north-eastern edge of the city, that found ready recruits for jihadist activities after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Chérif tried to go to fight in Iraq by traveling through Syria but was arrested on the way."

Why Is This Happening?
For a long while, Paris has ceded neighborhoods like Kouachis' to Islamists. Many of these neighborhoods are described as "public housing slums that breed violence and crime," according to the AP . More and more immigrants have flooded countries like France and found refuge in these neighborhoods, not integrating into French society. These are often called "no-go areas," and are increasingly controlled by Muslim extremists. Experts describe this trend as irreversible. Is it only a matter of time before other Western nations, including the United States, suffer the same fate? So long as societies are willing to allow such extremism to go unchecked, ceding power to it rather than combating it, do we stand the chance that more of these attacks may be yet to come?

In the wake of the terrorist attack in Paris, lawmakers in the United States are renewing their efforts to justify the importance of the NSA and its intelligence work. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, told National Journal , "To me, Congress having oversight certainly is important, but what is more important relative to these types of events is ensuring we don't overly hamstring the NSA's ability to collect this kind of information in advance and keep these kinds of activities from occurring." Sen. Lindsey Graham also expressed concern that our intelligence capabilities are under attack and could potentially hinder our own abilities to prevent this type of attack in America. Needless to say, the debate of privacy versus security has resurfaced as a result of this terrorist attack in France.