Keller @ Large: We Need To Stop Lone Wolf Terrorists

BOSTON (CBS) - I've been reading up on the suspect in the New York/New Jersey terror bombings, and I doubt anyone will accuse me of political correctness when I say I am thoroughly unimpressed.

Some of his long-ago high school classmates say they can't believe it, he was always such a nice guy; "class clown," one called him.

He's still a clown, but Mr. Nice Guy is apparently no more.

The parallels with the two Boston Marathon murderers are creepy.

Like them, he had a normal background, with working parents and the resources to go to college – not to mention those expensive plane tickets to Afghanistan.

And he was a naturalized citizen, meaning he had completed a lengthy process that included background checks, face-to-face interviews, a citizenship test and an oath of allegiance.

And here he is, alleged author of a vile, failed plot to slaughter innocent bystanders, a vicious clown with no more of an escape plan than the two Boston idiots had, unless you consider sleeping it off in a doorway a clever getaway scheme.

Chances are we will learn that others saw his radicalization, or psychological breakdown, whatever it turns out to be, but never dreamed he'd take it this far. And that is the problem with the lone wolf terrorists who plague us now.

The only way I can think of to stop them is enlist their friends and neighbors as vigilant informants, tipping off the cops when their behavior becomes alarming.

So if you want to feel safer, it might be a good idea to ask yourself this question before you vote – which candidates are talking sense about intelligence-gathering, and which are not?

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