Brussels attack demonstrates just how dangerous the threat of radical Islam is to the world and how prepared we must always be

(Bugout.news) The latest ISIS-planned attack in Brussels, Belgium – about as peaceful a nation as it gets, until now – proves once more that the world is not safe from these radical murderers who have declared war on pretty much everyone who isn’t like them.

As of this writing, more than three dozen people were killed when two suicide bombers opened fire at Brussels Airport and then blew themselves up at an American Airlines ticket counter, as a third attacker detonated a bomb vest at a Metro station just yards away from the European Union headquarters.

The symbolism of this attack could not be any more significant. The American Airlines ticket counter most assuredly was chosen for its Americanism; and Brussels was likely chosen because it is the heart of Western liberalism – the EU is there, NATO is there, the World Health Organization is there, and so on.

What this latest attack also demonstrates is that the Islamic State is branching out, no longer content to merely rest on its laurels in its self-declared caliphate. The terrorist organization is becoming more diverse, more capable and more threatening, and it is carrying its jihad to the West.

America, which recently experienced an ISIS-inspired attack in San Bernardino, Calif., is next. And, without sounding too political, the speed at which the days arrive when Paris-style shootings and Brussels-style jihadist bombings arrive in the U.S. will depend largely on who is elected our next president.

One candidate, Hillary Clinton, clearly is not serious about foreign policy, given her penchant for secrecy over the proper use of a secure [read government-supplied] email account. She also very obviously does not take the ISIS threat seriously, since her knee-jerk reaction to ISIS-inspired attacks is always the same: Don’t you dare blame Islam, and, maybe WE are partly to blame for those attacks because surely there was something WE did to make them angry. And so on.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, not only seems to have a better grasp of threat Islamic extremism poses, but also grasps that what is happening in liberal Europe is “just the beginning,” and that the group is targeting the U.S. for similar attacks.

That being said, regardless of which candidate becomes our next president, Americans have to understand that we cannot afford to be lax in our personal security or awareness anymore. Those days are long gone and honestly, it’s not clear they will ever return, as disheartening as that may sound.

The threat, after all, is not simply going to go away on its own. And no, we shouldn’t expect much help from the Muslim world, either, since we’re not very well-liked there.

Consider these measures as you go about your day:

— Situational awareness: We often tend to drive inattentively or go about our business shopping, working or running errands as if we’re on autopilot. Try paying more attention to your surroundings, the people you come in contact with, and so forth.

— Bugout bag everywhere: If you haven’t gotten around to putting a bugout bag that you can take with you to work or wherever you go, now is the time to do that. Make sure you have one in the vehicles you own or, if you bike wherever you go, turn it into a backpack you can throw on. Make sure you check it once a month (the 1^st of each month, the 15^th or the last day of each month make good reference points).

— Self-defense: Adhering to all local laws of course, if you’ve not armed yourself yet or found some other way to protect and defend yourself, consider it now. Honestly, you just never know when something will crop up that requires you to fight back.

­— Spread the word: Talk to others you trust about what you’re doing and encourage them to do the same. The more of us who are prepared, the better.

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