Early in our history, we sent the US Marines to deal with pirates on the Barbary Coast. Did we cause that piracy? Did sending our ships of commerce into the Mediterranean cause the piracy? Ask the nearest Marine. They all know the story of the Barbary Coast War.

There are still pirates today. They often live wherever the sea lanes come through a narrow strait and the passing ships are vulnerable as they near the land. The pirates of Aceh, that province of Indonesia that was devastated by the tsunami, have long preyed on passing ships, and the US Navy recently tangled with pirates near Somalia.

Did we do something to cause the piracy in those places? Of course not.

It’s the way they live. They prey on others. They have different names but all live off other people that happen to be handy. And they get their way by being dangerous to those who resist.

Whether it is pirates or hoodlums, neighborhood gangs or rustlers, fascists or terrorists, our fundamental problem is the same. We are their targets, and we didn’t cause their terrorism. We are not the problem, but we can be the solution.