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French President Francois Hollande is right — his country is at war, and so is the entire West. That’s been the case for some time now, but it was emphasized with blunt force once again Friday after co-ordinated attacks killed at least 129 people in Paris.

“Faced with war, the country must take appropriate action. France will be merciless towards these barbarians from Daesh,” said Hollande, using an Arab acronym for Islamic State, which has taken responsibility for the attacks.

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Every Canadian feels compassion for those who lost their lives in this gruesome exercise in barbarism. Making it through life — going to school, working, perhaps raising a family, and enjoying some years of retirement — is tough enough without terrorists determined to try and cut your years on this planet short through brutal murder. Think of the human potential that has been lost with these killings and the heartache and twisted existence that will painfully play out in the years to come for those who survived — victims injured in the attacks and those whose loved ones died.