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Once again, we find ourselves aghast at a terrorist atrocity. Once again, we seek to console, rebuild and carry on. And once again, we wonder what it can all mean.

Consolation is the first task. And we must carry on, seeking better security without shrinking into lives of fear. But we must also recognize, again, that these people hate us not for what we do but for who we are.

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Consider the choice of target: an Ariana Grande concert. Not a gathering of police officers, soldiers, politicians, Christians, Jews or even “capitalists.” Young people having fun at a pop concert. Why them?

Part of the answer is that it’s random. Terrorism aims to be unpredictable.

Part is convenience. The terrorists were presumably looking for a “soft” target and a concert is far easier to attack than a government building or a major sports event nowadays. Or at least, sort of. (It would be possible to hit a crowd pouring out of a hockey game in Canada, or a soccer match in Britain, avoiding tight security at the actual venue entrances, just as it was possible to hit people bunched together leaving a concert.)