Lessons out of London

There are moments in time that should remind us of our shared humanity, our shared values and our shared concerns about the ongoing threat of terrorism. Yesterday’s attack near London’s Houses of Parliament is surely one of those moments.

What is believed to be a lone assailant killed four and injured at least 40 and was himself shot by police. His first weapon of choice — sadly a too-common weapon of terror — a car. He then fatally stabbed a police officer guarding the Parliament building.

The attack came one year to the day since a string of bomb attacks in Brussels, including one at the airport and a subway station, left 32 people dead and more than 100 wounded. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for those attacks. Yesterday it simply cheered the London attack via social media.

The London attack was a timely reminder — as if one were needed — that there is not a corner of the globe that is truly safe. British authorities report they have thwarted at least 13 terror attacks in the last four years.

The attack also came just a day after a U.S. announcement of a new ban on larger electronic devices in carry-on luggage for U.S.-bound flights on nine foreign airlines originating at 10 cities in the Middle East and Africa. That policy was linked to some recently gathered intelligence.

Yes, we live in a scary world. We know that. All the more reason that it is more critical now than ever that we be able to trust our institutions — including the president himself — to be straight with us. That means not embellishing, not tweeting about facts not in evidence. And not berating from on high the intelligence community on which we depend to help keep us safe.