The blood is dry. The victims will be buried soon. The immediate terror has passed, but the deep-seated rage is just settling in and getting comfortable. We are familiar with this progression of emotion here in the United States, as are citizens of London, Madrid, Istanbul, Sydney, and countless other nations across the world. The citizens of Paris are the latest victims in the seemingly endless cycle of attacks carried out by (likely) Islamic extremists.

In this instance, the militants felt offended by satirical cartoons published by a satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdoa publication that also likes to skewer Christians and Jews, it should be noted.

As I type this, and probably before all the victims were even removed from the scene, the Paris police and French internal security service (DCRI) are already deep into the initial stages of their investigation. DNA is being collected from the scene, and from the getaway cars. Spent shell casings are being collected and analyzed. Explosives residue (if any were used) is being examined. Survivor accounts are being recorded and cross-referenced with police records.

Witnesses from the buildings across the street from the newspaper office, whose videos we have all seen on television by now, are being interviewed. Their videos are being copied and reviewed. Police and internal security officials are asking what language the attackers spoke. They are seizing on the type(s) of weapons used, and where those might have been procured in Paris or elsewhere in France.