Thanks Charley; It's food for thought but I must point out the powerfull feeling of Deja-Vue'. Anyone who lived through Vietnam has read similar soul searching journalistic self-examinations. The rule seems to be the less noble the cause the tighter the control of information and propoganda. The article exposes the reporters failure of trust but of course bends over backward to explain away the conduct as neccessary and vital to our efforts to win hearts and minds. This schism is endemic within the press; do I try to do my job and report what I see; or does that make me a turncoat; or am I personally in danger for expressing my views? Is the press the noble institution of a free society; or a lackey to the ruling party and their need to validate their actions. He does what they all seem to be doing now; basically excuses this behaviour while expressing his fears of the people who we invest with the job of protecting us. Yes; the soldiers are brave and make great sacrifices for this cause; and of course we all are gratefull for their service in battle with our enemies. But why are these people our enemy? Do we need an indepth expose' using confidential sources to explain this? If we invade their country; kill their friends; neighbors and family, whether inadvertantly or not; they are still dead. Do we expect them to welcome us as liberators when it is plain as day why we went into their country to wage war? The fact that this journalist is incredulous that our own administrators are not more hospitable is the real story; along with our collective naivete' concerning the people who are fighting. I don't care how many Syrians cross the border; you cannot wage a guerrilla war on that level without the cooperation of the populace. That is the lesson we learned in Vietnam. We are blinded as a people to the reality that no one see's us as the great liberators of mankind. They just see a bunch of wealthy guys looking for oil.
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