Since when are Marines supposed to be sensitive to a culture that slaps around women? That is what the General was talking about after participating in the defeat of the Taliban.

I am reminded of the British officer who stopped the Indian practice of seti (sp?). An Indian defended it as being a part of their culture and practice to burn the widow in a bonfire after her husbands death. The British officer said that it was part of his culture and practice to hang people who roast widows. I think India is a better place because of his cultural insensitivity, and most Indian widows do too.

One of the aspects of nation building is changing the culture. For Iraq to be a successful country the pervasive corruption of government officials has to be stopped as it recently was at a border post near Jordon where the Marines have significatly increased revenues for Iraq.

Destroying the enemy is still the objective whether we have to do it with bullets or bs. If we can persuade them to stop fighting we should, but we should not do it at the expense of certain core values.