I Think I Saw This Movie Already in 1971

In this set of incidents reported by a US soldier who became an honorably discharged objector in Iraq, the neo-con xenophobic disease is infecting our soldiers, hurting Iraqi citizens and extending the war. (NYT's Bob Herberty) Some of our soliders are descending into the petty cruelty that characterized the Vietnam era. I don't blame them exactly, but it's real and it's happening, and makes the difference between libertators and occupiers.

It's hard to think of a culture more different from ours than Japan, yet after WWII the US managed -generally - to put it's best foot forward and help rebuild a country very prepared to hate everything about us. American soldiers' basic decency was a major - maybe the most - necessary factor. We made the cultural case for post-war victory, and the greatest legacy of this is Japan's disregard of militarism.

Beating people randomly on the head with glass bottles is not really it. The insurgents' tactics are designed to aggravate our soldiers fear and contempt of Iraqis, a strategy straight out of Vietnam.

This attitude comes from the top, is based in militarism and rather than good tactics, and widespread will lose this war.