A Boy Scout sees a little old lady standing on a street corner with her abusive husband. He is told by the Scoutmaster that the husband has a gun and knife, and wants to kill the Boy Scouts family.

The Boy Scout knocks down the abusive husband, finds neither guns nor knives, and helps the little old lady across the street to the Scoutmaster, who mugs her. Well, I guess she's still across the street.

And if the Boy Scout knocks down the husband, searches him, finds neither guns nor knives, but still drags her across the street, kicking and screaming, breaking bones and then the Scoutmaster mugs her, she's still across the street.

And if there are other little old ladys standing on street corners with abusive husbands, but they don't have purses, do we still help them across the street? Would the Scoutmaster still want to "help" this little old lady?

If the little old ladies are black, and the street corner happens to be in Africa, and they have no purses, do we still help them across the street? Any help from this Scoutmaster?

One of the forgotten matters re Iraq is that the inexcusable slaughters were the result of a civil war. If one considers Sherman's March to the Sea, we can understand a bit what countries will do to hold themselves together. And that was inescusable, also.

Sherman's March, "I'll make Georgia howl!", was no model of respect for civilians.

The article is persuasive, and should mention HOW one goes about unseating despots. It does no good to be as repressive as the repressor. You'd think that looting the saved would be enough.

Arf