Tom, so exactly where do young punks come from? Last I heard they came from families. You see things only in our own cultural bias Tom. It would be interesting to hear from these "young punks" themselves, find out just how they got to be where they are today, what brought on the rage. Are you suggesting that the insurgents are genetically pre-disposed to violence?

Now I have to admit that I have suspicions about areas with cultures that tend to keep to themselves and not mix with the rest of the world. There's this fleeting belief that perhaps areas in third world countries with religious or cultural beliefs that tend to promote marriage and procreation only within their own culture, tend to do themselves harm genetically. At the same time though, I see the glaring exceptions to that hunch and it has me clearly at odds with the theory.

I'm much more inclined to believe that the truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle, between the two extremes. There probably is a cultural and possibly genetic predisposition to violence and the passion that brings it in an area like Iraq. At the same time, one still has to look at the individual level, something we all are unable to do from this distance. There is simply no way that all of the insurgents can be labeled as one form of human being. Each has some unique story that brought them to this point in life and many could have justifications absolutely unimaginable to our Western way of thinking. To their families and the people that are friends and neighbors they may not be considered "street punks" but simply someone that's been pushed over the edge by horrors none of us will ever have to face.

When those "punks" die, there isn't universal rejoicing. I wish our news, which is clearly biased in your opinion, would bring us some of the anguish each death creates, on both sides. The rest of the world certainly gets to see that.

You just keep reading and citing your blogs Tom. I prefer to trust my intuition and the decades of learning about human behavior to read past the news, the bloggers and the radio talk show hosts.