I am sick of having to sift through all the poor journalism to find responsible writing. At 68, I am also horrified by what's going on in our country.
I have a big beef with this article. It is that the author either doesn't know about or doesn't care to mention the true nature of the oil agreement the US is trying to get Iraq to pass. It is monstrously exploitive, giving ownership of some 70% of Iraqi oil to foreign oil companies. That fact influences everything else discussed.
This story dwells on dirt. The basic story is very simple. A presently significant percentage of men (my gender) are ignorant, insecure and adrift in a world they did not make. Such men are inclined to violent responses - most verbal, some physical. And they tend to pray on women. Or children, or helpless POWs. If anyone sticks his or her hand into one of these troglodytes' cave, she'd best be prepared for their reactions. Speaking of reactions, the more pro-active one is, the more reactive these fellows are. They're afraid of power, especially powerful females. Best to ignore them - and carry mace. That's what I do, and I'm 6'3" and 230 lbs. (They tend to be small of stature as well as small minded, and they like to take down big guys.)
