Two Democracies

It is encouraging to note that 350,000 took to the Hong Kong streets yesterday to protest Beijing's anti-democratic policies. SCMP.com - the online edition of South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's premier English-language newspaper Were it only Iraq. The desire for political freedom or democracy is treasured by the HK citizens because they had it and they see it eroding away. Three cheers for their courage! Compare our situation in Iraq. The July/August Atlantic Monthly recounts in an article by Robert D. Kaplan the pitiful efforts of a USMarine Commander to win hearts and minds. He ordered all his soldiers to wear moustaches (I guess it was spirit gum for the women). This was to demonstrate our 'cultural sensitivity'. Well, that didn't seem to work so well, so on the eve of a battle for Fallujah he ordered the men to shave, stating that: "Gents, let me tell you what this is all about, it's about killing shitheads". (Unfortunately the Kaplan article, "Five Days in Fallujah" appears in the print edition only). I guess now the Fallujans really appreciate democracy.