Pappy, you've got me there. That place is one incredibly screwed up place. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

I just finished up an Ancient Western civilization class in school. To a large degree, what is going on today has always been going on over there to some degree or another throughout their entire history. And this was even before Islam was introduced into the mix.

I don't have a cure all answer. Clearly neither does the rest of the world as many people and countries have been working on "Peace in the Middle East" for decades.

Their cultures are not our culture. Their values are not our values. Their relegion for the most part is not our relegion. Their goals as nations and a region, are not necessarily our goals. I'm not saying that we should dictate our values and culture to them. I think that is one big naive mistake the present administration has been trying to do over there; at least in Iraq.

I think the best we can do is to always keep the door open to diplomacy; to try and be as fair and equitable as we can. As long as we have a national interest in the region, (read the worlds oil supply here), I think we must try to keep that region as stable as possible and to not allow any persons, nation, or force to arise that could destabilize the region.

I know it's not much, but like I said, that is one screwed up region.

- 67GTO