One of the things Americans are told is that people such as the Vietnamese, Iraqis and Afghans are intimidated by the Vietnamese, Iraqis and Afghans we, the US, happen to be fighting in those areas.  The insurgents can hide in the population because while secretly on the side of the US, freedom, democracy and all that is good the insurgents have them terrified.  If any cooperate with the US they will be killed.

Well, the fact of the matter is that if any of them are caught cooperating with the badguys of any ilk, the US will kill or imprison them, too.  The US isn’t any different than the badguys in that respect.

The truth is that if the insurgents can successfully hide among the populace, the populace supports them and we are fighting the entire nation.  The only way we have successfully gotten along with any of the political divisions of Iraq or the tribes of Afghanistan is to buy them off.  We haven’t subdued them successfully militarily.

We should realize that.  If the insurgents can hide in the general population, the general population is on their side.  And we are fighting an entire nation, with all that implies.

I realize that not all will agree with me, and that “grateful” members of the citizenry can be trotted out in front of the cameras to condemn whomever and applaud the “liberators”.  At the risk of their lives from execution by the insurgents.  AND, anyone who went in front of the world press to condemn the US and applaud insurgents against whom we were fighting would also do so at the risk of their lives at the hands of the US.