This is his country

"Don't you fucking talk to him like that. And don't you fucking talk to me like that. This is his country. Not yours, not mine."

Something must happen when you give people guns. They and those with guns become important -- become deserving of respect -- and everyone else, just backdrop for the scene. That has repeatedly been the case of American soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. It's not limited to American soldiers of course. Peacekeepers are at times no better. The very people they've come to help become unwitting victims. Lack of respect turn those who were once supporters to enemies, as casual disregard for those without guns -- without the implements to command respect in regions of conflict -- become the norm.

Read more in the Star.