Great post Amos! It may also be pointed out that obviously the US government has done precious little to help the American Indians and will continue to not help the American Indians. And of course, historically (is that one "l" or two Ron?) they sought to annihilate and dispossess them. So it now remains: what are the "have" Indians doing to help their own "have-not" Indians??

"What matters is if the Shiite government now feels it is freer to make concessions to Sunnis--like more meaningful action in purging Shiite militias from the police---an absolutely essential step in ending violence in Iraq." I'm, I'm feeling faint! I,I agree with you Ron! I'd better re-read that. Nope. It's true. I agree with you!

Aside from personal opinion and strong emotions there are certain inevitabilities and eventuations that happen in communities. See my little thread "When Big Things Move...". There will always be people hurt and trampled and rights violated in big complex organisms. "Fearless Leader" may become the focal point of hatred or praise through no fault of her/his own or they may wholely deserve the prevailing popular sentiment but one thing is certain: they are never going to please everyone and the spectrum of that sentiment is from extreem to extreem. A wise leader tries to keep the extreems to a minimum and maximize the center of the "bell". Such is politics.

But the populace can also be manipulated by other entities such as the press and other media, foreign interests, external enemies, etc. It's quite a game. I would guess that 99% of the world's population would like to live a quiet and peacable life. I know I would. Infact, I would call that "table stakes". Some ante. And we're in the game whether we like it or not.