I have been reading a book by Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber called Weapons of Mass Deception, which details the propaganda efforts and government-controlled media plan leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Out of the many things I learned from what I've read so far, the one thing that I have found most interesting is how many hundreds of millions of dollars the US government spent trying to "sell" the war to the Muslim world, trying to show the Muslim world that the US isn't the bad guy in the Middle East, and how badly their efforts failed because the US government never bothered to actually open a two-way dialogue with Muslims about their concerns vis-a-vis the US government's actions in the Middle East. The common thread so far is that Muslims don't hate the United States but they resent the bullying and appearance (if not reality) that the US is acting as an agent of Israel over there. As a student of history, I find this book important because, as the saying goes, the propaganda of the victor becomes the history of the vanquished. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING

In my language to-learn list, I have Farsi, but I never really got the opportunity to learn the language while I was there. If I was stationed there full-time, I certainly would have, though. One thing I was taught not to say was "dude" while I was there because using the word as a form of address is calling someone a "worm". I used to have a book (probably still in storage with my other memorabilia) about customs and courtesies of every country in the world. I was the only one on my ship to have such a book and it helped me out more than once, where my shipmates would embarrass themselves. One such occasion for me to use that book was to learn the Arab custom of men holding hands as a sign of friendship and respect. While I was on the ship, I was responsible for the ship's potable drinking water systems and connecting to shore facilities while in port. My Kuwaiti counterpart for the shore facility and I got the opportunity to talk at length while the water was being pumped into my ship's tanks. Yes, we held each other's hand while we were talking, which I not only understood but was comfortable doing. My shipmates were not so knowledgeable about the custom and gave us weird looks.(If I hadn't been as knowledgeable and played the role of the "ugly American" by pulling my hand away, it would have been rude and insulting from what I understand.) I believe it is my exposure to Muslims in the Middle East (and general respect for how other people do things), free from the propaganda and lies being told to the rest of the Western world by governments and the media, that allows me to have such an open mind about Islam now. Whenever someone rants about the situation over in the Middle East or whatever, I can discern how much of it (often all of it) comes straight from propaganda and how little that person really knows about Islam and Muslims. One of the strongest tools of propaganda is the dehumanization of people in other cultures and countries, which is exactly what is happening now. By not putting a human face on what is happening, it is easier to "hate" or "disrespect" that other culture. My take on the whole thing is that people are people, whether they live in the U.S., France, or Iraq. If an American really had the chance to live amongst Arabs in an Arab country, his or her perspective would really change. But, because governments want power and resources, they have to brainwash its citizens with lies and fabrications about the other country so that we will not feel guilt about killing them. Ever since leaving the Navy in 1996 (even though I started doing it while in uniform), I have made it a point to dig beneath the lies about what is really going on in the Middle East without making prejudiced opinions. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING