Making friends and influencing people

I read a strange story this weekend about the US military bulldozing citrus farms. Uprooting fruit and palm trees is our military's way of trying to pump information out of the farmers.

River, a blogger from Baghdad, has some great Iraqi prespective on this, telling us just how insulting the actions of our military really are. She describes what the fruit and palm trees mean to Iraqi culture:

The death of a palm tree is taken very seriously. Farmers consider it devastating and take the loss very personally. Each tree is so unique, it feels like a member of the family...

Historically, palm trees have represented the rugged, stoic beauty of Iraq and its people. They are a reminder that no matter how difficult the circumstances, there is hope for life and productivity. The palm trees in the orchards have always stood lofty and resolute- oblivious of heat, political strife or war… until today.

Read it if you've got a few minutes to spare.