Armed forces reflect these nation they are drawn from, and anyone from anywhere in the world who reads blogs soon sees a high level of racism and xenophobia against Arabs and muslims expressed by a minority of posters claiming to be Americans. Add a military command which has ignored and covered up possible war crimes until photographs threaten to uncover the lies, a policy to prevent Iraqi or Afghan courts from prosecuting any soldier, contractor or mercenary committing any crime, an Administration which has aggressively sabotaged an International Criminal Court to try war criminals and even a contender for the American Presidency who considers it a joke to drop bombs on the Middle East.

Who can blame the soldiers considering themselves amongst untermenschen when they encounter sullen and unco-operative civilans?

Elect a democrat and from Berlin to Baghdad, Toronto to Tehran will come the cry of "God Bless America" and you will all be universally loved again.

Yeah, right.

Democrat contenders support the continuing Iraqi occupation, compete to be the most uncritical supporters of right wing Israeli politicians, and demonstrate their toughness credentials by announcing they will use conventional and nuclear weapons on nations that do not snap to attention when American calls.

The reason George Bush is so despised globally is his hypocrisy -preaching to the world while claiming the rules on aggression to sovereign nations or human rights abuse do not apply to the United States.

But where is the challenge to the hypocrisy within America? The problem is America, not the Republicans.

All of us are followers of fashion. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the beer we drink and the sports team we support are all about the images of ourselves we want to promote to others. Often we display fierce loyalty to our chosen brands which is irrational in nature.

Even the dog we own can be part of defining who we are. The type of dog often gives an insight into the values of a dog owner, even when the dog has been picked up as stray.

Ken Foster has chosen a pit bull as his dog, and demonstrates his loyalty to the breed by wearing the t-shirt and displaying its photo in his book. What image does Ken want to project?

First, he has selected a dog capable of killing even an adult. Agreed, labs and retrievers bite but these breeds do not have the strong jaws able to bite deep and the powerful neck muscles able to tear out chunks of flesh. Some argue pit bulls are more aggressive than other breeds - this is debatable but there is no doubt a pit bull can inflict more severe injuries and fatalities than other dogs. Why would you want a potential killer as a pet, Ken?

Rightly or wrongly. many people fear a large pit bull. The author must be aware of this – from his neighbours afraid of the dog leaving his property to attack them, those who legitimately visit his house, and those in the street when the dog is walked. What sort of person would want an intimidating dog that makes all around watch nervously for their own safety and the safety of their children, Ken?

I do agree with Ken the dog is innocent, but someone has to be responsible for its actions, so here is the deal. You choose this dog, Ken. You are responsible for it. If it does anyone an injury, you will be treated exactly as if you were the one who ripped and tore the victim. The dog's jaws will be regarded in the same way as a knife in your hand. The punishment for attacking and mutilating a bystander is most likely to be not a fine, but several years behind bars, If your state has the death penalty for murder, and the child dies, it won't just be the dog on death row.

How about it? Of course you are in no danger – your dog is sweet and good natured and would never bite anyone. Just as every dog owner claims – even after their dog has mauled a child who has provoked an attack by running across a playground or riding their bike to school.

Not sure if anyone noticed but your British allies have all but withdrawn from Basra, leaving a city of two million run by Iraqis. Yet the violence there is lower now than when the city was occupied.

The claim Americans are occupying Iraq to prevent a bloodbath is just more in a series of false and self serving justifications.

I may not be a senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information at the World Security Institute but I do know how those weapons are going to be used.

They will be used to kill people, and the majority of those being killed, as are the majority now being killed in Iraq, will be civilians. Billions of dollars means hundred of thousands of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition and tens of thousands of deaths.

One more reason to see the continuing occupation of Iraq as a disaster.

An American target is attacked and Americans go on the rampage, knowing those they are maiming and killing are not those who launched the attack. They refuse to be accountable to any law, and those killed remain nameless among people who can be slaughtered by being in the wrong place.

Am I describing the Blackwater mercenaries? It apples to just as well to the war America has been waging for the last six years.

How about charging more for the scarce commodity - the runway? If a landing and take off cost $2000, the cost per passenger for a plane carrying 200 passengers is $10, hardly noticed . Have only 20 in your plane and it cost $100 per ticket to use the runway. Since both planes spend the same time using the runway, it sounds fair.

So why don't landing charges favour efficient planes?