Which Way Will the Water Flow?

The NYT points out that some Iraqis are confused, distrustful and annoyed with regard to the need for a constitution. Ms. Hanan Sahib, for one, wonders, "What can I do with a constitution if I have no water, gasoline and electricity?"

The logic is somewhat reversed. Ms. Sahib is being deprived of these things in order to extort her cooperation. She is lead to believe that the only way to have those things again is to give up on the idea of a constitution. Those who impose their will, must find a lever. In fact, there is another way for her to enjoy those basic human comforts. The way that we in the US enjoy those things is not beyond her grasp. We collectively enforce a free and stable government based on a constitution, and the water flows.

8/24/2005 5:58 PM