News flash (thanks to The Dallas Morning News and the Sacramento Bee): Farmers, if our troops harm your opium fields, do not dispair! The U.S. government will pay for the damage!

Marines retrieved bottled water Sunday from a pallet that parachuted off course into an opium field in Qalanderabad. Marines assured the Afghan farmer that he would be paid for the crop damage. The Dallas Morning News

The above photo (black and white version) and the caption were actually published in my Dallas newspaper today. I found the color version of the photo on the Sacramento Bee website.

Amazing!

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive