while US may be a little more humane, it is not without its secrets (if we knew more about them, they wouldn't BE secrets, would they? amazing the things coming public about US experimenting on civilians in this century, etc.).

I believe it is the conscience, or lack thereof, which makes all the difference in political or other behavior. reminds me of the other day, in our company the Exec VP asked if he might use my performance goals as an example for others to think about their own. My reply was 'You sign my check, but truly I work for all 150 people here as WELL as our hundreds of customers, and I wouldn't jot down something without the knowledge, perhaps even hope, it would be scrutinized so that any suggestions for improvement would then be more possible.' and i'm not tooting my own horn here, i would just like to see such candor from folks in power, you know?