[11:16 AM] This Christian Science Monitor story just caught my eye. The article follows Sgt. Mike Dickinson, a "half-Mexican, half-black American" and his psy-ops team 913 as they move through the Afghan "heartland." Dickinson is a convert to Islam and how this affects his service in Afghanistan is the focus of the mildly interesting story. What I can't figure is what is the significance of his being a "half-Mexican, half-black American." The story goes on to mention his devout Catholic Mexican mother. Again I can't see what ethnicity has to do with anything, and if I'm dense, the article doesn't enlighten me. The story also mentions his two Humvee mates -- a Spaniard who has become an American citizen, and a fellow from Colorado. No mention of his ethnicity, so I'll go out on a limb and guess that he's white -- if that consititutes ethnicity. Not sure what to make of this. The story also mentions how his conversion to Islam helps ease tense situations with the locals. But the story doesn't contemplate whether his skin tone also helps. Maybe I was supposed to infer that myself.
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posted 11:25 AM
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