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".........And of course there is the third major crisis: the need to shrink the government, restore federalism and reduce the debt will be on the new president's plate – assuming that he or she can, unlike Reagan, get past the first two crises. Which brings me to the second note of caution. It is impossible to restore America politically and economically if it is not restored culturally. Reagan understood this, I believe, as exhibited by the words in his farewell address. But he never seriously addressed the issue – either because he didn't have time or perhaps he lacked the belief that he could make a difference. We can never know. But, the matter of the culture is critical to the success of the conservative restoration project. For in fact, culture trumps politics.

Twentieth century progressives – especially Antonio Gramsci -- grasped this idea. They understood that in order to radically alter the politics of the United States, they had to first undermine bourgeois culture and replace it with a more libertine version. They understood that the flow of influence runs downhill from culture to politics. And so they set about changing America's culture. They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Today, the left controls virtually all of the opinion-molding organs of American society: the media and the arts, public schools, foundations, seminaries, museums, libraries, higher education, the federal bureaucracy, the legal profession and so on. Classic American culture celebrated individual liberty, limited government, free market capitalism, strong morals grounded in religion, intact traditional families and vibrant cohesive communities, individual responsibility and the meritocracy, and American Exceptionalism in particular, the idea that America is a model and force for good in the world. That culture has been supplanted by one that values: group rights, big government and crony capitalism, loose morals and banishment of religion from the public square, global American weakness and disengagement, and an obscene focus on the warts in American history.

It is little wonder that in such a culture, the least experienced, most anti-American, anti-Constitutional, radically left, lawless president in American history could be elected and re-elected.

We must recapture the culture. It took the left a century to overthrow America's classic culture. It may take us a century to win it back. A program for doing so is for another essay. What we need now is not just another Reagan, but a succession of triple C presidents who understand the cultural issue, as well as the foreign and economic policy issues, and who have the requisite ideas, understanding and political skills to bring about a conservative renaissance. Through their leadership we can take back our country. At the moment, I'll settle for a first person in that line. Which of the two dozen contenders is that special person? I pray that we find out soon." Source

As one who has been to Iraq while in the military I am torn between wanting to see it and not wanting to see it. Our snipers are a Godsend to the rest of us. But the killing a sniper does is different than that of “normal” combat.
In “normal” combat you are shooting at people who are actively trying to kill you and your comrades.
Snipers kill stealthily and silently those who are intent on doing harm. It is NOT cold calculated murder. It can be seen as “cold” but that is why sniper training includes psychological evaluations also. When a sniper enjoys the killing for the sake of killing they are no longer a very useful asset. They are a liability.

I will most likely see the movie but not sure if I should take my wife along. She always seems to watch me more than the movie to see my reaction. She’s told me that I have changed since going to Iraq and I know I have in some small ways. But she insists that it is deeper than that.