While counseling at a prison I noticed new arrivals were usually rather quiet and reserved. It is not a question of a peaceful character as much as a survival instinct in action. They were studying the new environment, finding out how the system worked. Sometimes it is better to bide your time and wait for true colors to be revealed. When they get comfortable, their real selves would emerge.

The relatively quiet arrival of the Taliban in Kabul and other areas of Afghanistan should not be mistaken for a change of heart. These are the same people who burn human beings to death in steel cages and cut off arms for petty theft. Just wait a while. Soon the Taliban will start inflicting all sorts of pain upon the local people.