There's corruption and then there's CORRUPTION

It has been brought to my attention that I have failed to distinguish between corruption and CORRUPTION. I have little concern over 'corruption' as I've seen it throughout the Third World. Civil servants, from the cop on the beat to the little guy who works in the post office, hardly ever see their full salary and, in many cases, see no salary at all. These folks live on the small "tips" they receive from those whom they serve. In Kinshasa, I regularly tipped a mail clerk the equivalent of $3.00 per month to ensure my mail didn't "get lost." I paid a telephone technician the equivalent of $1.00 per month to ensure my telephone service did not become "disconnected." This is what I mean by lower case corruption.

CORRUPTION, all in caps, is the corruption I cannot stand; it's the corruption none of us should tolerate. This is the corruption that totally rots the body politic and condemns all citizenry to a life of misery. In the case of the Karzai regime, CORRUPTION is responsible for much of the capital going without 24/7 water and electricity. CORRUPTION is responsible for a lack of security in the country as a whole since a percentage of the police and military actively serve in the Taliban in order to feed and clothe their families. This is the CORRUPTION whereof I speak; it's the cancer in the Afghan body politic and, until it's excised before it metasticizes further, our blood and treasure will be squandered.