A Promise Unfulfilled

Let me tell you all a story.  It’s a short one, but it’s a story that needs to be told, for the life of a man and his family hangs in the balance.

In 2008, Lieutenant (now Captain) Matthew Zeller was an embedded combat advisor deep in the battlefields of Afghanistan.  That April, he met a man who would become his interpreter, his friend, and his brother – the man who would, ultimately, save Matt’s life.  His name was Janis Shinwari, an Afghan hired by the U.S. Army to act as an interpreter and guide to American forces as they made their way through entrenched Taliban strongholds.  For an American soldier in Afghanistan, a native interpreter who knew the environment was crucial to his survival.  For the U.S. Army and coalition forces, Janis, and the services he provided, was indispensible – and, for the Taliban, the reason Janis was, and is, at the top of their kill list.

Janis Shinwari (right), saved Lt. Matt Zeller's (left) life in Afghanistan.

There’s a code of honor embedded deep in Afghan culture – a code that ensures the utmost hospitality is given to a guest; that an Aghan should, and will, protect his guest’s life with his own.  In April of 2008, Janis made that pledge to Matt, and two weeks later, on April 28, Janis made good on that pledge.  While patrolling the Ghazni province, Matt’s convoy was ambushed by Taliban forces from a nearby village.  While back at their base, Janis heard that Matt was in deep trouble and came out with a reaction force to provide reinforcements.  When he arrived, a Taliban fighter was coming up behind Matt to kill him.  While an interpreter is not obligated to fight, Janis picked up a rifle and shot and killed the man seeking to end Matt’s life, fulfilling his pledge to protect Matt and sealing his fate should the Taliban ever get his hands on him.  On that day, Matt and Janis became brothers, and when Matt left Afghanistan, he promised Janis that he would stop at nothing to bring Janis and his family to the United States to start a new life.

After five long years of assisting American troops in the bowels of Afghanistan and waiting for a new life, Janis finally received it – his visa was issued to him and his family several weeks ago.  Janis called Matt in a fit of joy – finally, he was leaving Afghanistan and coming to America!  Janis talked of moving to Virginia, close to Matt, and becoming an interpreter in Washington.  He spoke of the dream that he could finally give his family something they could never have in Afghanistan – a life free of terror.

However, this joy was short-lived: on September 21^st, just a few short weeks after receiving his visas, the State Department revoked them and put his application back under review.  By the time this happened, Janis already quit his job at the Army base, sold his house and most of his possessions, and registered to leave Afghanistan.  Now, Janis and his family is in hiding; they live every day in fear that the Taliban will find them.  And, if Janis and his family don’t get their visas back, the Taliban will find them, torture and kill them, and parade them through the villages as a warning to other Afghans who dare cross their path – and our own government is the ones that are allowing it to happen.

I tell you this story because I know Matt well – back in 2010, I worked as an intern on his congressional campaign in Western New York.  Spending many days with him traveling throughout the Southern Tier, I consider him a good friend, a wonderful person, and a man who keeps his word, no matter what.  Working for him and getting to know him solidified my dedication to a life of public service, and I currently work for the City of New York, working towards making people’s lives better.

However, without Janis’ selflessness and courage, I would have never worked for Matt, because he would have lost his life in the fields of Afghanistan – just another number in a growing tally of American men and women who have lost their lives in the Middle East.  I would have never known Matt, nor would I have never seen pictures and videos of his baby girl that he posts on Facebook all the time.  I would have never seen him write his book on life in Afghanistan, nor watch his analysis on the War on Terror on a myriad of news shows.

The fact that the United States can turn its back on a man who gave everything to the promise America offered him and his people – a promise for a better future – is reprehensible.  The Special Immigrant Visa program, authorized by Congress in 2008, promises over twenty thousand visas to Afghan and Iraqi nationals who worked as an interpreter or translator for the United States government - however, in 2012, only 12 percent of allocated visas were given to Afghan nationals; in Iraq, 22%.  The red tape the State Department has these interpreters jump through are difficult and time-consuming, and there are thousands of people just like Janis waiting for their ticket to a new life and will likely never see it.  Janis lost his visa because an anonymous tipper, perhaps a member of the Taliban, called in to put a red flag on his application - without vetting the tip, or checking the credibility of the tipper, the State Department has halted Janis' chance to save himself and his family, and now Janis is on the run, looking over his shoulder everywhere he goes, waiting for the moment where someone puts a bullet in his head.  Janis saved countless American lives in a war that has taken so many.  Now, we can – no, we must – save Janis, and make good on our word not only to Janis, but to thousands of Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who made the same sacrifice Janis did in the hopes of a better life.

I implore all who read this to spread the word; spread this article, sign this petition, call your representatives – make enough noise that Janis’ plight cannot be ignored.  While you’re at it, call your representatives and demand that Congress fund the Special Immigrant Visa program, which expires on September 30^th, for another year to fulfill the promise we gave to Afghans and Iraqis like Janis in exchange for their service and sacrifice.  The power of many can overcome any obstacle – let’s come together to save some lives.  For Janis, we owe him at least that.

That's all for today.  Class dismissed.

Bang to Rights, Part 1

No doubt every reader is familiar, at least, with the skeleton of the “debate” currently being carried out most vociferously over the right of Americans to own and use firearms, but just for the sake of bringing our one visitor who’s been living under a rock into the light, here’s the down and dirty version:

                In the wake of the Newtown massacre (Aurora, Columbine, etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum notwithstanding), it was generally decided that the time to talk about guns had arrived. In one corner were the gun rights activists, who loudly declaimed that all Americans retain the right to own and use literally any type of gunpowder-centric machine imaginable for literally any reason at all. In the other corner were the gun control activists, who loudly declaimed that firearms may or may not be the single worst thing the human race has ever come up with and that we should do away with the wretched things entirely. Most people’s opinions fell somewhere between the poles.

                The debate grew heated, as debates will, and propaganda for both sides started pouring into everything and now we have this bizarre battle of ideas that, strangely, doesn’t seem to address firearms in any real or logical manner.

                So let’s talk about them now.

                Foremost, a gun is a tool, and it has a purpose. The purpose of a gun is to kill things with. Many gun rights schills have claimed that lots of guns are for sport or for target shooting or for protection. This is true. It does not change the fact that all firearms are designed with the express purpose of ending life. It’s a fact, get over it.

                Second, a gun is not an inherently evil object. See above. I personally have had the pleasure of growing up with guns- shotguns, rifles, a pistol- and have never once sacrificed a cat to them or whispered demonic curses over them in the dark. I have also never killed anyone, wounded anyone or threatened anyone with a gun. Most people don’t.

                Bearing all  these things in mind, I think it’s essential that all Americans have the right to own a firearm, discounting those with violent criminal pasts (looking at you, felons of the world) and those who have mental disorders that render them incapable of owning or using a gun safely.

                It boils down in my mind thusly:

                Given that an essential tenet of liberal thought is the preservation and expansion of human rights,

                Given that the fundamental human right, to my mind, is the right to defend one’s life and other rights (pursuit of happiness, liberty, the right to eat Swedish meatballs that aren’t made of horse),

                Given that, when it comes to defending one’s life, violence can be a very real and very necessary- if unpleasant- condition,

                Given that the playing field involves firearms wielded, sometimes, by those intent upon harming others,

                Therefore people ought to have guns, if they like.

                This comes with a caveat, however. If we insist- and I believe we should- upon having a right to bear arms, we must also insist upon the responsibility of learning to safely and judiciously exercise that right. If the second amendment must be upheld as it is written, then firearm education must become commonplace. Consider it this way: we give teenagers the legal right to propel multi-ton vehicles are unnatural speeds after they partake in a ubiquitous training regimen and pass a basic competency test. A car is no less deadly than a gun (in fact, traffic fatalities outweigh gun fatalities, though the two numbers are set to converge by 2015).

                TL;DR for the lazy kids: Americans should have guns because humans are entitled to self-defense, as long as we institute a rigorous and comprehensive- and mandatory- gun safety course, ideally for adolescents.

               

Why Shouldn't We Talk About Politics?

Since this is my inaugural post here at Liberal D.O.G.MA, I figure y'all deserve an explanation as to why I got into this in the first place. Unlike the many others who publicly express their opinions on politics, I'm not in the game to pontificate or proselytize, nor am I here because I get paid to spout the talking points of the day and to get into cat fights with other amateur pundits. No - take away every assumption you have about political blogging and throw them out the window, because I'm about to blow your mind. I'm here to make you both smarter and politically aware, all at the same time

I think - no, I know - that our country is in decline because we, the American people, don't care about what our government is doing, or what direction it's taking. I find it a damn shame that children recognize Ronald McDonald faster than John Adams, or Spongebob Squarepants faster than the Speaker of the House. I find it reprehensible that grown men and women - the taxpayers that make America function - would rather watch "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" over CNN, and they can rattle off the last seven Taylor Swift singles, yet have no idea who represents them in local, state, and federal government. I can't stand how Americans choose not to vote because they "hate politics," but always muster enough breath to whine and moan about how they pay too much in taxes while taking advantage of the services paid for by the taxes they pay. We have a certain level of political ignorance in this country that defies our self-proclaimed status as the "greatest country in the world," or our status as the world's sole superpower.

If you walk the streets of Rome, or sit at a café in Pristina or Athens, or go to dinner with friends in Helsinki, you will find a common trend in conversation: politics. Around the world, people are more aware of political realities than ever before, especially due to the Internet - Canadian students protest the Parti Québeçois for anti-Anglophone legislation, or Greeks contesting an EU bailout - and yet the United States holds the distinct and pitiful title of "Most Politically Ignorant and Apathetic Country in the Developed World."

...seriously? America - the birthplace of modern republican democracy - is so ignorant and apathetic about its politics that we refuse to even talk about it? We're too apathetic to even exercise the most basic political right of voting? This isn't even a shame - it's a goddamn disgrace, an embarrassment, a massive failure by us to keep alive the passion and interest in politics going for future generations. As an evolving electorate, we must break out of this rut and give this dying institution a little defibrillation, a new spark plug. Without lively political debate, we keep our ideas and views of the world hidden to ourselves and, if we don't challenge our own ideas and the ideas of others, this ideological divide we are witnessing today will only grow more divided. I anticipate that the fires of hatred an violent rhetoric will only grow higher and hotter until it burns alive the fair, beautiful maiden we call Progress.

I will be damned if I allow Progress to die. By sharing our personal politics, we can find common ground, see the similarities in ourselves and see that shared bond we all have for our beloved home. We an make this land truly great once again, and that is why I'm here.

I am not an ultra-lefty Liberal, though I am left-handed. You will see that there are things my colleagues will say with which I will disagree, but you will find that I am a lower-case liberal who demands common sense and progress from his government and his people. I see this land, and this medium, as a classroom for proliferation of great ideas, and I fully intend to be your professor and your moderator in this great debate. I'm about to drop some knowledge, so grab your textbooks, friends - class is now in session.