Abandoning our allies
Andy sends a link from Yahoo News in regards to the interpreters and other folks who helped the troops in Afghanistan who get that Vietnam feeling from our rush to the exits that leaves them behind despite the dangers they face with their families;
“Each second, each minute, each hour I feel that I am not safe,” says Shinwari, a 35-year-old married father of two young children.
With the U.S. steadily withdrawing from his homeland, Shinwari knows he needs out too. But despite applying to move to the U.S. two years ago under a special immigration program for people who helped American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, Shinwari is still waiting for an answer.
“They won’t tell us why it takes so long,” he says.
Shinwari is one of thousands of interpreters and military aides bogged down in the visa bureaucracy, according to the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, a New York-based legal services agency that helps applicants try to navigate the red tape.
“The applications just kind of get stuck from stage to stage to stage,” Katie Reisner, the nonprofit’s national policy director, told Yahoo News.
And that’s pretty much the reason that we couldn’t get them all to go along with us in the war against the the Taliban in the first place. We don’t have a good record of taking care of our allies when we leave a country behind, not because our troops can’t win a complete and decisive victory, but because we mired in the politics at home and the politicians can’t summon the courage to see a war through or the courage to take care of the people who took care of us.
The article goes on to say that the State Department has only approved 22% of the applications from Iraq and only 15% of those from Afghanistan. Borrowing from the Veterans Affairs Department, the State Department explains;
“Overall processing times have improved significantly in the past two years, but they’re not always predictable,” the official said. “Each case is unique.”
That’s so very reassuring, I suppose, to someone who thanks God every morning when he wakes up that he and his family lived through another night.
UPDATE: Aunty Brat writes to tell us that the UK is screwing their interpreters, too.
Category: Terror War
I believe it was someone here that suggested airlifting these people to the Mexican border and have them make the crossing from there. Instant citizenship.
It’s truly a shame that we treat those people this way, as a country. We screwed our Vietnamese allies in the same freaking way.
Maybe we should learn how to be a good friend to our allies.
That ‘last call’ image isn’t a good one.
In the “New America” this is what we do best…. kill our friends, give billions to our enemies.
Ya ever think it’s a set-up?
This is to our everlasting shame.
Our government drags their heels to allow those who fought along side us, risking their lives while at the same time allowing illegals from every other god forsaken corner of the globe to simply waltz on in…. Last weekend dropping my son off at college we hit the local grocery store. It was as if I had been dropped off in Mogadishu FFS!! Not just them either, that entire area is run down with Asian gangs, Hispanic gangs, Somali gangs…. come out and some dirtbag selling stolen tools out of the car next to me. Crack heads, heroin, sex trade… But we cannot bring back those who earned the right to be here, more so than some naturally born citizens have!
Maybe it’s because the State Dept is busy getting Palestinians into the U.S.? They can’t be bothered to actually make it easier for people who are our allies to get here. Wait til Jean F’ing sKerry and Baracka decide to let a couple of million “Syrians” into the U.S., our allies will be pushed farther back in line.
“I believe it was someone here that suggested airlifting these people to the Mexican border and have them make the crossing from there. Instant citizenship.”
Or Somalia, from there he can get EBT and voter registration cards.
John mcain at republican town meeting told goppers like the old beach boy song we must bomb bomb bomb iran I mean syria hell bomb every body! How many of you good republicans want to bomb anytime we get the chance even if its led by the negro in the white house! Raise your hands! Why is knowbody raising there hands? You don’t count senator graham now get you nose back up my ass! If none of you want to bomb then we should bomb you! What do you mean who would jesus bomb! I worship me!
@9 Put down the peyote buttons and quit drinking the bong water. You sound like a hippie Psul Wee Wee Ker.
Dakota Meyer has been on a crusade to get his interpreter over here. The man fought beside him through everything.
It’s the least we can do.
How many countrys has sanator mcbomb wanted to bomb? syria iraq iran afganistan pakistan north korea bosnia kosovo el salvador nicarauga grenada venzuela and lebenon! And I have probably left some out! When you look into the abyss the abyss looks into YOU!
“We don’t have a good record of taking care of our allies when we leave a country behind…”
This is so sickeningly shameful, I can’t even find the words …
9&11 VWP
Do you even read superficially to figure out the topics of the posts before you comment?
Would it be too much for you to attempt to stay on topic, as well as using normally-accepted spelling and punctuation?
Maybe the ones who helped us should move to Mexico. Then Obama’s team will fight to let them in to the US.
Unfortunately, this disgrace is not unique to America. Both Canada AND the UK have a terrible track record in abandoning the ‘terps who work with them side by side..and yes, every day of bureaucratic bs matters to these allies….
Do you want to know why so many people and nations hate the US?
We keep screwing them over…and over and over
A letter to my Congressman. You guys should be writing and calling your representatives.
Congressman Woodall,
I attended the Gwinnett GOP breakfast last Saturday, 7 September 2013.
I’m glad you spoke about the Syrian situation. I am hoping for the best. I was born in 1963, a bit too young to appreciate the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I imagine that the country is feeling what it was like to be the Russians in that scenario right now.
I would like to draw your attention to the problem of the Afghani Interpreter(s) that are trying to get out of Afghanistan but are finding that their applications are being held up for unknown reasons.
Please reference this news article:
http://news.yahoo.com/afghan-aide-wanted-by-the-taliban-fears-us-may-leave-him-behind-001024473.html
I feel that these men and their families should be given some sort of priority to get into the USA.
Could we not bring them into CONUS and keep them and their families safe until the paperwork is done?
We found the ability to do that for the Vietnamese Boat People in 1975-80.
And as you may recall, there were many Vietnamese and Montagnards left behind.
We were able to do that for the Cuban Refugees in the early 90’s when Castro forced hundreds of them to become boat people and emptied his jails into the Caribbean.
Surely even with all that is happening, Congress could find a way to assist these people in getting out of Afghanistan with their children before they are left behind for the Taliban?
I think that the Republicans should bring this up as soon as possible. I know for a fact that we housed Vietnamese refugees at Lackland AFB after we pulled out of Vietnam. There is no reason why we should not do the same for the people in Afghanistan who helped our troops at great risk to themselves and their families.
Please let me know what you think we can do about this. You should know that this is a topic of discussion in the “Military Blogosphere”.
Our veterans tend to think that the US Government is going to let our friends down.