Medium Should Help
How many writers are part of Medium? I’ve heard in the millions. What are we waiting for?
That these civilian refugees have gotten as close as they have to be turned away from the airport — judging from the email below — is some kind of encouragement, but close won’t keep them alive for long. Only the remaining U. S. and allied military can accomplish that.
The two links to broadcasts included in the email, particularly the CNN interview, are hard to listen to when you know the former translator being interviewed is grasping at anything to protect his family while being half a world away.
This is only one story out of how many others?
The first post to Medium was published August 14, before Kabul was taken over by the Taliban: Afghanistan Failure. The second was posted a day later: Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Here’s another one — written by Carla Seaquist: Biden, the “Human Rights” President, Must Evacuate Our Afghan Allies and Secure Afghan Women’s Safety — Now
Tragedies you read about afterward are hard enough to bear — tragedies we are in large part responsible for and unfolding in real time when something can still be done, are they not worth the effort to ameliorate them?
What are the rest of ya’ll waiting for?
11:36 AM, Eastern Standard Time
“All,
“Quick update. First off, thank you to all of you who responded with ideas and help to get my friends’ family out.
“Thursday morning about 0030 (30 mins past midnight our time, 0900 Kabul time), my friends got an email with a State Department ‘Visa Pass’ to allow them to enter the airport. It said they should go to the airport but there would be no security for them along the way. They decided for one of the two brothers there to go with one of their wives along with the two children. From what I understand, after about 8 hours, they got to the airport gate but the Afghan security people at the gate (that were in front of U.S. Troops) said they could not enter and to come back tomorrow.
“That one brother has now decided, along with their sister who was hiding with them, to not try to escape. They thought it was ‘only a 10% change at life’ and too dangerous. I am hoping that the other remaining brother in Kabul will escort the two wives and children and get into the airport gate.
“From watching CNN this morning, some people were waiting for two days at the gates to get into the airport. I don’t think my friends wives, particularly the children, could survive two days in the heat and the threat from the Taliban. Sure, evacuations are not a ’normal’ military job, but doesn’t anyone in the military chain of command or in the White House have any imagination to think of solutions to this mess?
“I do want to thank my neighbors for helping to get their story out. Both brothers here were interviewed by J.J. Green of WTOP the other day and one was interviewed this morning by CNN. Links to J.J. Green’s podcast and the CNN interview are below.
“Please, keep writing the president and all our elected officials. Please ‘do something’.
Be and stay well and safe,
DJ
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