Category: Afghanistan

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Obama: This Duck Is Still Mobile

You would think, from all the talk about the midterm elections and the final two years of the Obama Administration, that the president doesn’t matter anymore or that absolutely nothing will get done in Washington between now and January 2017. While we may be fighting political gridlock, and the possibility that few if any consequential laws will be passed soon, the rest of the world is not stopping nor is our country’s need for attention to our very real problems. The Republicans in Congress have made it clear that they do not want to work with Barack Obama or give him any victories from which the Democrats can claim any advantage going into the 2016 election season. This is no way to run a country, and we will pay a price in the future for our inability to act now.

There is no shortage of media stories purporting to paint Obama as a lame duck before his time, abandoning his legislative agenda in favor of executive orders and agency rule-writing. The problem with this interpretation is that Obama’s actions, especially on the environment, will have a profound effect on business and industry. New rules that detail how much a company can pollute and whether they need to clean up their emissions is no small matter. If it was, then the various business groups that oppose these changes wouldn’t be making so much noise.

The same is true with the Affordable Care Act. Yes, two Circuit Courts did issue contradictory rulings last week about whether people who buy policies on the federal exchange are entitled to subsidies, but in the end I believe that the law will be upheld and the subsidies will remain in place. I base this not on my fine reading of the law, but on the fact that by the time the Supreme Court gets the case, upwards of 30 million people will be covered by federal subsidies and the cost of ending them will be too much of a disruption to the country. Just as the Supreme Court ruled that police can’t search cell phones without a warrant mainly because the justices understood first hand what that would entail, so they will understand what it means to take health care away from people or make it unaffordable. Either Roberts or Kennedy will provide the deciding vote in any future case; the former to maintain his legacy, the latter because he tends to see applicability more than the other conservatives. The result of any case will be the president having to issue orders or to order executive branch offices to maintain the law so that it continues to honor its promises.

The president is never a lame duck when it comes to foreign policy, and Obama will not be an exception. The world is on fire as we speak and the United States will play a role in unwinding many of the conflicts that engulf it. Critics have been unsparing in their denunciations of Obama’s seemingly uninspiring handling of foreign affairs, but many on the right are calling for actions that the United States will not, and should not, take, such as sending troops or issuing ultimatums. Economic sanctions will have an effect on Vladimir Putin, and I think he understands this which is why he continues to push for separatist actions in Ukraine. Obama’s continuing contact with Benjamin Netanyahu will result in a cease-fire and long-term cessation of hostilities because the American president still carries great weight in the region. Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya look hopeless, but a concerted American effort will yield some results. Ultimately, these countries will have to solve problems on their own, but each will look abroad for help. Obama will be there.

Labeling a president as a lame duck is dangerous business in today’s world technology has made everything faster and response time smaller. The economy is improving, but if the gains in the stock market prove to be a bubble, then the president will need to act quickly. Any number of natural disasters would require a response. And if the GOP ever gets the message that tax policy, infrastructure improvements and immigration really do need more attention than suing or impeaching Obama, then perhaps we could have a significant bill before the next election.

I can dream, no?

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Afghanistan Bowe Bergdahl Foreign Policies News Politics Terrorism

Deserter Storm

At this point, the only relevant question I can think of asking in the tale of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is this: If he was the son of a member of the U.S. Congress, would anybody be questioning his patriotism? Perhaps in this hyper-partisan atmosphere we have the answer might be yes, but I doubt it.

As more details emerge about Sgt. Bergdahl’s captivity, it’s becoming clearer to me that a large swath of our citizenry simply has not learned the lessons of the past and is too ready to jump on anything negative in a person’s background to deny them basic human rights. Yes, he had a habit of wandering when he shouldn’t have and, yes, U.S. soldiers were killed trying to find him. It is a tragedy that those soldiers died and their families have every right to be angry over the circumstances of their deaths. That should never have happened. This kind of thing happens in war. That’s why I hate it.

The worst, unfortunately, is yet to come. Sgt. Bergdahl will come home to a town and country that is deeply divided over whether he should have even been freed, much less traded for five suspected terrorists. He will be called terrible names in person and in the media by those who believe that they are the country’s moral arbiters. I have one word for them: Vietnam.

Last week I took my classes to the New Jersey Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. It’s a trip that’s become a yearly ritual at my school, and this year it was even more valuable because it provided some historical relevance in light of Sgt. Bergdahl’s story. Vietnam veterans lead all of the tours and are available for discussion, question and answer periods, and explanations of some of the exhibits at the memorial and education center. To a man, and they were all men, they recounted their experiences as soldiers returning to a divided country in the 1960s and 1970s. They told us about being called baby killers, village burners, Nazis, fascists and murderers. They were young men, some who were drafted and some who enlisted, who saw it as their duty to fight for their country, and their country turned their back on them. Today, they are kind, thoughtful men who are proud to be grandfathers and are happy to tell the younger generation about their experiences.

I thought of Bowe Bergdahl. Not the Sergeant; just the young man, and what he faces in the near future. For the Vietnam veterans there was some strength in numbers. Bowe Bergdahl will face the country alone. John McCain met President Nixon as a hero. I hope that President Obama sticks to his position and does the same for Bergdahl. Yes, he made a terrible mistake which became a tragedy for some of his fellow soldiers. But to hang this whole tragedy on him would be a terrible mistake. Let’s hope that we haven’t forgotten the lessons of 40 years ago.

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Afghanistan Iraq News

A Military Family Needs Your Help

This is Sergeant Major Charles Bunyan and his beautiful family. They are truly wonderful people who go above and beyond what it means to be a military family. They are people that go out of their way to help anyone in need and are happy to do it.

SGM Bunyan is an exemplary leader in the New York Army National Guard and has helped so many soldiers find their way. His wife, Joan Is always there with a helping hand, a listening ear or any support she can give. She gives love and support to so many people and asks nothing in return. Their eldest daughter Brianna, and youngest daughter Lilly are about as sweet as they come. Two incredibly pure-hearted girls raised in a home filled with love.

Tragically, on December 19th, this amazing family was dealt quite a serious blow. Brianna ( the eldest daughter, 18) died in a car accident. The pain this family is going through this Christmas season is an unbearable one no person deserves. Especially not such good, giving people. These people have brightened so many lives. All I ask is that you click the link below and give back to this incredible family in their time of need. ANY AMOUNT WILL DO. No donation is too small or too big.

Click here to Help the Bunyan Family

This fund was set up by Master Sergeant Adam Tucciariello, one of the many soldiers who has experienced the love and support the Bunyan family has to offer.

Thank you so much for your time. Merry Christmas.

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Afghanistan Egypt Entertainment Movies News

Movies You Should See: Girl Rising

UPDATE: See Girl Rising this Sunday, June 16th on CNN at 9PM EST!!!

In an increasing effort to shine a light on what happens when girls in the developing world rise up and above obstacles in their lives, 10X10 films brings us Girl Rising by Academy Award nominated director Richard Robbins. Nine girls’ stories from around the world. Each girl paired with a writer from their own country to tell of the journey to where they are now. Narrative performances by Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchette, Salma Hayek, Selena Gomez, Alicia Keys, Meryl Streep, Priyanka Chopra, Kerry Washington, Chloe Moretz, Liam Neeson, and Frida Pinto draw you in.

Wadley, a precocious third grader in Haiti, loves going to school. She takes pride in memorizing her history passages. One evening while doing her homework the earthquake hits. Wadley and her mother’s world is turned upside down and around. In the aftermath, Wadley walks a long way each day to get water for the family. One day she sees that the school has opened up again; Wadley runs home to tell her mother. Heartbroken when her mother tells her she can’t go to school because they don’t have any money, Wadley decides to go to school the next day. Her teacher recognizes her and tells her unless her mother has paid she has to leave; embarrassed Wadley walks home. The next day she vows to go back until they let her stay.

Azmera was 13 when her mother was about to agree to an arranged marriage to some strange visitors one day. The only daughter alive in her family, Azmera and her brother are all their mother has left after her husband dies early and she loses a child still young. Thankfully, just in the nick of time, Azmera’s brother walks in from tending the fields of Ethiopia and sees what’s about to happen. In a chivalrous gesture, he pleads with his mother and puts his foot down as the man of the house saying that Azmera will not marry one of the men.

Those were the easiest stories to take in. However each story, no matter the outcome, grips you in the heart and squeezes. Every girls’ story is compelling. Interlaced with statistics of what happens when countries decide to educate their girls or not, Girl Rising demands we take notice and action.

In their own way each girl gives us solid reasons to help their fight. Amina, the 11 year old forced into marriage in Afghanistan puts it quite eloquently and to the point, “I will read. I will study. I will learn. If you try to stop me, I’ll just try harder. If you stop me, there will be other girls who will rise up and take my place. I am change.”

If those girls can fight for themselves in some of the most dire circumstances, surely we can take time to speak up for them and others like them around the world.

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Afghanistan

US Soldier kills 16 Afghan Civilians in Shooting Rampage

Over the last few weeks, some strange events have happened in Afghanistan. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was the accidental burning of the Quran by American troops, an act that increased an already tensed situation in the country between Afghans and American soldiers and caused the president of the United States to issue an apology. Now, we hear the story of an American soldier who opened fire on Afghan civilians, killing at least 16 men, women and children.

Although an initial report suggests that the soldier involved in the shooting went “crazy,” that wasn’t the first thought that came to my mind. Although my reasoning may seemed a bit far fetched, consider this for a moment: the war in Afghanistan is in its final phase and is coming to an end. With the war in Iraq already brought to a successful conclusion, ending this unpopular conflict in Afghanistan would boost president Obama’s favorable ratings among a war-wary American public.

In the middle of an election year with an economy moving in the right direction and with a Republican opposition party determined to make sure this president fails, would it really be that far fetched to wonder if they are behind these random acts of violence? Is it wrong to wonder if money was exchanged to cause more tension in Afghanistan so that Republicans can say, see, we were right. We should stay in Afghanistan longer, but president Obama wants to end the war. He knows nothing about being Commander In Chief. He’s wrong and we were right.

Normally, this would not be the first thing I think about hearing about these different incidents in Afghanistan, but with the current toxic nature of our politics and with the do anything to win mentality of some in Washington, I wouldn’t put it past them to use this war as a political ploy to win an election. They are, after all… politicians. They are, after all… Republicans.

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