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Catherine L (WA)'s avatar

For your consideration via Robert Reich:

I'm as sensitive as anyone to the sufferings of Afghani's now, but I've had it with the sanctimony of journalists and pundits who haven't thought about Afghanistan for 20 years -- many of whom urged we get out -- but who are now filling the August news hole with overwrought stories about Biden's botched exit and Taliban atrocities.

Yes, the exit could have been better planned and executed. Yes, it's all horribly sad. But can we get a grip? The sudden all-consuming focus on Afghanistan is distracting us from hugely important stuff that's coming to a head at home:

(1) Republican politicians and right-wing media worsening the surging Delta variant of COVID by fighting masks and vaccinations, as cities and school systems struggle to decide what to do;

(2) wildfires and floods consuming much of America as House Democrats absurdly threaten to oppose Biden's $3.5 trillion budget blueprint containing important measures to slow climate change;

(3) Texas on the verge of passing the nation's most anti-democracy voting restrictions, adding to voter suppression measures in 24 other states, at the same time the "For the People Act" and the "John Lewis Voting Rights Act" -- which would remedy these horrendous laws -- languish in the Senate because Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema refuse to do anything about the filibuster.

Enough sanctimony over Afghanistan. Enough about Biden's falling approval ratings. We've had enough wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympics and then Andrew Cuomo and now the airport in Kabul. Can we please focus on the biggest things that need and deserve our attention right now? The window of opportunity to do anything about them will close sooner than we expect.

If we don't take action now on COVID and the critical importance of vaccinations and masks, on climate change and Biden's $3.5 trillion package, and on voter suppression and the necessity of the For the People and the John Lewis Voting Rights Acts, we may never.

That's my view. What do you think?

RR

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Cathy Learoyd (Texas)'s avatar

I'm ready now to give President Biden and his administration some slack on the execution of the withdrawal after learning what a mess anti-immigrant, xenophobe Stephen Miller left the immigration system and the Special Immigrant Visas for those who aided the US in Afghanistan in. Where he couldn't tear apart and destroy about the immigration system, he created more and more red tape adding years to the immigration process. While I don't understand why the Biden administration didn't anticipate the speed of the Taliban take-over since the Taliban started negotiating with all the Afghan regional leaders once the US withdrawal was announced, I am heartened by how far the Biden administration has come this past week in turning around the situation which is becoming more effective every day getting people out of Afghanistan and even taking refugees especially women and children. Actually, with the Taliban promising to not attack the US during the withdrawal may be a major factor in why now is the best time to leave. The war was only prolonged because the Defense Contractors wanted to make more money on arms sales. There was no other reason for it to continue.

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