Two Front Teeth Won't Cut It For Christmas Anymore

My friend Mimi's nephew Devin is a Marine Captain stationed in Iraq. He's been there for several tours and he wrote a letter home to his family this week that Mimi gave me permission to publish.

Dear family,

If you were wondering "what does Devin want for Christmas??," please follow the below link and choose from a number of great products:

http://fromharmtohome.org/

Do not worry, I have done thorough research on the organization and it is legitimate. Also, a close friend from high school used to work with them and can vouch. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was founded in 1933 at the request of the head of the International Relief Association (IRA), Albert Einstein, in order to assist Germans suffering under Hitler (sean-hope I have your attention). Since then the IRC has provided aid to Refugees fleeing from conflicts in Vietnam, Zaire, East Pakistan, Uganda, Chile, Soviet Union, Lebanon, El Salvador, Poland, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and most recently Afghanistan. For over 75 years, the International Rescue Committee has been a leader in humanitarian relief. They mobilize quickly, bringing sustained support to regions devastated by violence and deprivation. The most important aspect of their mission, in my mind, is that they provide hope to extremely vulnerable populations. I will explain what that means in a minute.

First, I'm sure you're asking at this point.. "uh.. is he serious? Isn't he a Marine? Has he gone soft? Is this spam??.." Nope, just hang with me. Providing support to a population who have become refugees as a result of
armed conflict benefits more than just those individuals. It benefits you, your family, and your MARINES fighting abroad. How you ask?

I shall explain:

As I'm sure you can imagine, refugee camps are a terrible place. They are filled with displaced individuals who are jobless, moneyless, education-less, hungry, and angry because they were forced from their
home/family (directly or indirectly) and moved to a trash heap in a countr that doesn't want them.

The depression that results from this environment breeds something called "hopelessness," especially in youths. Back in my F&M days while studying the Hopelessness Theory of Depression I learned that experiences in such negative environments can lead to the formation of dysfunctional beliefs, which in turn lead to negative self views, which in turn leads to depression, followed by desperation. THIS is why you have a "vulnerable population" within these refugee camps. Desperate people are easily exploited. Many terrorist organizations or extremist groups recognize this and are taking advantage of the social and psychological dysfunction within these camps to breed dysfunctional beliefs (Radical Islamic Extremism) and recruit suicide bombers.

You often wonder, "how can someone walk into a crowded square and blow themselves up?" Research refugee camps on the border of conflict ridden regions and Im sure you will understand how easy it would be for an al-Qaida operative to recruit individuals using promises of hope, meaning to life, and a guaranteed spot in heaven. A large majority of the suicide bombers who are killing our troops in Afghanistan are not Taliban. They are extremists who grew up in refugee camps bordering Pakistan. Look deeply into conflicts in Somalia and the Congo, you will find similar backgrounds in the majority of the extremists, guerrillas, or terrorists involved.

SO, by getting me my Christmas present you can save a life and disrupt the proliferation of terrorism by providing these underprivileged individuals with an alternative form of hope. Give them education to fight extremist views, food and medicine to maintain their desire to live, and HOPE that they can create a better life for themselves and their families. Help fight the long war.

If you can find a present like this in a store at the mall.. Let me know... I'll buy stock.

Thanks for taking the time to consider my Christmas list. There are many organizations to give to during the holidays and this is certainly not the only one you should look into. I look forward to seeing/hearing from you all this Christmas. Take care, Miss you!!

Love,
Devin

READY TO IMPORT IRAQ'S QUIRKY LITTLE PROBLEMS TO AMERICA?

A few weeks ago I posted a story called What Will Bush-- Or Hillary-- Do With The Iraqi Quislings? and I want to bring up a thoughtful comment that was left by an anonymous reader:

I used to be an admirer of this blog. I would guess you just hate and fear Arabs and oppose their immigration.

I've been to Iraq and know some of the people you call "quislings." Of course, by using this term you equate the US to Nazis and the murderous Iraqi insurgency, composed of murderous Baathist ex- secret police, Al Qaeda units which kill barbers for shaving people and drive bombs into markets crowded with civilians and other religious fanatic killers, to the Allies and Norwegian resistance.

The Iraqis who work with us a largely secular intellectuals who believe in things like the electoral democracy we imposed on the country. Many are people who opposed Saddam's fascist regime. Whatever you think about the war, their motives are mostly patriotic.

I neither hate nor fear groups of people-- not races nor nationalities nor ethnicities. If I hated Arabs I don't think I would have travelled to Morocco a dozen times since 1969. The third proposition, though, is one worth talking about: opposing their immigration to this country.

Today's NY Times ran a story, Obstacles Keep Iraqi Refugees From US, and when I opened it I was thinking, "OMG, did Bush actually do something right for a change?" That was unkind of me, as well as incorrect. The Bush Regime seems more than willing to take in thousands of Iraqi refugees as that country crumbles further into an all out civil war entirely of of their (the Bush Regime's) making. But like with most everything the U.S. has stuck its nose in there, even that is failing.

Despite a stepped-up commitment from the United States to take in Iraqis who are in danger because they worked for the American government and military, very few are signing up to go, resettlement officials say.

The reason, Iraqis say, is that they are not allowed to apply in Iraq, requiring them to make a costly and uncertain journey to countries like Syria or Jordan, where they may be turned away by border officials already overwhelmed by fleeing Iraqis.

Americans of all political stripes who have come to know Iraqis due to this most horrible of circumstances-- the invasion, brutal occupation and complete breakdown of civil society-- are advocating bringing Iraqis who worked for the Bush Regime efforts there, over to America to keep them from being killed as traitors. Raise your hand if you think the people of this country favor importing thousands of Arabs to America.

The culture clash-- as demonstrated all over Europe-- isn't one that's going to work out. The idea of assimilation isn't something they're looking for. I listened to an interview today on KCRW with Lucette Lagnado about her highly acclaimed new book The Man in the Sharskin Suit and you can too. Her father was a wealthy Egyptian Jew who came, reluctantly, to the U.S. to escape persecution after Nasser took over and Jews became unwelcome in Cairo. From the interview I got the impression that her father was a religionist fanatic, albeit a peaceful one, who didn't fit in and was miserable in America. Something tells me his America is like a picnic compared to what it will be for a bunch of Iraqis-- who are less peaceful and, at least in some cases-- maybe even in cases not yet born-- just as fanatically religionist.

Do we have enough problems here without importing the misery of the Middle East? Ask the English if they'd like to do it over again. This is a problem that should not be dictated by the asshats inside the Beltway before it is thoroughly debated by the American people.