Rep. Dan Crenshaw, former Navy SEAL, quips that help has arrived for the hundreds of Americans still stuck in Afghanistan. No, we didn’t pressure the Afghan regime to release our citizens, or else. No, Pres. Biden didn’t send billions in ransom. No, Sec. of State Blinken didn’t impress them with adroit diplomacy.
What did happen was that the State Dept. now issues passports with gender marked “X” if the person requests it. Surely this enormous step forward will impress our friends and frighten our enemies to the point that America will again be seen as the beacon of hope and the homeland of democracy. Surely the sight of a person with a gender X passport will impel the Afghan regime to release our hostages without delay. Surely the Statue of Liberty is holding the torch of freedom even higher.
Surely Rep. Crenshaw has an excellent sense of irony. Surely the rest of us need to do some deep thinking about what this country stands for. If we don’t stand for “Leave no one behind,” we aren’t really worth much, anyhow, so why bother arguing? Just open a beer, grab some chips, sit back on the sofa, and watch reruns of old Westerns. It’s pleasant to remember when we were Americans