CEO of @ChamberlainVets. Highly functional procrastinator. Called "low-key" by the @washingtonian. Talks democracy protection and vet issues. ATLien.
Atlanta, GA
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Professional Update: I'm really proud to be launching @ChamberlainVets at a time when our democracy needs veterans the most. If you care about our institutions and want to do something about it -- join us!
Alarmed by political violence & declining democratic norms, @itsapurdy launched @ChamberlainVets to fight both.
He thinks vets can fight efforts to sow doubts abt the 2024 election.
"Democracy is fairy dust, right? It only works if we believe in it."
thehill.com/policy/national-…
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The whole Walz debate is just the vet community showing our own internal dysfunction. What non-vets don’t know, and are seeing play out now, is that there’s a pecking order based on if you deployed, how many times you deployed, if you engaged in combat, and how bad it was.
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The fact is Tim Walz served longer than most at a time that put a lot of pressure on soldiers and families. About 15% of Americans serve in the military and around 10% of enlisted soldiers serve to retirement. Swiftboating his service over this isn’t the right call.
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People are also forgetting how crazy early GWOT years were. NG companies were regularly going for *multi*year* deployments. I don’t blame a guy with 24 years in and a family for seeing that on the horizon and saying to himself “I’ve done enough”. So what if he opted out
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When I joined in 2004, I had two E8s in my company who’d served since Vietnam (importantly, they were never in Vietnam) So when my company was alerted that we *might* have to do an 18 month tour to Afghanistan, those retirement packets went in real quick. And nobody faulted them.
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Generally speaking a solider who served in the Korengal Valley has more cred that someone who served as route clearance in Tikrit, who has more cred than someone who never left the wire at Bagram. But Bagram is “tougher” than Kuwait which is at least in theater compared to Italy
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Because shit was hard! If you did your time, got out before replacing you was too difficult, then that was that. Lots of people avoided deployments, and yeah, folks rolled their eyes, but we understood. Because in the Guard, you had feet in both the civilian and military world
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That brings me to my final point. During GWOT, and today, people project on veterans what they want to see. Average Americans just don’t understand deployments, the culture within the military, between branches, or even the difference between Active, Reserve, and National Guard.
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It’s hard to correct someone in the moment when they’re talking about your service incorrectly. You don’t want to look rude, you also know how much explaining is needed, so sometimes you let people keep talking and try to work around it. This happens all the time.
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You clearly didn’t read the thread. He didn’t “abandon” his unit, he deployed as part of OEF (a world wide op), l he never said he served in combat. But this is my point, you’re getting caught up in the specifics to have a dick measuring contest that he was obvs trying to avoid
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I was in Iraq, an actual combat zone, daily driving through cities and towns where people legitimately wished us harm. And we didn’t need this much firepower to do our job.
This is a photo op to scare people into thinking that migrants are coming to do them harm. It’s a lie.
Today I toured with @TxDPS and @MariaBartiromo to take a first-hand look at how easy it can be to cross the Rio Grande River without a wall.
I will not stop fighting for the rule of law.
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The Senate GOP needs to do something about this now. White supremacists have no place in the military. Period. @LeaderMcConnell when will you step up and act?
washingtonpost.com/politics/…
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Well the text is out and the #AfghanAdjustmentAct is not included in this years spending bill. Not only is this disappointing but it’s another slap in the face from republicans who’ve shown themselves to be the party that refuses to listen to veterans. So what does this mean 🧵
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Every day I get messages from Afghans left behind. They all say the same thing "Please help me, I'm going to die"
The #AfghanAdjustmentAct would help these people. It would also take the burden off of thousands of veterans like me. @SenSchumer please make this a floor amendment
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I can’t believe I have to say this #Afghans refugees here and abroad already done enough to defend democracy. They are the most vetted refugees ever. We owe them everything, we owe them a place in our society without precondition of service, we owe them the #AfghanAdjustmentAct
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Another enslaver gets their name removed from a position of honor on a US Army base. A great day for a deserving hero. Well done @USArmy - its a beautiful day at #FortMoore
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Afghan forces lost 70,000 troops over the course of the war, often fighting with no food, poor equipment, and shoddy clothing. Americans have been sold a lie about the courage of Afghan forces and it’s time we expose that myth and the racism that keeps perpetuating it
It continually astounds me how often I talk to fairly well-informed Americans who are under the impression that Afghan gov't troops "didn't put up a fight," and for whom the massive (and extensively covered) death toll Afghan forces suffered 2015-21 is completely new information.
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I’ve been thinking a lot about the US theft of $7 billion from Afghans today. I kept thinking about the emails I receive hourly. Of families starving, begging for protection from the Taliban. Today I talked to the sister of 11y/o girl left behind. What do I tell her now?
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Today I was honored to speak at the Capitol w/ other advocates to push Congress and the administration on the #AfghanAdjustmentAct. It's time for a permanent solution to save our wartime allies. Thanks @KrishVignarajah @SusannahCC and @LIRSorg for your hard work organizing today
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It was an honor to speak with @SecBlinken today on the critical issues facing Afghans in the #refugee pipeline. I'm so grateful to the @afghanevac for organizing this call. We spoke directly to the Secretary on the critical need to fix refugee processing and finish the job.
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Apropos of nothing... if you got into the Afghanistan evacuation and relocation efforts to write a book about your white savior exploits, then you're in the wrong line of work.
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Oh look, here’s a Bush admin announcement highlighting OEF operations in Georgia, The Philippines, and Yemen - which, *checks notes*, are countries not in Afghanistan
georgewbush-whitehouse.archi…
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"The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was always going to be messy. But if Biden had listened to advocates, consulted historical precedent, and perhaps considered the humanitarianism that Guam had offered, many more Afghans might be safe right now."
thenation.com/article/world/…
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Pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct - the only bill that has real solutions to honor America's promise to our Afghan allies
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It’s been 6 days of 18 hour days of rapid response, one all nighter to coordinate safe passage of afghans to the airport, and many moments of heroism from everyday people. I’m so grateful to everyone who’s pitched and especially @TrumanProject for keeping us all fed. Thank you!
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Thank you George Packer (@TheAtlantic) for telling this story. This is a hard read. I'm grateful for all who added their voice. Esp @EvacOurAllies @afghanevac @kim_staffieri @SteveMiska @cmackler @mattczeller @M_Breen @IRAP @TrumanProject @humanrights1st
theatlantic.com/magazine/arc…
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Our Afghan allies cannot wait any longer. We must bring these #SIV applicants directly to the U.S. I'm glad that these veteran groups have spoken out in support of this effort.
Veterans organizations from across the spectrum know that now is the time to conduct a full evacuation of all our allies from Afghanistan. The Biden administration needs to bring these people to U.S. territory and bring them now.
humanrightsfirst.org/press-r…
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And so now every April, I sit on me porch,
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march...
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Over past four months I’ve worked with some of the smartest most dedicated advocates. Together we came up with a plan to convince Biden that the best way we can exit Afghanistan is to bring along our allies who fought with us. Today he agreed. nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna127…
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It’s almost as if seeing senior leaders defend the force from bigoted political attacks, is a good thing that actually makes people want to stay in 🤔
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Tomorrow marks a year since the fall of Kabul. I’m grateful to work everyday with those who haven’t left 8/15/21 behind. While we’re nowhere near finished, we’ve shown that American honor means something to us. If you’re wondering what you can do to help the work here’s a 🧵
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I took today off to reread and reflect on the Atlantic article and this section kept coming back to me. We believed that the weight of our moral and strategic arguments would carry the day. We didn’t count on apathy
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If the US government is truly going to automatically reject the thousands of #Afghans who applied for humanitarian parole, that would be the equivalent of an #AfghanBan. As winter sets in, the Biden administration has another chance to prove that they won't abandon our allies.
🚨On 11/5, USCIS announced that it would be applying a particularly high evidentiary standard to approve Afghan #humanitarianparole.
The news raised 🚩🚩🚩throughout the legal community & will likely result in the denial of the majority of Afghans’ HP applications. 🧵
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Those of us who have been working on Afghanistan saw this moment coming. It was like watching a slow tsunami approach a crowded shore where the lifeguard just shrugged. We warned the Biden admin over and over, but they either didn't want to listen or didn't care. They own this.
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Thank you Senator for leading the effort to honor our promise! Vets, retired military leaders, faith groups, businesses, we all agree: Pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct now. Here's a quick thread of letters from civil society calling for its passage in the #NDAA
Tonight, I spoke on the Senate Floor about the need to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act to do right by our Afghan allies—so many of whom worked alongside our troops. It's about a covenant that we made and that we must keep with those who stood with us.
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The @EvacOurAllies team is releasing our report on the first phase of Afghan relocation efforts, and our hopes for the future. *Hint* - we want more government/civil society collaboration
humanrightsfirst.org/sites/d…
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In order to pull off Operation Allies Refuge @POTUS needs to put together a real task force that is accountable to Congress. That's the only way our 18,000 #SIV allies can be successfully evacuated. In our new piece @cmackler @SteveMiska and I explain.
justsecurity.org/77544/biden…
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To be clear, we need to accept as many Ukrainians as need refuge, that is not up for debate. But the fact that we can do this for a European country but not Afghanistan should concern people.
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I’ve seen the AAR that came out today on the Afghanistan evacuation and I have to say I’m just exhausted. We’ve been working at this round the clock for two years and we’re still no closer to sustainable solutions to the Afghan crisis than when we started.
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On Memorial Day, I had the honor of going to the White House with other veterans who worked on the Afghanistan response. It shows just how much of an impact the veteran community has had.
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Make no mistake, this is an utter failure and dereliction of duty on behalf of @LeaderMcConnell and @ChuckGrassley. Every other wartime evac had this but they decided to put a racist and isolationist ideology ahead of America
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It’s a shame that a vet, an Afghan war vet at that, like @SenTomCotton is blocking the #AfghanAdjustmentAct from a vote. Our allies deserve a vote! We’ve worked too hard
Pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct - the only bill that has real solutions to honor America's promise to our Afghan allies
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The US is finally starting to relocate afghans. @POTUS must follow this Fort Lee precedent and bring all 18000 #SIV applicants directly to US territory. #GetThemToGuam #NoThirdCountry
Human Rights FIrst, @LIRSorg, @wartimeallies & @IRAP welcome news that 2,500 Afghans will be brought to safety in the U.S.
Now, the Biden admin. must likewise evacuate the remaining allies and their families to safety in U.S. territory. #SaveOurAllies
humanrightsfirst.org/press-r…
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That’s not the story here. The story is a vendor saw an item that was left behind, rifled through it for valuables, and actively hid the fact that they had object when contact was attempted. It’s a story of theft
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By pitting the families of 9/11 victims against those suffering famine and starvation in Afghanistan, it cheapens the memory of those who died that day. It is unnecessary.
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The US government has already said that 2,500 Afghans can come to Ft. Lee, why not the rest? There are nearly 70,000 more who are ready and waiting for us to keep our promise. #BringThemToo
Step 1: Bring 2,500 Afghan allies & their families to safety at Fort Lee, VA.
Step 2: Bring the remaining 67,500 Afghans & their families to safety in U.S. territory.
To keep our promise to our allies, we must evacuate them to U.S. territory NOW. #SaveOurAllies
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I can’t emphasize this enough. Throughout this week we’ve been working with rank and file government, congressional, and private industry people who are carrying the weight of this. They are meeting the moment with honor and commitment, our leaders are not. #DigitalDunkirk
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Steve and his team out in LA have been doing amazing work on the #AfghanEvac No one thought we'd be here, but they've been able to rally resources and save lives. We've got a lot further to go and we're not going to give up
The #Kabul attack has put even more pressure on efforts to get #SIV wartime allies out of #Afghanistan, says Col (ret) @SteveMiska. Veterans are hearing harrowing stories from translators and others who fear they're being left behind to be killed by the #Taliban
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You don’t care about the armed forces. Otherwise you would lift your hold on promotions. You’re self serving
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Let’s make this clear: this money was not a Taliban’s savings account. This is the reserves of the legitimate Afghan government and the Afghan people. This was ordinary people’s money. Business owners, factory workers, students.
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Nothing we did moved @POTUS or his advisors. Not policy papers, nor back room meetings, nor front yard rallies. B/c the WH lacked as much empathy as they did strategic thinking. It’s hard for us as a human rights advocates to accept that reality
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Big Deal Alert🚨🚨🚨
Now over 40 retired senior military commanders have signed onto a letter calling for passage of the #AfghanAdjustmentAct. Inc. former commanders of IASF and US Forces Afghanistan.
Lets get this done!
evacuateourallies.org/advoca…
Over 30 veteran orgs - including @AmericanLegion @iava and @studentvets signed on to a letter today demanding passage of the #AfghanAdjustmentAct
evacuateourallies.org/advoca…
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Over the last year this administration has made every wrong decision possible on AFG. From a hasty withdrawal, to refusing a preemptive evac, to the chaos at HKIA, to a lack of actual options for afghans left behind. They continue to wish this problem away
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The decision to steal the national reserves is cruel, full stop. Regardless of whatever legal excuse the administration comes up with, it was wrong. It hurts regular Afghans, but it also hurts Americans.
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👏 Governor of Guam said she’s ready to welcome Afghan allies if the U.S. govt. evacuates them to Guam from Afghanistan. As @louleonguerrero said, it’s an act of patriotism to protect our allies who have sacrificed so much for us. postguam.com/news/local/guam…
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Third, it means that our Afghan allies left behind still have no pathway out of Taliban rule. Thousands of our special operations partners were waiting for this bill to pass to take advantage of the expanded SIV provisions. @LeaderMcConnell abandoned them to their fate
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This first wave is a welcome step. I’m looking forward to seeing planes land and the rest of the 18,000 applicants and their families follow shortly after
.@StateDeptSpox confirms our reporting that a pool of Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) applicants who are “closest to completing” the process will be relocated to Fort Lee, Virginia.
cnn.com/2021/07/19/politics/…
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Second, it means that all the vetting concerns that the @GOP played up continue. @ChuckGrassley had an opportunity to re-vet every single Afghan who would apply for LPR. He chose not to. He and those who oppose this bill clearly do not care about national security.
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We posted this plan in June evacuateourallies.org The President is gaslighting this country and the thousands who are being left to die
Biden, on #Afghanistan just now: "There was no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss of heartbreaking images you see on television. It's just a fact."
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We're grateful for this first flight and we're looking forward to many more until all 18,000 #SIVs and their families are evacuated to U.S. soil.
humanrightsfirst.org/press-r…
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Alexa, show me the racial disparities in the US immigration system
cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-ref…
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Well first it means that the 80k afghan evacuees now face no reason to trust the United States. After the evac, afghans face serious issues like housing and food insecurity, joblessness, financial distress. All things that could’ve been fixed had they been allowed gain LPR
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If you've been involved in the #digitaldunkirk movement to support the #afghanevac over the last two weeks, we want to hear your stories. Use this form to help us capture what you've been doing
We are going to capture these stories. Please amplify this form so we can capture the full matrix of the volunteers involved. forms.gle/BgQHTYgsuNe1oYwN6
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The President is gaslighting America. We are forcing people to leave the protection of American forces to be murdered by the Taliban
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How did we create a world where we’re expected to immediately respond to all our messages? At any given moment I have to monitor:
My phone
Email
iMessage
SMS messages
Signal
LinkedIn
Slack
WhatsApp
GroupMe
Facebook Messenger
Twitter DMs
child’s school communications
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The humanitarian parole system is broken. The refugee system is broken. The SIV system is broken. We need a better way to admit at risk Afghans.
The Biden administration has collected nearly $20 million from Afghans seeking refuge since July 2021, and approved only 123 applications. These numbers are devastating, and we only know the full picture because of the FOIA data obtained by @reveal.
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If your son dies because of a wartime injury like the brain cancer caused by living next to burn pits... your son lost his life in that war
Biden says son Beau 'lost his life in Iraq' during Colorado speech fxn.ws/3EzHEAX
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Advocates like myself, @EvacOurAllies @afghanevac and others have been begging for a program like this for Afghans for months. Unlike the Ukrainians, there is no option for them. They have no safe NATO country to flee to for refugee processing. But the USG refused. I wonder why?
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It’s been 5 months since the #Afghan government fell.
5 months since thousands of our allies and their families began desperately pleading for our help.
5 months since @DHSgov collected millions on filing fees for parole applications.
And nothing has been done.
Powerful piece outlining the desperate situation of so many Afghan families left w little hope of reuniting w loved ones in safety in US. We can & must do better. Create an #Afghanparoleprogram @DHSgov the need is too great to ignore. Thank you @Prof_LMHarris
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The moral injury of this moment is real. Our generation of veterans will be forever traumatized by this. Please talk through the pain you’re feeling with professionals. Thank you @iava for offering your services in this moment.
The crisis in Afghanistan is tough for many in our community. If you are a veteran or a family member and need to talk to someone, please reach out to our #QRF team. Call us 24/7 at 855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) or visit us online: quickreactionforce.org #WeGotYourBack #IAVA
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Over the last few weeks, veterans around the country have been standing up to demand that Congress pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct. Here's a round up of some of the voices that are speaking out in support of our allies and demanding that our government does its job🧵
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BIG DEAL ALERT🚨
The #AfghanAdjustmentAct is back! Just reintroduced. Thank you to all the cosponsors and leads who’ve worked hard to make this happen. The AAA will honor our promises to Afghans left behind, create a stability in the relocation efforts, and help those here now
Bipartisan group reintroduces Afghan Adjustment Act
Politics this session may make it harder to advance than last but supporters have said it’s a priority to get it moving
blumenauer.house.gov/media-c…
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To not see the #AfghanAdjustmentAct get a vote is devastating. In a long tradition of failing Americas veterans congress once again abandoned us. They’ve told the world that America doesn’t give a shit about its commitments and that it sees vets as expendable assets and props
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Yes! Yes! Yes! We need to honor our troupes just they did when my grandfather served in the space force!
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As we wait for @SenSchumer to listen to @LindseyGrahamSC @ChrisCoons @amyklobuchar to put the #AfghanAdjustmentAct up for a floor amendment to the FY 23 Omnibus, here are some key moments over the last 18 months showing how we got here:
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The Speaker of the House of Representatives was targeted in an assassination attempt. How is this not the only thing people are talking about. Political violence is rising and threatening our constitutional government.
BREAKING: Paul Pelosi “violently assaulted” in home break-in. The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hospitalized and expected to fully recover, spokesperson says. apnews.com/article/paul-pelo…
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Hm I’m with you on this one. It’s one thing to ignore an officer. Is another thing to brazenly admit it. We can go on about pulling rank and forcing a salute… but at that point, if a SPC feels like they can tell a female officer that he saw her and ignored her - that’s a problem
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Americas veterans have been fighting for over a year to protect our Afghan allies. Congress must pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct. We are running out of time and lives hang in the balance.
Our message to Congress now is clear: We’ve done our job, now you do yours
Commentary: Veterans urge Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act
militarytimes.com/opinion/co…
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Advocates like myself though that nativist and racist America first immigration policies ended with the last president. We believed that we were restarting a human rights centered foreign policy. Todays announcement shows us how wrong we were.
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None of what’s happening in Afghanistan needed to. There‘s so much blame to go around. Trump gave the Taliban a free pass and Biden showed nothing but callous disinterest. Thousands will die, and post 9/11 veterans will live with trauma of this dishonor for the rest of our lives.
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I was proud to stand with our Afghan allies today in San Diego. Thank you @JoelAndersonCA, @ChrisWardCA,@AsmLaurieDavies,@AndrewHayesCA,@shanahazan,@CMRaulCampillo,@MayorBillWells, and @shawnjvandiver for California's commitment and leadership on the #AfghanAdjustmentAct
"There are 70k Afghan refugees here...that do not have a viable way to stay in this country permanently, forcing them to live in temporary status. This is unacceptable...if [the Afghan Adjustment Act] gets on the floor, it will pass & make it to the president's desk." -@itsapurdy
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Over 30 veteran orgs - including @AmericanLegion @iava and @studentvets signed on to a letter today demanding passage of the #AfghanAdjustmentAct
evacuateourallies.org/advoca…
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Would be a good time for @POTUS to evacuate our allies #GetThemToGuam
“We’re going to see pictures of them lined up against a wall and machine gunned. And that’s not an exaggeration,” @SenatorLeahy says of Afghan interpreters and other allies to US military, if Biden admin doesn’t arrange for visas to relocate them from Afghanistan.
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If you read one perspective today, make it this one. Kristen had done so much for our Afghan allies, and those two weeks in august will weigh on us for the rest of our lives. I’m so grateful for her.
As we root for Ukraine, we must not forget our #AfghanAllies still left behind. This is what I wrote for @TaskandPurpose about friends abandoned, US visa processing at a virtual halt, bad actors like MEP & a ridiculous White House staffer I talked with. taskandpurpose.com/opinion/a…
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Finally, it means that the administration will not be held accountable and that further relocations out of the country can stop at any moment. The IATF in the bill was a mechanism to ensure future relocations but this or any future admin has no incentive to keep them going.
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America failed its promise to its allies, and it's a shame we'll carry for a long time
The offl added @stateDept feels, "an enormous commitment to keep faith w/ all of the people to whom we owe this debt & we're going to continue to do everything we can in the coming weeks & months to fulfill that commitment, & to help those who wish to leave Afghanistan to do so."
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I was so proud to speak alongside other veterans in support of the #AfghanAdjustmentAct. They get it. Passing this legislation is good for veterans, our new Afghan neighbors, and the American people. Lets get it done now.
Thanks to all those who attended and spoke at this inspiring @EvacOurAllies press event in front of the Capitol.
Progress happens when we stand together in solidarity. Congress must swiftly pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct and #KeepThePromise we made a year ago.
#OneStepForward
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BIG DEAL ALERT 🚨🚨🚨:
The Biden Administration announced redesignation of temporary protected status for Afghans. Meaning that newly arrived Afghans can apply for protections. But this is TEMPORARY. Our allies need permanency, so tell Congress to pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct
NEW: The Biden Administration is expanding the number of Afghans eligible for temporary protected status in the US, according to a federal register notice.
The decision makes around 14,00 Afghans in the US newly eligible.
It extends protections from deportations to May 2025.
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Today is the two year anniversary of the fall of Kabul. We at @EvacOurAllies and @Vets4AmerIdeals are taking a quiet approach to reflect on what’s happened and what’s left undone. Here’s a quick thread explaining where we are:
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Let’s get this done. A funding bill before congress currently has legislation attached that would provide life saving relief to thousands of our allies. Pass the #afghanadjustmentact #aaa
This is the right step, and we're grateful for the White House taking seriously the needs of Afghans in this bill. We have a long way to go before our allies are fully cared for, but we know that Congress will do the right thing and #HonorOurPromise. Let's get this done ✊
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