Common Sense Is A Lost Virtue

There are way too many things going on in America today that defy common sense, and the day after Obama was elected President, I celebrated a mock funeral in honor of Mr. Common Sense.

But I came across a piece of news that discussed something very dear to my heart. This was reported on Black Five.
It appears that the State Department has declined the request for a permanent entry visa into the United States for a man whose name is kept secret to protect his life, but who is very well known to the American troops who he served with as Jasim.

Jasim is an Iraqi interpreter, who has been aiding the American and Coalition troops in Iraq since the invasion of 2003. The life of an Iraqi interpreter was not worth much to the terrorists, who gladly made sure they would eliminate as many as possible of these “traitors” and their families. Jasim had been against the Hussein regime for many years, even joining the Kurdish resistance. He had been captured by Saddam’s thugs after he had been tasked to steal Saddam’s son Uday’s car in order to gain intelligence for the Kurds. Ha had been sentenced to life in prison, but was freed by Saddam when he opened the prison’s doors in Iraq as the invasion of Iraq was all but certain in 2003. After the invasion, Jasim joined the Iraqi Special Forces, but soon decided that the tribal discord was not for him and signed up to be an interpreter and has been ever since.

The part that is amazing to me is that he has been attributed to having saved countless American soldiers lives, often exposing his own safety in order to get some wounded GI out of a burning vehicle or providing cover fire as medical personnel attended a wounded soldier.
The article also refers to letters of recommendation written by American Military personnel, who stated officially that they would have been dead if not for Jasim bravery and dedication to a free Iraq.
Now if we read these documents and we match them to the service of the man to the cause, we immediately feel very comfortable that someone like Jasim should not only have the visa in his hands in a speedy way, but that his path to citizenship, should he want it, would be just as speedy. Instead what the article brings up is that the State Department has denied the visa application.

Why is this story so dear to my heart? Because I am an immigrant and I understand what rejection means to someone who wants to move to the United States. The difference is that I was granted the visa after all the investigations conducted by the Interpol, FBI and State Department, as Jasim was not, but mostly the difference is that Jasim has put his life in danger for our Military day after day and I did not! I just place myself in his shoes and I am angry for him.
Understand that there are some specific events in someone’s past that will give reason to State to deny an entry visa. In my days was criminal record, membership to the Communist Party and the like (too bad Jasim is NOT a former member of the Communist Party, as this Administration would have offered him a cabinet post! I would also suggest Jasim to tell the State Dept. representative that he plans to write a book that trashes Bush once in the US).

In the case of Jasim, and this is what makes even less sense to me, he was denied visa for belonging to the Kurdish movement that was opposed to Saddam. Yes, because Jasim had belonged to a movement dedicated to the overthrowing of Saddam, a movement, by the way, that was supported by the US government at the time, Jasim is being considered a risk and therefore the rejection.

The irony of this report for me is that I read about it the same day that I found out that 27 illegal aliens who had been captured during an ICE raid in Washington State have been not only released but also given the chance to gain a worker permit that would allow them to stay in the US. This piece of news, together with New Jersey governor Corzine stated intention to offer in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants, and the irresponsible immigration attitude that has been pervading the country’s so-called leadership for years now, was just another metaphorical bullet in the back of the head of Mr. Common Sense.
Now, I was not a fan of Bush’s stance on illegal immigration, but in the case of Jasim I see something sinister at work. The Homeland Security Dept. had no problem with Jasim visa, but it was the State Dept. that vetoed the application and I see a political motivation to it (maybe it’s my conspiracy alter ego rearing its ugly head).
Jasim is one of those few Iraqis who did not shy away from demonstrating his appreciation for what our Military has been doing in Iraq and his way to demonstrate his dedication was by placing his own life in the greatest possible danger to help us and even to save our soldiers.
From all accounts, what Jasim has done for the US and our Military is highly remarkable. His own stepbrother paid a very high price for Jasim activity when he was captured by AQI and tortured and executed via electric drill through his eyes (now that's real torture!).
But our current Administration and its cronies at State, is so determined to turn Iraq into a loosing proposition that they will take it out on anybody and anything that is related to it.
So as the Liberals Progressive in Washington are busy preparing the way for an amnesty that would legalize millions of what they see as potential voters, as criminals and traitors who are in the country illegally, enjoy the fruits of what is our eroding freedom, Jasim will have to remain in Iraq with the great chance that he will not survive, especially with Obama bent on taking our troops out of that country recklessly. So as millions use and abuse our national resources and pillage our system, increasingly demanding more and more, Jasim will have to wait another three years before he can apply for a review of the rejection.

I hope that when American helicopters will be plucking embassy people and refugees off the roof top of the US embassy in Baghdad taking them to safety, I hope that Jasim and many like him will be able to be on one of those flights and be safe.
Thanks Jasim for all you have done for our troops and my sincere apologies for the behavior of our corrupted leadership, which I know you can relate to personally!

And these are my thoughts!
Frank “Semperpapa”