Exodus Afghanistan: A Personal Story, Chapter 35, "... gradually and then suddenly"

The ‘gradually and then suddenly’ reference is to Ernest Hemingway’s “Law of Motion” and its frightening applicability to distressed projects. The phrase comes from his 1926 novel ‘The Sun Also Rises’ when the question is asked of one of the characters, “How did you go bankrupt?”...

(Author’s note: This Thomas Baker series novel is based on true events and contains opinion commentary. Thomas Baker is the ‘Sunset Playland’, ‘Sweet Land of Liberty’, and ‘Something for Nothing’ trilogy character as seen in the “Activity” section on this LinkedIn website. I’m using the Baker and company characters to tell the true story of Farid Nuri, a retired Afghanistan Army Colonel, a war hero and helicopter Medevac medic who worked closely with U.S. forces but is now being persecuted by the U.S. State Dept. for reasons they will not disclose, and possibly at this point, in their defense, they don’t even know. As you read this story, it is happening in real life, in real time, the outcome yet to be determined. Names have been changed and locations and incidents altered at the author's discretion, to protect the innocent in the name of privacy, safety, and national security.)

The distressed project on which Baker and Abbas have been working for the past six months, and which Abbas had been working on for the past three years, was becoming bankrupt in a similar way. Abbas himself was becoming bankrupt just paying attorneys’ fees for which there have been no results.

His new attorney was already floundering looking for legal loopholes of which there were none. Unless the State Department or Senator Bromley disclosed the reason why Farid Nuri is claimed to have helped the Taliban, no bureaucratic loophole would free him from that charge and overturn his visa refusal. It’s doubtful he would even be allowed into the United States. There would have to be a trial, and Farid would have to be either convicted or exonerated. And if no evidence is found to support the State Department’s claim, then a petition of habeas corpus, if it applies to the State Department, would come into play. In 1985, the American-Canadian middleweight boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter was released on a petition of habeas corpus after spending 20 years in prison because there was no evidence found or presented to uphold his conviction.

Meanwhile, Farid and his family were still in Harm’s way hiding from the Talban in Kabul. Farid himself, was now a captive of the Taliban and being held prisoner somewhere in the Presidential Palace that the Taliban had taken over when the U.S. pulled out and the Afghan government of Ashrif Ghani fled the country in August 2021.

This had all happened gradually over the years, but now significant things were happening suddenly.

The mysterious Taliban operative, Yasir, who had called and spoken to Baker and Abbas telling them that Farid was now a captive prisoner of the Taliban was actually a CIA operative. This information was given to Ray Hennessy at a covert meeting in an underground parking garage in Washington D.C. by a person who referred to himself as “Deep Throat”. Apparently, Deep Throat was the anonymous State Department employee who answered Baker’s September 26th email, explaining the situation with Farid and offering help. He is now working for the CIA or some derivative thereof, and is sympathetic to Farid’s case of imposed injustice and Abbas’s cause to free his brother from the State Department’s hold on Farid by refusal to grant him an immigration visa the U.S.

Meanwhile, the “Taliban-Candyman” ad campaign was sent to Yasir at his request as he had been working undercover for years climbing in the ranks and now a Taliban leader and Farid’s captor. Yasir (his real name is Joe, but don’t tell anyone) had asked for a series of bizarre demands for Fraid’s release. Demands that could never have been met, but bought time for Yasir and Farid to devise a plan of escape. By mistake, however, the wrong version of the campaign radio commercial song was sent and this has caused some unexpected complications, some good, some bad. (See Chapter 31, ‘That’s the Dumbest Idea I’ve Ever Heard ... I Love It!’). The song is a take-off on the famous ‘The Candy Man (Can)’ featured in the 1971 film ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ . This bogus, ridiculous, ad campaign was designed to project the Taliban as the good guys ... a “kinder, gentler Taliban” ... which they just may be dumb enough to accept as legitimate.

Here are a few bars from the original version which were mistakenly not sent ...

‘The Taliban Can’

Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew

Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two

The Taliban, oh the Taliban can

The Taliban can 'cause they mix it up with love and make the world taste good

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh

Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie

The Taliban, the Taliban can

The Taliban can 'cause they mix it up with love and make the world taste good

Corny, hokey, ridiculous ...

And here are a few bars from the version which was mistakenly sent to the Taliban ...

‘The TaliMan Can’ (not for publication or broadcast version ...)

Who can take a sunrise, and ruin it for a Jew

Cover it in terror and a suicide or two

The TaliMan, oh the TaliMan can

The TaliMan can, ‘cause he mixes it with blood and makes the world not good

Who can take a rainbow, wrap it in a sigh

Soak it up with blood and poke his finger in your eye

The TaliMan, the TaliMan can

The TaliMan can, 'cause they’re wild and crazy guys what are you gonna do

Rude, crude, crass ... and so politically incorrect ... but still, funny ...

Things must happen for a reason because the Taliban took it seriously and “loved” ... the wrong version. This version was made as an inside joke at the recording studio by a couple of wise-guy copywriters and producers who were clowning around after the original recording session. George Lotus had found a singer that could sound like Sammy Davis Jr., who made the song a worldwide popular and iconic hit. The politically incorrect version was recorded and sung by the copywriter, who will remain anonymous for now. The labels somehow accidentally or on purpose got mixed up. Yasir actually got a kick out of the bogus version and immediately realized the mistake, but his Taliban “colleagues” loved it and insisted it run worldwide!

George Lotus was both pleased and pissed off at the same time, Dr. Val Grantham couldn’t stop laughing about it, Abbas was confused, Baker was bewildered ... Farid didn’t get it at all ...

... the freaking Taliban loved it. Go figure.

On a more serious note, the State Department continues to insist that there are no legal loopholes to explore, and that there is no issue with “red tape” or a bureaucratic labyrinth to navigate. They insisted that Farid’s case was a matter of law and his “providing material support to the Taliban, a terrorist organization” was the reason his immigration visa was being denied. However, they have provided absolutely no justification for this charge. Gotta give it to them for holding their ground and sticking to protocol.

Baker was even starting to wonder if they actually had something on Farid that would warrant his continued immigration visa rejections. He was committed to finding out.

Just for comparison, the difference between the recent and widely publicized release of Trevor Reed from a Russian prison in exchange for a Russian prisoner held in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges, is that the Russians were holding Reed. Reed’s family and lawyer protested, marching in front of the White House until they got satisfaction. In Fraid’s case, however, no one is protesting or marching, except for Baker and Abbas ... and it is the U.S. State Department and Utah Senator Witt Bromley that are holding him prisoner in Afghanistan ... notwithstanding Farid’s complex and dangerous current situation with Yasir, Ahmad, and the Taliban. They are rejecting him. They don’t want him in the United States.

The real problem is that the State Department indicated they had informed Utah Senator Witt Bromley about the issue, but that “he may not have all the information” ... whatever that means. They did indicate, however, that Bromley was Farid’s best and only path to freedom as he was a Utah senator and Abbas is his Utah constituent. That is why Baker is pressing Bromley and his staff so hard to intervene ... but with no success.

Bromley won’t become involved in this case, probably fearing press and public accusations of being accused of supporting a “Taliban sympathizer”. Can’t blame him for his caution. However, considering that he knows Abbas, has visited the restaurant on campaign swings, taken photos of him and Abbas ... perhaps throwing caution to the wind in this case would be advisable all things considered, and considering the strong case for Farid’s immigration via acceptance.

All of these things were adding up, gradually ... the many appeal emails Baker had sent to senators, representatives, celebrities known to support human rights causes, friends and military colleagues of Farid’s ... presidential cabinet members and even the Vice President of the United States ...

... and Baker’s visit to the Utah State Capitol Building and subsequent emails and actions from state senators ... his constant appeals to the State Department and Senator Bromley for clarity of the claim against Farid and a resolution ... and, the LinkedIn chapters of ‘Exodus Afghanistan: A Personal Story’...

... all gradually marinating, then simmering and cooking under the surface ... spreading a network of acknowledgement, understanding, and concern for Farid and his family’s safety with a mounting groundswell of support.

And then, just as Hemingway’s astute observation predicted according to his “Law of Motion” regarding how things change ... it happened ... suddenly ...

John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762