How Hope Ends: In Flames چگونه امید در شعله ها به پایان می رسد

Today's top story is an essay by Sahar Petrat, an Afghan exile writing in Gal-Dem, an online and print publication committed to sharing perspectives from people of color of marginalized genders.

It is called "As Afghans, We Burn Our Identities to Survive, and to Resist."

Here are a few excerpts:

"I will never forgive the Taliban...most of all, I will never forgive them for forcing us to burn our identities and histories to survive their brutality, if we do.

"On 15 August, the day of the fall of Afghanistan...my friend called her family in Kabul and asked them to pack up her home and burn all her documents, books and awards.

"In the collective memory of Afghans, burning is not a new phenomenon. In 1989 at the end of the Soviet-Afghan war, when the Mujahideen captured large parts of Afghanistan, a generation, just like us, burned all they had and all that defined them. In 1996 when the Taliban took over Afghanistan for the first time, history repeated. Once again, in 2021, we are burning our official documents, books, photo albums, computers, music instruments, dresses, memories, sculptures, and paintings. But we also burn and bury so many unachieved wild dreams, our sense of identity and belonging, and many parts of our shaped and unshaped identities.

"I also see burning as resisting, the selfless act of denying a personal and family history, and the sudden removal of one’s trace, an uprooting of identity, lifestyle, and even values. All for the sake of survival. Our collective survival.

"We did everything we could to protest against the peace deal with the Taliban; we tried to hold the U.S. accountable for its irresponsible withdrawal, but our voices were too weak, and the world was too deaf. Now, it’s too late. Taliban have seized the country without compromising anything or making any deals. And now we have to conceal our identities just to survive."

***

Much like the author of the four "Letters From Helmand" I have published, Sahar is screaming into a void -- the emptiness of a world that simply does not care.

Afghanistan is simply too small, too poor, and too remote from the rich world to matter. Like the Afghans, I too have lost hope.

Help is not on the way.

THE HEADLINES:

* As Afghans, we burn our identities to survive, and to resist -- The Taliban are erasing us and our identities, but to survive, we hide or burn every trace of everything we have been and everything we wished to be. (Gal-Dem) 

*Gavin Newsom Is Much More Than the Lesser of Two Evils -- The torrent of policy the governor and the legislature are passing amounts to nothing less than a Green New Deal for the Golden State. (NYT)

* Anti-Taliban resistance fighters rely on grit, history and geography to hang onto a sliver of Afghanistan (WP)

* Afghanistan's all-female orchestra falls silent (Reuters)

* Disasters cascading across the country this summer, including California’s wildfires, have exposed a harsh reality: The United States is not ready for the extreme weather that is becoming more frequent as a result of a warming planet. (California Today)

* VIDEO: Ida Devastates Philadelphia and Surrounding Areas (AP, Reuters)

* 43 Die as Deadliest Storm Since Sandy Devastates the Northeast (NYT)

* Nearly all U.S. counties will be affected by extreme heat in the coming years, disproportionately impacting Black and Latinx people, according to a report by the Adrienne-Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center. Extreme heat could cause nearly 60,000 excess deaths per year by 2050. [HuffPost]

* Texas abortion law abruptly reshapes the political landscape (WP)

* Confusion in Texas as ‘Unprecedented’ Abortion Law Takes Effect (NYT)

* Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are reportedly planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol demanding "justice" for the hundreds of people charged in connection with the insurrection. U.S. Capitol Police are discussing whether the large perimeter fence will need to be put back up. (AP)

* When Vaccines Aren’t an Option: Life for Families With Children Under 12 -- About 48 million American children are not eligible for a coronavirus shot. Their parents face difficult choices as school starts. (NYT) 

* As COVID surges, more Florida school districts revolt against governor's mask ban (Reuters)

* Idaho hospitals nearly buckling in relentless COVID surge (AP) Study: Americans Enjoy Watching TV, Eating (The Onion)

***

"Hopeless"

Dionne Farris

Hello morning, now when does the fun begin?
Goodbye morning, sorry it had to end
But see I cried just a little too long
Now it's time for me to be strong

Hello morning, I sure missed you last night
Goodbye morning, you just won't do me right
I stayed just a little too long
Now it's time for me to move on

Hello yesterday, I sure need you now
Goodbye yesterday, I just can't stay around
You see I cried just a little too long
Now it's time for me to be strong